A digital version ofFrosthaven, the strategy board game with one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns, is getting a digital version. A spiritual sequel to its immensely popular campaign-style RPG gameGloomhaven, the originalFrosthavenreceived over $12 million in crowdfundingfor its production. The game remains the most-funded board game Kickstarter of all time and is the second-highest tabletop Kickstarter ever behindCosmere RPGby Brotherwise Games. Now,Frosthavenis getting its own digital version with some very big names involved.
Snapshot Games, co-founded byXCOMcreator Julian Gollop, announced it was developing a digital version ofFrosthavenwith input from creator Isaac Childres. The game seeks to faithfully recreate the tabletop experience, with both a single-player mode and a co-op online multiplayer experience. It will release in Early Access, containing at least 35 quests across the game’s first two acts, plus an introductory quest line.Before its release,the closed beta forFrosthavenwill launch on March 27.
What Is Frosthaven, And How Does It Differ From Gloomhaven?
Frosthaven Has More Complex Characters And Several Other Features
Frosthavenutilizes the same basic game engine asits predecessor,Gloomhaven. One to four players cooperate to clear various missions, with the strength of foes determined based on the average level of players. On each turn, players play two cards from their hand. On their turn,they choose the top action from one card and the bottom action from the other.Some cards have abilities that can only be used once, while others have less powerful moves that can be activated turn after turn.
WhileFrosthavenis a cooperative game, each player has individual goals and competes for treasure and gear in individual missions. Completing individual goals earns more XP and unlocks new character classes.
Gloomhaven: Starting Character Guide (Every Class & How They Work)
There are six starting character classes in Gloomhaven. Players should choose theirs wisely to best enjoy their game experience.
BothFrosthavenandGloomhavenhave similar mechanics, but the two games have different characters, withFrosthaven’s characters generally being more complex.Frosthavenalso has an outpost-building aspect of the game missing fromGloomhaven,which determines the type of armor and gear you can eventually buy in between missions.Frosthavenalso has a mechanic based around changing seasons that impacts the strength of various enemies based on what time of year they’re encountered.
Our Take: Frosthaven Will Be A Huge Sleeper Hit
Expect Frosthaven To Build On The Success Of Its Predecessor
Thedigital version ofGloomhavenwas one of the few board game adaptations that improved upon the board game experience.PlayingGloomhavendigitally removed many of the complicated record-keeping and setup for the gameand streamlined the experience without sacrificing any of the strategic complexity. We expectFrosthavento be a similar experience and even improve on the original version ofFrosthavenunder the guidance of the creator of Gollop.
