FROSTBITE

At-a-glance: Arctic Survival • d20/d4/d6 + 2d6 per player • 2+ players + GM • Near-zero prep • Rules-lite • 1–2 hour sessions

Theme and Setting

FROSTBITE drops players into a frozen Icelandic hellscape where temperatures have plummeted below survivable levels. The landscape is featureless—nothing but ice and snow in every direction. The only hope of rescue lies at the summit of a nearby mountain, where a signal might reach civilization. Until then, players must endure the relentless cold, scarce resources, and the psychological pressure of isolation. The setting emphasizes environmental horror over monsters, making the frigid wasteland itself the primary antagonist.

Core Mechanics and Rules

The heart of FROSTBITE is the WARMTH economy—a resource pool that depletes as characters face the cold, perform strenuous activities, or suffer setbacks. Players roll a d20, d4, and d6 plus 2d6 per player to resolve actions, with results determining how effectively they conserve or lose WARMTH. The system rewards creative problem-solving: burning books for heat, huddling together for shared warmth, or risking dangerous shortcuts across thin ice. When WARMTH reaches zero, survival becomes nearly impossible without extraordinary luck or sacrifice.

What Makes It Unique

FROSTBITE stands out through its laser focus on a single survival vector—temperature. Unlike broader survival games that track multiple resources, FROSTBITE's WARMTH mechanic creates immediate, visceral tension. The one-page format (designed for the One-Page RPG Jam 2024) distills arctic survival to its essential horror: every decision costs heat, and heat is life. The game includes both horizontal and vertical PDF layouts for easy printing, acknowledging that presentation matters at the table.

Target Audience and Player Experience

FROSTBITE is ideal for players who enjoy survival horror, environmental challenges, and creative problem-solving under pressure. The rules-lite approach makes it accessible to newcomers while the high-stakes WARMTH mechanic provides enough tension to satisfy veteran gamers. It works best as a focused one-shot (1–2 hours) where the entire table collaborates against the cold—until desperation forces hard choices about who gets the last of the warmth. Perfect for winter game nights, convention slots, or any group wanting to experience survival stripped to its brutal essentials.

Visit FROSTBITE

Survival;Rules Lite;Quick-Play / One-Shot;Low Prep;Environmental

What do players think?

Players praise FROSTBITE's elegant WARMTH mechanic that makes resource management visceral and immediate. The single-page format delivers maximum tension with minimal rules, perfect for quick arctic survival scenarios. Best experienced as a focused one-shot where creative problem-solving matters more than combat prowess.

New Read the full reviews on DriveThruRPG

Related TTRPG Games

Compare FROSTBITE with other great ttrpg games.

Endure

Endure shares FROSTBITE's focus on single-resource survival mechanics—where Endure uses an Endurance economy for diverse crises, FROSTBITE concentrates entirely on WARMTH for arctic scenarios. Both are rules-lite, GM'd games that reward creative problem-solving over combat, though FROSTBITE's one-page format makes it even quicker to teach at the table.

Cast Away

Both Cast Away and FROSTBITE deliver focused wilderness survival with innovative mechanics—Cast Away uses Diminishing Dice for post-disaster scenarios while FROSTBITE employs WARMTH depletion for arctic isolation. Cast Away includes a Haunting system for eliminated players; FROSTBITE keeps all players engaged in the desperate struggle against the cold until the bitter end.

The Wretched

The Wretched and FROSTBITE both create survival horror through physical mechanics—The Wretched uses a tumbling block tower for space isolation while FROSTBITE tracks WARMTH resources for arctic desperation. Both are designed for tense, focused sessions where survival is uncertain, though The Wretched works solo while FROSTBITE requires a GM and thrives with collaborative player problem-solving.

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