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Nightfall: Martial Law
- 2–5 players
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Nightfall: The Coldest War
2012
Rules assistance for Nightfall: The Coldest War
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 45 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.8/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Nightfall: The Coldest War
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Nightfall: The Coldest War is a board game released in 2012 for 2–5 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by David Gregg and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Open Drafting, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building.
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About the game
Game description from the publisher: Eastern Europe and the former Russian states are known as the birthplace of vampires, werewolves, and many fears that have been realized in Nightfall. Face those fears and bring tactics used in generations past to fight the darkness. Nightfall: The Coldest War is a stand-alone expansion to the competitive deck building game Nightfall. The Coldest War brings you a complete, all-new set of cards with special powers and features a full set of 6 exciting new starting minions! The Coldest War also introduces Moon Phase cards that change the game globally as well as new, fully illustrated Wound cards. Each card has a main color and two linking colors. If you can match the main color of a card to one of the linking colors of the previous card, you can chain those cards together. Once a chain is started, players all get an opportunity to link additional cards onto the chain during that turn. Cards in the chain resolve in reverse order: first in, last out. Instant effects fire off as cards come off the chain, doing damage to your opponents or bringing characters into play to defend you and attack your opponents. The object of Nightfall is to put wounds into your opponents’ decks and end the game with the least amount of wounds in your deck. But beware: the more wounds a person has, the more enraged they become and the faster their deck works, meaning more cards and bigger chains will come your way!
Designers
Publishers
- Alderac Entertainment Group
Questions and answers
Nightfall: The Coldest War supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Nightfall: The Coldest War is 45 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Nightfall: The Coldest War for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Nightfall: The Coldest War has a complexity rating of 2.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Nightfall: The Coldest War belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Fighting. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Open Drafting, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Nightfall: The Coldest War are: David Gregg. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Nightfall: The Coldest War as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.