Frostpunk: Hoping for Coal

I continue in my attempt to save humanity in the frozen wastelands of Frostpunk. Battling both the rebellious Londoners and a lack of resources, it’s getting harder to maintain hope for the future. Perhaps setting up some outposts will help us get the resources we need to maintain this new society.

The leader of a new society can have no pause. We must return to our duty, and make the truly tough decisions every day. Sometimes it isn’t easy and we have to force people to go without food and heat so that we can survive in the long term.

Our society needs to based on something. One option is through faith which can give hope to many, though it may be a false hope. The other is through maintaining law and order through discipline, to help quell any discontent. Our society has chosen the latter.

Coal is running out. If we don’t stockpile enough soon we may soon run out and we will all freeze to death. Our engineers are working on a Coal Thumper that can extract coal from the ground. I have them working overtime so we can build one more quickly.

Even now, when we are building the coal thumper, hope is falling. The Londoners are gaining traction and the risk of them deserting the city is great. If only we can convince them not to go out into the frost.

Scouts have returned with more coal. It should keep us warm for another day or so. They tell us of a coal mine. If we could build an outpost there, we could work the mine and fuel our heat generator for longer.

The second scout team have found the city of Winterhome. It has truly fallen, their heat generator dark and cold. I wonder which is worse: freezing to death or starving to death after eating the remains of the dead.

Our engineers have improved our coal mining techniques. They say we should expect an extra 10% efficiency. This is good news, but it still may not be enough.

We have sent our automaton to collect the coal from the coal thumper as it can work through the night. More and more we rely on technology to fight against the cold nature is inflicting upon us.

Still there is hope. People have stopped listening to the Londoners. Their numbers remain steady, but at least the movement is no longer growing. Hopefully (ha!) their membership has peaked.

We are building a way out of this hole. Elevators to bring people to the top. Soon we can send people out to create outposts, to the mines for some much needed fuel.

Coal is just about maintaining us. I’ve had to force the miners to work longer shifts to keep up with our needs. But the people are warm, and with warmth there is hope.

We have found the American’s camp. No survivors. I am losing hope. Hopefully no one else is, but that’s unlikely.

We have a way out, and the means to create an outpost. I send some of our citizens out to build an outpost at the mines.

The Londoners are getting aggressive in their campaign. The writing is literally on the walls. Graffiti predicting doom for our city, and sowing discontent.

Our mines need leaders to guide the workers and improve efficiency. I have assigned workers at each of the mines and the thumper. We should be able to gather coal at a quicker rate now.

Our engineers believe they can build more automatons. Doing so should free up more workers for other tasks and allow us to work mines or gather materials overnight. I give them the go ahead to develop plans for a factory.

Regular patrols should make our city feel safer. I introduce a new law enabling our guardsmen to patrol the city rather than sit in their towers.

I have received word that an outpost has been built at the coal mines out in the frozen wastelands. They should start sending us the coal they don’t use to keep themselves warm.

Unrest is rising. The citizens have started attacking our patrolmen. I have ordered more guards sent out to keep the peace.

The coal thumper is producing more coal than we can gather. I have asked for the construction of another gathering post to help with collection.

The guards have started harassing women in the streets. This isn’t right, no one should be above the law. I have ordered them punished for their wrongdoings.

Sleds should help our scouts move faster through the snow beyond our crater. I have asked our engineers to create as many as they can.

Another settlement found empty. At least our scouts found some steam cores we can use.

I promised the people warmth. I didn’t know it would get even more difficult to heat our homes. The frost has grown even colder, and I have failed the city. The people are losing hope.

Propaganda worked in the old world. Perhaps it will work in the new. I will set up a team to build faith in our system, in our guards, in my protection .

The weather is so cold it is burning limbs off. Our medical facilities are starting to struggle. Will this ever end?

People are making speeches now. They want freedom. I want to give it to them, but we need order to survive. Perhaps just letting them talk will be enough freedom for now.

Propaganda is the tool of both the oppressors and the saviours. The people seem to believe our new center to be the latter, thankfully.

Finally some good news. We have found more survivors. Our scouts will escort them back to the city. With more workers, we can mine more coal and generate much needed warmth.

The people are desperate. They have started stealing food from our supplies. We aren’t struggling for food right now, but that’s only because we maintain strict rationing. This cannot be allowed.

The survivors have returned. We need more homes for them before they can settle in.

A fishing village is all but intact. It could be a good source of food in the future. I tell the scouts to leave it intact for now.

A disaster. A rebellious poet has committed suicide. I cannot allow him to become a martyr. I don’t like doing it, but I order the propaganda department to burn his poems.

The people know his poems have gone missing. Discontent is rising. If only they knew. Knew how difficult it is to make these choices. How much it pains me that I cannot just let them free. Freedom is nothing if there is no one to experience it. Survival is our priority right now. Freedom must wait until later.

I hope there is a “later”.