This War of Mine: The Board Game

2017

Experience the award-winning video game 'This War Of Mine' as a board game. Navigate through a besieged city, make life or death decisions, and survive until the war ends.

120
minutes

1 - 6
player(s)

18+

Medium Heavy

About the game

This War of Mine: The Board Game is an immersive cooperative game, where players experience the trials and tribulations of civilians trapped in a war-torn city. The game’s setting mirrors the grim realities of a city under siege, where survival is a day-to-day struggle.

The game is unique in its focus on civilian experience during wartime, rather than the more common perspective of soldiers or commanders. It is based on the critically acclaimed video game This War of Mine.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

This War of Mine: The Board Game is an immersive, cooperative game that takes players into a war-torn city and challenges them to survive. Here are the key components included in the game and their functions:

Game Board: The game board is a representation of the ruined house the characters are using as shelter. It shows various rooms and spaces where characters can perform different activities such as searching for supplies, resting, or building tools. The game board also has a space for the Night Raids deck and the Findings pile.

Character Miniatures: These are the physical representations of the characters in the game. Each player controls one or more characters, and their miniatures are moved around the game board to represent their location and activities.

Character Cards: Each character card provides detailed information about a specific character, including their abilities, weaknesses, and backstory. Players use these cards to make decisions and strategies throughout the game.

Object Cards: These cards represent various objects and resources that can be found or crafted throughout the game. They can include anything from food and medicine to tools and weapons.

Action, Colors, and Black Tokens: Action tokens are used to track the actions that each player takes during their turn. Color tokens are used to represent different types of resources, while black tokens are used to represent wounds and misery.

Journal, Scripts, and Event Cards: The Journal provides the overall story and rules of the game, while Scripts provide additional narrative and choices for players during specific events. Event cards are drawn at the beginning of each day and bring unexpected challenges or opportunities for the characters.

Dice: Dice are used to determine the outcome of various actions and events, adding an element of chance to the game.

Scavenging and Night Raids Decks: These decks represent the dangers and opportunities encountered when characters leave the shelter to scavenge for resources or face night raids.

Each of these components interacts with the game in different ways, contributing to the immersive and challenging experience of trying to survive in a war-torn city.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

This War of Mine: The Board Game is a cooperative board game based on the harrowing realities of life in a war-torn city. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to set up the game:

Step 1: Preparation of the Game Board

Place the main game board in the middle of the playing area. The board features various locations in the city and should be easily reachable by all players.

Step 2: Creation of the City Deck

Shuffle the 12 City Cards and place them in a stack face down on the designated space on the game board. This deck represents the different locations players can explore in the city.

Step 3: Determination of the Initial Shelter Cards

Draw 4 Shelter Cards from the deck and place them in the appropriate spaces on the game board. These cards represent the initial resources and conditions of your shelter.

Step 4: Setting up the Characters

Each player chooses a character from the deck of Character Cards. Each character has unique traits and abilities that will affect their survival in the war-torn city. The chosen Character Cards are placed face up in front of the respective players.

Step 5: Allocation of the Initial Resources

Distribute 10 resource tokens to each player. These tokens represent the initial supplies each player’s character begins with in the game. They can be used to improve the shelter, trade with other players, or handle various challenges in the game.

Step 6: Preparation of the Event Deck

Shuffle the Event Cards and place them in a stack face down on the designated space on the game board. These cards introduce random events that can impact the game in various ways.

Step 7: Determining the First Player

Finally, randomly determine the first player. This player will take the first turn, and play will continue clockwise from them.

Note: The setup process may be slightly different depending on the number of players or specific variant rules you are using. Always make sure to check the game manual for any special setup instructions.

Game flow Round and round we go

This War of Mine: The Board Game is a co-operative game that puts players in the role of survivors trying to get by in a war-torn city. The game is divided into several distinct phases, each with its own set of actions and decisions to be made. The overall structure of a game round consists of the Day Phase, Evening Phase, Scavenging Phase, and Night Raid Phase.

Day Phase:

Update Objectives: At the start of the Day Phase, the group’s objectives for the day are updated. These are tasks that the group must try to complete during the day.
Morning Actions: Each player can perform one action in the morning. These actions include exploring new locations, clearing rubble, building, crafting, and more.
Event: After morning actions, an event card is drawn and resolved. The event could be anything from a visit from a trader, to a sudden illness striking one of the survivors.
Dusk Actions: After the event, each player can perform one dusk action. These are typically more risky and can include things like searching for food or items, or preparing for the night.

Evening Phase:

Assign Characters: During the Evening Phase, players assign their characters to different tasks for the night. These tasks include guarding the shelter, sleeping, or going out to scavenge.

Scavenging Phase:

Explore Locations: The player(s) who went out to scavenge explore their chosen location. They draw cards from the location deck and make decisions based on the cards they draw.
Return Home: After exploring, the scavengers return home. They may bring back resources, items, or even new survivors.

Night Raid Phase:

Raid: During the Night Raid Phase, the shelter may be attacked by raiders. Players must decide how to defend their shelter and may lose resources or get injured during the attack.
Dawn: After the raid, it’s dawn and a new day begins. Any characters who were sleeping recover their stamina and the Day Phase starts again.

In This War of Mine: The Board Game, players must work together and make tough decisions to survive. The game continues until an event card signals the end of the war and the game.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In ‘This War of Mine: The Board Game‘, each player’s turn is divided into different phases. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of what happens during a player’s turn:

1. Day Phase

During the Day Phase, players can perform multiple actions. Here are the possible actions:

Arrange The Shelter: During this action, players can rearrange their shelter’s items, board up their shelter to increase defense, or make beds for characters to rest.
Visit The Locations: Players can choose to visit locations on the board, which may provide resources or opportunities for interaction with other characters.
Make Items: Players can use resources to craft items, which can help in survival. These items can be food, tools, or weapons.
Rest: Players can choose to rest their characters, which helps them regain lost stamina and health.

2. Dusk Phase

During the Dusk Phase, players eat and prepare for the night. The actions in this phase directly impact the characters’ health and morale. If players do not have enough food, their characters may become ill or depressed.

3. Night Phase

During the Night Phase, players can choose to take one of the three actions:

Scavenging: Players can send their characters to scavenge resources from other locations. However, scavenging can put characters at risk of injury or death.
Guard Duty: Players can assign their characters to guard the shelter. This reduces the risk of theft, but the characters on guard duty will not be able to rest.
Sleep: Players can let their characters sleep to regain health and stamina. However, sleeping characters cannot guard the shelter or scavenge resources.

4. Dawn Phase

During the Dawn Phase, the characters return from scavenging, and any events that occurred during the night are resolved. This phase can result in characters gaining or losing resources, becoming injured, or even dying.

All these actions and strategic choices directly affect the gameplay and the players’ chances of survival in ‘This War of Mine: The Board Game‘. Players must balance their resources, risks, and characters’ health and morale to survive until the ceasefire.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

This War of Mine: The Board Game is an immersive, cooperative survival game. It ends when the players reach the final chapter in the Journal and read its ‘End Day’ section. This could be triggered by a variety of scenarios, such as reaching a certain day, encountering a specific event, or exhausting the Event deck.

Let’s further detail the end of the game, victory conditions, and the final steps a player must take before scoring:

1. Reaching the Final Chapter:

The game ends when the players reach the last chapter in the Journal book. This chapter’s ‘End Day’ section will clearly indicate the end of the game. The conditions to reach this chapter can vary, so players must carefully follow the narrative and instructions in the Journal.

2. Victory Conditions:

In This War of Mine: The Board Game, survival is the primary victory condition. The players win if at least one of the characters survives until the end of the war, as indicated in the final chapter.

3. Preparing for Final Scoring:

Before the final scoring, players must:

Resolve any unresolved Events or Narrations: Any remaining Event cards or unresolved Narrations must be addressed. These could potentially affect the final outcome of the game.
Check Character Status: Players need to ensure the status of their characters. If a character is ‘Fatally Wounded’ or ‘Broken’, they must be considered as not surviving the war.
Calculate Resources: Players must count their remaining Resources. While these do not directly contribute to victory, they can indicate how well the players managed their survival strategy throughout the game.

4. Final Scoring:

After these steps are taken, the final scoring can commence. The game does not have a traditional scoring system. Instead, players read an ending based on the number of characters who survived and their physical and mental state. This immersive narrative conclusion further drives home the game’s focus on survival and moral decision-making.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In ‘This War of Mine: The Board Game’, the scoring system is based on the objectives achieved, resources gathered, and the survival of characters. The game doesn’t have a traditional scoring system as the primary goal is survival; however, the players can measure their success based on the following points:

Objective Cards:

Each player receives objective cards that provide specific goals. Achieving these objectives earns the player points. The total points from these objectives form part of the player’s final score.

Resources:

At the end of the game, players tally up the resources they have gathered throughout the game. This includes food, water, and various tools or supplies. Each resource is worth a certain amount of points. The total combined points for the resources contribute to the final score.

Character Survival:

Each character that survives the game earns points for the player. The amount of points depends on the character, with some being worth more than others. These points are added to the player’s final score.

At the end of the game, the player with the highest total score (objectives + resources + character survival) is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, the following rules apply:

Tie-breaking Rules:

Number of Surviving Characters: The player with the most surviving characters wins.
Resources Left: If the number of surviving characters is also a tie, then the player with the most resources left wins.
Final Decision: If there is still a tie, the players share the victory.

The objective of ‘This War of Mine: The Board Game’ isn’t just about scoring the highest points, but also about making the best moral decisions under tough circumstances and ensuring the survival of the characters.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

‘This War of Mine: The Board Game’ is a highly immersive, narrative-driven game, based on the critically acclaimed video game of the same name. While the game’s rules are generally straightforward, there are some rare or special rules, exceptions, and clarifications that need to be addressed:

1. Initiative Card:

The player who has the initiative card is the one who makes decisions, but they must always consult with other players. The group may vote on certain decisions, but ultimately, the decision lies with the player who holds the initiative card.

2. Character Death:

If a character dies during the game, they are removed from the board, and their miniature is placed on the cemetery. If all characters die, the game ends immediately.

3. Scavenging:

When you decide to scavenge, you must take the Scavenging Party Setup card and follow the instructions. You can only scavenge once per day, and you cannot scavenge if there are no more exploration cards in the deck.

4. Fitting Items:

During the game, you may find items that don’t fit into your backpack. In this case, you must immediately decide whether to take the item or leave it behind. You can’t rearrange items in your backpack during Scavenging.

5. Closed Doors:

Closed doors in the game are obstacles that must be dealt with. You cannot peek through closed doors, and you must make a noise if you choose to open them.

6. Reality Impact:

The Reality Impact cards represent the consequences of your actions in the game. Some of these cards have immediate effects, others have delayed effects. Be careful with your decisions, as they can lead to difficult situations later in the game.

7. Trading:

Trading in the game is not just an exchange of goods. It can also be a way to build relationships with other characters, gain valuable information, or even trigger special events.

8. Cold Tokens:

Cold tokens represent the harsh weather conditions in the game. They can lead to illness, which can then lead to character death if not treated properly.

9. The Snipers:

The presence of snipers is one of the challenges in the game. If a sniper shoots a character, that character must draw a Wound card and apply its effects immediately.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

This War of Mine: The Board Game is a cooperative survival game that puts players in the middle of a war-torn city where they must make difficult decisions to survive. Here are a couple of tips, strategies, and common mistakes to avoid in the game:

Advanced Strategies:

Planning Ahead: It’s essential to plan ahead in this game. Consider the resources you have, the possible events that might occur, and plan your actions accordingly. This strategy can help you avoid unnecessary risks and optimize your resources.
Specialize Characters: Each character in the game has special abilities. Utilize these abilities to your advantage by assigning tasks that suit each character’s skills. This approach will increase your efficiency and success rate.
Trade Wisely: Trading is a crucial part of the game. Always make sure to trade items that are less crucial for your survival for items that you desperately need.

Beginner Tips:

Read the Journal: The Journal provides valuable information about the game. Make sure to read it thoroughly before playing to understand the rules and the game’s mechanics.
Work Together: This War of Mine is a cooperative game. Make sure everyone communicates and works together to survive. Don’t be afraid to discuss and debate the best course of action.
Save Resources: It’s tempting to use up all your resources at once, but it’s best to save them for when you really need them. You never know what the next day will bring.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Ignoring Character Morale: One common mistake players make is ignoring their characters’ morale. Low morale can lead to despair, which can have severe consequences in the game. Always keep an eye on your characters’ morale levels.
Avoiding Scavenging: Scavenging may seem risky, but it’s often necessary for survival. Avoiding it altogether can lead to resource shortages and eventual defeat.
Not Adapting to the Game: The game can change rapidly, and not adapting to these changes can lead to defeat. Always be ready to adapt your strategy based on the game’s circumstances.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Use the App: The game comes with a companion app that can help guide you through the game. It provides real-time updates and can help you make informed decisions.
Mix Up Your Strategies: Don’t stick to the same strategies every time you play. Mix up your approach to keep the game interesting and challenging.
Learn from Mistakes: Don’t be discouraged by mistakes. Instead, learn from them and use this knowledge to improve your future gameplay.