Frostpunk RPG runs on Nimble TTRPG — a fast, tactical “tabletop roleplaying game” (TTRPG) system built around the idea that you should spend your session playing, not waiting.
The core pitch: “Slay the TTRPG Slog.”
In a TTRPG, one person is the Game Master (GM) — they describe the world, play every NPC (“non-player” character), and adjudicate what happens. Everyone else plays a character in that world. The GM sets the scene; the players decide what their characters do; dice determine if they succeed or fail. No board, no “winning” or “losing” in a traditional board game sense — but a collaborative story that nobody has scripted in advance.
How It Plays (compared to Dungeons & Dragons)
Attacks just hit. There’s no attack roll to confirm before damage — you roll damage directly. A natural 1 misses. A maximum roll triggers an Exploding Critical that can chain. Combat moves fast.
New players learn by playing. The rules are light enough to pick up during a session rather than requiring a rulebook read beforehand.
Choices matter. Weapons have balanced strengths and weaknesses rather than simple power tiers. The action economy is flexible. Magic is designed for player freedom.
What to Know Before Session 1
You don’t need to read the Nimble rulebook to play (you’re welcome to if you’d like to though). Sean (the main GM) will walk you through anything you need at the table!
What you do need before your first session:
- A character built on Nimbound — the official Nimble character sheet app, as well as getting set up on our Frostpunk Inventory Manager app. See Character Creation for the full walkthrough.
- A basic sense of your character concept. See Thinking Up Your Character for prompts.
Explore Character Options
All available Nimble options ported for this campaign are listed under Character Options:
- Ancestries List — what your character is
- Backgrounds List — where they came from and what passive benefit they carry
- Classes — what they do in a fight and how they grow
Full rules and system documentation at nimblerpg.com.