Usually Saturday is a crappy day for mail, plus today it's raining cats and dogs out there. So I was really surprised by today's packages.
First up...Freebooter's Fate is in da-house! This was just released a few weeks ago in Germany. No US stores even have it yet, but it has been released in English and German worldwide. It should be hitting North American shores any day now. This is a new pirate skirmish game utilizing 30mm scale figures, and it was put together by Werner Klocke's company Freebooter Miniatures. Werner is a very well established, and respected sculptor in the industry. Therefore the figures are as attractive as one would expect, but the game is looking really well done too.
The rulebook is looking very impressive, and like some other newer 30mm games, this one also requires no dice, just a deck of cards that they make designed specifically for Freebooter's Fate.
At a glance I can say that I'm very impressed with the miniatures. I really like that each one comes with a scenic deck-plate, depicting a wooden deck, and this deck-plate piece sits down into the little square bases that they include.
I am however a little bummed out, because they didn't send me more than one pirate, but 4 Imperial force figures. Since it's so new, I tried going online to purchase a few more pirates, so that when I take photos for the review I'll have some even sides to work with, but sadly none of the US retailers have any of the figures that come with the stat cards yet.
The problem is that Freebooter sold many of the miniatures they're using in Freebooter's Fate, before they made the game. Therefore MANY of the characters for Freebooter's Fate that you can buy from most retailers today, are old stock, which don't include the cards you need to play the game with.
Ordering direct from Germany is also cost prohibitive for me, and I don't want to wait another two weeks or so to get them. So I'm crossing my fingers that a US retailer out there somewhere ends up with new stock soon, that come with the cards. Or that Freebooter makes the cards available for download soon. I have a notion they'll have to offer the cards for download. Since they sold the figures, before the game was made, there will be lots of stock sitting somewhere without cards for some time yet to come.
This might also make it a little confusing when you go to purchase the game, because a store that may offer the rulebook, might not have all of the figures that come with cards yet. Before ordering any figures, I'd call first.
Retailers can help to clear this up though, by simply making a note in their descrptions of the items by simply stating "comes with card", or not. In doing so tho, I got a notion all the stock without cards will sit and never sell, now that the game exists. So beware, make sure what you're buying have the cards, otherwise you'll be out of luck to play the game.
Aside from that one issue, it's looking like it will be a big hit worldwide, and I should have a review of it ready by the end of this next week, IF all goes as planned. Meanwhile I've included some pictures for your viewing pleasure.
Other arrivals today include Mantic Games stuff. These guys make some of the very best alternative figures out there to be used for Warhammer Fantasty Battles. I'll be doing an In Focus Review on some of their Undead army pieces, along with one of their paint sets very soon as well. I'm also STILL working on Flames of War. I'm waiting for the interview questions to make their way back to me yet, plus I'm still assembling and painting miniatures for it. It will be a busy weekend for sure.
First up...Freebooter's Fate is in da-house! This was just released a few weeks ago in Germany. No US stores even have it yet, but it has been released in English and German worldwide. It should be hitting North American shores any day now. This is a new pirate skirmish game utilizing 30mm scale figures, and it was put together by Werner Klocke's company Freebooter Miniatures. Werner is a very well established, and respected sculptor in the industry. Therefore the figures are as attractive as one would expect, but the game is looking really well done too.
The rulebook is looking very impressive, and like some other newer 30mm games, this one also requires no dice, just a deck of cards that they make designed specifically for Freebooter's Fate.
At a glance I can say that I'm very impressed with the miniatures. I really like that each one comes with a scenic deck-plate, depicting a wooden deck, and this deck-plate piece sits down into the little square bases that they include.
I am however a little bummed out, because they didn't send me more than one pirate, but 4 Imperial force figures. Since it's so new, I tried going online to purchase a few more pirates, so that when I take photos for the review I'll have some even sides to work with, but sadly none of the US retailers have any of the figures that come with the stat cards yet.
The problem is that Freebooter sold many of the miniatures they're using in Freebooter's Fate, before they made the game. Therefore MANY of the characters for Freebooter's Fate that you can buy from most retailers today, are old stock, which don't include the cards you need to play the game with.
Ordering direct from Germany is also cost prohibitive for me, and I don't want to wait another two weeks or so to get them. So I'm crossing my fingers that a US retailer out there somewhere ends up with new stock soon, that come with the cards. Or that Freebooter makes the cards available for download soon. I have a notion they'll have to offer the cards for download. Since they sold the figures, before the game was made, there will be lots of stock sitting somewhere without cards for some time yet to come.
This might also make it a little confusing when you go to purchase the game, because a store that may offer the rulebook, might not have all of the figures that come with cards yet. Before ordering any figures, I'd call first.
Retailers can help to clear this up though, by simply making a note in their descrptions of the items by simply stating "comes with card", or not. In doing so tho, I got a notion all the stock without cards will sit and never sell, now that the game exists. So beware, make sure what you're buying have the cards, otherwise you'll be out of luck to play the game.
Aside from that one issue, it's looking like it will be a big hit worldwide, and I should have a review of it ready by the end of this next week, IF all goes as planned. Meanwhile I've included some pictures for your viewing pleasure.
Other arrivals today include Mantic Games stuff. These guys make some of the very best alternative figures out there to be used for Warhammer Fantasty Battles. I'll be doing an In Focus Review on some of their Undead army pieces, along with one of their paint sets very soon as well. I'm also STILL working on Flames of War. I'm waiting for the interview questions to make their way back to me yet, plus I'm still assembling and painting miniatures for it. It will be a busy weekend for sure.