Tour Status:
Tour Completed – this tour description is provided for historical/archival purposes, and to show you what you've missed!
Destination(s):
Estonia
Departure Date:
February 2, 2020 (Sunday)
Return Date:
February 11, 2020 (Tuesday)
Tour Length:
7 Days
Departs From:
Anywhere
Tour Limit:
15 Participants
Price:
Tour Price: $2,499.00 USD

See full price details.

Special Notice:

This tour is now confirmed and a guaranteed departure! We only have limited space. If you are interested in joining us, please book asap!

About the Tour

Osprey Games logo

Journey with us to the frozen city of Felstad, or as it is more commonly known, FROSTGRAVE. Well, the city that inspired the game anyway – Tallinn, Estonia. Geek Nation Tours takes you to our first in a series of exotic gaming destinations, where we will discover rarely visited locales and explore their culture, history and culinary delights, coupled each day with fully-immersive, elite gaming experiences. What better place to start our new enterprise than in the Baltic state of Estonia right in the middle of winter?

This tour also marks the first in a partnership with Osprey Games.  Osprey Publishing (and Games) and Geek Nation Tours have joined forces to create tours for the most discerning of travelers. It is our goal to fashion vacations where travelers can delve deep into specific games and experience them at a level that is heightened by special guests, such as designers, and publishers who relate their visions as they walk and game along side us. Not only will we roll dice with our guest hosts and will see what inspires them, but also cover the more geeky aspects of the destinations we visit. We will meld pop culture with history, blend practical knowledge with epic legend and see human struggle and heroic deeds through many lenses.

Joseph A. McCullough

Joseph A. McCullough

Joseph A. McCullough designer and high mage himself, will join us on our adventure and provide new custom-designed scenarios matched to the daily themes of our explorations of the area. We will dive right into the Medieval backdrop and have Living History Guides show us all that Tallinn has to offer. From exceptional dinning and period pubs to, eerie forests, feral bogs, and Viking villages… You will be delving deep into the Frozen City…

But don’t worry, we will let you communicate with home via modern day wizardry… Estonia has declared internet access a human right and Skype was born there… and yes, wireless internet is almost everywhere.

Act fast though… This tour can only accommodate 15 participants and thus you will need to grab a spot soon!

So, cast some spells and if you think you have the guts to explore the ruins – hop aboard!

Tour Itinerary

Day 1 - Tallinn, Estonia (Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019) / Arrival Welcome Dinner

Today the warbands arrive in Estonia from all corners of the globe. Whether you arrive precisely when you mean to by modern aircraft, raised skeletal steed, or on the back of a golem, you will be picked up and the airport and delivered straight to the hotel via a private transfer like a true wizard deserves…

Upon arrival the day is yours. Feel free to rest and relax after your long journey, however, if you want to make the most of your day, your Tour Leader can provide recommendations on what to see and do and advise on how to get there. If it is too cold outside, Geek Nation Tours has arranged to have gaming space ready for you right when you arrive…

Restaurant at the Golden Piglet InnAll such adventures normally start with a visit to a local pub or restaurant and so in the evening, you’ll break bread with the other members of your party at our Welcome Dinner. We will dine right at the hotel tonight and have true Estonian Cuisine at the Golden Piglet Inn… Here you’ll officially meet your traveling companions, your Tour Leader and Guest Host as we match wits in the first of a series of Joe-made custom adventures designed to match our journeys around this cold city.  We will be sure that a tiny Felstad will be waiting for us in the gaming room as Gamemat.eu has also hopped on board as a sponsor.. We will dive into their city terrain and their fashionable Winter Realm mats … perfectly simulating what is just a few footsteps away…

GameMat.eu LogoBut our explorations of Frostgrave will start even before you arrive in the Frozen City, as the tour will have several “Hobby Challenges” to get us all into the spirit prior to our departure… First off, is a special tour exclusive miniature sculpted by Mike Owen from North Star Military Figures of our version of Albert Magnus (also known as Albert the Great though we prefer his title Doctor Universalis) – perhaps the most famous of Alchemists, who will help us discover Felstad once more…

We will be staying at the beautiful St. Petersbourg Hotel for the duration of the tour…

Overnight Location: Tallinn, Estonia

Day 2 - Tallinn, Estonia (Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019) / Delving into Frostgrave

We will be taken on a journey not unlike a wizard seeing through the eyes of his familiar as we dive into a little bit of modern tech wizardry with a drone tour of the towers of Tallinn. A learned wizard will steward us as we see through his familiar’s eyes (via drone/VR interlink) and learn about the history of Estonia from ancient times to the modern soviet heritage and finally to the technological boom and Skype era.

We will then be transported back in time to meet Albert Magnus one of the greatest Alchemists of all time… He will then open the portal between Felstad and Tallinn and we will set out on a voyage with a local Medieval Living History guide who will show us Tallinn’s history via a walk of the city (make sure you bring your winter boots and plan for snow!)… He will add a Frostgrave slant however, coupled with some Estonian lore, so be prepared to figure out what is history and what is distraction from the treasures we are sure to see. For instance, it is said that the legendary Estonian hero – Kalevipoeg’s (a giant) final resting place is beneath Alexander Nevsky Cathedral… Or for those of you exploring the dark arts – a stop at the Raeapteek Pharmacy (Europe’s oldest alchemist stop) in the centre of Tallinn … It is said, that back in the day one could buy mummy juice (powder made of oversea mummies mixed with liquid), burnt hedgehog powder, and even unicorn horn…

Our walking tour will end with lunch at the Ill Dragon authentic medieval pub and after our bellies are full we will be off to the local blacksmith to forge an artifact of untold power (note the bit about “untold”)… Be sure to not only heat the iron and hammer it into a powerful magic item, but to also remember to cast your Enchant Weapon spell….

Upon our return from dinner at the Olde Hansa restaurant, where we will partake in a Medieval feast, our second night of gaming will start! Mage Lord McCullough will brew up a special potion of a scenario that highlights the day’s exploration… Be prepared to roll dice and game Frostgrave as well as live it.

This is also the second night that we will pull out yet another of our “Hobby Challenges”… Along with a warband it is up to you to bring one piece of snowy terrain… Will a hidden treasure be found within? One can only hope…

Overnight Location: Tallinn, Estonia

Day 3 - Tallinn, Estonia (Monday, Feb. 4, 2019) / A Sleep and the Woods

Today we will let you sleep in … Perhaps you will be able to throw off some of the Felstad/Tallinn cold by bundling up the night before and getting a hot beverage into you… Or if you are able – casting a small glow to keep yourself warm…

But don’t stay in bed too long! After lunch we will all meet for one of Supreme High Sorcerer Joseph of Kent’s summoned scenarios… Who or what we meet will be determined by another of our “Hobby Challenges” as each participant will be tasked with bringing an appropriate villain for each gaming night… Perhaps we will be called upon to fight the giant Kalevipoeg, or to do battle with the embodiment of the ancient Estonian pagan sensibilities that the spirits of their departed loved ones live on in the trees. Will the Tree Folk come back to claim Frostgrave as their own we wonder..?

Post dinner perhaps we can deduce some knowledge of the woodland’s plans as we take a late-night tour into the very depths of the Estonian countryside and journey into the primeval forests of Lahemaa… Only the very bravest (or most foolhardy) attempt a forest hike at night – where all senses are heightened as the mystical unknown awaits them….

(BTW we will throw in an element of Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago this day as we dine at the Korsarr restaurant … So be sure to bring you eye patch!)

Overnight Location: Tallinn, Estonia

Day 4 - Tallinn, Estonia (Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019) / On Bogs, Castles and Spas

If you thought your brush with the Estonian countryside ended last night you are in for a surprise… Today we will journey into the Viru Bog. Estonia’s wetlands will transport you to another world and we will trek its mysterious depths with a 3.5 km nature trail. We then have lunch right in the bog itself; I pity the fool that caused a ruckus in the forest the night prior. The bog monsters are, after all, quite protective of their Forest-kin cousins…

From here we will journey to Rakvere Castle and learn about the Crusades in this Teutonic Order fortification. It will indeed have an abandoned Felstad feel, but we will still be able to see its torture chamber, brothel and of course its alchemist’s workshop…

From Rakvere we will attempt to escape the cold by crawling into one of Estonia’s best spas…We will experience the spa’s water park and sauna center like an Estonian (or perhaps a Felstad-ian delver would after finding a bucket full of gold)… Experience seven different saunas from the Finnish style to the Infrared, or relax in the hot water jacuzzi…

Don’t get too relaxed though, as after dinner we will have as many Frostgrave games as we can manage and one will see us up against whatever Magus Joseph the Mighty concocted for this day.

Tonight, you will receive a gift gribbly from Mierce Miniatures and be able to take a bit of the Viru Bog back home with you in the form of a Machaira Peat Beast… If that is not enough, even before the tour starts Mierce will offer tour participants a one-time 20% discount when using their online store.

Sauna bucket in wooden sauna roomTonight, we will stay at the Aqva Hotel & Spa, but don’t worry you can leave most of your stuff back at your hotel room in Tallinn – all you will need today is a day bag and your miniatures!

Overnight Location: Tallinn, Estonia

Day 5 - Tallinn, Estonia (Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019) / Vikings and Living the Dream

Today we rise early for breakfast and another bit of time-travelling as we visit the local Viking Village… Here we join our living history guides on a quest to find the very items we fashioned in the smithy days prior. You play your wizard in a Frostgrave LARP (Live Action Role Play) as we explore the village as if we were in the northern reaches of the Frozen City itself… Beware the Demon worshiping barbarians of the north however, they would happily sacrifice you and your soul to their malevolent masters…

What treasures will we find in the barbarian village? Perhaps we will divine something more from our partners – North Star Military Figures and Osprey Publishing….

After lunch, we will return to Tallinn and you will be free to explore the town, relax, or get a game of Frostgrave in before we again head off for dinner…

Never fear – those that chose the relaxing option will still get to play Frostgrave this night under the tutelage of the Warlock Joe – The Wondrous…

Overnight Location: Tallinn, Estonia

Day 6 - Tallinn, Estonia (Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019) / A Kick Somewhere Underneath

Our second day afoot in the Frozen City will see us once again discovering the sites of Tallinn… Today however, we dive into the concealed side of the city – underneath the most excellently named, Kiek in de Kok Museum and Bastion Tunnels… Don’t worry we won’t do that to you, but we will happily lead you to explore more about Estonia, Tallinn and Soviet history…

We will also visit Tallinn’s City Museum to get our final look into Estonia…

Our last meal of the day will see us off to the Peppersack restaurant where we will not only dine on their wonderful grilled delicacies and famous house beer, but we will also see their nightly sword fight. Expect a rousing fast-paced battle between duelists with honor, fame and the heart of a fair maiden at stake.

A last game of Frostgrave? Maybe… With the sword play right in front of us we may get inspired to roll some dice or to stay and drink merrily…. Regardless, Joe Magician Extraordinaire will be ready to astound us with more FG scenario fun…

Overnight Location: Tallinn, Estonia

Day 7 - Tallinn, Estonia (Friday, Feb. 8, 2019) / Homeward Bound

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and today we return to the airport and depart for home. We will head off individually again via private transfer to the Tallinn Airport, but the memories, miniatures and friendships you made are yours to keep forever!

 

Optional Post-Tour Add-on

Day 1 - St. Petersburg, Russia (Friday, Feb. 8, 2019) / Russian Extension

For those that would like to join us, we will be headed to Russia today…. We figure that if you want to experience cold we might as well go all the way and take a side trip to Saint Petersburg

Those on the extension will voyage to the airport to fly direct to Saint Petersburg. Once there, our local guide will meet us at the airport – and as we are a group of miniature wargamers – we will head off to the Grand Maket Russia Interactive Museum. This 1:87th scale representation of collective regions of the Russian Federation is an outstanding 800 square meter landscape display which is sure to be a wonder to behold…

We will then head directly to our hotel, unpack and walk out into the Russian night for the first night’s dining experience…. Staying at the Pushka Inn Hotel

Overnight Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Day 2 - St. Petersburg, Russia (Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019) / A Winter Palace and Arcade

Today we will be leave early, meet by our local guide at the hotel and hop on a warm bus for a city highlights tour with photo stops and inside visits to the Spilled Blood Church, Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, Saints Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral

After lunch our local guide will take us on a tour of the world-famous Hermitage Museum. We will be sure to highlight the Winter Palace (the former residence of the Russian Tsars) as what Frostgrave tour with an extension to Saint Petersburg could NOT go see that..?

Enough time in history museums! As we walk back to the hotel we will stop by the Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines… This place is a cacophony of lights and sounds and we will even be able to play the retro games. You will receive a handful of Soviet Era coins to slot into any machine you like and the local guide will be able to tell you what the goal of each game is… If you work up a thirst we will meet you at the Soviet Era soda machine and taste that original soviet flavor. Be sure to check out the propaganda poster museum! Don’t worry we will give you plenty of free time at the museum.

We will return to the hotel for a short break and then head out for a group meal somewhere within walking distance…

Overnight Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Day 3 - Tsarskoe Selo, Russia (Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019) / Russian Countryside and Vodka

This morning we will leave Saint Petersburg behind and drive into the Russian countryside to see the town of Tsarskoe Selo (Pushkin) which exhibits Catherine’s Palace and Gardens. This summer residence of the Russian Tsars is a truly magical place – full of wonderful architecture, golden facades and amazing gardens.

As we head out however, we have the chance to see the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad… This focal point of the Victory Square was built to commemorate the heroic efforts of the residents and soldiers that defended the city during the 900-day Siege of Leningrad…

After our voyages into the cold Russian air we will again need something to warm our bodies, so we will stay in the area to not only dine on more Russian cuisine but also to sneak off to a local store for a Vodka tasting…

Man pouring strong alcoholic drink vodka in glassUpon our return to our home base city we will have a chance to do some shopping at the Nevsky Prospect – the main street of Saint Petersburg and one of the most famous streets in the world. It is not only the city’s central shopping street, but also its hub to its entertainment and nightlife…. We will be given enough time to visit the shops (like the famous Eliseyev Emporium) before we head off to one last historical stop – the Kazan Cathedral or Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan – one of the most venerated churches in all of Russia…

After a rest at our hotel we will all meet for our farewell dinner, prior to heading out for a drink somewhere on Nevsky Avenue…

Overnight Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Day 4 - St. Petersburg, Russia (Monday, Feb. 11, 2019) / Homeward Bound Part Two

Our Russian stay will be over, and we will help you return to the Saint Petersburg Airport to start your journey home. We hope that the delving has been successful and that you will return home with a bag of booty and with many spells learned…

Tour Notes

Attendance of special guests and celebrities is subject to change due to scheduling conflicts and conflicting professional or personal obligations.

What's Included

All accommodations, all transfers excluding transfers to and from airports, private tour costs, all breakfasts, all dinners including “Welcome Dinner” and “Farewell Dinner”, Museum entrance fee and private tours, and more fun than you can shake a ruler at…

What's Not Included

Some small transfers and entrance fees will need to be paid for locally. International air.

Tour Price

Tour Price:
$2,499.00 USD + $274.89 Taxes & Fees
Single-Occupancy Upgrade: $750.00 USD
4-Day Extension:
$1,599.00 USD
Single-Occupancy Upgrade: $275.00 USD
Deposit:
$1,000.00 USD
Final Payment Due:
October 15, 2019
Note:

RemorhazDon’t have a friend to get the double occupancy rate? That is what Geek Nation Tours does. Book as a double occupancy and we will match you up a roommate… This way you get the best of both worlds – someone to BS about the trip with – and more cash to spend!

Remember that the “Frostgrave Immersion 101 2020″ Tour will have a maximum guest space of 15 passengers, so space is VERY limited. Book now to secure your spot. 

Gaming while on tour – Make sure you bring at least one Frostgrave warband (You might want to also bring an extra Wizard or two…) We will be gaming most nights on this tour…

 

Additional Options

Want a few extra days in the Baltics or Russia to chill out? Geek Nation Tours will be more than happy to arrange it for you. Simply email us at headgeek@geeknationtours.com or put a quick note in the “Special Requests” box when you book.

Non-Geek Spouse Argument

“But think of the historical sites…”

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