A Beginner’s Guide to Frostgrave
Have you ever wanted a miniature game full of wizardry, chilly vibes, and pure chaos? Then Frostgrave might be the perfect game for you. Published by Osprey Games originally in 2015, Frostgrave has risen in popularity for its story-first approach, no specific win conditions, and flexibility in usage of minis (you’ll see what we mean by this soon). Players take on the role of a wizard and lead warbands through the ruins of Felstad, searching for treasures, rivalling those who seek the same fortunes, and fighting all sorts of monsters.
What you need to get started:
Arguably, the best part about Frostgrave is that you don’t need the official miniatures to play at all! If you want to get started quickly, but only have, say, Lego at hand, feel free to use that. So long as players know what you have, and it’s roughly the same size as what they are meant to be (the 28mm scale is what is used for this wargame), that’s all that matters. However, if what you choose to use is different, make sure you scale your measurements for the game accordingly.
This makes it so that Frostgrave is incredibly easy to access if you find yourself itching to play but tight on money! Simply get together your chosen placeholders, read up on the rules, and you’re ready to go.
Frostgrave: Second Edition
Scenery is also a crucial part of any Frostgrave game. So make sure that the table has plenty of it. Again, you can use ANYTHING! If you fancy getting creative outside of the familiar MDF, plastic or resin, why not try out some fun papier-mache?
However, if you do want to delve into the official miniatures & terrain, make sure to check out our full range of Frostgrave Miniatures and get tabletop-ready now.
Thankfully, this icy wargame doesn’t require endless dice that can easily be rolled into the abyss, never to be seen again. Each player requires a singular D20 to decide the outcome of their plays. Simple!
So, as a summarised checklist:
Miniatures (official or non-official)
Terrain (official or non-official)
2x D20s
Choosing your Characters:
There are ten Schools of Magic in this universe to choose from, each with unique playstyles and spells. This will determine your playstyle and who you’ll enlist as your warband:
Chronomancer: Cast spells that manipulate time
Elementalist: Be one with the elements
Enchanter: Imbue items and creatures with magic
Illusionist: Confuse opponents with false images and experiences
Necromancer: Rule over death
Sigilist: Use symbols and sigils to cast powerful magic anywhere
Soothsayer: See into the future or faraway lands
Summoner: Have the capacity to summon all types of creatures to fight for you
Thaumaturge: Use general, but powerful, spells
Witch: Utilise primal and corrupting magic against your foes
Some of the above schools share similarities, some are neutral, and others are opposing.
Once you have chosen your school, you want to have your Wizard (the warband leader) select spells from it. You can also learn some spells from aligned schools and neutral schools.
Creating a Warband:
Players receive 400 gold pre-game to hire an Apprentice and their melee units.
Apprentices cost 100 gold, leaving you with 300 to choose who you want to hire in your army.
Generally, you want a mixture of cheap and expendable soldiers, some ranged fighters like Archers, some elite soldiers, and thieves. When choosing your arsenal, take your school of magic into account. You want this warband to support your wizard in the best possible way. For example, if you have chosen Illusionists, you can afford to spend more gold on specialised soldiers rather than expendable ones!
Game Play:
Now that you’re all set, let's dive straight into what you can expect in a game of Frostgrave.
You can either set up games to be a full campaign, where you can grow your wizards and evolve your warbands, or alternatively play one-off skirmishes.
Each game gets broken down into turns, which all have four phases. Make sure to pay attention to each phase, because grabbing treasure and casting spells at the right moment can make or break your win!
The Wizard Phase
Your Wizard leader goes first, and can activate up to three soldiers within three inches of them. They can move, fight, shoot, or cast spells.Apprentice Phase
They work just like your Wizard, but their spell casting is less effective. They too can bring along nearby soldiers.Soldier Phase
If there are any soldiers who haven’t yet been activated, this is the time for them to shine. Make your thieves dash for treasure or your archers wreak havoc on opponents that are further away.Creature Phase
There are creatures nearby that don’t care about your game plan; they’ll activate here.
Combat outcomes are decided by the roll of your D20, with added modifiers. The highest roll wins.
Spells, however, are a little different. If your Wizard fails, they could end up taking damage from the strain of casting alone.
Now onto the most important part: how to win!
Win conditions are not only determined by who manages to steal the most treasure, but also by who the players decide made the best plays. This means that sometimes, it isn’t about how many shiny objects you manage to steal, but how fantastically you failed at stealing.
If you’re ready to delve into the icy, magical world of Felstad, explore our full range today! You won’t be disappointed.
