What is it about Frostgrave?

[Harry]

So someone asked me in another thread "How do I like Frostgrave?" ... it made me ask myself the question ....

So you are all here .... hanging about in this part of the forum .... what is it about Frostgarve that you like?

Here are my thoughts .... Its quick to pick up. quick to play, fun to play, full of narrative potential. great for linked games and campaigns, easy to paint for ... you only need to paint 10 guys, and just full of atmosphere ... it has clearly nudged me into a bunch of hobby painting ... always good and it has been a great way to use up all those 'odd' models I have knocking about that don't quite fit into my collection .... then there is the terrain ... really inspired me to create a bunch of terrain and a great looking table..... there is another expansion out soon and more to follow ... so it gives me an outlet for my hobby spending. Pretty much ticks all my boxes.

[frogimus]

Old school RPG feel but new school tabletop skirmish rules.

This is a fill in for Basic/Expert D&D without needing to gather 3 or 4 other players plus a DM for a multi-hour session. It is difficult for me to carve out that amount of time and more difficult to coordinate that time with a handful of like-minded individuals who also have life getting in the way.

There are other games that do this well, but they lack fluff (bring your own, they say). I resisted even looking at FG at first because I thought "ruined frozen city? No thanks...". But, the backstory is great, very evocative, and gets my imagination really juiced.

Frostgrave just seems to check all the boxes in what I wanted in a skirmish game.

[Geoffrey21]

Frostgrave and the community around it make me largely feel the same as I did 30 years ago sitting in my room with my first lead fantasy adventurers reading through the Citadel Journel as I made rough castles out of cardboard. It has reconnected me to the hobby.

[David Mc]

Simple yet complex enough.

Low model count is perfect for me, I'm more likely to complete multiple small warbands and then spend more overall.

Evokes happy childhood memories of D&D with the D20 and the treasure tables.

The childish enthusiasm from other people sharing online was huge(started following Harry's Frostgrave log on Warseer)

I usually prefer a darker fantasy but this setting, and the lack of specifics, have sparked my imagination and a desire to build terrain.  I suck at terrain and haven't tried building any in years.   

Plus- at The first game night where I was introduced to Frostgrave, a random bystander asked why we had a scale model Tardis in the table. Without hesitation I was able to say a great line from a bad movie (Your Highness).
"Because Magic,  M***"

[AWu]

I am yet to play a game of it, but I am looking for campaign systems without oldshool drag of GW games like Mordheim and to less extent Necromunda - my avourite game of all the time)

Second thing is posibility to play many miniatures i gathered during my 20+ years of gaming that never seen the table (or even paint

[Darkson71]

1. I only play Skirmish games nowadays, so this scratches an itch.

2. I see play, and enjoy, Mordheim, but this feels different as really you're only overly concerned about one figure.

3. Rules are different from other games I play.

4. I can use any figure from my collection, regardless of race.

And lots of other reasons I can't put into words.

[Denizen Kane]

I love the fact that you can use almost any mini in your collection.
The rules are very quick to pick up.
I enjoy that old school feeling it brings.
The D20 just ...brings me back to 1980.

[Corporal Chaos]

So far I seem to be in the same camp as all of you. Ease of play and a fondness for small adventuring bands exploring ruins and now the lower levels are being opened up to further discoveries.... This just fills a void that needed to be addressed.

[Harry]

Interesting .... so we are all adventuring, dungeon bashers at heart.

The other thing I find interesting is the whole 'lack of specifics' thing. I love that the background is so ... vague ....that it lacks the timeline, the history, the map! Hell even the background in the artwork only gives us a shadowy glimpse of the city.
In a world where folks seem to want everything on a plate or even spoon fed to them ... I had forgottrn how much fun it is using your imagination.
I used to spend hours imagining characters, places, dungeons, villages, castles, nations, worlds when I played D&D

So I hope that Joe resists the temptation to give us a detailed history, a timeline and a map. I hope he never tells us where Frostgrave fits into a wider world or what the rest of that world is like. I hope it remains this simple fairytale setting it is where we can loose ourselves for a few hours,

[Corporal Chaos]

I do remember a remark he made in an interview about leaving the "Edges fuzzy" as far as giving details for the world so that players can place it in any setting of their choosing. It is very appealing.

[joroas]

Just got, but haven't read the rules....

I am hoping to breathe new life into my complete Mordheim collection and wanted to use all the scenery I have for that.  Does the place have to be frosty?

[Maelstrom]

For me its as much about the free reign for creativity and imagination as the game itself. As much as I like GWs fluff I found that you became more and more constrained by it. I have also become a big fan of low model count skirmish games too, for ease of transport and the fact you can go to town on each model.

The rules are also nice and simple but with depth, I was a big fan of the LoTR strategy battle games simple rule set and Frostgrave is in a similar vein. Between this and my soon to arrive Dungeon saga pledge my interest in fantasy has been reinvigorated

[Nooblord]

Everything really as mentioned above.

The general background that allows you to use any minis and terrain you like.

The skirmish level and fair prices make it a feasible project for me in terms of time and money.

The range of scenarios that can always be added to with mini-campaigns even keeping things fresh.

The magic system - 80 spells give good variety and they have been well thought through.

The whole activation and combat system is simple to use but has hidden depth that adds interest and tactics.

Rules and gameplay aside, what really sells this is looking at the rulebook with its lovely artwork and presentation and then the fantastic tables and warbands people are putting together on this site and others. All of this goes to make a 'feel good factor' about this game which I find attractive.

[Hupp n at em]

I like the ease of multiplayer games it provides, and the simplicity of both the rules and the narrative/stylistic "hook" is great for a few friends I am getting into gaming.
Also for me personally, the excuse to build scenery for an ancient ruined city just really hits a sweet spot in my imagination; I've always had a fascination with that sort of "lost city/civilization" aesthetic. It's probably why I love the Legend of Zelda, Far Cry, Uncharted, and Tomb Raider games and movies like Indiana Jones.

So I guess I am a bit of an oddball in that neither the dungeoneering nor magic really factored into the appeal. 

[Cymril]

Much of what was written in this thread, is also true for me. But especially the "lost civilization" setting stimulates my interest in the game. I found the idea intriguing of an ancient wizard town buried in snow with all its wonders and treasures - an infinite source for adventure! Reminds me of my RPG time. And of books I love from Jack Vance (The Dying Earth), Michael Moorcock (Elric and Corum books) or Terry Pratchett and many others.
A Skirmish game, suitable to play it with my kids and the wide range of customisable wizards are further arguments for me to play Frostgrave. I played Necromunda and Mordheim from GW in the old days and it was a lot of fun.