Frostpunk

Downtime

3 min read

The time between expeditions is called Downtime - the hours and days spent in Hearth or nearby while the world stays frozen outside the walls.

At the end of each session, every player chooses a Downtime Activity. That activity is resolved at the start of the next session before the group heads out again. Not everything needs to be roleplayed in full - much of it can be narrated quickly or handled in a sentence. The point is that time passed and your character did something with it.

Downtime Activities

  • Retrain. Spend time practicing to retrain one of your chosen abilities, features, or - if it makes sense in the story - even your subclass. Talk to the GM first.

  • Gather Information. Work your contacts, spend time in the Residential Quarter, or press the right people at the Blue Flame. Pick up rumors, news, or leads on what’s happening in Hearth or out in the Wastes.

  • Personal Goals. Follow a thread from your backstory - a personal quest, a relationship, something you’re quietly working toward. These often resolve over multiple sessions.

  • Buy & Sell. Handle commerce: acquire new gear, offload loot, or check whether any visiting traders have rolled into the Market Square.

  • Craft. Create weapons, armor, or other items using materials recovered from expeditions. GM-permitting based on what you have and what your character is capable of.

  • Socialize. Build relationships with Hearth’s factions and NPCs. Make allies, mend fences, or - intentionally or not - make new enemies. Affects faction standing.

  • Perform. Play music, tell stories, compete in Blood Ball, or put on a show. Earn gold, reputation, or both.

  • Invest. Put your earnings into a business, a trade venture, or something else that might pay out later. Talk to the GM about what’s viable.

  • Mentor. Teach a skill to another character or NPC. Useful for building relationships and occasionally for mechanical effects.

  • Research. Dig into a mystery, study a manuscript recovered from a relic site, or chase down hidden knowledge. A good option for leads that aren’t worth a full expedition, or deducing the location of a relic site.

  • Serve. Aid one of Hearth’s factions - the Guild, the Flamewardens, the Frostwatch - in exchange for standing, favors, or resources.

  • Build. Establish something lasting - a business, a safe house, a resource network. Scope and feasibility determined by the GM, and might take more than one Downtime.

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