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Description
Congratulations! Humanity is dead! The bad news is that all they left behind is their garbage and a broken gig economy. That's why we need freelancers like you who are ready to take any job, no matter how loathsome. As a freelancer, you will delve into ruins, brave the wilds, and slay the hordes of hideous creatures that litter the dark forgotten corners of the world. All so you can gather loot and return home, ready to blow it all and start over again the next day. It's a lousy gig, so it's perfect for the likes of you.
Freelancers: A Crossroads Game condenses the fantasy RPG campaign experience into a single night of fun and mayhem. Create a character, roll funky dice, and blaze your way through multiple stories set in a world of magic, monsters, and murder. Better yet, no game master is required, as a magical companion app does all the storytelling for you! Immerse yourself in fully-voiced, industry-leading audio as you play. Explore hundreds of branching paths in five highly replayable campaigns. Mix and match a multitude of species and jobs to build your own unique character. Pick up and play, simple rules, low commitment and no prep.
—description from the publisher
Year Published
2023
Featured Videos
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 2
This page: 2
Sentiment:
pos 1 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–2 of 2
Video graqLSvNk0g
Unknown Channel game_review at 0:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 59515 · mention_pk 152080
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Impressive app integration with high-quality visuals and voice acting
- Engaging, witty, and well-written narrative that appeals to family play
- Excellent production quality and art style
- Two-player variant works well and enables shared storytelling with depth
- Multiple adventures and replay potential; strong onboarding with narrative hooks
Cons
- Initial tutorial and onboarding could be confusing or missed if not prompted by app
- The game is highly narrative-driven and not crunchy mechanically; may not satisfy min-max players
- Some players may feel the app or rulebook require reading for full comprehension
- Certain encounters and equipment may not strongly synergize with character builds
Thematic elements
- Story-driven exploration, role-based collaboration, and fantasy fantasy-adventure lore
- Fantasy-adventure in a narrative-driven boxed campaign with identity-driven character creation and in-world storytelling via an app
- App-forward, branching narrative with readable dialogue, humor, and dialog-driven encounters
Comparison games
- Too Many Bones
- Barcelona
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- App-driven narration and decisions — An accompanying app presents encounters, prompts skill checks, and resolves consequences, sometimes guiding branching outcomes
- Character creation — Two stacks of sheets (species and jobs) are chosen independently and combined to form a character; players name their character and answer Mad Lib–style prompts to seed story cues
- Followers and narrative triggers — Followers enter the bag and trigger narrative snippets or additional card effects that drive story forward
- Locations, actions, and timer-based resolutions — Location book lists actions with symbols; players place standees within a 45-second window and resolve outcomes via the app
- Map exploration with timer — Cartographer tracks the map while time is measured via chips; the Scout manages time flow and threat progression
- Resource management — Threat tokens accumulate on a board; drawing threats increases difficulty, requiring higher dice or special actions to counteract
- Role actions and turn order — Players assume specific roles (e.g., Cartographer, Scout, Lookout, Influencer) that drive actions and influence turn order
- Skill checks and die luck — Character skills drive checks; as skills improve, players gain bonus dice to enhance chances of success
- Story and treasure decks — Decks provide narrative cards and treasure that augment dice and provide story-specific rewards
- Storytelling — Decks provide narrative cards and treasure that augment dice and provide story-specific rewards
- Threat and resource management — Threat tokens accumulate on a board; drawing threats increases difficulty, requiring higher dice or special actions to counteract
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the app is Stellar
- the visuals on the app are wonderful
- the interface is how elegant and easy
- the app will run you through a tutorial
- it's eight out of ten and I'm gonna call that a win
- neon gorilla stamp of approval
- this game is mostly a narrative driven game where you as a player are dealing with what's thrown at you
- not a gameplay where you're Min maxing a character and specializing
- it's not the first thing I'm gonna pull off the shelf for my tastes
- I will totally play again
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video HdcAL41LJuw
Before You Play preview at 0:03 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5372 · mention_pk 15971
Click to watch at 0:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Cooperative gameplay with meaningful personal incentives
- Strong character customization and distinct roles
- Web app integration provides guided, streamlined play
- Five replayable campaigns add longevity
- Tension from planning phase and timed actions
Cons
- Complex setup and learning curve due to app integration
- Some actions require careful attention to app/web flow
- Spoiler risk during preview; full experience requires playing the game
Thematic elements
- cooperative adventure with personal incentives and individual endings
- A fringe-world setting centered on a hub marketplace with travel to the rim across five campaigns
- app-guided, campaign-driven narrative
Comparison games
- Forgotten Waters
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Camp actions and rest — Camping actions to heal stress/HP and manage risk
- campaign structure — Five replayable campaigns, each playable in a single night
- Character creation — Choose species and job, generate backstory
- End-of-round codes and endings — Codes mark round ends; endings depend on influence and XP
- Influence-based turn order — Turn order determined by influence; can gain/lose influence over the campaign
- Location book actions and map — Location actions with blue single-use vs green multi-use options; map-based travel
- Planning phase with timer — 45-second planning phase with actions selected in influence order
- Role-based cooperative play — Distinct roles with unique duties (GM, Bookkeeper, Cartographer, Medic, Influencer, Lookout, Scout)
- Skill checks and dice — Skills with bonuses; dice rolls (20-sided plus bonus dice) and app-entered codes
- Story deck and Hermit/dragon quest — Story deck provides events; final quest involves dragon on the map
- Treasure deck and equipment — Treasure cards, armor, trinkets, and weapon augmentations; top treasure card drawn
- Web app integration — App guides setup, maps, and events; fully audio narrated
- Wounds and risk — HP, wounds tracked; risk tokens and a bag draw that cascades effects
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Welcome to our three player game of Freelancers a Crossroads game
- we are Freelancers and we're trying to make some money
- it's a fully Cooperative campaign style game
- the app guides you through each of the five different campaigns
- each campaign is replayable
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–2 of 2