Dead of Winter

I have managed to get quite a few games of Dead of Winter (Plaid Hat Games) in over the past few weeks, everyone seemed to want to play it. Which meant I managed to play every combination of players in this 2-5 player game.

First off: Two-player co-op with my wife. Getting to grips with the game.

The objective was set, the zombies were out. We were ready to venture out and risk life and limb for the sake of the colony.

This was the first "heavy" game my wife and I had played for quite a while. It was a bit of a shock to the system. Don't misunderstand; we own and have played heavier games than this. But recently our gaming evenings have consisted of games of Star Realms, Splendor and Dominion, so our brains had to quickly adjust to having lots of decisions to make and lots to manage.

Co-op is different to the standard game: There is no secret objectives and no betrayal. A two-player game has to be played with the co-op rules.

Fully co-op makes it easier because you can trust the other player(s), you can focus on working together knowing all the players are working towards the same goal. So it makes sense that you are meant to play it in Hardcore mode. Each main objective has a "Hardcore" alternative, making the game that bit harder. It usually means more zombies being placed during set-up, needing more items to complete the objective, less morale at the start, etc.

We won, playing the objective that is recommended for the first play. Less players meant less to manage. It felt like a good introduction game, it didn't feel overwhelming or tense. Fun though.

Next: Three players.

This was a close one!

We were making it through by the skin of our teeth. We were down to one morale. Lives were lost. Zombies were everywhere. Things were not looking good.

And then we did it! The main objective was complete.

But the sense of accomplishment was immediately taken away from me as I realised I hadn't completed my hidden objective. After all that I didn't win. It was harsh, but I didn't feel like I was cheated.

This was my secret objective:

It was stressful having to hoard cards, keep supplies from the group knowing we really needed them. There came a moment towards the end where I needed to make a decision. I needed to make sure I had more cards than my fellow players, but we desperately needed food. If we didn't feed the colony morale would be gone - we would lose the game. So I had to use me food cards, I didn't see any other option. I sacrificed my chance of winning the game so the colony could survive. I've never felt so satisfied to lose a game before - an honourable defeat.

Five player: This is a long game with five players.

The pacing was great with both three and five player games. There was a lot going on from the word go, but we were on top of it. The pressure, however, slowly builds round after round, with more zombies and more mouths to feed. The time ticks away and the dread starts to sink in. Some of us didn't want to start exploring multiple locations and risk getting wounded, or worse, bitten. So the survivors would mostly stay put at the first location they moved to, searching and searching, and slowly depleting that search deck; ignoring food shortages and allowing zombies to close in all around.

As well as the main objective, each round has a crisis to avert. At the beginning of a round, before anyone has taken their turn, a Crisis card is revealed detailing a particular type of item needed. The amount of items needed for each crisis is equal to the amount of players. During a turn a player can contribute any number of cards to the crisis, but they are placed on the game board face-down. After the last player takes their turn these cards are shuffled and revealed. The reason behind all this secrecy is because any card added to the pile which does not match the particular item needed counts against the total of useful items in the pile. This means a betrayer can sabotage the efforts of the group unseen. The crisis objective adds another thick layer of tension to the game, causing players to ration their resources carefully and force them to make sacrifices.

We lost our five player game. There was not enough synergy within the group, too many selfish decisions were being made (to be fair, for most players this was their first game). There was still a glimmer of hope towards the end as we all desperately tried to manage all our responsibilities and needs. It just wasn't enough.

Finally: Four players.

We lost again.

This game was the first game where everyone playing knew what they were doing from the start, and the first time we had a traitor in our midsts. Even though morale dropped to zero and we lost the game the traitor still didn't win. I assumed as the game was so hard to win the betrayer would have a pretty easy game, as long as they can keep themselves hidden. With this playthrough I realised that, as the betrayer, it's not as simple as losing the game. The betrayer has just as much to accomplish as the rest. They need to keep the game going long enough to complete their other objectives before sabotaging the game and getting morale to drop.

I imagine quite a few more games will be played before we start considering the option to exile players. If you suspect another player might be the betrayer you can exile them from the colony, causing them to wander the locations outside the colony walls for the remainder of the game. On their turn a player can initiate a Vote to Exile. They nominate a player for exile and then the group vote on whether to kick them out or not. An exiled player is still a part of the game, but they are tasked with a different secret objective and cannot contribute to the main objective. It's a really clever mechanic. Not only does it mean the Betrayal system can work in the game without favouring the betrayer, it also allows paranoia and suspicion to burrow their way in to the game-play, and it builds upon the strong theme of the game.

Dead of Winter seems to be very well balanced, steadily getting harder as you play. It's a game that will get better the more the same group play it. Unfortunately I game inconsistently with various small groups of the same 15 people so it can take a while before everyone has enough experience with one particular game to get the most out of it. Dead of Winter has proven pretty popular with everyone though, so I can see it getting to the table a lot.

I can't finish without talking about the Crossroads system: The Crossroads cards fit nicely into the rhythm of the game. They allow players to get involved in other players turns. They encourage a bit of role-playing, helping you get in to the characters and scenario. They can add a new layer of tension to an already tense game, making players sometimes choose between themselves and the good of the colony. They also help to break up the prominent searching and fighting. In other words they're great!

Noticeable effort has gone into every aspect of Dead of Winter, including the variety of survivors. The designers have understood that in a zombie apocalypse the people are more important and interesting than the zombies. Each survivor's look and abilities are unique, each has a different profession that, for the most part, links to their abilities in some way. Some Crossroads cards aim to add a bit of personality and history to specific survivors. It all goes towards envisioning the world of the game - past and present, and giving character to the cardboard cut-outs.

Anyway, writing all this has made me want to go play Dead of Winter again. So I might go and try to make that happen.