Co-operative Frostgrave

[Pippa]

Played a game of Frostgrave this week (still fairly new to the rules) and we played it totally as a co-operative game. The way we did it was to have 3 random monsters spawning at the end of each turn in random locations. The hunt for treasure became quite perilous! It played really well like this and was very enjoyable and I was just wondering if anyone else had adapted the rules for co-operative play and if so, what they thought of it?

[joshuaslater]

We've just started with our 4 person group.  We're just killing each other and grabbing treasure right now, but I like what you're doing.

A battle report would be cool.

[Hupp n at em]

Almost sounds like Zombicide when you play it that way, and I know what a nail-biter that can be...    Zombicide has been a big hit with my non-gamer friends, so maybe this can be a gateway drug. 

[Cherno]

Every game should have AI rules so people can play with their friends in coop mode... For some groups, it's more fun taht way because the campaign is not bound to be dominated by powerplayers

I hope we will see some fan-made or even official solo/coop rules.

[Hupp n at em]

Every game should have AI rules so people can play with their friends in coop mode... For some groups, it's more fun taht way because the campaign is not bound to be dominated by powerplayers

I hope we will see some fan-made or even official solo/coop rules.

In Wyrmalla's thread about non-Wizard leaders, I posited that non-magic-using leaders could be used to simplify solo (or in this case, coop) play, as spellcasting would probably be the most difficult aspect to modify. It's not hard to imagine mercenary captains or treasure hunters who are looking to make a big score in gold and aren't interested in grimy old spellbooks combing through the ruins and causing your wizard trouble.

[mweaver]

I have not had a chance to play yet, and my not until after the new year.  But our group is a big fan of Mordheim, and for many years we have only played it cooperatively.  I expect that is how we will play Frostgrave too, once we turn to it.  Glad to hear it is working out for you! I am interested in hearing how you structure your games (and from anyone else who plays cooperatively).

-Michael

[sundayhero]

forstgrave has solo and coop potential for sure ! A warband, a wizard, together in a journey in an old haunted city, full of monsters, undead and all, searching for particular artefacts and treasure. it would be a great game by itself!

[joe5mc]

This is something I would love to look into more, but just haven't had the time. Would love to hear what people are doing with it.

[Shirer]

Sounds good! Were you playing with a warband each, or did you split one warband and both control it?

[spoony_bard]

My first thought after reading the rules was "this could be great fun as a co-op". The second was "wish I hadn't backed Zombicide: Black Plague now!".

Will be keeping a close eye on this thread 

[tim in saskatoon]

I like this idea a lot!

I've done similar things with other systems - especially for convention games (where you never know what sort of highly competitive, rule-lawyery type might show up and potentially ruin a game for people jus tther eto have fun if playing a player versus player skirmish)

[Maniacus]

<snip> But our group is a big fan of Mordheim, and for many years we have only played it cooperatively.  I expect that is how we will play Frostgrave too, once we turn to it.  Glad to hear it is working out for you! I am interested in hearing how you structure your games (and from anyone else who plays cooperatively).

-Michael

Could you give a brief description of how your group has handled Cooperative play for Mordheim?  I'd be interested to hear not only for use with Mordheim but how that approach might be applied to Frostgrave.  My group has done some "co-op" Mordheim in the past, but basically it's been a GM running a narrative scenario along with all the enemy models, so not really a true co-op style with no GM.

[maxxev]

Could you give a brief description of how your group has handled Cooperative play for Mordheim?  I'd be interested to hear not only for use with Mordheim but how that approach might be applied to Frostgrave.  My group has done some "co-op" Mordheim in the past, but basically it's been a GM running a narrative scenario along with all the enemy models, so not really a true co-op style with no GM.

Just like you said with a GM I think, at least from the campaign that was posted online .

http://hobbyblog.wargameweaver.com/

[mweaver]

We have played a variety of different ways.  The most fun is also the most involved - that is, creating a narrative campaign specifically for cooperative play.  Maxxev links to the most elaborate of these campaigns, my brother's "The Vampire Hunters".  It takes a considerable amount of record keeping, but is a great deal of fun.   Jim did another similar (simpler) campaign, "The Warpstones Belong to Us", which I have not had a chance to play with but he and my Tennessee friends had a good time with it, by all accounts.  Both have NPC adversaries who progress as the campaign games are played out; they can be run by a designated GM but what we tend to do is have the players collectively run them, usually showing very little mercy to ourselves.

The site also has some collaborative scenarios that I suspect could be adopted moderately easily for Frostgrave.  Most are designed with multiple allied warbands in mind, but "The Restless Dead" was written for solo play (if you really want a challenge, play "The Restless Dead" in combination with "Escape from Mordheim" - not for the faint of heart).  Both of these scenarios could be ported over to Frostgrave fairly easily.

"The Lost Chest" is actually a competitive scenario, one that has produced some really good games - but it needs 3+ warbands.

We have also played allied warbands in linked scenarios.

We have experimented with starting everyone with one hero and a couple of henchmen, all working together as if they were a single warband even though they may be drawn from different lists.  That approach seems to work well, but every time we start a campaign like that we are disrupted by life.  I think this approach would be harder to port over to Frostgrave, as there are fewer (but more critical) "heroes" in Frostgrave.

My group has just voted to play G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T., so I probably won't be able to lure them into Frostgrave for a few months.  But I will be working on ideas - and I am very interested in whatever collaborative ideas others work out.

-Michael

[mweaver]

Incidentally, brother Jim doesn't know about Frostgrave yet, as far as I know, so shhhhhhhh.  I just posted his birthday present this afternoon - the rulebook and a box of the plastic soldiers.  He and the Tennessee gang have been playing a Star Wars RPG (ewww) but I'm thinking he will be hooked.  But for the next few days, nobody mention "Frostgrave" around him, please.

-Michael