Snowrunner Survival: The Permagear Diaries โ€“ Driver Log Four

Day 4 of SnowRunner’s permadeath run brings a new fleet member, another watchtower, and some serious heavy lifting as Frank dominates mountain terrain and takes on multiple tasks.

๐Ÿ“œ Series Hub: SnowRunner Survival: The Permagear Diaries Main Hub

๐Ÿ›  Rules: SnowRunner Permagear Rules

๐Ÿ’ก Why Permagear Works: Read the reasoning behind the challenge

Missed Day Three? Find it here.


๐Ÿ”ง Day Four: Meet Red. Trust Frank.

I start the day by hopping into Scout. Thereโ€™s a vehicle icon on the map and, well, you know Iโ€™m not ignoring that. Turns out itโ€™s the Scout 800โ€”a compact little powerhouse with AWD pre-installed and Diff Lock always on. Sure, the fuel tank’s smaller, but it’s got heart.

Naturally, I drive it back to the garage and give it a proper makeover. New tyres, fresh coat of paintโ€ฆ and a name: Red.

Taken before Red’s fresh coat of paint

Red gets a test run with a little exploring and even discovers a watchtower near the Mountain Bridge task. The bridge needs metal beams and concrete blocks, which means it’s time to call in the only truck I trust for a job like this: Frank.

Frank, ladies and gentlemen, is built different. He doesnโ€™t need fancy tyres (though heโ€™ll get them one day). Mud? Optional. Gravity? Merely a suggestion.


First, he hauls the metal beams to the bridgeโ€”zero issues. Then he climbs the mountain to Redโ€™s position four times. Twice empty, twice with concrete blocks. Two blocks go to the Mountain Bridge (task complete), and the other two finish off the Fallen Powerline.

After finishing the bridge, I roll down the newly opened road a little farther and discover the Road Block task. I accept it immediatelyโ€”because of course I do. Frankโ€™s momentum waits for no one.

๐Ÿ›  Behind the Blog: Why I Made SnowRunner Permadeath (and How Itโ€™s Somehow Working)

Youโ€™d think SnowRunner would be the calm one.

No wolves. No starvation. No sanity meter. Just trucks, mud, and the occasional fallen powerline. And yet, when I started playing, I realized something important:

I had the perfect canvas for portable permadeath chaos.
I just needed a few extra rules (and a slightly reckless imagination).

๐ŸŽฎ Why Permadeath?

Honestly? For the drama. The stakes. The thrill of knowing that if I lose a truck, it’s gone. It turns every route into a calculated risk, every muddy hill into a potential obituary.

Normal SnowRunner is about problem solving. Permadeath SnowRunner is about character. I named my trucks. I argued with myself about whether I could save one stuck in a ditch. And somehow, that made it all feel more alive.

๐Ÿ“‹ How I Fine-Tuned the Rules

Permadeath in a driving game isnโ€™t exactly a toggle, so I had to make it work manually. A few highlights from the rulebook:

  • No selling dead trucks for profit. You’re not a junkyard, you’re a survivor.
  • Every truck gets one lifeโ€”unless it’s truly recoverable later (aka, itโ€™s not a ghost story).
  • Upgrades? Optional. Some may say I’m making things harder. Others say I’m making them funnier.

๐Ÿš› Meet the Cast

So far the crew includes:

  • Scout โ€“ plucky, chaotic energy.
  • Mac (GMC) โ€“ the dependable workhorse.
  • Frank (Fleetstar) โ€“ big, bold, and stuck somewhere inconvenient.

Yes, I name my trucks. No, I wonโ€™t apologize.

๐Ÿงญ What’s Next?

More entries for The Permagear Diaries, of course. Iโ€™m stacking up posts behind the scenes before I start the full series rolloutโ€”but this chaotic convoy is very much in motion.

In the meantime, Iโ€™d love to hear:

If you had to permadeath one of your favourite gamesโ€ฆ which would it be, and how much therapy would you need after?

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