Sell Me On Frostgrave

[TheWorker]

Well, it's been a long time since I played Mordheim, and my Song of Blades and Heroes stuff is sat in a drawer half-finished...

...so convince me why I should give in to the daemonette on my shoulder and plunge into Frostgrave! 

[atzerath]

Ask yourself why not? The deamonette only came because you actually want to play frostgrave, you don't need to look for another reason nor turn to us for an excuse to play it :-)
If I were a particular brand of sportswear I'd go with: Just do it!

[Daniel36]

It's the ice cream of skirmish games.

[Fencing Frog]

hard to do but my reason for getting into it was the system is simple but has the possibility of depth.  Its clearly got some support from its publisher as two expansions are coming on already.  Finally the fact that you can use any miniatures (but that it also has its own line) is a big selling point for me.   The game is suited to a number of styles of play and I have had good games with kids as young as 12 to kids who are north of 40.

I did a full review here: http://fencingfrog.blogspot.com/2015/08/frostgrave-review.html

hope that helps.

[mister c]

Carlesburg don't make skirmish games, but if they did....

[TheWorker]

Ask yourself why not? The deamonette only came because you actually want to play frostgrave, you don't need to look for another reason nor turn to us for an excuse to play it :-)
If I were a particular brand of sportswear I'd go with: Just do it!

Curses! You're right!  Time to go and get myself a copy of the rules I suppose! 

[atzerath]

I'm bookmarking that because my wife always says I'm never right..

[Philhelm]

I'm not sure there is a point in convincing someone to play the game, unless I'm trying to create an opponent, but I'll bite.

I've played Games Workshop games on and off since 1994.  After getting back into the hobby a couple of years ago, I focused on Warhammer Fantasy.  Recently, the Warhammer World was destroyed, and has been replaced by Age of Sigmar which seems to be discarding beloved fantasy aesthetics for crap that is IP protectable.  Decades of background was destroyed in one fell swoop, and the game changed from ranked battles with square bases into more of a large skirmish game with round bases (technically any base shape, but I expect that to change if another edition is released).  To make things worse, Age of Sigmar now has a four page rulebook and no points or balancing system.  You can literally field every model in your collection against a new player's starter set.  Needless to say, many veteran players were furious.

While plumbing the darkest depths of gaming depression, I heard rumors of a game called Frostgrave through other forums.  I started looking into the game and was impressed by the soldiers kit, the wizards, the theme, and the old school fantasy aesthetic that had originally captured my imagination when I first cleaved an orc with a broadsword during a game of HeroQuest.  I also love the fact that monsters can be generated during the game, and would like to have a Ravenloft style theme with werewolves, vampires, skeletons, zombies, etc.  There are also two expansions coming out, and I can't wait until the Breeding Pits is released, which will supposedly be set in the dungeons of Frostgrave.

Finally, the game is simple and quick enough that I'll be able to get my daughters to play one day.  There is no way they'd be able to dive straight into a game like Warhammer Fantasy.

[atzerath]

that shit even convinced me and i already have the rules and a warband...

[TheWorker]

Definitely sold! 

[Philhelm]

I'll add that I played Games Workshop games almost exclusively.  I have several editions of Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40K, Necromunda, Mordheim, Blood Bowl, and Warhammer Quest.  Other than that I have some Wizards of the Coast Star Wars and D&D miniatures, and the Castle Ravenloft boardgame; I also purchased some Fantasy Flight Game of Thrones miniatures.  I was spending about $100 per month on Warhammer, and halted all spending in January when some of the Age of Sigmar rumors were pretty much confirmed.  As of a couple of months ago all of my hobby money, aside from paints and such, have been devoted to Frostgrave.  I'm not their number one customer, but I converted from a well established gaming company of thirty years to some backwater kickstarter game (which I usually ignore) made by some dude named Joe.

Part of the reason was the timing, since my beloved Warhammer Fantasy setting was destroyed, but the very positive word of mouth and the quality miniatures (GW miniatures may be technically fantastic in terms of execution, but the aesthetic has gone to hell) were also big factors.  However, the largest factor in my opinion is that it struck a nostalgia nerve.  Take the Frostgrave barbarian, for instance; you look me in the eye and tell me that you don't want to gather a party of old-school heroes and go on a dungeon adventure.  I dare you.  And the spell selection and soldier classes are like a cross between Mordheim and D&D.  What's not to love?

Even starting the game without any miniatures can be done within $100.  The rulebook is affordable, you can get twenty soldiers for around $32 US (I think that's around $20 UK), and will still be able to purchase a wizard and apprentice, and some specialist soldiers.  You can even have war hounds without having to field Mordheim witch hunters.  You can take the family to Applebee's a couple times for $100, or dive into Frostgrave and have untold hours of gaming enjoyment.  It's not really a choice.  And if you already have enough miniatures, all you need is a rulebook that costs a little over $20.

[tyrionhalfman]

All very convincing arguments Philhelm - if I wasn't already a fan you'd certainly have gotten me hooked. I love the gaming passion this game is bringing out of us all especially after the death of warhammer. Thanks for sharing your views to hopefully help anyone teetering and wondering whether to take the plunge - the more support the game gets the bigger it will get and the more supplements and figures we should see in the future

[Daniel36]

I managed to convince my best friend to buy in, and he is the opposite of me when it comes to gaming. He is more of a tactical player while I am more of a narrative player, he likes list building while I prefer painting, but this game brought our tastes together in the perfect middle ground like no other game has.

[nozza_uk]

I'm using it for fantasy and Star Wars, so win-win for me. 

[Annie]

Carlesburg don't make skirmish games, but if they did....

Carlsberg is terrible, I'm glad they don't make skirmish games!

Frostgrave would be a delightful craft beer with a familiar comfort, yet "ooh what was that unusual flavour I tasted there", and a very pretty label. Not for heavy sessions, but a few with friends in a relaxed atmosphere, and perhaps salmon and crackers. You definitely won't wake up full of regret and self loathing, more of a "what a lovely evening, I should do that more."