Plaid Hat Games 'PH1000' PHGDOW001 Dead of Winter a Crossroads Game

Dead of Winter is a semi-cooperative game detailing the trials and tribulations of a colony of survivors in their first winter following the zombie apocalypse.There are lots of zombie games about at present but what first caught my eye about this one was the stunning artwork on the box and components. The production values are high throughout with clear and flavourful graphics.I won't go into detail about rules etc; suffice it to say that each player controls two colonists at the beginning of the game, all with their own special abilities and influence level and the group, as a whole has an overall objective to complete to win the game. Each turn consists of a new crisis afflicting the colony which the players have to deal with by spending the actions available to them. For example you might send one if your colonists out to the nearby town to search for supplies and food or you may use them to build barricades or try to clear zombies from particular locations etc.all the while that players are dealing with crises, the players need to work toward the group objective but also their own private agenda that they draw at the beginning of the game. They may need to amass the most food or medicine for example. However, it's also possible that one of the group is a traitor, working entirely towards their own ends which are at odds with the rest of the colony!Game play is very simple but also very tactical and the best laid plans can go astray due to the random element in the game: the Exposure Dice. Whenever a colonist moves through the winter cold to a new location or battles a zombie they must roll the dice. They may suffer exposure, take a wound or, worse still, be bitten! Colonists bitten in places crowded with other colonists can see the zombie plague rip quickly through the other survivors unless someone takes drastic action ( you know what that involves!!)Another fun element are the Crossroads Cards, randomly drawn, each card brings in interesting plot points which require players to make a choice, some of them drastic, between moral dilemmas. They don't apply all the time, the character the card is keyed to May not be in play for example, but they do add a sense of story to the game.All in all I love this game. It looks great, is easy to play but is different each time, giving it lots of replayability. Player interaction is also very good, especially when the group suspects a traitor is present! It's also fairly quick to play, even with a new group of players. Definitley worth a try!

\\\\\SHORT REVIEW/////Highly recommend it! Great for every type of person, smart or dumb it’s intuitive to learn and play. This standalone expansion has a similar number of components found in the original game however it also includes 3 extra modules that are all unique and exciting to play. This is odd as this is cheaper than the original game even though it surpasses it greatly with variety and substance. Unique and thought-provoking narrative is provided by each game and you can keep replaying this game knowing it will never get stale.Be warned that a decent sized space is needed. I do not recommend this game to people who have NO intention of learning the game as you won’t be able to pick it up easily if you are new to board games. I also don’t recommend this game to people who are going to only play a single game with new board game players, this is because warm up games are needed to get past the learning period and get to the good stuff (proper storytelling, tension, surprising twists etc).The game is so intuitive to learn that my family has mastered it only after a few games (trust me, that’s saying something)!REPLAYABILITY [⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆] STORY TELLING [⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆] COST [⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆]LOOKS [⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆] FUN FACTOR [⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆] STRATEGY [⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆]NEW MODULES [⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆]PICK UP AND PLAY [⋆⋆⋆] (long time to set up, preparation games are needed for new players)BUY THIS GAME and have fun!\\\\\IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO BUY THIS GAME/////I recommend that if you buy this game to have at least one person look at the rules and teach themselves how to play, after taking charge after a few rounds everyone should know how to play the game.The modules will be confusing to new board game players so if you are playing with them I would only introduce at most the improvement module to not over confuse them and yourself.If on the other hand, you are playing with board game pros the game handles this by allowing hardcore play for example. This allows for all walks of life to enjoy this game to its full potential.I’m trying to get my family addicted to board games and this is the second game I bought. I found it easier to teach them the game initially by referring to the information card that each player is given. I really recommend referring to this card as frequently as possible to increase the independence of each player and their overall knowledge of the game.\\\\\LONG REVIEW/////I was motivated to write a review as there isn't that much information on “The Long Night” standalone expansion compared to the original (When I posted this there are over a hundred reviews for the original game however only around 5 reviews on this standalone expansion).Something that is not made as blatantly obvious as I would like is that you get near the same number of components sold in the original game, they don’t skimp out on anything. When you buy this game, you are also given 3 extra modules that you can add at your discretion which are each unique and can cater to everyone’s interest and knowledge of how the game works.The artwork is beautiful, the pieces are made of strong card so that it will survive years of abuse, the number of flat figurines is immense. Because of the number of tokens, location pieces, cards etc you will need a decent sized table to fit everything on, especially if you include the modules.The story elements are amazing. When you take a break from the game you will be thinking about how to play the next move, strategists will love this. This game can be played fully cooperatively or a traitor can be added, this adds tension to the entire game and can add a shocking end to your game. Prepare yourself for the possibility of losing loving/strong relationships after backstabbing begins.The replay value is astounding, as someone who is extremely stingy when it comes to money this game is definitely worth every penny, it costs less than most other board games so that's a bonus. This game is a STEAL at < £30 when the original game has less substance and is more expensive. If you are not worried about owning the original game and purely want the better game you need to buy the “The Long Night” game. Buying the original game is up to you, I personally haven’t, however, the increase in characters and special events can sway the richer of us to pay extra.Like said previously, the only time I do not recommend this game is where you know that the people you will play with will not budge when it comes to learning the game initially or when you are in a situation where you could only play this game once with a group and that’s it (warm up games are needed to know how to play).There’s still so much more to mention, special scenarios, adult themed cards etc. These are either explanatory or are detailed very well in the rulebook that comes with the game.I can't recommend this game enough! I’ve bonded with my family over my nerdy passion so I can’t be happier :)\\\\\BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EACH MODULE/////IMPROVEMENTS MODULE:This module is extremely easy to pick up and I personally added it to my first game without a problem. It’s all about upgrading your colony to give you an advantage in certain situations. This again adds more story to the game that is being played (my family burst out into laughter after I tried to punch a zombie from a tower we just built, oddly enough you needed a ranged weapon to be able to do that).BANDITS MODULE:Now you must fight another force other than zombies, sneaking into their base is very much a risk-reward situation. The game can lead to someone being the leader of the bandits which is always entertaining.RAXXON MODULE:This module is my favourite as it includes the special zombies and the pills. You get excited whenever a special zombie attacks you however you then remember that this zombie could cost you the entire game. They are varied and if you enjoy zombies you’ll just be entertained by their premise. Pills are another risk-reward situation that is to do with indefinitely provided enhances or downgrades.