I think there are two novels and one anthology for Frostgrave and one anthology for the Ghost Archipelago.
Can't say about Ghost Archipelago, but you are correct regarding Frostgrave. An anthology about the size and page length of Osprey's Men at Arms series, and two novels, Oathgold and Second Chances. The latter novel is better than the former (IMO); better developed characters and interaction. The anthology had some decent short stories too.
Tried looking up Frostgrave: The Wildwoods at Osprey and Joe McC's blog, but found nothing. Probably still at the stage he and Osprey prefer to keep mum about a project in its infancy.
''We don't normally EVER show figures before they are turned into metal, but we had to show you the new Frostgrave construct for Fireheart by Matt Bickley.''
I see the legendary, foretold centuries ago "good Frostgrave sculpt" hath not yet arrived and they're still awkwardly proportioned and clumsily sculpted, like they've been created in the early 90s.
TumbleThreshold wrote: I see the legendary, foretold centuries ago "good Frostgrave sculpt" hath not yet arrived and they're still awkwardly proportioned and clumsily sculpted, like they've been created in the early 90s.
Almost like it's a conscious choice to evoke a particular era of miniature design or something.
TumbleThreshold wrote: I see the legendary, foretold centuries ago "good Frostgrave sculpt" hath not yet arrived and they're still awkwardly proportioned and clumsily sculpted, like they've been created in the early 90s.
I hate misproportioned scarecrows and origami foxes!
I agree, the string puppet is inspired. To the point that they should probably consider doing more with it. A troupe of them, varied and demented looking, would be downright creepy.
Also, I need those two Candle Jacks. They look so lost and alone, as if they're being objectified and sold but no one understands who they really are, inside. Like a candle in the wind, never knowing who to cling to, when the rain set in.
Don't own it myself, but wasn't Forgotten Pacts the Summoner themed expansion? This one seems like it ought to be witch themed.
It was for the first edition but here it was just a guess seeing we have a barbarian type on the cover. Kid Kyoto may be right that it could focus on Elementalist too but the main theme is a nature so Witches will have most fun here.
Frostgrave: The Wild Woods.
It's not coming until June, but it's looking good!
This supplement brings a new dimension to games of Frostgrave, allowing players to lead expeditions into the wilderness north of the city, searching for undiscovered ruins and facing the perils of the Wildwoods.
“In this new expansion, your Wizards and their companions are going to be heading beyond the bounds of Felstad and exploring the Wildwoods that sit on its door. You will find rules for taking on expeditions that delve deep into the Wildwoods and the secret places and forgotten treasures that it harbours.
There will be new rules for additional soldiers and plenty of magical items to keep your wizards alive. You will have to contend with losing supplies, a hostile environment and some absolutely terrifying new creatures that will push you to your limits!”
“This supplement brings a new dimension to games of Frostgrave, allowing players to lead expeditions into the wilderness north of the city, searching for undiscovered ruins and facing the perils of the Wildwoods.
For years, spellcasters have flocked to the Frozen City, braving the perils of its ruins in the hunt for relics and forgotten magic. While the city still holds many such secrets, newly arrived wizards must delve deeper and fight harder to make their mark. A few turn from the city, seeking instead the remote settlements that surrounded ancient Felstad. Such expeditions are not without their own dangers, however – in the vast forests of the Wildwoods, death lurks in the empty cookpot and torn waterskin, in the cold of night and the looming storm, and in the teeth and claws of the beast behind the next tree…
This supplement for Frostgrave: Fantasy Wargames in the Frozen City takes players beyond the ruins with rules for running expeditions in search of secret places and forgotten treasures in the dark Wildwoods. New soldiers and magic items may improve wizards' chances of survival, but dwindling supplies, the hostile environment, and terrifying new creatures will push them to their limits in a range of scenarios set in these deep, foreboding forests.”
This supplement’s proceeds bring a new dimension to my kitchen, allowing contractors to lead expeditions into the wilderness home improvement store of the city, searching for undiscovered cabinets, appliances, possibly a new sink with a decorative backsplash and maybe a marble topped island in the center of the space for facing the perils of the pantry.
SamusDrake wrote: Please tell me that The Wild Woods is an excuse for us to start collecting Sylvaneth models...
Or chibi bear miniatures.
If you go down in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise
If you go down in the woods today
You'd better go in disguise!
For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain
Because today's the day the
Teddy Bears have their picnic
Picnic time for Teddy Bears
The little Teddy Bears are having
A lovely time today
Watch them, catch them unawares
And see them picnic on their holiday
FB:"Frostgrave: The Wildwoods.
The new Frostgrave supplement coming in June will feature a whole cast of Pre-Historic Mammals like Mammoths, Woolly Rhinos and Sabre-Tooth Tigers.''
What I'd like to know is what wizard "class" does the Wildwoods expansion boost? Lich Lord was Necromancer, Breeding Pits introduced the Beastmaster option, Forgotten Pacts was for Summoners, and Fireheart for Enchanters. As I do not own Blood Legacy or The Red King, so I don't know if they boost any wizards classes. Personally, I think Wildwoods should expand options for Witches, but it could also be a pure wilderness supplement and not boost any class. {That assumes all wizards are bookish scholarly types more at home in a library or lab than outdoor types. However, considering the setting, one would expect any mage who is exploring Felstad must have acquired some outdoor survival skills during the journey to Felstad, regardless of how bookish they were before.}
Not that I have seen. North Star made a post on Facebook saying that the female cultists would not be ready in time for the supplement release. Here’s what was said:
Frostgrave: Wildwoods. Released 22nd June 2023.
There won't be a massive new figure release for this book, and the next plastic box set (Cultist who are all cruel, evil woman) won't be ready in time.
But we are putting together a special 'Beasties' set for you, to get you a wide selection of the creatures you're likely to bump into outside the boundaries of Felstad.
Keep your frosty eyes on Facebook, Twitter and our newsletter. ❄️🌬👀
A pity they wont be here for June - and probably not for the rest of summer when I'll have some good time to get to them, but its exciting none the less.
The quality of the Barbarian women set was great- much better than the first set of barbarian men, so I'm really, really looking forward to this one. Hopefully less sculpted on capes though.
From FB: "In the new book for Frostgrave, The Wildwoods, your Wizard goes travelling out of the city. There are rules for transport, & you need models to represent your means of transport. It could be wagons, sleds, Constructs of Burden, or baggage Yaks.''
Looks like many opportunities for creative kitbashing/conversions there.
''Frostgrave Firekeepers.
This group of mysterious troglodytic humanoids live in many of the caves, dungeons, and catacombs in the wilderness around Frostgrave. There are numerous theories as to their origin, the most popular being that they are descendants of the original inhabitants of Felstad who somehow survived below ground during the cataclysm and have devolved over the generations. In truth, no one really knows. What is known is that these creatures are obsessed with fire, revering it as almost a god. They work hard to keep fires burning in their lairs, going into a frenzy should their fires be extinguished. Firekeepers are decidedly unfriendly to outsiders, and often attack without provocation. In combat they usually fight with crude hand weapons and torches. While not particularly fearsome fighters, Firekeepers do seem to have a strong resistance to some forms of magic, especially elemental magic.''
''First pic of the 4 new Frostgrave Specialist Soldiers.
The expert Guide, the Trapper, The Trophy Hunter and Guide.
Released late June, taking orders now.''
Enhance your Frostgrave campaigns with recurring villains that grow more powerful over time and give your wizards somewhere to hide with expanded rules for bases.
On the violent and deadly streets of the Frozen City, feuds and vendettas are commonplace. Wizards may start out focused on discovery and exploration, fighting when they must for survival or possession of some magic book or long-lost artefact, but it often doesn't take long before anger, frustration, and pain boils over and the battles become intensely personal. Rivals become enemies and, as the cycle of violence continues, a few explorers lose track of their original purpose and focus all their efforts on the elimination of their hated foes, their mortal enemies.
This supplement for Fantasy Wargames in the Frozen City presents rules for creating recurring villains in both competitive and solo campaigns. These characters are unique individuals who return over the course of a campaign to plague the players' wizards, gaining experience, recruiting allies, and becoming more deadly with each appearance. In the face of these threats, a wizard's base becomes as much hideout as headquarters, and the book also expands on the range of options for building up bases, as well as providing rules for defending your own... and attacking those of your rivals!
I LOVE when these supplements really switch up the way you engage with the game, versus just being more stuff. Wild-Woods was awesome at this, and it sounds like Mortal Enemies could be really awesome too!
I wrote something like that for RoSD although I never got close to writing all the custom missions that would crop up depending on who your Nemesis is! I'm glad something better and complete is going along for Frostgrave!
Upcoming treepack from Archon will be great for wild adventures.
As per Northstar FB: "Fantasy Forests.
Coming later this month from Dungeons & Lasers, the Tree Pack. I think we'll be adding these to our North Star terrain collection. Will you be doing the same?
£54 for 10 trees."
Dawnbringer wrote: Also, one a quarter isn't that slow given the size of the operation. Pretty sure that's about the rate the Perrys get new kits out for example.
Oh definitely, I think people need realistic expectations, Northstar is not GW or even WGA.
FGV367 - Praklicore
Developed long ago in the breeding pits beneath the city, the Praklicore was a critical success but a commercial failure. In appearance, it resembles a lion covered in spines like a porcupine. It has a set of ‘wings’, that are useless for flight, but can fling its spines at great distance and with significant force. Just to make matters worse, the spines secret a nasty toxin that is poisonous to most creatures. Combining strength, power, and speed, along with a poisonous ranged weapon, makes these creatures fearsome opponents.It also made them hideous to look at, which hurt their sales.
It is unknown just how many praklicores have survived to the modern day, but they must be breeding in the tunnels beneath the city, for every so often one climbs up out of the dark to hunt.
28mm sized metal model, supplied unpainted. Requires assembly with glue.
I have to smirk at the bit about the useless wings. Yes I know that 'realistically' most fantasy monsters could never fly, but come on, once you've got a bat-winged porcupine-lion why worry about whether the wings are large enough to really fly?
FGV367 - Praklicore
Developed long ago in the breeding pits beneath the city, the Praklicore was a critical success but a commercial failure. In appearance, it resembles a lion covered in spines like a porcupine. It has a set of ‘wings’, that are useless for flight, but can fling its spines at great distance and with significant force. Just to make matters worse, the spines secret a nasty toxin that is poisonous to most creatures. Combining strength, power, and speed, along with a poisonous ranged weapon, makes these creatures fearsome opponents.It also made them hideous to look at, which hurt their sales.
It is unknown just how many praklicores have survived to the modern day, but they must be breeding in the tunnels beneath the city, for every so often one climbs up out of the dark to hunt.
Shouldn't that be venomous? Poisonous suggests people lick or eat these quills, just saying
Nope. They are, in fact, delicious. More Felstad adventurers are killed each year by consuming these spines than from the creatures biting them in attack. So poisonous is the correct terminology.
privateer4hire wrote: Nope. They are, in fact, delicious. More Felstad adventurers are killed each year by consuming these spines than from the creatures biting them in attack. So poisonous is the correct terminology.
I'm sure Senshi the dwarf could prepare them properly. It's probably similar to preparing fugu (puffer fish). Senshi can make many commonly encountered monsters safe and delicious to eat.
I like em. I can't see details on the heads, but hope there are some full hooded heads (faces covered) Like on the male cultist sprue. I dont see any undead parts like on the male sprue... but that's a bonus for me as I didnt like the skeletal parts on the male sprue.
If you look at the color picture, the woman in the very back has a grey cadaverous face. So maybe there are zombie bits?
Now since I finally used cultist zombie bits for Stargrave, I do not care if zombie bits are included in Cultists II as I rarely need them. Not sure if I'll get these even though I usually buy FG kits. At least to me they are less cultist, more impoverished tribals.
After the main 2nd edition rulebook, are there any books which are recommended to expand the game?
I have read Perilous Dark for the solo play and dungeon exploration rules. Are any of the others a must-read, or has the 2nd edition book included some of their content?
I'm a first edition player that has been out of the loop for some years, so just catching up.
Right I have them all. The honest answer is none is a must read but fortunately a faq was done to make them all compatible with 2nd edition. All of them are however good reads although all suffer from Joe's compulsion to add utterly specific terrain to each scenario. If your after solo rules the one I would definitely recommend is the latest Mortal Enemies as it offers an excellent set of rules to create "Mortal Enemies" or specific villains for you to fight.
Pacific wrote: After the main 2nd edition rulebook, are there any books which are recommended to expand the game?
I have read Perilous Dark for the solo play and dungeon exploration rules. Are any of the others a must-read, or has the 2nd edition book included some of their content?
I'm a first edition player that has been out of the loop for some years, so just catching up.
Each book is pretty much adds a theme. Lich Lord is a linked undead campaign, maze of malcor adds some new magic schools, etc. None are mandatory but they add a twist or flavour.
It may be useful for some folks:
''North Star plastic spears.
What about these? 80mm long, 1.2mm diameter hard plastic. Probably work out about .17p a spear, on frames of 8.
With metal prices going up and up, we're finding our metal spears are getting more expensive every year, so we've looked to getting a plastic alternative.
We'll show you them in the hands of Crusader, North Star and Artizan Figures very soon.
What do you think?''
I'll be honest, I get that some might like plastic pikes. But one reason I go with metal is they don't break. Perry minis have plastic pikes and I have no desire to replace a broken plastic one with another that will break again in the future.
Shadow Walker wrote: Something unexpected, from their FB:"Frostgrave, Cultists III are on the way to the tool makers, the next plastic box set. "
More cultists is nice. They are useful in a ton of things, but I wonder why they are going with a 3rd box of cultists over say female knights. A Knights II set would be appreciated. Or if they are planning on any more Ghost archipelago stuff... a Crewmen II set would be great too.
That is great news! I've gotten so much mileage out of the cultists box for cultists, undead, conversions, etc. Excellent kit. Detail isn't the best, but so many useful heads and bits.
Maybe it's a straight up replacement? As nice as the heads are, it's dated kit on a small sprue.
Just yesterday I was building a Cultist... and in the end, I only ended up using the belt accessories from the Cultist sprue - body from Fireforge Peasants, head from Dead Man's Hand Gunfighters, arms from FG Wizards.
Kromlech produces the official line of Frostgrave terrain. There are some new releases. I am strongly tempted by the Ancient Archive despite my dislike of painting terrain and realizing that painting and gluing in place all those books will be a royal pain.
The Ghost Archipelago kits are the worst of the Frostgrave kits. The Crewmen don't look very piratey and have strangely long arms, the Snakemen have absurdly short arms. The detail and sculpting on the Snakemen is also pretty poor with strange irregular/sloppy scales, structureless worm heads, and listless weapon design.
I suspect that is why they didn't sell particularly well.
Ancestral Hamster wrote: Kromlech produces the official line of Frostgrave terrain. There are some new releases. I am strongly tempted by the Ancient Archive despite my dislike of painting terrain and realizing that painting and gluing in place all those books will be a royal pain.
I'm not going to disagree with any of those Archipelago kit criticisms. But they got the job done at the time. Now, I would pick Wargames Atlantic lizardmen (with muskets!) as a strong contender for a "native" force tho!
Expand your spellbook with Advanced Spellcraft, featuring new options for wizards and a ten-scenario competitive campaign.
While today's wizards are not as gifted as those who ruled Felstad, the recent discovery of the fabled Bibliosepulchre promises to change all that. It was in this great library-crypt that ancient librarians were interred, each clutching a rare grimoire. Who knows what strange energies have seeped from those tomes over the centuries or what shadows and ghosts stalk the dark catacombs? Only those truly obsessed with magic and the power it offers would dare to find out!
Advanced Spellcraft offers numerous new rules and ideas that bring more spellcasting possibilities to games of Frostgrave. Critical successes and failures for each basic spell are introduced, as are spell-specific flourishes that can be learned to enhance your magic. Create a Furious Quill that leaps from target to target, cast a Draining Word that affects an entire school of magic, or ensnare multiple zombies with Control Undead. Such flourishes take their toll, however, and to even learn such secrets will require you to venture into the Bibliosepulchre itself in a ten-scenario competitive campaign.
With hundreds of new tricks for wizards to learn, Advanced Spellcraft is the largest supplement to date, and is presented in celebration of Frostgrave's 10th anniversary.
EDIT:
Also from Northstar: Cultist III are planned to be released in August
Ages ago I was talking over email with somebody there, back when cultists II was still in the works, and suggested they do a kit for thier cultist knight and templar metal sets.
My hope is that is what's coming down the pipeline - but I'd also be happy for a re-do of the regular male cultists to bring them up to the more crispy digital sculpting for plastic kits standard.
Cultists III for Frostgrave.
First look at the box cover.
Why III?
Cultists I is now 10 years old. Can you believe it? Frostgrave was 10 years ago, the Cultists were box #2 after the Soldiers, to go with 'Thaw of the Lichlord'.
Since those days, we've worked with new designers, Matt Bickley in particular, who has designed the women Cultists and the Cultist Knights. We felt we wanted a new set of men Cultists by Matt. The first set is great, but a different design style, with Cultists III there's continuity within that part of the range now.
Pics of the figures coming soon.
lord_blackfang wrote: There are Frostgrave Demons, which wear full plate, maybe that's all Nick meant by "Cultist Knights"?
No those are already out, and have been for a long time - there was question asked in the comments and Nick was pretty clear in his response that it was being tooled now, I think.
All cards on the table, I was corresponding with North Star for some reason a few years ago, and part of it was giving some feed back on minis, and I believe I was talking to Nick directly (the wonders of talking directly to small businesses!) and I had suggested that they do a cultist knights set, and he basically said they would think about it/add it to the list of possible plastic kits.
I do think the barbarians and cultists have probably been some of their best sellers. While I think the demon knights, and anything ghost archipelago haven't sold well historically. (A pity about Ghost Archipelago - but I think the hand sculpting on those kits held them back. plastic kits just look better with digital, while metal and resin are great for hand sculpted models.)
