[Board Games] Dead of Winter - A Game of Variables

in #boardgames5 years ago (edited)

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I've posted briefly in the past about Dead of Winter. I've played probably 5 sessions now and I can say it's my favorite co-op at the moment. The reason I like it so much is that every game is different. There are several variables in each game, which keeps it interesting. When I say variables, I don't speak so much of random chance, though there is an element of that involved. It's more the conditions surrounding each game that keep it interesting and keep bringing it back to the table in my group. Here are some of the things that change from game to game.

Survivors

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Each game you are given 4 Survivor cards, and you pick 2 to be your starting characters in the game. So there is an element of chance, but you also have some agency in deciding who you will play. There are 32 Survivors in the game, each with different strengths, weaknesses and abilities, so you could play this game tons of times without ever repeating a starting Survivor pair. Plus you sometimes pick up additional survivors along the way.

Group Win Conditions
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Each game, you choose a Victory condition. Sometimes it's eliminate a certain number of zombies, sometimes to stockpile food, or sometimes just to survive a certain number of rounds. But every game it's a bit different, so different resources and Survivor abilities are more or less important in different games

Personal Win Conditions
Each game, each player draws a personal won condition that they keep secret. It might be having a certain number of survivors under your control, or having a certain number of a type of resource, or even a goal that is at odds with the win condition of the group, such as this betrayal.

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Crisis Cards

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Each round, the group gets an additional obstacle to overcome in the form of a Crisis card. These involve getting rid of resources of a certain type or suffering some bad consequences. This be a real pain if you're having to get rid of resources you need for your win condition. But it's different every time.

Crossroads Cards
A Crossroads card is drawn at the beginning of each players turn. They don't often trigger, as they usually require the player to be controlling a specific Survivor, but sometimes they are more general. If they do trigger, they require players to make choices about events that happen. For example, finding some additional survivors. Do you let them in to the colony, knowing that they may bring useful skills, but also represent another mouth to feed? These events are randomly drawn and can dramatically affect the course of the game.

These variables keep the game fresh and interesting on repeated plays. It really is a great game for a group of 3-5 players who want to work together, but are ok with the possibility that one of them might be secretly working against the group.

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This is looking more and more like a game I'd enjoy. Will have to try it next time we're in a group gaming session. Thanks for the insight.

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