A Hunt Through the Bittercold

The Bittercold – an accursed country of freezing heights and dark swamps, strange beasts and stranger people. It is a deathtrap, where prisoners are sent to die and the sun burns cold – but crossing it is your only path to freedom. Will the Bittercold prove your liberator, or your grave?

A Hunt through the Bittercold is a two-player roguelike adventure game played with two decks of normal playing cards.

Each game tells the story of a lone wanderer attempting a Crossing through the accursed country called the Bittercold. One player takes the role of the Protagonist, a wily fighter and mountaineer who must manage their constantly-dwindling supplies and energy to make it to safety. The other player becomes the inscrutable Bittercold, who plays as the eponymous country's fearsome beasts, strange inhabitants and inclement geography. Whether the Protagonist finishes their Crossing or dies alone and unmourned in the grim snow line is up to you... and the cards.

Encounters are generated by drawing cards from the Bittercold's deck. Different suits represent different types of Encounter, giving the Protagonist the chance to plan their route forward. Will they look for resources or allies with the Suit of Meetings or the Suit of Discoveries? Or will they progress their Crossing through dangerous challenges with the Suit of Travails or the Suit of Opponents? It's a decision that must not be taken lightly, as precious spent gathering supplies allows the indefatigable Pursuit following the Protagonist to get closer.

Do battle with foes ranging from rabid goats to eldritch beings in intuitive, rapid-fire trick-taking combat, where the Protagonist's vitality is measured by the cards in their deck and every move will cost them dearly. Struggle through the Bittercold's savage lands in Trials, where the Protagonist must outwit the Bittercold through minigames to avoid paying Failure's Price.

Inspired by iconic roguelikes Inscryption and Slay the Spire, A Hunt Through the Bittercold combines trick taking, deck burning, and the suspense of not knowing if you will walk away from the next encounter into the ultimate analog roguelike.

This is the second edition of A Hunt Through the Bittercold, featuring all new and updated encounters, expanded rules, and original art. It's been lovingly rewritten from the ground up as a much more robust, replayable experience. We hope your Crossings are harrowing yet cathartic!