56. Dead of Winter

In this episode, we fight zombies and frostbite and maybe stab our friends in the back in Dead of Winter!

In Dead of Winter, a 2014 game designed by Isaac Vega and Jonathan Gilmour with art by Fernanda Suarez, players take on the role of survivors of a zombie apocalypse, trying to find the resources they need to fend off zombies and hunger and cold and the occasional fellow survivor. Dead of Winter is a semi-cooperative game, in that you’re mostly working together to beat the game, but each player has personal objectives that might get in the way.

Dead of Winter was the game that helped me appreciate the world of board gaming beyond Settlers of Catan, and it was my favorite game for several years. I'm happy to help celebrate its tenth anniversary with this episode, which features comments on the game from me, the teenager, and the toddler.

I didn't have time to mention the expansions for Dead of Winter in the episode, but there are two: The Long Night, which adds more characters and scenarios and three optional modules to the game, and Warring Colonies, which you can use to pit two colonies against each other in what can be an 11-player game. I played that one once, and it was a bit much, but The Long Night is a great addition to the base game.

Links:

See my photos of Dead of Winter.

Buy Dead of Winter on Amazon.

Listen to "Bringing Dead of Winter to Life" on the Quarter to Three podcast.

Order a First Player Token coffee mug.

Visit the First Player Token website.

Join the FPT Facebook group.

Follow @firstplayertoken on Bluesky.

Join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord.

Music:

“Winter Wonder" by Purple Planet.