I highly recommend Freelancers: A Crossroads Game (review)

[@TheDungeonDive]

I get that a lot of people don’t like apps in games. I just get tired of the same old “I don’t like apps in games,” comments. Sorry if some of my responses came off as rude, but I just get tired of all the same comments every time I do a video about a game with an app. Especially when they’re as good as this! This is S-tier adventure gaming right here. I had so much fun with this. Maybe that didn’t come across enough in the video. Anyhow, from now on I’ll just learn to expect those comments and not respond, so as to avoid being rude. I just want people to have fun!

[@danacoleman4007]

I don't like apps in games 😂😂😂😢

[@TheDungeonDive]

Why I oughta!

[@danacoleman4007]

@@TheDungeonDive 😁

[@jonathanstutzman7757]

Agreed. I mean this game has an option to download everything offline so you don’t have to be connected and you can have it forever in your computer. This argument that the game will become obsolete is not relevant here. Unless electricity dies for everyone. And if that’s the case, I for one will not probably be playing games at that point but will be trying to find water and learn how to skin animals I have to hunt.

[@BeatRag28]

@@jonathanstutzman7757that’s just not quite true. Try to play any pc game from its original disk pre 2008 on your current machine. They don’t work anymore. Someone has to transfer them to digital and patch in fixes.

[@MichaelS-jk8tj]

Found your review! I cannot recommend enough getting together 6 or 7 to play this one, we have always found the more the merrier with this game.

[@kaymarmagic7211]

Savage gameplay from Daniel! "Lazy bones, I love that guy, he made me laugh. I fed him to a dragon'. :O

[@SPQRKlio]

I like the art on this, the back-of-box copy cracks me up, and I’d like to have more solo adventure games on hand for when I just can’t get a second player to the table. I do have that self-imposed hurdle to get over!

[@ten_oclock_scholar4690]

I'm so glad you like it! Can't wait to break out my copy soon!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Hope you love it! It’s so much fun. So charming and creative.

[@sleepysasquatchgames]

Thanks for covering this! I was debating picking it up for my own game design research and you really sold it to me here.

[@dankone1289]

Found my way here from the future! Your Freelancers vs Mansions vs Galzyr video. Thanks for doing this one!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@AFatalPapercut]

I don't know if you want to do it, or if you know about it already, but you can tape the bottom of the standee to give a little more snugness to the standee holder.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yes! I will sometimes paint a pit of superglue to the bottom as well. Let it dry, and it beefs of the cardboard a bit.

[@GachaGamerYouTube]

really good game, super light and a great way to introduce newbies to the hobby. i was first skeptical about it because of my sour experience with forgotten waters but freelancers managed to knock it out of the park with everything from funny writing to even funnier classes and character development. also - i think board game companies really need to start including voiceover as a free of charge add on because i can only recall oathsworn and tainted grail doing this, other companies just point you towards forteller where you need to shell out 10-20 extra bucks.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Good for beginners and those of us who have been into the hobby since the 80s.

[@gasa5251]

if you can download the app to the desktop then a lot of those the apps not there anymore can go away. Thanks for the review, might have to check this one out.

[@jeremiahhammer2282]

Was literally just about to pull the trigger on Forgotten Waters when this video popped into my feed. This is definitely a reimplementation of that game, but I think I'm gonna nab this up instead. Thank you so much for the enthusiastic coverage!

[@davidautinify]

Forgotten Waters is still super fun, fwiw! but yeah, it looks like Plaid Hat improved and perfected the formula for Freelancers. :)

[@capnbob0618]

Looks really unique and fun. I appreciate how the app helps onboard you so I can easily introduce this to non-gamer family/friends to get a bigger group to play.

[@d.aardent9382]

Oh, something to try for the standees, They look like a thermoplastic, heat them up with a hairdryer until malleable enough to pinch the clip protrusions closer together and then put a big paper clip on it to keep pressure and throw it in coldwater to set it.

[@TheDungeonDive]

They're cardboard.

[@Freyathrith]

@@TheDungeonDive I think they meant the plastic stands themselves. :)

[@caesarspeak9030]

This looks like a wacky and very fun game. I've always been on the fence when it comes to app board games. With that said I can definitely see how this game shines with it.

[@TheDungeonDive]

When they’re good they’re some of the best adventure games out there. Lands of Galzyr, Mansions of Madness, Familiar Tales, and now Freelancers. All S-tier adventure games.

[@geoffdenham5063]

Played through the first scenario and was nicely surprised at the quality of writing. Everything moved along at a good pace with a few great story hooks and nice mechanics. I did draw a companion early on who allowed itself to change hands to avoid spending time in exchange for a luck token…. This made it very easy to avoid drawing from bag for most of the game as I had a bunch of luck tokens. It kind of broke the game as I had no real danger for most of the game. Maybe i was reading the companion card wrong. At any rate it was better than I thought it would be and looking forward to diving in with new characters and a new scenario.

[@the_Mike_d]

You're usually pretty reserved with your recommendations, so to hear you give this an endorsement in the first few minutes is telling. I do think that bad apps have ruined people's feelings on them in board gaming and maybe we're now in a new (2nd? 3rd?) generation of games that use them and they're much better? Those classes are wild - feels like maybe it's inspired a tiny bit from Dungeon Degenerates with the weirdness. I kinda want to play a Stilt-walking clam digger!

[@TheDungeonDive]

I don’t think I’ve had an experience with a bad app. Every app based game I’ve played I liked. But that’s only maybe 5 or so games for me.

[@the_Mike_d]

@@TheDungeonDive When Mansions of Madness 2.0 first launched, I remember the app being a bit of a mess. They fixed it pretty quick, but early on we had lots of issues with it not remembering progress. We also didn't have great luck with the Descent 2nd edition official app either. Interestingly (and to tie this to your last video) I found Gloomhaven unplayable until someone had me use the unofficial apps and we played coop; it was transformative - so I do believe a well done app can really make or break a game.

[@davidk6269]

Thank you, Daniel! This seems like a very interesting game, although I'm not a fan of apps for board games.

[@TheDungeonDive]

If this didn’t have an app it’d have about 1200 cards and probably cost over $150. Get over the hang up and enjoy one of the best adventure games of the year! :)

[@davidk6269]

@@TheDungeonDive honestly, I probably will never be fully reconciled with apps in board games. Apps just feel "wrong" to me in a board game. But I'm glad that you don't have this barrier to enjoyment!

[@shawnfairbanks9339]

Hah… holy wow wow, my (vague) board game creation idea involved taking a race and a class and putting them together like we see here to make a full character sheet. I want to do that with NPC’s and everything. I need to get back into the creative bag on that, I haven’t touched it in a long time.

[@m34nb34n]

Picked up a copy just cause of this review. Thanks

[@TheDungeonDive]

Hope you enjoy it even half as much as I do.

[@joejohnson2291]

You'll see why the "barberian" is spelled that way when you play as them. Throw a hyphen after the second R and it might give you a hint of what you're in for. :) This game has a lot of fun playing with your expectations.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Ha! The game is so wacky.

[@davidautinify]

i've enjoyed all the Crossroads games i've played (even Gen7), so this is an absolute no-brainer scoop up for me. did it just come out?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yes. Very recently.

[@excitebox]

Is this worth getting if I already own Aftermath? Freelancers looks good and I own/enjoy Dead of Winter as well but Aftermath and Freelancers appear to have similar mechanics on first impression. Love your channel, thanks for the great content.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yes, especially if you like these kinds of games. FL has a very different vibe, and you can play a complete game in a few hours.

[@d.aardent9382]

I may try and get this soon so i can take it to family get together where there are several young adults and adults that like rpgd and adventure/fantasy stuff.

[@saviloic]

Another amazing review, thanks Daniel! Any preference between Freelancers versus Lands of Galzyr (christmas shopping on the way :) )?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Oh boy! That's a tough one. I think I prefer Galzyr, because it's more open world.

[@SamBalducci]

The app does not bother me, but I am alergic to the $60 price tag. If I ever find it on sale I may consider it. I stayed away from this game because the BGG page says it is a 3-5 player game. Now that I know there is a solo it is on my radar for the right price.

[@TheDungeonDive]

There’s so much game for $60. I’m shocked it’s not at least $80.

[@BrentARJ]

​@@TheDungeonDiveagreed! $60 seems like an absolute bargain for this!!

[@brianknouse5164]

This looks great! Will def pick this up this week!

[@Paprika799]

Great review, this game is now on my radar

[@Lwilibert]

first time i feel curious about an app driven game. This looks so good.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Oh man. Mansions of Madness is a masterpiece! One of the very best adventure games ever. Maybe this game will open up that space for you. You’ve got a wealth of amazing app based games to discover. My GOTY last year is so good. Lands of Galzyr. It’s one of the most magical experiences I’ve ever had at a table.

[@Lwilibert]

@@TheDungeonDive my sister and gf love dale of merchants so I'll try to get Lands eventually if I travel. Currently imports are an issue in my country.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Ah. Yeah. That makes sense. Sucks.

[@jonathanstutzman7757]

Not on my radar at all. Would you pick this or Familiar Tales for solo play if you had to pick one?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Can’t go wrong with either.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Actually after giving it some more thought, I think I prefer this because the adventures can be completed in a single sitting.

[@jonathanstutzman7757]

@@TheDungeonDive Cool. Especially as someone with a lot of longer campaign games in my collection I could see it being really appealing. Definitely something on my list now.

[@marvsolarsystem]

Did you ever play this with a larger group? How did it turn out? Still feel as strongly toward it? And finally, did you house rule the loot dilemma? Cheers!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Only solo. Love it. Made it on my runners up video for top 10 adventure games. No house rules.

[@Crinklechip-s]

Holy moly I need this game! Cheers Daniel!

[@PlayGamzWithMe]

great review! just picked this up

[@jonathanfranklin461]

Can you talk a bit more about the role of the app in the game? For example, in some games, it streamlines branching lookup tables and gives a two-line readout. In others, it holds encyclopedias of text to be read aloud. Does this game have long breaks where a single player is expected to read/listen to more than a paragraph of text?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Both. It's a HUGE deck of complex encounter cards. Some have a lot of text, some a little bit of text. I don't like a ton of reading / listening in games, and this didn't bug me at all. Probably closer to Sleeping Gods / Etherfields than Middara.

[@jonathanfranklin461]

That helps a ton! Thanks. @@TheDungeonDive

[@aarongelb9793]

So this game is a one-off per session? Not an ongoing lengthy campaign? If so, I really like that.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Each full adventure is around 3 hours.

[@aarongelb9793]

@@TheDungeonDive so great. That's why we can't often finish other games like this, these days... life's just too busy!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yep!

[@BeatRag28]

App based games are just too risky when it comes to longevity. There’s already been some casualties for app based board games that are no longer possible to play (Xcom board game). Just not worth it with so many other options for me.

[@TheDungeonDive]

“I don’t want to enjoy this great bottle of scotch now because one day it will be gone.” Get over it. All we have is now. Enjoy things now.

[@RootVegetabIe]

​​@@TheDungeonDiveNot a good comparison at all and kind of rude for no reason.

[@SPQRKlio]

@@RootVegetabIeI understand the Scotch comparison-some games are for keeping for the long term, some are for a few sessions of entertainment then maybe you pass them along to someone else. But “get over it” can read kinda bad when you can’t hear the tone of voice behind it.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I’m so sick of the anti app comments on every app based game. They’re tired and boring.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Every time there is a video about an app based game, 1/2 the comments are about how people don’t like app based games. I just don’t get it. Just ignore the video and comments.

[@theinstantnoodle9628]

Clam Digger? Ahem...

[@crookedeyeboy]

😂😂😂

[@shazam2323]

i knew within 5 mins i was gonna hate this game, pushed through and beat it regardless but my opinion never changed. It was just god-awful in nearly every way

[@TheDungeonDive]

I love your passion!

[@jeffchan4557]

So....what happens when the App goes away or they stop supporting the App, your board game is now useless

[@TheDungeonDive]

I'll have played it all by then (and it's not an app - it's a website, and Plaid Hat already said they'll make everything open source if that ever happens), and by then there will be probably over 500 other new games to play. What happens when you buy a good bottle of scotch and drink it all? What happens you pay $60 to go out to eat and you eat all the food? What happens when you pay thousands to go to Disneyland and then you have to go home? You're paying for an experience, and this is a fantastic experience that would be foolish to pass up just because it may not be available again in 10-15 years.

[@MelvLee]

Absolutely love the combination of Boardgame + RPG. There are so many good designs to learn here for Solo RPG writers! A quick question. Does the game come with a smaller box as well? One thing I don't like about Familiar Tale (great game) is the big box due to the Minis. Given this is standee only, I really hope this come in a much smaller / portable box!

[@TheDungeonDive]

The box is smaller. Shallower.

[@MelvLee]

@@TheDungeonDivegreat news! Will add to my Christmas wish list :)