Frostgrave – State of Play (and Spoilers)

It is now just three days since the official release of Thaw of the Lich Lord, the first print supplement for Frostgrave: Fantasy Wargames in the Frozen City. I am excited to report that the book has already sold out in Europe, which means you can’t get it directly from Osprey or Amazon at the moment. That said, it should not be too hard to find a wargames dealer that has a copy if you want one. A second print run is inbound and should be here in a few weeks.

The main rulebook is currently on its fourth print run, and, in total, has sold somewhere between 9,000 and 10,000 copies. While that doesn’t put it anywhere near ‘the big boys’, it is a very good number for a wargame. In fact, it makes it Osprey’s third best-selling wargame after Bolt Action and Field of Glory.

Perhaps more amazing, there are now two plastic box sets of figures for the game, and over 30 different blister packs of metal or resin figures (most of which contain two figures each). There is also a printed deck of spell cards.

Not everything has gone perfectly, however. A number of copies of the second print run of the book proved defective, which resulted in the spine cracking and pages falling out. Thankfully, this doesn't seem to have effected too many books, but if you have a book that is falling apart, please contact wargames@ospreypublishing.com and let them know.

What does the future hold for Frostgrave? Well, the first half of next year, will see the release of two small, digital-only supplements: Sellsword and Dark Alchemy. For those that are wondering, why Osprey is releasing new material this way – well, that is mostly my fault. As soon as Osprey realized the game was a hit, I was asked to write more material. However, the result of having a full-time job and a full-time baby daughter is that I only have so much writing time. I said there was no way I could work another full supplement into my schedule…however, I could do some smaller ones.  For those, like me, who much prefer print of digital, I can say that the plan is to collect these smaller releases into a print companion in the future.

July next year will see the release of the next print supplement with Into the Breeding Pits, which I've talked a bit about in a previous blog.

The Spoilers

One of the most common requests I have received from fans of Frostgrave is for some kind of ‘captain’ to help lead their warbands. Thankfully, this is something I also wanted for the game. Sellsword presents new rules for hiring captains, a soldier who can choose his own weapons and armour, who can gain experience up to a limit, and who can learn ‘tricks of the trade’. (Not exactly skills, you see, but I’ll leave that discussion for another day). Of course, captains want a bit more than the mere retainer paid to other soldiers… Sellsword will also include three new scenarios, all of which have some sort of magical ‘limitation’ in them, so that wizards have to rely a bit more on their soldiers in those situations.

The focus of Frostgrave has always been about the wizards, and that is not something I want to change. Most soldiers will always be ‘extras’ as far as the rules are concerned. But the idea of a wizard having a trusted swordsman friend is just too good for me to ignore. Hopefully players will find the little bit of added complexity a worthwhile trade off.

I won’t say too much about Dark Alchemy at this point, except that it will focus on potions, scrolls, and grimoires. I have never been completely happy with the rules for these magical treasures, and with a lot more time to think about them and hearing a lot of people voicing various opinions, I think this will be a good opportunity to review and tweak those rules, as well as introducing a lot of fun new magical items!

Heartbreak Quadrant

My best buddy from high school, Barrett Stanley, has just launched a kickstarter to print his own comic book, Heartbreak Quadrant. Barrett has spent years working on it, doing all of the writing, pencilling, inking, lettering, and colouring himself. He's done all of this while holding down a full-time job and being a father, which is no mean feat! So, if you think it is something that might interest you, take a look and maybe support his efforts.

For me, this is exactly the kind of project that kickstarter should be used to fund.


Check out the campaign here: http://kck.st/1P1mxGl

The Loot From Spiel!

To those who have never been to Spiel, it is very hard to describe. Imagine all of the people from a major rock concert crammed into four large halls, filled with stalls and booths selling games. Many areas are just given over to numerous tables where people can sit and try out games. Everywhere you look are games, people, more games and more people. The noise level is a steady, good-natured, roar.

I went to the show as part of work, so it was a very, very long weekend. That said, I did get a couple of chances to slip away and do some shopping! Most of the show is devoted to board and card games of all descriptions, but there are also sections for comic books, wargames and role-playing games. It was in these last two that most of my personal interest lay.

My first purchase was a Reaper bones figure I had been wanting to pick up for a while, an elf wizard who serves as a counterpart to the elf ranger I painted a while back. Then I made a wonderful discovery, an original Silent Death box set! The box has taken a few knocks, but the contents appear to have been untouched since it was first printed. I have actually been looking for this box set for awhile to replace one I lost long ago. I can still remember, in my youth, when I saw the game first advertised in Dragon magazine. I got the box set then, and I played the game to death! I still think it has one of the most elegant combat mechanics I've ever seen in a game. I have been looking to replace my lost set for awhile, but copies aren't that easy to come by. So, as you can gather, I was thrilled with this purchase.

Finally, on the last day, I went past a stand that was selling off 3e and 4e Dungeons and Dragons books for €2.50! Hardback book for about £2! Okay, they aren't for the current edition of the game, and they are perhaps some of the more obscure titles, but since I'm only getting them as reference material anyway...we'll, I got more than a couple! 

All-in-all, an extremely successful shopping experience. It was also a huge success for work as well.

Super Glue Disaster

My wife was out, my baby was asleep. So, being a Renaissance Troll, I had to decide which of my geeky endeavours to indulge in. A bit of writing? reading? Sci-fi TV? Maybe later. First I would head to my miniatures cupboard, and do a little repair work on a broken piece of terrain...

Seconds later, I managed to squirt super glue straight across the fingers of my left hand.

I didn't panic (well, maybe for a second). Thankfully, I managed to get my wedding ring off before it fully adhered to my hand and kept my fingers apart as I ran to the sink. As you can see from the picture, the ring is not in great shape at the moment. For that matter, neither is my hand. I spent the rest of the evening, trying to scrub the glue off my hand. White spirits, nail polish remover, salt. None of them really worked. Instead, I am slowly picking off little flakes whenever I can manage it. However, my fingers still scrape together as I type.

Unpleasant, but not really a disaster. At least the baby didn't wake up. Now, what to do about my ring...

Save the Children - The Campaign Continues!

It has been three weeks since I launched my first campaign for The Order of the Sword and Dice, a quest to raise £500 for Save the Children to help their efforts in the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe. My first effort was to write a special charity Frostgrave scenario and ask those playing it, or downloading it, to please donate to the effort. Thanks to the generosity of a few good souls, a few named, most anonymous, I have so far raised £205!

For those just finding about this, you can see the charity scenario here and donate here.

Regardless of your personal feelings about immigration, I encourage everyone to remember, children have no say in these matters. Their suffering is not of their own making. I hope, however, that when they grow up, they will be able to look back and remember that people came to help them...

So, my quest is off to a good start, but I still have a long way to go. It appears that my first effort is not going to be enough to reach my goal. I'm currently pondering other ways in which I can try and help out.

I am thinking about having a miniatures sale. A chance for me to get rid of a few miniatures that I either never use or am never going to paint, and hopefully raise some cash for the quest as well. I'll be back with more on this soon!

Frostgrave: The Hunt for the Golem

The Hunt for the Golem is a PDF mini-campaign for Frostgrave. It features three new scenarios, a unique monster, and a few new treasures. It will probably be especially interesting to Enchanters and other construct lovers. I originally wrote it as a part of the Frostgrave 'Nickstarter' pre-order campaign. Now, Osprey have put it up for sale so that everyone who wants can get a copy. It is currently available as a PDF on Wargames Vault. It's a US company, but I'm pretty sure it will sell to anyone anywhere. It will also be for sale on the Osprey website soon. A kindle release is also planned, but I'm not sure of the time scale on that.

So, if it sounds like something you might like, head over to Wargames Vault! I have purchased several ebooks through Wargames Vault in the past and always found them a top-notch company.

The Order of the Sword and Dice

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

The above quote is generally attributed to the Irish philosopher Edmund Burke, although there is no direct evidence that he ever actually said it. Regardless, it is a hugely powerful line, and one that has followed me my whole life.

I was raised on the tales of fantastical heroes like Gawain, Aragorn, and Spider-Man. Heroes who fought against evil monsters to save lives, free the oppressed and protect the powerless. It was my childhood desire to be a hero like them that first drove me into fantasy gaming, first as a role-player and later as a wargamer. I wanted to be the hero that smashed down the walls of the tyrant's castle and freed the captive people. In fact, even today, when I play an occasional solo wargame, it usually includes a clear good vs. evil set-up, and I have even been known to cheat a little to ensure that the good guys win.

As I've gotten older, wiser, and more self-aware, it has become clear to me that I will probably never be on the front line of the fight against evil. I don't posses that kind of strength or courage. Yet, the quote stays with me.

A few years ago, I had an idea to found my own knightly order, The Order of the Sword and Dice. It would be a collection of wargamers, role-players, and other dice-flingers, who felt like I did, who wanted to change the world for the better but weren't quite sure how. Together, I thought, we could raise money for organizations that really are on the front-lines tackling problems like refugees, human-trafficking, and disaster relief. I even got as far as getting my friend, the noted historical artist, Peter Dennis to paint up a heraldry for the order, which can be seen above.

As I was getting it all organized, I shared the idea with a few people. Some were supportive, but a few others thought the idea was 'silly' or even 'dangerous'. Sadly, these comments were enough to dishearten me, and I ended up putting the whole thing away. In fact, I was convinced to do nothing.

Well a few more years have passed, and my world has changed. The birth of my daughter has caused a huge shift in how I perceive life and the things that I value. I have come to realize that even if it is silly, The Order of the Sword and Dice is important to me. It is there as a reminder to do something, to try and be the good man I want to be. If it is dangerous, it is only dangerous in the way that any call to action can have unpredictable results.

Thanks to the publication of Frostgrave, I currently have a bit of a 'voice' in the gaming community. That may or may not last, but while it exists, I would like to try to use it to do some good. And so, today, I am officially founding The Order of the Sword and Dice. Later today, I will start its first campaign, a campaign to raise £500 for Save the Children to aid their work during the current Syrian refugee crisis. To start the campaign, I will be posting up a new Frostgrave scenario on my blog. I will ask that anyone who plays the scenario, prints it out, or otherwise adds it to their collection of Frostgrave material, to please kindly donate at least £1 to Save the Children through a MyDonate page that I have set up.

If you join in this campaign, you can consider yourself a member of The Order of the Sword and Dice, or not, as you choose. Either way, I hope you will help out, and maybe we can all be heroes, at least in some small way.