The summary of ‘How to Play Frosthaven – Official tutorial – Getting started’

00:00:00

In this part of the video, Paul Grogan introduces Frost Haven, a cooperative fantasy adventure game. He explains that the video will cover how to create characters and play the first scenario. Paul outlines the initial steps like following the welcome booklet and thanks the sponsor, Cephala Fair Games. He acknowledges some game print issues and refers viewers to the official FAQ for fixes. Players start by forming a party with two to four characters and choosing from 17 available character types. He details the contents of the character boxes, including miniatures, character sheets, ability cards, and equipment. Creating a character involves selecting quests, equipping items with 30 gold, and setting up for the first scenario. The first scenario involves reading an introduction, setting up the map tiles and monster decks, and understanding scenario-specific rules. The video emphasizes the importance of preparing properly by following the setup steps, referencing both visual and textual guides provided in the game materials.

00:10:00

In this segment of the video, the setup and initial gameplay steps for a campaign scenario are described. Players are instructed to shuffle and choose battle goal cards, select and place items, and choose ability cards equal to their character’s hand size. Characters set their hit points and experience dials, shuffle their attack modifier decks, and place themselves on the map in designated starting hexes. Each scenario round involves selecting two cards for actions, determining initiative order, and taking turns to execute actions. The segment also covers how players can rest to retrieve cards from their discard pile, the process of performing actions using cards, and the hierarchy of resolving abilities. Basic actions of attack and move are explained as alternatives to using the card’s main action, highlighting player flexibility in response to changing scenarios.

00:20:00

In this part of the video, the mechanics of turn resolution and various abilities within a game are explained in detail. It outlines how players discard cards after resolving attacks and must loot tokens or treasures in their hex at the end of their turn. For monsters, the activation order is specified: elite monsters act first in ascending number order, followed by normal monsters. The video also explains how monsters perform abilities based on drawn ability and stat cards.

The end-of-round steps are covered, including resolving scenario-specific effects, shuffling discard piles if certain icons are drawn, and handling ability cards with effects expiring at the end of the round. Resting rules and the impact on discarded cards are also clarified.

Additionally, key concepts such as line of sight, targeting rules, and the distinctions between different types of abilities (e.g., ranged, melee, and area of effect) are detailed. The video addresses how abilities targeting allies or enemies function, the mechanics of ranged abilities including range counting, and the specifics of melee attacks. It also discusses added effects, conditional effects, and mandatory elements like experience point gain and elemental infusion.

00:30:00

In this segment of the video, the explanation covers various aspects and mechanics of elemental infusion and consumption within the game. Elements can only be infused when performing certain actions, and infused elements wane at the end of each round, moving left on the element board. Infused elements, whether strong or waning, can be consumed to enhance abilities or activate new ones. Players must plan ahead to infuse elements on one turn and consume them on the next or coordinate with other characters. The segment also delves into the details of movement mechanisms, including standard movement, jump, fly, teleport, and their effects on gameplay. The discussion proceeds to attack abilities, explaining how base damage can be modified by various factors, including attack bonuses, penalties, and drawing attack modifier cards. It emphasizes the structure of attack actions and abilities, addressing the sequence of applying damage modifications and special attack conditions.

00:40:00

In this segment of the video, the narrator discusses various game mechanics related to attacks, damage, and actions in detail. Key points include how advantage and disadvantage work, with specific rules for drawing and selecting cards during these circumstances. Damage application is explained, detailing how it affects both monsters and characters, including methods to negate damage and the conditions such as cursing, poisoning, and wounds that might accompany attacks. Forced movement like push and pull actions is described, as well as how loot is collected by characters and the different outcomes of looting. The segment also covers active bonuses like shields and retaliate, specifying how they function during gameplay and impact attacks and damage received.

00:50:00

In this segment, the video explains the mechanics behind retaliation, summoning allies, recovering abilities and items, and resting in a game. The retaliation effect occurs after other attack effects and does not trigger if the attacker pushes the retaliating creature out of range or exhausts it. Allied summons, placed in blue bases next to the summoner, follow automated monster rules for moving and attacking, but can be directed to move towards the summoner if no enemies are present. Recovery allows players to retrieve discarded or lost cards and items, while resting (either short or long) helps them manage their card resources to avoid exhaustion, which removes a character from the scenario. The video also discusses item usage, equipping limits, and effects, like spending items or rotating them after use. Finally, it begins to touch on enemy mechanics, including stat cards, special abilities, and immunity to conditions, emphasizing the automated rules governing enemy behavior.

01:00:00

In this part of the video, the mechanics of monster actions and abilities are explained. Monsters reveal their initiative value from the top card of their ability deck each round, with elite monsters acting before normal ones. The order of activation is based on the standee numbers. Monsters perform abilities listed on their cards in sequence, such as movement and attacks, with specifics like modifiers impacting their actions. Monsters follow a process to find their focus, identifying the nearest enemy considering the fewest movement points and avoiding hazards. When monsters have multi-target capabilities, they prioritize paths that minimize negative hex effects and maximize attack opportunities. Special rules, like healing allies or looting, are also covered. Monsters have persistent bonuses, and some can summon other monsters. Finally, monsters can infuse or consume elements similar to characters, affecting their actions depending on the ability card used during their turn.

01:10:00

In this part of the video, the focus is on how to handle game mechanics related to opening doors, spawning new monsters, and determining turns in a scenario. Important details include the interruption of movement when a character steps on a door tile, the inability of monsters to open doors unless stated otherwise, and how spawned monsters are treated similarly to newly revealed ones upon door opening. The segment also covers what happens when a scenario ends, detailing the processes of gaining experience, gold, and handling loot regardless of the scenario’s success or failure. Additionally, it explains how to deal with character and game condition resets before starting a new scenario. The video further discusses the special rules for named monsters and bosses, including how their immunities and abilities are managed. Finally, the video outlines the criteria for determining default scenario levels, adjusting difficulty, and the structure of game maps and tiles.

01:20:00

In this part of the video, the speaker explains various game mechanics related to different overlay tiles and conditions in the game. Overlay tiles can act as walls, hazardous terrain, difficult terrain, icy terrain, traps, obstacles, objectives, pressure plates, and treasure chests, each with unique effects on movement and gameplay. Figures cannot cross walls and take damage from hazardous terrain unless flying or jumping. Difficult terrain costs extra movement, icy terrain adds additional movement, and traps are triggered when entered, causing damage and other effects. Obstacles restrict movement but not line of sight, while objectives have hit points and need to be destroyed or protected. Pressure plates trigger specific scenario effects when any figure moves onto them, and treasure chests can be looted for rewards. Conditions such as poison, brittle, and wounds affect both characters and monsters, influencing their capabilities and requiring specific actions to remove. Positive conditions include regeneration, ward, invisibility, and strength, while negative conditions include wound, brittle, Bane, poison, immobilize, disarm, impair, muddle, and stun. The “bless” and “curse” conditions modify attack decks with special cards. Road events, chosen at the start of each scenario, offer group decisions that impact the journey and eventual outcomes. The video concludes with a mention of additional content covered in a second video, focusing on character leveling, crafting, and Outpost building in the game Frost Haven.

01:30:00

In this part of the video, the creator encourages viewers to support the channel by becoming patrons on Patreon. They express gratitude to existing patrons for their support and feedback. The video concludes with a thank you message and a farewell.