Discover the Frosty Fun of Frostgrave
at Cardboard Corner!

Written by David Snodgrass

Are you eager to swap your mundane routine for a chilling epic of mystic enchantments and thrilling treasure hunts? Well, grab your cloak, straighten out your pointy hat, and practice your wand-waving technique, because it’s time to channel your inner Gandalf and tell your everyday life, “You shall not pass… up this adventure!” Because in the game of Frostgrave, “You’re a wizard, Harry!” Frostgrave is a multi-award-winning fantasy skirmish wargame, and we’re playing it at Cardboard Corner!

What is Frostgrave?

So, what is Frostgrave? Picture this: a magical city frozen in time, the ruins of its grandeur whispering tales of long-lost treasures and lurking dangers. This 28mm tabletop skirmish game will transport you into its icy confines, where you lead a wizard from one of ten magical schools along with a rugged warband of your choice (think of the classic D&D party for inspiration), for a dice-rolling, spell-casting ride full of hilarity!

What Makes Frostgrave Fun

Your warband is led by your powerful (but greedy) wizard and their apprentice. This dynamic duo could employ anyone from a lowly thug to a mighty knight. And your aim? To venture through the haunting ruins of Frostgrave, dodging rival wizards, monstrous threats, and a variety of fiendish constructs, all in pursuit of ancient treasures and long-forgotten magic. And if the notion of using eighty different spells doesn’t send a tingle up your wand-holding arm, I don’t know what will!

Frostgrave is what I would describe as a casual game and as I get older and life seems to require more “adulting,” I find myself enjoying a more relaxed style of play. What can I say, 13-year-old Dave enjoyed the crunch. Dave in his 30s just wants to be given a broadsword and sling dice!

Frostgrave fits right into this category for me. It’s a game I can easily unwind to after work. This game is a spiritual successor to warband campaign games like Mordheim or Necromunda, except updated and streamlined. The Grave games might not be my “favorite game system”, but it’s in the top 5 and has given me some of my favorite gaming moments. I love this game and Frostgrave promotes my favorite style of play.

This game is all about promoting a relaxed, more narrative approach to gaming. Imagine your wizard planning a grand strategy one moment, and the swingy d20 system freezing those plans solid the next. The unpredictability of the ruleset makes even the weakest soldiers or monsters potent game-changers.

In this ruleset, I’ve sent a knight up against a lowly thief armed with nothing more than a rusty dagger! Only to have that thief roll a Nat 20 and with a critical success, remove my noble “Sir Galient” from play (and probably make him wonder when he got his last tetanus shot). I mean, I just have to laugh at the odds and hope my knight is just as lucky as that thief in the post-game casualty roll.

How to Join In the Fun

Each week the club at Cardboard Corner tries out new scenarios – everything from raiding ships stuck on a frozen river (that are filled with treasure and hilarious ice-slipping antics) to diving deep underground to explore gnoll-infested catacombs of the dead city. If you haven’t figured it out by now, these games aren’t focused on balance as much as on unpredictable fun and hilarity.

If this game sounds like your (spell) jam, our Fortnight Friday Frostgrave sessions kick off every other Friday around 6 pm CST. Expect weekly shenanigans, as we’re less of a tournament-style war-room and more of a casual gaming club. Consider Community Ambassador Nick Kromnacker your chief hype man and rabble-rouser, always ready to host a good time in the Frozen City. If you can go with the flow and roll (with the dice), you can expect a good time!

If I’ve piqued your interest and you’re considering starting your own Frostgrave Wizard, then hopefully by now you’re asking yourself what you need? Honestly, if you want to dip your toe in the frozen water, you need nothing. Our club can host a game for you and we have loner warbands for you to try before you buy.

But if you’re ready to purchase your wand, I would recommend the core rulebook and about 10 fantasy-themed miniature figures. Since Frostgrave is model agnostic (but does have a really cool miniature line), you can dust off some old miniatures you haven’t gamed with in a while or finally have an excuse to pull that wizardly impulse purchase out of your pile of shame.

I would also recommend bringing 2-4 twenty-sided dice (in case one just isn’t rolling hot for you) and the wizard sheet. And voilà, you’re all set to dive into the frosty fun of Frostgrave!

If you really want to see this game in action, I would recommend checking out the YouTube channel Dice Chatter. Donny does a great job showing you the versatility of the game with concise battle reports and crafting videos.

So, what are you waiting for? Join us on our Cardboard Corner Café’s Discord and be a part of this frosty adventure! Bring your imagination, and let’s create some unforgettable stories in the ruins of the Frozen City.

We promise you a warm welcome in the chill of Frostgrave, and we can’t wait to see you there!