Dead of Winter

Product Description

Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game, the first game in this series, puts 2-5 players in a small, weakened colony of survivors in a world where most of humanity is either dead or diseased, flesh-craving monsters. Each player leads a faction of survivors with dozens of different characters in the game. Dead of Winter is a meta-cooperative psychological survival game. This means players are working together toward one common victory condition - but for each individual player to achieve victory, he must also complete his personal secret objective. This secret objective could relate to a psychological tick that's fairly harmless to most others in the colony, a dangerous obsession that could put the main objective at risk, a desire for sabotage of the main mission, or (worst of all) vengeance against the colony! Certain games could end with all players winning, some winning and some losing, or all players losing. Work toward the group's goal, but don't get walked all over by a loudmouth who's looking out only for his own interests! Dead of Winter is an experience that can be accomplished only through the medium of tabletop games. It's a story-centric game about surviving through a harsh winter in an apocalyptic world. The survivors are all dealing with their own psychological imperatives, but must still find a way to work together to fight off outside threats, resolve crises, find food and supplies and keep the colony's morale up. Dead of Winter has players making frequent, difficult, heavily- thematic, wildly-varying decisions that often have them deciding between what is best for the colony and what is best for themselves.

Features

• SURVIVAL GAME: Dead of Winter A Crossroads Game is an experience that can only be accomplished through the medium of tabletop games. It is a story-centric experience about surviving the harsh winter in an apocalyptic world
• STRATEGY GAME: Players must frequently make difficult decisions and often choose between what actions are best for the colony and what is best for themselves. Survive the winter, survive the dead and survive each other
• COOPERATIVE GAME: While the survivors are all dealing with their own psychological imperatives, they must still find a way to work together to fight off outside threats, resolve crises, find food and supplies and keep the colony’s morale up
• HIGHLY VARIABLE: Play as dozens of unique characters in this enagaging and emergent narrative game and make wildly-varying decisions so that no two games are ever exactly the same. Watch out for a betrayer in your colony
• NUMBER OF PLAYERS AND AVERAGE PLAYTIME: This fun adventure game for teens and adults is made for 2 to 5 players and is suitable for ages 13 and older. Average playtime is approximately 60 to 120 minutes
• For two to five players
• Ages 13 and up
• Playable in 100 minutes

Top Reviews

My story...
by Mike The Guy (5 out of 5 stars)
April 19, 2015

This is an amazing game. Many have written good reviews on this, so instead I am just going to talk about what happened the last time I played this game (last night).

We started the game with the "We need more samples" objective. This objective requires you to roll a die every time after you kill a zombie, and if you roll a 4, 5, or 6 you get a "sample". 15 samples and we win the game (if we complete our secret objectives of course).

Game begins. For the first couple of rounds, things were going incredibly well. Zombies were dying, samples were being collected. A couple of us said, "I can't believe we are going to win for once!" but did we speak too soon? Then, a crisis appeared, we needed more medicine. Contribute one per player or multiple locations will be overrun! Several players contribute during the round, no problem, we have this easily. End of the round and we check the crisis... There is two food in the pile... every non helpful item negates a helpful one... We don't have enough medicine. Both the library and police station are overrun. Instantly 5 survivors are killed and our morale drops from a very comfortable 6 to 1. To say the group was in shock at this turn of events would be a fair statement. But wait, one of these items was from the gas station! there is only one player with a survivor at the gas station... Betrayer!

A new round begins, the first player calls for a vote to exile the player who caused so much havoc. The vote passes and he is exiled! The game continues with four non exiled players in a desperate bid to somehow keep morale from falling to zero and collect the rest of the samples (while somehow, some way, achieving our secret objective). One death and the game is over. Every roll for exposure is fraught with tension, every move second guessed and analyzed. Should you go there? Is it worth the risk? The betrayer continues to work with his group of survivors outside the colony, still trying to achieve his own mysterious goals.

Finally, the last round ends. We have done it! Somehow, we made it through to the end with 1 morale still intact! Oh yes, one last colony phase. Let's get that out of the way so we can claim our well deserved victory! (for those who have completed their secret objectives) Step 1, pay food... pay food... No! NOOOOOO!!!! In our mad scramble for victory, how could we possibly have forgotten food on that last round? A collective groan rises as we realize what we have done to ourselves. So concerned about morale, so focused on every move, we have forgotten to feed ourselves! A starvation token is added... Morale drops to zero... The game is over and everyone has lost.

But wait, not everyone has lost... A quiet chuckle is heard... The betrayer...

The betrayer reveals his objective. 5 survivors are killed throughout the game, something he accomplished long before.The betrayer has won.

Without a doubt the most tense I have ever been playing a board game, and I was honestly ecstatic that the betrayer won. He couldn't have played it better.
10/10 would be betrayed again.
*EDIT*

Since people seem to be reading my review, I would like to add one tidbit. In this game, when you are exiled, you have to discard the original secret objective you were given and draw an "Exiled" secret objective. The original objective in this case was "5 survivors are killed and the main objective is not completed." The exiled objective (and there are quite a few and they are very varied) was "5 survivors are killed."

The amazing thing about this to me is that it was the same as his betrayer objective, except that it removed the "main objective must fail" portion. This means that it was possible in this instance for EVERYONE to win had we not forgotten to feed ourselves that last round. That kind of blew our minds when I mentioned that after the game was over.

Anyway, I have finally won a game of this! It is really a great game.
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It really is that good. The only complaint I have is that the ...
by William Nelson,Top Contributor: Board Games (5 out of 5 stars)
December 17, 2015

What can I say? It really is that good. The only complaint I have is that the down time between turns can be rather long when/if players start to amass a lot of followers. Of course, being a cooperative game (traitor!), you'll likely have a say in what others are doing and "down time" doesn't necessarily equate to "dead time" (ha! See how I did that?? Get it?? Dead?...never mind...).

My initial play through was with four players and it was kind of funny because we had to collect samples (recommended by the rules for first time players) and it started off pretty good. No one seemed to be trying to screw us over and we were all convinced that no traitor even existed. We were getting lucky and rolling well (to determine if we found samples on zombies we'd killed) up until the very end when suddenly we found we didn't have enough food...and Our luck ran out on the rolls...then several were bitten and started dropping like flies...

My only other complaint is in how to "win" the game. Basically, just surviving doesn't make you a winner (as a group). You have to survive AND complete your secret mission. Don't complete both? You don't "win". Out of the four of us, we all did manage to survive but only one of is was able to also complete their secret mission and thus the winningest winner (the rest of us only winners in our own minds) walked away truly triumphant.

I guess that's not really a "complaint" as it didn't make the game "bad"...it just made us realize that you have a lot to manage as a group and while SOME of us CARE about trying to feed survivors, take out the trash, keep the zombies at bay and just get through it all (!) OTHERS are out to collect books or weapons.

Losers!

Get the game, it really is fun.
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Best Zombie/Survival Board Game Ever Made
by Dan Oles (5 out of 5 stars)
March 2, 2016

A truly excellent game as long as you have a group of friends willing to wade through some of the nuanced rules. The irony was the initial breadth of paper standees and dice and game boards made people nervous about Dead of Winter, but after the basics were mastered in one session everyone just kept wanting to play it. No two scenarios are entirely the same and it's a fascinating mix of co-operative play and paranoia about who is doing what and for what sinister reason. This is a zombie game in which fighting zombies is a last resort and the real test is gathering supplies, surviving other survivors and accomplishing objectives, both those known to all and secret (sometimes traitorous) goals known only to yourself.

This combines all the golden qualities of the Battlestar game and other zombie games which focus exclusively on fighting but balances both out so it feels satisfying and useful to slay the undead but the focus of the game remains on making or breaking alliances. And yes you CAN exile people, but you'd better hope they're traitors or you might have lost valuable allies who could turn vengeful!

Some games claim to be 'storytelling' games but you don't get moreso than this. The Crossroads cards, the unique looks to all the survivors and the different crisis scenarios give you all the fuel you need to invent all manner of personalized tales surrounding the diverse characters and their misadventures during a frigid apocalypse.

This is complex but user friendly which indicates a studio who really did put this sucker through the play testing ringer until it ironed out all the kinks.

Well worth it if you have a group of friends with broad imaginations who enjoy intrigue and the horror genre!
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Be sure to read the rules carefully
by Aaron Shaver (5 out of 5 stars)
April 14, 2019

There's a couple of commonly missed or mistaken rules: like Outsider cards are *item* cards that you can keep in your hand and not have to play right away. And Crisis contribution cards go face *down*. And Crisis contribution cards do *not* go into the Waste pile; they leave the game. This is a problem with several games. For example, in Terraforming Mars you can do unlimited actions per generation, it's only *per turn* that you do 1-2 actions. You keep doing turns until everybody passes (or in solo mode, when you have nothing else you want to do). So I wish rules were spelled out more clearly and that there was a more compact rules cheat sheet that came with the game.

I also have a nitpick with the artwork. I wish the zombie standees had a red dot on them or something. They can blend together with the survivors too easily. It's also a bit much having to put all the characters and zombies into stands. There's just a LOT of stuff in this game box. It took me a good 10-15 minutes to pop out all the card board and organize all the cards. For this reason, you'll want a large table to play on, too.

All that said, I'm giving a 5 instead of a 4 because pretty much every game has rules and components problems to one degree or other, and it is still a fantastic experience. Great artwork, lots of story telling (the Crossroads cards are a neat idea for keeping a non-turn taking player involved), having short/medium/long scenario options is great, and the betrayal/social deduction mechanic works wonderfully.
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Jump into a world overrun! 🧟"�♀️🧟
by Christopher W (5 out of 5 stars)
November 27, 2019

Jump into a world over run! The theme in this game is so deep that you feel like you ARE one of the characters in the game. I have owned this game for over a year and have played several times. Without a doubt it is a very fun game. This is one of our house's top picks for family time with a game. So what are the drawbacks to this game? After learning it and playing it there is a learning curve. Nothing to sway one away from playing but actually increases enjoyment of the game. There are some little nuances that you need to be aware of and the first time you play there will be the frequent trips back to the rule book and online to clarify some rules. Best to play with someone who has played before and knows all the rules but there are enough resources online that most rules are explained to satisfy your questions.

That being said if you are looking for a fantastically tense and enjoyable co-op game (with a potential secret betrayer) Dead of Winter fits nicely. If you are a fan of the old zombie movies and post-apocalypse books and films this game brings those feelings to life for sure!

There is a "story" deck to add to game decisions and random gains in the form of the Crossroads cards. Drawing a card for each player that may or may not be beneficial or harmful. Very fun idea that doesn't feel like a tacked-on gimmick.

This is a "heavier" (rule and token intense) game. Once you invest some time learning the rules this game is a gem! Call some friends and try to survive!
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Excellent Meta-Cooperative Board Game
by Meg (5 out of 5 stars)
January 20, 2016

My gaming group has played it two nights now -- and they're asking to break it out again. Really amazing, considering how everyone has such large collections of games and some that haven't ever even been played.

As far as game play, this game is not easy to win. You aren't at any particular advantage being either an honest (relatively) colonist or the traitor. Thematically, it feels like we're playing through an episode of Walking Dead or living in the world of 28 Days Later. You and your group of players control different survivors, and each player has an over-arching goal of meeting the main goal without running out of morale or, as the traitor, you want the morale to hit 0 before the other players meet the main goal. In addition, each player has individual winning conditions on top of their main/traitor goal.

As a colony, you collect food and other resources, kill zombies, avoid crises that add extra requirements each round, and make choices based on "crossroads" -- events with a trigger unbeknownst to the current turn's active player. This game is exciting, painful, and rewarding; it's enjoyable even when we lose.

Learning the game is a time investment, but worth it.
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Who knew the zombie apocalypse could be this much fun?
by J. Fuchs (5 out of 5 stars)
June 5, 2018

I hate zombies. I hate zombie movies and TV shows and comics.

But I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this game.

This is storytelling + game playing at its finest. You control one or more survivors of the Zombie Apocalypse, who are trying to survive the winter with their morale intact. And all the while the food and fuel are running low and the zombies are multiplying.

Will they be able to get to the various locations and find enough items to survive? Or will they die of zombie bites, frostbite or despair?

A small word of warning: this game is a bit dark and has somewhat complex gameplay, so it may not be appropriate for young children. Also, it's not a game you can just open and play.

Be prepared to spend a little time setting up and a little more time learning how to play. I suggest you watch a video the first time unless there's someone who's played it before to teach you. It has a moderately steep learning curve.

But what a great game!
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When you find the right group to play with - this one is phenomenal
by Jeff Smith (5 out of 5 stars)
March 5, 2019

One of those games that takes a little while to set up and learn, but boy is it worth it. Have played with some friends who were not quite ready for this game and they didn't enjoy it but once we found a solid group of 5 of us to play we've really gotten some fantastic experiences. Every time we play there is at least one memorable "event" that we are still talking about today. Crossroads cards that line up just right, betrayals that no saw coming, or a dice roll right at the end that pushes the game to failure when we saw the final path to victory. This game is not a"quick play" but if you want a great theme, even better story, and the ability for every game to feel different - this is a winner.
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all the mind games!
by Bear (5 out of 5 stars)
January 19, 2018

THIS GAME RULES! There's a lot of pieces so the initial set up is kind of a pain, but once you wrap your head around it, set up is exponentially faster.

As soon as it gets set up, my living room feels dingy. The artwork and vibe of the game allow for pretty immersive play sessions (assuming you and your friends are into that). My favorite aspect of the game is the betrayer. It leads to so many mind games around the table.

My first play of this game was incredibly fun. One friend kept stirring the pot until we exiled him. Turned out he wasnt the betrayer! After we kicked out the wrong person, the real betrayer took full advantage of the situation. She began to attempt to convince the last person that I was the real betrayer and started a war against me. Since it was 2 vs 1 in the colony, i had no chance to exile them to save myself, but the real betrayer refused to vote me out because that would have ended the game (and the betrayer would have failed).

In the end we all lost but it was constant second guessing, back stabbing, and fun!
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Good theme and characters that tries to hide the overall root mechanic
by Kit Arndt (4 out of 5 stars)
March 1, 2017

Great game but I am very critical so I tend to be a little tougher on games. Great story/narrative, love and hate the traitor aspect (makes it more interesting, so I like it) and fairly easy to follow once you get the hang of the rules. But, I often feel like it is just trying to go through different piles of cards as fast as you can with the zombies being a nuisance depending on the mission. And, I feel like they make it too difficult to accomplish your mission, the team mission and deal with a traitor and zombies... again, while trying to plow through different decks.

But all in all, a great themed game that brings up good social interactions with a good story but the root of the game is just "get through those cards"

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