D&D 5E Which Version of Freeport/Other Pirate City...?

[Retreater]

My group is playing through Ghosts of Saltmarsh and going a little out of bounds of the adventure. They want to sell some contraband, hire a crew, and have some more piratical adventures.
I'm looking for a pirate/nautical city. It's been twenty years since I've played in Freeport, but I remember the setting working for what I'm thinking. The only issue is that I'm confused by which version to get. There are numerous iterations and related products that I can't figure out what is the most recent "city/campaign" guide.
Or maybe there's another product line you'd recommend? Basically, I've gotta be ready to go next week, so I don't have a lot of time to write my own or research all the available products.
Thanks!

 

[RuinousPowers]

Five Fingers for d20 Iron Kingdoms is a great city, but it does have some non-Realms tech.

 

[humble minion]

Or the Scharde Islands and Cryx more broadly in the Iron Kingdoms if you want an appallingly evil steampunk pirate haven.

 

[RuinousPowers]

Or the Scharde Islands and Cryx more broadly in the Iron Kingdoms if you want an appallingly evil steampunk pirate haven.

There is a 5e product for this on the way, but no idea when it will drop.

 

[humble minion]

There is a 5e product for this on the way, but no idea when it will drop.

As a kickstarter backer, I already have my beta copy. But the full product is forecast to be out next April.

If you can get your hands on the old Savage Tide adventure path for 3e from Dragon magazine, there's some options in there. Sasserine and Scuttlecove are both really well fleshed out. Sasserine is a good low-level home base, while Scuttlecove is a really nasty place for high-level PCs to (carefully) visit.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

I forget the name of the pirate town, but the module includes 3 linked adventures that should translate easily enough for 5e.

paizo.com - Pathfinder Module: Plunder & Peril (PFRPG)

 

[Scott Christian]

Skull and Shackles AP is full of ship explorations, NPCs, lore, and adventures. You might want to check this out.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

There are three versions of Freeport I'm aware of, not counting just using the adventures:

1) 3E version. This one wears its love for 1E on its sleeve, with more than a few silly characters and punny names. I think this one actually takes place before the Freeport Trilogy, with Milton Drac as Sea Lord.

2) Systemless version. This one takes place after the Freeport Trilogy and Black Sails over Freeport. Drac is gone, but the secession crisis is underway. Updates and expands the setting, has a more serious tone, has a bunch of support products, systemless and otherwise that add cults, pirate crews and others. There are companion volumes for 4E, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds and more systems. I own this one, having replaced the original book with this. The book also includes some brief notes on the world beyond Freeport, to add rivals and others. I used almost all of it in my Ptolus campaign and find the quality of pretty much everything in this book to be very high.

3) Pathfinder 1E version. This one takes place still later, I think after the secession crisis is over. This one has been out a good while, though, and might be out of print. I skipped this one.

I don't know if Green Ronin has given up on Freeport. It's been a while, I think, since they've published anything for it, and if they do another version, it seems likely it'll be for Fantasy AGE. But I would love another systemless book again.

One of the things I really liked about at least the first two versions of Freeport was what it didn't detail. The god of knowledge is really, really important in the Freeport Trilogy and in the setting generally and who they aren't isn't detailed. You're supposed to use whatever god of knowledge already exists in your world. I use Locharit, the god of writing from Ptolus, which gives a very different vibe from someone who used, say, Ptah from the Pharoanic pantheon.

If I wasn't already using Ptolus as the center of my ongoing campaign, I would be thrilled to run a long-running campaign in and around Freeport. As it is, I used it as a secondary hub for a splinter group of my campaign for years. Highly recommended.

 

[DragonBelow]

There is the Pirate Campaign Compendium by Legendary Games, just came out. It's a massive tome. There is also Razor Coast (pathfinder 1e) by Frog God Games

 

[SkidAce]

I like the Pirates Guide to Freeport. Here is a link and a pic of the intro explaining what it is...

Pirates Guide on DTRPG