Frost Shelter
Frost Shelter Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective of the Game
Each player must survive the brutal conditions of an endless winter, competing to accumulate the resources necessary for their colony's survival, which will be required to withstand the EVENTS.
The player who best manages resources and endures adversity will be the winner, proving to be the most resilient among the survivors.
Components
- 40 Resource Deck cards with 4 different types (Fuel, Water, Food, Tools), numbered 1 to 10.
- 4 Relic Deck cards (one for each resource).
- 6 EVENT Deck cards, with the challenges.
- 5 Expedition cards.
- 14 Equipment cards.
- 5 Colony cards.
- 5 Damage cards.
- 1 First Player card (Leader).
The source heading reads "COMPONENTES" (Portuguese for "Components"); it is rendered here in English.
Setup
- Choose the first player, who will already start the game with the Leader card (a).
- Separate the Event (b), Relic (c), and Resource (d) decks and place them on the table.
- Each player receives 1 Expedition card (e), 1 Colony card (f), and 1 Damage card (g).
- Everyone starts with 0 damage. Use the Colony card to completely cover the Damage card.
- Shuffle all Tarp and Chest Equipment cards and deal one random card to each player (h). Then, separate the remaining cards by equipment and leave them face up on the table. Everyone keeps their equipment visible in front of them.
- Deal Resource cards (i), face down, to each player according to the table below:
| Players | Cards per player |
|---|---|
| 2 | 10 |
| 3 | 9 |
| 4 | 8 |
| 5 | 7 |
- Reveal the top card of the EVENT Deck and the top card of the Relic Deck (this will be the special resource during that EVENT).
To suffer damage means to increase the number on the Damage card using the Colony card. To heal means to decrease the number.
Attention: every time this rulebook states that something must be done clockwise, it is always from the current Leader.
How to Play
A game of Frost Shelter has three EVENTS, which bring challenges to be overcome to avoid damage to the players' Colonies. To defend against each EVENT, players will play several tricks (explained later) to collect Resource cards for their Colony.
In each EVENT, players' colonies may suffer damage and, at the end of the third EVENT, the player who has suffered the least damage wins.
Steps of Each EVENT
A game of Frost Shelter takes place over 3 EVENT resolutions. In each of the three EVENTS, players will go through the following phases:
- Event Reveal
- Defining the Starting Player
- Competing for Resources
- Event Resolution
1. Event Reveal
Reveal the top card of the EVENT Deck and the top card of the Relic Deck (this will be the special resource during that EVENT).
An EVENT card shows:
- Event occurrence: the name and flavour text of the EVENT.
- Total damage if the player does not defend against the event: the red damage icon with its number.
- Maximum number of cards the EVENT allows without causing additional damage (see 4.1 Frost Bite): the "Max" value.
- Requirements to defend this amount of damage: each requirement shows the amount of damage it can defend when it is met.
2. Defining the Starting Player
In the first EVENT, the starting player will be the one who felt the cold the most the previous night and will start with the LEADER card, opening the trick.
From the second EVENT onward, the player who has suffered the most damage in their Colony so far chooses the Leader (who will open the trick), which may be themselves. If more than one player has suffered the same amount of damage, the player closest clockwise to the last Leader chooses the Leader.
3. Competing for Resources
Players compete to collect Resource cards in several tricks (each player chooses a card from their hand and the strongest wins) until hands are empty.
The Resource Dispute is carried out by repeating the phases of step 3.1 Play a Trick until all players have played their last card from hand.
Before starting the FIRST trick of the event, anyone who has the Harpoon card may use it to change the Relic of the EVENT. When using the Harpoon, the card must be returned to the list of Equipment available for purchase, as well as ANY other equipment after being used.
3.1 Play a Trick
3.1.1 Open the trick: The Leader opens the trick by playing any Resource card from their hand (such as Fuel, Water, etc.).
3.1.2 Play Resource cards: Each player, in order, must play a Resource card following one of the options below:
- a. Follow the Leader's Resource: Play a card of the same Resource chosen by the Leader. The highest number wins the trick (except in the special case: 1 beats 10).
- b. Play a Relic card: Play a card of the resource indicated by the EVENT Relic. This card becomes the strongest in the trick, ignoring the Leader's resource. The Resource (relic) card with the highest number wins the trick (1 still beats 10).
- c. Play another Resource: Play a card of a different resource. These cards cannot win the trick, but can be used as a strategic "discard."
- d. Use Expedition: Use an Expedition card to be able to collect resources in step 3.1.3 Trick Resolution. In this case, the player still needs to play one of their cards in the conventional way; however, that card does not participate in the trick (has no value). The Leader can never use this card; that is, a card with Expedition cannot open a trick.
Example 1 (illustration): the Leader's Resource is an 8. A player plays a card of the Event Relic resource, which becomes the strongest card in the trick, and wins the trick with the Relic card.
Example 2 (illustration): the Leader's Resource is a 10. A 1 of the Event Relic resource wins the trick, because 1 beats 10.
Example note (illustration): although the Water card is the Relic Resource, it cannot win because it was used for the Expedition.
3.1.3 Trick Resolution: After everyone has played, the player with the strongest card (highest number of the Leader's Resource, or of the Relic resource) wins the trick and may collect a number of Resource cards depending on the number of players (see table below) and add them to their Colony Resources. The collected cards must remain face up in front of the player who owns them and may be organized in any order at any time.
| Players | Resources to collect |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 |
| 3 and 4 | 1 or 2 |
| 5 | 2 or 3 |
Place the cards not collected, face down, into the Expedition deck. They cannot be consulted.
In turn order, whoever played the Expedition card may collect UP TO 2 RESOURCE CARDS from the Expedition deck (possibly zero), provided there are enough cards in the deck. These cards must remain revealed in the players' colony area. These will be the Colony Resources. The Expedition card may only be used again in the next EVENT.
The winner of the trick becomes the new Leader, taking the Leader card and starting the next trick by playing the first card of the round.
Repeat step 3.1 Play a Trick until everyone has no cards left in hand.
If the last card from hand has been played, proceed to 4. Event Resolution.
4. Event Resolution
4.1 Frost Bite: If a player accumulates more Resource cards in their Colony than necessary for the EVENT, they suffer 2 damage for each excess card.
Example: The INVASION EVENT (as described in 1. Event Reveal) requires 5 total cards — 3 cards from the first requirement and 2 cards from the second — and a player accumulated 7 cards, they will suffer 4 damage (2 damage for each of the 2 extra cards).
Frost Bite does not apply to players who have a number of cards less than or equal to the amount required by the EVENT.
4.2 Hibernation: Players who do not have any Resource card in their Colony and who also did not use the Expedition card prevent 4 damage. That is, the current EVENT will cause 4 less damage.
4.3 Defending Against the EVENT: The total damage that the EVENT can cause is described in the icon on the EVENT card. Clockwise, players MAY discard their Colony Resource cards (collected during the tricks) to defend against damage. Each EVENT card has two defense options for a determined amount of damage. Each can only be used ONCE, therefore, to avoid damage, the player must complete both.
4.4 Buying Equipment: ONLY the players who suffered damage in this EVENT may buy equipment. Starting with the one who has more accumulated damage, and going clockwise, each player may use their remaining Resource cards to buy ONE equipment. Each equipment has its cost described on the card and remains with the player until used. Pay for the equipment by discarding the Resources that were NOT used yet. A player may buy only one equipment in this phase.
These same players, in the same order, if they still have available Resources, may perform one extra round of Equipment purchases, and buy only ONE more equipment.
Equipment card example (illustration): the BAG equipment has the name "BAG", a cost of "2 any resources", and the equipment action "When you take the Expedition action, collect 1 extra resource (for a total of 3)."
4.5 Infirmary: It is possible to use your Colony's Infirmary to heal damage suffered. For EVERY 3 different resources paid (discarding those not used yet), HEAL 1 damage.
4.6 Cleanup Phase: After players have resolved the EVENT and bought equipment, all players must discard all remaining resources in their Colonies before starting a new event.
End of the Game
The game ends after resolving the third and final EVENT. Whoever has suffered the least damage in the Colony is the winner.
In case of a tie, the winner is the one with the highest sum of the values of the resources remaining in their Colony. If the tie persists, the winner is the one with the highest sum of the values of the Relic resources. If the tie persists, the players share the victory.
Event Cards (Printed Examples)
The rulebook prints two of the six EVENT cards as examples. The remaining EVENT cards are not printed in the rulebook.
INVASION — "They came like shadows in the snow, merciless raiders ready to take what remains of our hope. Now, fight... or lose everything."
- Total damage: 6. Capture the invaders before they reach the colony's heart.
- Max: 5.
- Defend 2 damage: 3 cards with values < 5, all different Resources.
- Defend 4 damage: 2 cards with values < 4 of the same Resource.
BLACKOUT — "The generator failed. Heat vanished; the cold advanced. Surviving is no longer a choice—it's a fight against the inevitable."
- Total damage: 8. Small italic text beside the icon (reads, at print resolution, as "For the generator immediately to keep the cold from spreading"; partly hard to read in the source scan).
- Max: 6.
- Defend 3 damage: 3 cards totaling 21+ (no Relics).
- Defend 5 damage: 3 cards totaling 5 or less.
Questions? The printed rulebook directs players to the FAQ via QR code.