
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,150
- BGG rating
- 7.3
1979: Revolution in Iran
- 2 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2021

2021
Rules assistance for No Motherland Without: North Korea in Crisis and Cold War
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
No Motherland Without: North Korea in Crisis and Cold War is a board game released in 2021 for 1–2 players, 60–120 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Daniel Bullock and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Dice Rolling, and Network and Route Building.
No Motherland Without is a card-driven strategy game for two players. The game depicts the struggles of the Kim Regime from 1953 to present day North Korea against the West. In the aftermath of the Korean Armistice Agreement, the Korean peninsula divided in two. While its signature marked a cessation of armed conflict, the war was not over. In over six decades since the armistice was signed, three generations of the Kim regime resisted Chinese and Soviet influence, endured floods, famine, isolation and economic sanctions while defiantly pursuing nuclear weapons. One player will be the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), seeking a nuclear deterrent to invasion, improving living standards to prevent uprising, and purging elites to prevent a coup. Another player will be the West, aiding defectors to obtain intel, stymieing the missile program to secure the region, implementing sanctions to impede the North Korean economy and further isolating the DPRK from the global community to intensify pressure on the regime. —description from the designer
No Motherland Without: North Korea in Crisis and Cold War supports 1–2 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 No Motherland Without: North Korea in Crisis and Cold War is 60–120 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 No Motherland Without: North Korea in Crisis and Cold War for ages 14 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.
No Motherland Without: North Korea in Crisis and Cold War has a complexity rating of 3.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
No Motherland Without: North Korea in Crisis and Cold War belongs to these categories: Wargame, Political, and Modern Warfare. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Dice Rolling, and Network and Route 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 No Motherland Without: North Korea in Crisis and Cold War are: Daniel Bullock. 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 No Motherland Without: North Korea in Crisis and Cold 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.