| PLAYERS | TIME | DESIGNER | PUBLISHER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-5 | 60-120 mins | Jonathan Gilmour Isaac Vega | Plaid Hat Games |
In this semi co-op game, players are working together to survive the cruel winter during a zombie apocalypse. This requires them to leave the relative safety of the Colony and head out to find resources.
But one of them might not be a team player.
It’s this traitor mechanic that shines as one of the games awesome mechanics. At the beginning of the game, players draw cards. There is a small chance that one player will be the Traitor, and from that moment, they have their own agenda.
But what keeps the Traitor from being a full-blown agent of chaos is that they could be voted out of the colony if the other players get twitchy.
What this brings to the game is an undercurrent of mistrust with every player. You’re all working to survive, all stating that you’re contributing to the needs of the Colony.
But that might not be true. Or, as sometimes happens, there isn’t even a traitor selected for the game. Yet, a mistake you make will see a target on the back of your head for the rest of the game.
Another awesome mechanic in this game are the Crossroad cards.
At the start of your turn, another player draws one card and then reads the top line to themselves. This is a trigger. They then wait to see if you and your characters set it off, and if they do, a story moment is read out.
It’s nothing too epic. Maybe a plane flies over dropping supplies. Or you pass your childhood home and can’t decide whether to go inside.
Once the card is read out, the players then vote on the action to take. Usually a simple A or B choice. But it’ll normally be a simple unrewarding option paired with a something great and accompanying risk.
It’s a little side distraction that stops the game feeling vanilla with just ransacking locations in between zombie killing. And the variety of the cards gives each game its own story.
So traitor mechanic equals tension and Crossroads card mechanic adds flavour.
After that it’s all about taking your characters out from the colony to visit one of six locations.
For basics, you’re looking for medicine, fuel, and stuff. But while rifling through cupboards and desks, you might stumble upon weapons or blueprints.
These are all themed on the locations, giving you a target to reach if you want certain things. And while every place might have everything, the odds go up if you go to the right place.
Want more guns? Police Station is the best place. Desperately need medicine? Head to the Hospital.
But what’s to stop players tasking everything? Well, other than the action dice needed to carry out most actions, there is the little side effect of noise. You see the first search is free, but after that you’ll place a noise token which increases the odds of more Zombies wandering over.
This being a Zombie apocalypse, there are of course zombies everywhere! When you venture anywhere, you’ll have to roll the most evil die in all of gaming history.
This ‘Exposure’ Die will see you wounded, frostbitten, or bitten. If this happens its pretty much game over. And potentially for those around you as the outbreak spreads.
Now I could talk about this game all day long (hence a two-part post), and I’m not skipping over the bad stuff, it just doesn’t matter get in the way for me at all.
But for me, it was a completely new kind of game when I got into the hobby. And every time I’ve player, it’s been mostly with the same people. And we have stories from this game, stories that carry over to the next play. Grudges run deep.
This is why this game shines for me, and why it will always be high on my list.
A gritty co-op game where random story and events mean that the outcome is only part of the fun. The theme and gameplay might not be for everyone, but with the right group, this can make a great evening of gaming.
Always Play Blue 