STATUS REPORT 1

My Frostgrave rulebook was delivered April 27th, or a little over a month ago. Life has a way of getting in the way and slowing down the progress I wish I was making on Frostgrave. Ultimately, it doesn't matter when these things get done - just that they get done. Currently, I have read through the rulebook several times, created a Wizard and war band on paper, built some test terrain, based and failed at painting  six skeletons, based two giant rats, based a wolf and giant worm, primed my Necromancer and apprentice, and have built five of my seven hired hands.

Almost forgot that three snowy trees were purchased as test terrain, the Frostgrave Folio was purchased and read several times, and an hour spent in the garage wrangling all my miscellaneous old D and D/Pathfinder treasure minis.

Looking at it listed this way, I guess I have done a lot more than I was giving myself credit for.

Thom the Apprentice and Wilfred Dead Waker

Starting to create a war band

FRUSTRATION

Painting.

Miniature painting to be exact. When you start, you get rules and unpainted miniatures, or minis. Playing a game with bare metal or black primed figures is just not as fun as using fully painted, colorful minis.

I have always struggled with painting. I can see the finished product in my mind's eye but can't seem to force the paint where it needs to be. The result of this is that I have a really bad habit of starting projects but seldom finish them. I have lots of black primed figures, and it has been awhile since I have painted anything.

Part of getting into Frostgrave was knowing that I would only need to paint ten minis. That number has grown considerably since receiving the rulebook, which adds wandering monsters and scenario objectives.  A couple weeks ago I started working on some skeletons and I hit my mental wall. Skeletons should be simple. Maybe my paint is old or I just don't have the skills anymore.

All I want is to get some decent looking minis on the table. They have to be decent in my mind though. After fuming about it for a few days, I stumbled on a YouTube video by an amazing painter called Sorastro. The key to the video is a product he used called Army Painter Quick Shade. So, I am about to start painting a new way that I hope will result in a mini with which I will be happy. I should probably build my war band first.

RESOURCES

These are the places I use to get my Frostgrave fix. I have linked to the Frostgrave sections, but be sure to check out all the other stuff on their sites.

Osprey Publishing is the company that puts out the rulebook and all the supplements. Lots to look at on this site.

North Star Military Figures creates the official Frostgrave miniatures. They are based in the UK and make a TON of miniatures for various games. It is time well spent looking through their website. I found out recently that when certain games release new content, like the new supplement for Frostgrave, they will create what they call a "Nickstarter". Basically you can buy the product from them and if enough other people do to, they will throw in some type of bonus item. Unfortunately they are based in the UK, which means expensive shipping. Luckily they have a US distributor.

Brigade Games is the US distributor of North Star Military Figures. They carry the Frostgrave line along with a lot of other miniature/hobby supplies. I have ordered with them twice and sent a couple of inquisitive emails. Emails were answered promptly and orders received without a hitch. You can buy into the Nickstarters through them too.

Lead Adventure Forum is a great resource for all things relating to miniature gaming. Spend some time with the site and you will be amazed how many types of miniature games there are. Frostgrave has its own child board attached to the fantasy section. The game creator is also active on the forum.

Tales of Frostgravery is a Frostgrave blog from a member of the LAF. It is a great read, especially his battle reports. His blog is the main reason I decided to give this a try (again). Be sure to check out his name!

Guerrilla Miniature Games is a YouTube channel dedicated to miniature gaming. Lots to watch and new content uploaded every day. Check out some of his Frostgrave videos to get a feel for the game.

WHAT IS IT?

It all starts with the rulebook

FROSTGRAVE?  In a nutshell, it is a skirmish miniatures game. You are using a wizard, his apprentice, and a group of hired "help" (thieves, thugs, barbarians, archers) to venture into the recently thawed city of Felstad (Frostgrave) in search of gold and most importantly, MAGIC. If you are new to miniature gaming, that means the player has little metal or plastic men that they painted and use to move around on a play area according to a set of rules. Skirmish means there are fewer models in each player's war band. Frostgrave lets you field ten miniatures, with a couple of exceptions. Another neat thing about many skirmish games is you can link games together and gain experience or grow your war band. In Frostgrave, only your wizard gains experience, and by default, your apprentice. The hired help is only really there to carry treasure and die gloriously for the betterment of the wizard. Plus, thugs are cheap and easy to replace. 

HELLO

Howdy! Once again I am going to try to keep a blog relating to gaming. This time the focus will be on just one game, FROSTGRAVE. In the past I have tried to record any and all miniatures, terrain building, gaming, hobbies, and lifestyle all in one blog. It never seems to work out for me. My hope is I will be able to update and have greater focus if there is only one subject. Thanks for taking a look and hopefully I can keep this one going.