Dead of Winter is a cooperative, hand management game.

Title: Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game

Year Published: 2014

Designer: Jonathan Gilmour, Isaac Vega

Publisher: Plaid Hat Games

Players: 2-5

Game Time: ~ 100 Mins

Set-up Time: >10 Mins

Ages: 12+

Theme: Zombie Apocalypse

Mechanic: Action Point Allowance, Hand Management, Cooperative

How to win: Complete the goal as listed on your personal goal card.

Game Description

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 loud mouth who’s looking out only for his own interests!

Set Up & Game Play

The board is laid out with several locations around the board.

Players need to move around to these locations searching for resources to use. These let you defend yourself, but also build barricades to defend the colony.

There are events that mean you need to feed people, use gas to power something or maybe you encounter a stranger from outside the colony.

These make you use the resources you collected but it’s for the good of the colony….

…however, you also have a secret goal so you might need to hoard these for yourself.

There is also the ‘Dead’ Zombies and the cold ‘Winter’ that adds risk to everything you do.

Game End

If the players complete the main goal, anyone who has completed their personal objective will win.

If morale drops to 0, all players lose. At this point, it is possible for the Betrayer to have completed their personal goal and win alone.

Dead of Winter Round-Up

This game has some great things…

Firstly, the Scenarios make the game very different each time. In one game you could be killing Zombies and in another, you’re avoiding them just trying to survive.

Having a personal goal is great too. You have to complete it to win but sometimes you have to sacrifice something to work towards the Main Scenario. This is also especially important when it comes to crisis cards as you generally have to give up some items you need.

Of course, there is no great personal goal than being the betrayer. If you’re the betrayer you’re trying to win and win alone by making the main goal fail without giving yourself away.

The Crossroad card keeps two people in the game on a player’s turn and adds tension when you go to take your actions.

I’ve played a few games with a betrayer mechanic in them and this one has the best game around it.

Dead of Winter Rating

A great “meta co-op”

I give it 8/10