Overview

Dead of Winter is a semi-cooperative survival game set in a zombie-infested winter. Players control a colony of survivors working toward a shared Main Objective, but each player also has a Secret Objective. Only players who complete their Secret Objective when the game ends win — and one player may secretly be a Betrayer working against the colony. The game features the unique Crossroads mechanic where story events trigger based on player actions.

Components

• 10 dual-sided Main Objective cards
• 24 Secret Objective cards, 10 Betrayal Secret Objective cards, 10 Exiled Secret Objective cards
• 30 Survivor cards
• 5 Player Reference Sheets, 1 First Player Token
• 25 Starting Item cards
• 6 Location Item Decks (20 cards each: Police Station, Grocery Store, School, Gas Station, Library, Hospital)
• 20 Crisis cards, 80 Crossroads cards
• 25 Wound tokens, 20 Helpless Survivor tokens, 20 Food tokens, 20 Noise tokens, 20 Barricade tokens, 6 Starvation tokens
• 2 Track Markers, 30 Zombie Standees (+30 backup tokens), 30 Survivor Standees, 60 Standee Stands
• 1 Colony Board, 6 Location Cards
• 30 Action Dice, 1 Exposure Die

Setup

1. Place Colony Board centrally with 6 Location Cards around it.
2. Each player takes a Player Reference Sheet.
3. Choose or randomly select a Main Objective; set up board per its instructions.
4. Prepare Secret Objectives: set aside 2 non-betrayal per player, add 1 betrayal card, shuffle and deal 1 each. Return rest unseen.
5. Shuffle Crisis cards onto Colony Board.
6. Shuffle Survivor, Exiled Objective, and Crossroads decks separately.
7. Shuffle Starting Items, deal 5 to each player.
8. Separate remaining Item cards by location; shuffle each deck onto its Location Card.
9. Deal 4 Survivor cards to each player; keep 2, return others. One becomes Group Leader, the other a Follower.
10. Place corresponding Survivor standees in the Colony.
11. Highest-influence Group Leader’s player gets First Player Token.

Turn Structure

Each round has 2 phases:

Phase 1: Player Turns

1. Reveal Crisis: Flip top Crisis card. Must be prevented by contributing correct item types.
2. Roll Action Dice: Each player rolls dice = 1 + number of survivors they control (starting: 3 dice).
3. Player Turns: Clockwise from First Player. Before each turn, the player to the right draws a Crossroads card (resolves if triggered during that turn).

Phase 2: Colony Phase

1. Pay Food: Remove Food tokens = number of survivors at the Colony (helpless included). Shortfall adds Starvation tokens (each lowers Morale by 1).
2. Check Waste: If waste pile has 10+ cards, lose Morale (1 per 10 cards).
3. Resolve Crisis: Count contributed cards. Need cards = number of non-exiled players. If enough correct type → prevented. Wrong-type cards count against. Failed → crisis effect occurs.
4. Add Zombies: Add 1 zombie per 2 survivors at each location (Colony included). Place at entrances in order.
5. Check Main Objective: See if completed.
6. Move Round Marker: Advance round track. If it reaches 0, game ends.
7. Pass First Player Token: to the left.

Actions

Actions Requiring an Action Die

• Attack (die ≥ survivor’s Attack Value): Kill a zombie at your location; roll Exposure Die. OR attack another survivor (die roll ≤ target’s Attack Value = wound + steal 1 card).
• Search (die ≥ survivor’s Search Value): Draw cards from that location’s Item Deck. Keep 1 top card, or dig deeper (adds Noise but finds more). Makes noise.
• Build Barricade (any die): Place barricade at an entrance at your location.
• Clean Waste (any die): Remove 3 cards from the waste pile.
• Attract Zombies (any die): Move 2 zombies from any location(s) to your survivor’s location.

Actions NOT Requiring a Die

• Play a Card: Use an item card from your hand.
• Move a Survivor: Move to any location; roll Exposure Die.
• Spend Food Tokens: Spend food for certain effects.
• Contribute to Crisis: Place 1 card facedown in the crisis contribution area.
• Request: Ask other players for items (they may refuse).
• Hand Off: Give items to another player’s survivor at the same location.
• Vote to Exile: Call a vote to exile a player from the Colony.

Exposure Die

Rolled when moving or attacking zombies:

• Blank: Nothing
• Wound: Take 1 wound
• Frostbite: Take 1 frostbite wound (spreads at Colony Phase)
• Bite: Survivor dies immediately. Roll for each survivor at that location — on bite, they die too (chain reaction).

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Game End Triggers

• Main Objective completed
• Round track reaches 0
• Morale reaches 0

Winning

Each player who has completed their Secret Objective when the game ends wins. The Main Objective may need to be completed as part of your Secret Objective. If Morale hits 0, only the Betrayer (if any) can win.

The Betrayer

One Secret Objective may be a Betrayal card. The Betrayer wins if the colony fails (Morale reaches 0). The Betrayer can sabotage crises, waste resources, and undermine the colony.

Exile

If voted out, a player draws an Exiled Secret Objective. They can no longer enter the Colony but still take turns at outside locations. They have new win conditions.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Crossroads cards: The player to your right draws one before your turn. If the trigger condition is met during your turn, it interrupts play with a story choice.
• Helpless Survivors: Take up Colony space and consume food but cannot act.
• Noise: Max 4 noise tokens per location per round. Noise attracts zombies.
• Zombie overflow: If all entrance spaces at a location are full and more zombies arrive, each overflow zombie kills 1 survivor there (player’s choice) OR removes 1 barricade.
• Frostbite: At Colony Phase, each frostbitten survivor takes 1 additional wound.
• Survivor Death: When a survivor dies, lower Morale by 1.
• Barricades: Block zombie placement at that entrance. Destroyed before survivors are killed.
• Starvation tokens: Each one in the food supply reduces Morale by 1 during Colony Phase.
• Hand limit: No hand limit.
• Max 10 cards in waste before morale penalty.

Player Reference

Round Summary:

1. Reveal Crisis → 2. Roll Dice → 3. Player Turns (Crossroads each turn) → 4. Colony Phase (Food → Waste → Crisis → Zombies → Objective → Round → First Player)

Exposure Die: | Result | Effect | |——–|——–| | Blank | Nothing | | Wound | 1 wound | | Frostbite | 1 frostbite | | Bite | Survivor dies; chain reaction possible |

Key Numbers:

• Starting dice: 1 + number of survivors controlled
• Food needed: 1 per survivor at Colony
• Waste penalty: every 10 cards = -1 Morale
• Zombies added: 1 per 2 survivors at each location
• Crisis contributions needed: 1 per non-exiled player