Stats:
No. of players: 2-5
Amount of time to play: 45 min
Age requirements: 12+
Set-up time: 5-10 min

Nightfall The Coldest War is the third expansion for Nightfall. This is a stand-alone expansion and does not require the base game to play.

Nightfall The Coldest War Description:

I’m mostly going to talk about the new things The Coldest War adds to the game of Nightfall. If you are unfamiliar with the base game, you can read my Nightfall review here.

There are six new characters for your starting deck. The new cards have new abilities and just as before you get two of each color.

Moon Phases have been added but are optional. There are six Moon Phases that may be randomly switched at the end of your turn. Each Moon Phase helps or hinders a different type of minion.

The Coldest War also introduces a couple new mechanics. First there are now actions that modify minions. Named Still Standing and Full Battle Rattle these actions attach onto a minion you have in play. Still Standing allows a minion to stay in play until destroyed and Full Battle Rattle adds 2 strength to a minion.

The other new mechanic is Combat Effects. Cards with Combat Effects are played right from your hand during the Combat Phase. Some may only be played during your combat phase.

The new wounds included in The Coldest War consist of all the wound effects found in previous Nightfall expansions. It also adds a wound that will chain any two cards.

There are rules for a constructed deck format at the back of the rule book. (I have not had a chance to play them but they look interesting.) The new draft rules from Blood Country are included in The Coldest War rules too.

Of course there are new cards, twelve new minions and twelve new actions.

Quick Review of Nightfall The Coldest War:

The Coldest War is the third stand-alone expansion for Nightfall. It adds some elements flair to the game but nothing too complicated. The biggest change is the Combat Effects. They require you to pay more attention.

The new starting cards add some nice variety and new abilities. They might be a bit more powerful than the starters from the base set, but not too much.

The Moon Phases add a small wrinkle that is ok but I am glad it is optional. In early plays this will be just one more thing to keep track of. Since the phase is determined randomly there is not too much strategy involved with the current Moon Phase. You will simply want to change it if it hinders a majority of you minions.

The Coldest War is another fine addition to the Nightfall franchise. It adds more options for the archives and the start decks. If you like Nightfall you should definitely try out The Coldest War, you’ll enjoy it.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 4 out of 6
Luck 4 out of 6
Player Interaction 5 out of 6
Replay Value 4 out of 6
Complexity 5 out of 6
Fun 5 out of 6
Overall 5 out of 6