Frosthaven PC launched its closed beta on March 27, meaning that a select number of board game lovers can now test the enormous game’s digital version. Wargamer’s in-house staff is 50% Frosthaven-lovers, so naturally we’re pretty hyped. Plus, having recently caught up with them, we can confirm that the minds in charge of this project are as stoked about digital Frosthaven as we are. The game’s creator, Isaac Childres, is particularly excited to get playing.
Along with Childres, we sat down to talk strategy board games with Snapshot Games CEO Julian Gollop and Frosthaven PC’s game director Hristo Petkov. The Snapshot team also gave Wargamer editor Alex a full Frosthaven PC preview earlier in March – head there if you want hands-on gossip about how one of the best board games of recent years runs as a videogame.
WG: What will be available in the beta?
HP: It will have the first eight characters, so six plus two unlockables. It will have approximately 20-ish scenarios and I think 20 or 30 road events and outpost events. Some buildings are available, but not all. It’s a fair chunk of the game – something like 15 to 25% of the game. The plan is to steadily release more content during Early Access until we reach the full release in – probably – a year.
Can you tell me more about the content changes made for the videogame?
HP: There are a couple of scenarios that we removed. One is the zero scenario, which was basically a tutorial, and one is a scenario that is linked to an expansion of Gloomhaven.
IC: Basically, we replace the single tutorial scenario in the board game with a four-scenario tutorial arc to help better ease people into the game. I designed the final scenario of that chain, and it even has a small outpost phase.
HP: We needed to change a few things here and there, but they are very small changes. Most of the things were coordinated with Isaac, and I don’t think there are very serious changes that impact balance.
What was it like to collaborate, turning Isaac’s ideas into a Snapshot game?
IC: From my end, it was super easy. We’d meet once a month or so to go over what they’d been working on to make sure I was okay with any small changes. They have a love for the game just like I do, and they want to bring it as best as they can to the digital format. I think they’ve done a great job with it. I couldn’t be happier with the collaboration.
HP: From my perspective, it’s absolutely the same. It was very smooth working with Isaac and trying to enforce his vision.
I can give you a very good example of this work – the cooperation on some of the environments. This is something that, in the board game, is not well explained. There are some descriptions, but we didn’t have a full understanding from the board game how this place looks. We had some back-and-forth with Isaac, and we created something completely new.
JG: The development of the visual design of the characters and the elite version of the monsters are also really nicely done, I think.
HP: Absolutely, yeah.
IC: In the board game, we only provide so many visuals to how monsters and environments look. Seeing a lot of that take on more life in the digital version is really exciting, and I’m really happy with how all that turned out.
Who is your target audience for Frosthaven on PC?
HP: We want to keep all the Gloomhaven fans from the digital version and the board game and convert them to Frosthaven. We want all the Frosthaven fans who couldn’t afford or didn’t have time to actually play the big, big board game. And hopefully we’ll attract some tactical games fans.
This is the hardest group to engage, because even though [Frosthaven] is a tactical game, it is more complex at the beginning than a standard tactical game. It’s a big challenge, but we hope that a lot of the UX, UI, and tutorialization changes we’re making will help with that.
There are also fans of games like Baldur’s Gate 3 – hopefully those people like Frosthaven too. It’s more strategic and it has a bit less story, but it has a very interesting and developed world.
IC: I’d obviously love to bring new fans into the Gloomhaven world, because I think it’s a great game. Personally, I’m just excited to be a fan and enjoyer of the game myself. It’s another way to enjoy the game that you can do by yourself or with friends online, and it’ll take less time to set up and play than it would the board game.
HP: It’s really like reading a book and watching a movie. They are different mediums, and they both have their benefits. If you want your imagination to go wild, I think playing the board game is better, but if you want a more polished experience where you’re not doing it all yourself, I think the digital version is better for you.
According to the Frosthaven PC Steam page, signups are still open for the game’s closed beta. If you want a reason to try it out, stop by our Frosthaven review for a full rundown of the game. Or, for more recommendations, check out the best couples’ board games around right now.
Source: Wargamer
