Soldiers of Frostgrave (boxset)

[Argonor]

What do you mean by deviant variation of a Thaumaturge?  Please share.

Oh, I just mean that I am going to use some completely different minis - I theme it on crusading monks and knights templar, using Brotherhood miniatures from West Wind and Fireforge Templar Infantry and Foot Sergeants.

I already had the Fireforge stuff, and ordered the West Wind minis earlier this week.

[Awesomeshotdude]

I love the Frostgrave soldiers box set, it's excellent! So many bits and pieces to mix and match, which also fit well with many other plastics from other manufacturers, and it is the only box set of plastics that, for me, give a real feel of adventurous theme. Although they are called soldiers for convenience sake, they really do look much more like adventurers and treasure hunters and I love that.

My only single complaint, and it is a small one, is the integral base. I use my own bases, which I made and cast in resin myself, so I always have to cut integral bases off...because these are plastic though, it's not such a big deal, just a small pain in the arse...but nothing that stops me from loving the mini's.

Before we get mounted mini's, I'd MUCH rather see a whole stack of other plastic mini's for Frostgrave. Another Frostgrave Soldiers kit expending on the first would be AWESOME...something that could cater for the specialists, wizards and apprentices and all with the same adventurer/treasure hunter feel would be fantastic and sell really well not only for Frostgrave but also for a great many systems and collectors out there.

[Major_Gilbear]

Hi Nick, thanks for taking the time to comment!

I'm very happy that a lot of people like our Soldiers, they took a lot of time to design so it's great people appreciate that.

I personally think they look great. They have a distinct but subtle fantasy vibe, yet are generic enough that they could find their way into a lot of different projects. Heck, with a little thought and some carefully-chosen spare bits, they might fit nicely into a post-apoc game setting or even something like Necromunda (House Cawdor, or perhaps Scavvies).

The split torsos was a choice we could have gone either way with, so apologies to those who preferred us to go the other way.

Please don't misunderstand my comment on the matter; I was only hoping for maybe one (or perhaps two) of the torsos to have a split, and that was just because it makes it easy to swap in armoured torsos to represent different henchmen types.

Normally, I am an advocate of one-piece body + legs models because the overall motion of the whole model look so much more natural (and therefore a better-looking sculpt overall).

What I learned from the GW 1000-peice plastic puzzle kits is that for all the customisation, the nature of all the parts means that all the models end up looking roughly the same (and similarly awkward) regardless, so why spend hours and hours scraping all those mould lines and assembling that myriad of tiny pieces if they are all going to look equally average in the end anyway?

That doesn't mean that I think the GW kits are bad or badly-made; far from it! But, I do prefer their more recent efforts where they've made the bulk of the models in a box in single one-piece torsos like your Frostgrave soldiers kit.

Hopefully, when the second soldier sprue is made, one or two of the torso will be split in order to allow for a couple of alternative choices (a mail shirt, a breastplate, and a long coat perhaps?).

I've heard they are too small for some people.

Eh, all models are too big or small for somebody's collection. <shrug>

I care more that the models' proportions look sensible and that the weapons/equipment are big enough to be clearly visible on the table without looking far too ridiculous. The models fit with the historical plastics too, so I think that their size is therefore "successful".

Equally, we chose to put the plastic base on the figures as a design choice. If it's not for you, then I refer to my opening statement.

Fair enough. I do hope that you reconsider for any future boxes though.

I mean, for a mass-battle game where you have to paint up dozens of the buggers, plopping them squarely onto MDF multi-bases with some filler is sensible. But for a skirmish game where players may only need a dozen figures, it's not unreasonable that many folks will want to lavish some time on more artistic bases than the integral bases would normally allow.

I love the Frostgrave soldiers box set, it's excellent! So many bits and pieces to mix and match, which also fit well with many other plastics from other manufacturers, and it is the only box set of plastics that, for me, give a real feel of adventurous theme. Although they are called soldiers for convenience sake, they really do look much more like adventurers and treasure hunters and I love that.

My only single complaint, and it is a small one, is the integral base. I use my own bases, which I made and cast in resin myself, so I always have to cut integral bases off...because these are plastic though, it's not such a big deal, just a small pain in the arse...but nothing that stops me from loving the mini's.

Before we get mounted mini's, I'd MUCH rather see a whole stack of other plastic mini's for Frostgrave. Another Frostgrave Soldiers kit expending on the first would be AWESOME...something that could cater for the specialists, wizards and apprentices and all with the same adventurer/treasure hunter feel would be fantastic and sell really well not only for Frostgrave but also for a great many systems and collectors out there.

I agree with all of this!

I don't really see mounted troops as much of a priority compared to expanding the range of plastic foot troops either. Besides, mounted troops in a game like Frostgrave will always be a minority, and there are already plenty of historical and fantasy mounted plastic models in other ranges to choose from/mix and match with.


I would love to see a proper wizard sprue too. Probably four or six torsos (an even mixture of male and female please), with lots and lots of wizardly paraphernalia, heads, are robed arms. Probably two or three sprues to a box in order to give you a dozen models, and with parts to make them themed towards the different Frostgrave schools of magic, as well as being able to make apprentice-looking types. Two boxes would let you build a wizard and apprentice for every school, perhaps with a couple of spares to make specialist henchmen with (like apothecaries for example).

A bit like the GW Empire Wizards box, but more extensive and less limiting. I think that this would be a *huge* seller, especially considering how many other games it could be used for (I mean, just think of how many games could make use of plastic multi-part robed mages/cultists/crazies/Jedi/eccentrics!).

[Stepman3]

You want more soldiers? That's fine. So do I, just mounted on horses...a wizard set in plastic would be nice as well, but the line already has some great metal ones...

[rufus sparkfire]

I wasn't going to buy these, because I really don't need the models. I already have loads of suitable things. But it turns out I couldn't resist them, and bought a box today.

I haven't taken any off the sprues yet, but so far I really like the look of them.

[ChaosChild]

On the subject of integral bases, I can't stand the damn things. It doesn't matter whether they're these, Fireforge, Warlord, Foundry or any of the other ranges I work with, I'm fed up with having to clip the bases off so I can rebase them. It particularly doesn't make sense when they're supplied with separate bases anyway. It's one thing that GW snd Wargames Factory get right (although they each have their own laundry list of things they get wrong).

Anyway, rant over. Annoying bases aside, the miniatures are excellent. Good detail and lots of options, although a hand holding a staff would have been useful (although easily rectified).

[Splod]

While I understand finding the integral bases annoying, it really only bothers me when using resin scenic bases. I use a Vallejo modelling paste to create the earth texture on my GW slotta bases, so it doesn't really matter if there are integral bases on the figures. If anything, it helps to avoid models' feet being lost in the basing.

[Paboook]

I REALLY like the plastic Frostgrave set. Putting together first 10 soldiers was great fun and reminded me the excitement from my very first plastic sets back in 2002. The number of bonus pieces allow almost endless number of variations and possibilities for kit-bashing.

GW heads look kind of big with them, which is a good sign, as plastic historical ranges tend to be smaller (and more realistic). Also: legs attached to the body are perfectly fine with me. It saves lot of space on the sprue and still every soldier looks very different.

I am desperate to get the future "cultists" set. Really hoping they will be plastic as I plan to use them for my Kings of War project as well

[Philhelm]

I am desperate to get the future "cultists" set. Really hoping they will be plastic as I plan to use them for my Kings of War project as well

What's this about "cultists?"

[JamWarrior]

What's this about "cultists?"

The guys on the teaser page at the back of the book are going to be a new boxed set at some future point.

[Paboook]

I hope they will arrive together with Thaw of the Lich Lord in November

[Jiron]

I haven't bought this boxed set but if the "cultists" are going to look like those on the poster, I'm definatelly serving the Lich Lord!

[Predatorpt]

Just a quick question - has anyone received a box with only 3 sprues of bodies instead of 4? I remember reading someone complaining about it and it happened to me.

PS - I've already complained to the seller (and no, it wasn't North Star, but another UK store that accepted Paypal) but I'm curious to know where the heck did I read that complaint. I remember the guy asking if the 20 soldiers was something exclusive to the Nickstarter because he had only received 15.

[mweaver]

My box was fine.

[Captain Blood]

My box was fine too 

I have posted a review of the set in my long-running Game Of Thrones thread: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=62778.msg754369#msg754369

And a number of new characters I've built using some of the Frostgrave parts.

A couple of examples...





Lots more in the thread shown above