The Tool Desk
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How the Book of Laws works
The Book of Laws has two broad sections. Adaptation is available from the start and addresses practical needs such as work, food, and sickness. Purpose opens later, when you must choose between Faith and Order; taking laws from one branch prevents you from taking laws from the other. Laws often build on earlier choices, and some exclude another way of addressing the same need.
A law may provide a lasting passive effect, unlock an ability you can activate, or permit a new building. If signing it creates a promise to build that structure, leaving the promise unmet can make residents displeased. Signing also has an immediate effect on the city’s meters. There is a cooldown between signings, though its duration varies by law; check the in-game interface before planning your next choice. The community-maintained Book of Laws guide describes these branches and consequences.
What Hope and Discontent mean
Hope
Hope represents residents’ confidence that they can survive and that conditions in the city are improving. Laws, buildings, and events can raise or lower it. Some modifiers are temporary; others persist. If Hope becomes very low and stays there, the city can reach a loss condition. The available mechanics references do not establish a single numeric threshold that applies to every scenario, so use the scenario’s in-game indicators rather than relying on a universal number. The Hope mechanics page provides a community-maintained overview.
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- POST-APOCALYPTIC SURVIVAL GAME: In Frostpunk, players will take on the role of leaders of a small colony of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world that was hit by a severe ice age. Their duty is to effectively manage both its infrastructure and citizens.
- STRATEGY BOARD GAME: Make the Laws, send out expeditions to uncover the fate of humanity in the frozen wastes, face the consequences of your actions in front of those you swore to protect.
- MULTIPLE PATHS TO VICTORY: The players will decide the fate of their people. Will you treat them like another resource? Are you going to be an inspiring builder, a fearless explorer, or a bright scientist? Is your rule going to be a sting of tyranny or an era of law and equality?
- HIGHLY VARIABLE: The core gameplay is brutal, challenging, and complex, but easy to learn. The citizens won’t just be speechless pieces on the board. Society members will issue demands and react accordingly to the current mood, so every decision and action bears consequences.
- NUMBER OF PLAYERS AND AVERAGE PLAYTIME: This board game is designed for 1 to 4 players and is suitable for ages 16 and older. Average playtime is approximately 120-150 minutes.
Discontent
Discontent is a distinct measure of pressure among residents. Laws can raise or lower it, and practical choices involving work or food may affect it alongside their other consequences. Watch both indicators after a decision: lowering Discontent does not itself restore Hope, and raising Hope does not necessarily reduce Discontent. The community-maintained Discontent page covers the meter separately.
How to compare laws before signing
There is no universally best law independent of your city’s needs. Compare choices across the dimensions that matter to the current crisis:
Rank #2
- THIS IS AN EXPANSION TO FROST PUNK THE BOARD GAME. This is not a standalone game. You will need the Frost Punk Base Game in order to play with this expansion.
- POST-APOCALYPTIC SURVIVAL GAME: In Frostpunk, players will take on the role of leaders of a small colony of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world that was hit by a severe ice age. Their duty is to effectively manage both its infrastructure and citizens.
- STRATEGY BOARD GAME: Make the Laws, send out expeditions to uncover the fate of humanity in the frozen wastes, face the consequences of your actions in front of those you swore to protect.
- MINIATURES EXPANSION: Upgrade the components in Frostpunk with this miniature expansion, which includes 120 plastic miniatures in 41 different sculpts, bringing the ultimate look of Frostpunk's last city of Earth to the tabletop. This expansion is purely of aesthetic nature and does not in any way influence the mechanics of the game.
- NUMBER OF PLAYERS AND AVERAGE PLAYTIME: This board game is designed for 1 to 4 players and is suitable for ages 16 and older. Average playtime is approximately 120-150 minutes.
- Problem solved: What survival need does the law address?
- Practical cost or benefit: Does it affect work hours, labor, food yield, resources, or capacity?
- Mood effects: What immediate and lasting changes does it make to Hope and Discontent?
- Follow-through: Does it unlock a building or ability, and does that create a promise?
- Future options: Does it exclude another choice or commit you to Faith or Order?
- Political direction: What does continuing down that branch mean for the city?
Check the law’s description and the meters in your own game before committing. Specific effects below come from community-maintained guides and may not establish the behavior of every edition or version.
Examples of law tradeoffs
| Law | Benefit or choice | Recorded tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Extended Shift | Allows workplaces to run a longer schedule. | Raises Discontent, according to the community game guide. |
| Child Shelters | Provides shelter for children rather than choosing child labor. | A permanent Hope modifier is recorded once all children have a place. |
| Soup | Makes more rations from the same raw food than standard meals. | The guide records a slight Hope decrease and Discontent increase. |
| Pledge of Loyalty | An Order-branch law and a route toward New Order. | The guide records a slight Discontent increase and a persistent Hope benefit. |
The comparisons and effects in this table are reported by the Book of Laws guide. Treat its precise mechanics as community-wiki details rather than official developer documentation, and verify version-dependent effects in the game you are playing.
Rank #3
- THIS IS AN EXPANSION TO FROST PUNK THE BOARD GAME. This is not a standalone game. You will need the Frost Punk Base Game in order to play with this expansion.
- POST-APOCALYPTIC SURVIVAL GAME: In Frostpunk, players will take on the role of leaders of a small colony of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world that was hit by a severe ice age. Their duty is to effectively manage both its infrastructure and citizens.
- STRATEGY BOARD GAME: Make the Laws, send out expeditions to uncover the fate of humanity in the frozen wastes, face the consequences of your actions in front of those you swore to protect.
- DREADNOUGHT EXPANSION: A deluxe upgrade to one of Frostpunk's most challenging scenarios, this expansion contains 1 plastic Giant Dreadnaught miniature that can be used to immerse yourself deeper into the game. This expansion is purely of aesthetic nature and does not in any way influence the mechanics of the game.
- NUMBER OF PLAYERS AND AVERAGE PLAYTIME: This board game is designed for 1 to 4 players and is suitable for ages 16 and older. Average playtime is approximately 120-150 minutes.
Faith, Order, and the endpoint laws
Purpose presents a consequential choice between Faith and Order. Each branch offers different laws, buildings, and abilities to address the city’s mood and other needs; choosing one bars the other. At the endpoint, New Faith or New Order replaces Hope with Devotion or Obedience. These are not ordinary Hope-management upgrades: they mark a change in the city’s political direction and in the role Hope plays. The community guide describes the branch structure, while exact current behavior should be checked in-game.
For the Order route, a community wiki lists Pledge of Loyalty as one prerequisite route to New Order, with a 36-hour signing cooldown for Pledge of Loyalty and a 72-hour cooldown for New Order. These are reported in-game mechanics values, not research statistics; their applicability to a particular game version is not established here. See the Pledge of Loyalty page and New Order page for those community-wiki details.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Cryptid-Themed Strategy Card Game: Experience a light strategy game for 2-4 players featuring cryptid characters, action cards, and skill-based play that adapts to your group's pace and style.
- Take-That Mechanics: Outwit opponents in just 60 minutes using hidden trait cards, Cryptid meeples, and take-that mechanics. A great addition to your collection of strategy board games with dynamic, competitive gameplay.
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Rank #4
- CATCH THE CHAMELEON: A bluffing board game where players must race to catch the chameleon before It's too late
- ONE SECRET WORD: In this board game for adults and family everyone knows the secret word - except for the player with the chameleon card
- DON'T GET CAUGHT: Use hidden codes, carefully chosen words, and a bit of finger-pointing to track down the guilty player... Before the imposter blends in and escapes!
- EASY TO LEARN, QUICK TO PLAY: Like all good family board games, it takes 2 minutes to learn and only 15 minutes to play. Recommended for 3-8 players and ages 12+
- MULTI-AWARD WINNING: "Best Party Game" At UK games expo. "Seal of excellence" From dice tower games. A perfect board game for adults and teenagers
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