Freibeuter is a game of playing your boats in spaces allowed by the cards you've drawn in hopes of being part of a capturing team of surrounding boats. Sometimes you play the "Flying Dutchman" which can go more places but disappears as soon as the capture is made. You also have the option of positioning to be the main deal-maker on a capture, which leaves you paying off all the surrounding boats but getting more money yourself on the deal at the end of the game. Timing, of course, turns out to be a nice matter for judgment.