Frostgrave is a game where wizards lead warbands into icy ruins to seek treasure.
What Is Frostgrave
Frostgrave is a fantasy skirmish wargame. Players control a wizard, their apprentice, and a group of soldiers. The goal is to enter a ruined, frozen city, search for magical treasures, fight monsters and rival warbands, and return safely with loot.
Parts of Frostgrave
Wizard and Apprentice
The wizard is your main character. They cast spells, lead the warband, and take risks. The apprentice supports the wizard. The apprentice learns the same spells but usually with penalties compared to the wizard.
Warband / Soldiers
To help the wizard, you hire soldiers. Some are basic (cheap), some are specialists (stronger, cost more). You can field a limited number of specialists. Soldiers fight, shoot, carry treasure, and protect your wizard.
Magic & Spells
Magic is central. There are ten schools of magic. A wizard picks spells from their own school and, to some degree, from others. Casting spells often requires rolling a die and meeting or beating a target number. Wizards can sometimes take damage (“burn”) to boost their roll.
Terrain & Table Setup
You play on a tabletop with terrain—ruins, walls, obstacles. The terrain is dense so line of sight and cover matter a lot. You place treasure tokens in ruins, especially near the center, and set up warbands at edges.
How You Play a Game
1. Build Your Warband
You begin with gold (in second edition, 400 gold crowns) to hire your wizard, apprentice, and soldiers. You choose spells, soldier types, and limit specialists.
2. Place Terrain & Treasure
Choose or roll for a scenario. Place ruins, obstacles, and five treasure tokens. One treasure (the central treasure) goes near the center; the rest go around but not too close to edges.
3. Turn Sequence & Activations
Each turn players roll for initiative. The game has phases: Wizard phase, Apprentice phase, Soldier phase, Creature (monster) phase. In each phase, you activate figures (move, cast, fight, etc.).
You may also sometimes use group activation (move multiple figures first, then act).
4. Actions & Rolls
Each character when activated gets two actions (one must be movement). Other can be spellcast, fight, shoot, pick up treasure, etc.
Spellcasting: Roll a d20 plus modifiers vs target number. Sometimes you can sacrifice health to improve chances.
Combat: Fight or shoot. Compare dice + modifiers. Subtract armor from damage. Characters can be killed or injured.
5. End of Game & Rewards
Game ends when time runs out, or all treasure is removed, or objectives complete. Each warband collects gold, experience, magical items, and treasure. Some units might be lost or injured. In campaign mode, your wizard grows, you hire better soldiers, buy better gear, and face tougher challenges.
What’s New in Second Edition
- Rules are clearer and more balanced.
- The spell list was revised.
- Soldier types got updated.
- “Free” soldiers (thugs, thieves) are easier to maintain so warbands don’t crumble if you lose pricey soldiers.
- XP (experience) rules were reworked (there is a cap per game).
- More scenarios — 20 in the base book instead of fewer.
- Older expansions remain compatible with the second edition.
Strategy & Tips for Frostgrave
- Always keep your wizard safe. They are your most valuable piece.
- Use terrain to block line of sight and shield weaker units.
- Balance your spells: include damage spells, protection spells, and utility ones.
- Don’t over-invest in too many specialists early; cheap units help absorb loss.
- In campaign play, think long term: surviving is often more important than winning every game.
- Learn by playing small games first to get comfortable with rules and magic.
- Watch how other players use their spells and positioning; you can learn clever tricks.
Why Players Love Frostgrave
The game gives strong narrative feel. Every game feels like an adventure. The risk of loss, the lure of treasure, the interesting magic interactions — all these combine to give deep fun. The campaign system makes each play matter over many sessions. The variety of spells, warband choices, and scenarios keeps the game fresh.
