Pandemic

[Brel]

PANDEMIC
Designed by Matt Leacock

Four diseases have broken out in the world and it is up to a team of specialists in various fields to find cures for these diseases before mankind is wiped out.

Players must work together, playing to their characters' strengths and planning their strategy of eradication before the diseases overwhelm the world with ever-increasing outbreaks. For example, the Operation Specialist can build research stations, which are needed to find cures for the diseases. The Scientist needs only 4 cards of a particular disease to cure it instead of the normal 5.

But the diseases are outbreaking fast and time is running out: the team must try to stem the tide of infection in diseased areas while also towards cures.

A truly cooperative game where you all win or you all lose.

No. of players: 2-4
Ages: 10+
Playing time: 45-60 minutes

Infection cards:





The player cards, including a city card, a character role card and an epidemic card (watch out for that one!)

Z-man Games has uploaded the rules in PDF format.  Check it out here.

[Brel]

What people have to say about PANDEMIC:

Grandma and the Gamers Save the World

"I’m a grandmother. By and large I am not a board game player. I’m lousy at complicated rules and winning by sucking in resources and doing the other guy in doesn’t appeal to me. Yet I really wanted to play this game. Why? It was going to be more complicated than UNO – my typical game level.

Maybe it’s the realism. I’ve lived in Africa and seen the rampaging destruction of HIV/AIDS. Maybe I wanted – just for once – to have a chance at clobbering the big bad bugs that slay villages, then countries, then whole continents. Part of me wanted us to be the small town heroes in the movie Independence Day, who take on the threat and save the world.

Our team, which included “real” gamers, lost the first two times. But on the third try, we were at our very best, strategizing and conferring. We stopped a pandemic. For me the sweetness of winning was about pride in our brains and cooperative effort. It was also about an underlying (can I say it out loud?) feeling of hope for an threatened world."

~ Ruth Scherer

Absolutely love it!

"Although I've succeeded in killing the world both times I've attempted to save it, I dig Pandemic! I can't help but give it a 5 star simply because it is one of my favorite games.

The unique aspect of working with your fellow game players to save the world makes it a really enjoyable social game that gives players something to talk about and share long after the game has finished. That being said, the game also has an edge of your seat feel as you try to contain the epidemics around the world.

I love playing games and have to rate this as one of my favorite strategic games ever. I would highly, highly suggest it to anyone!"

~ Steph Lee

Table-talk encouraged, and essential
 
"I helped Matt play-test this game through many iterations, and even in its infancy the game was great. The co-operative nature of the game really gets people interacting. With other games, people can wander off when it's not their turn and go to the bathroom, get a snack, etc. Not so much here. Everyone's involved nearly all the time helping to figure out collectively how to beat the game.

I've played it 10–20 times, and I still am up for another round, so it has replay value unlike too many of the games I've played over the years."

~ Dave Cortright

Source: funagaingames.com

 

 

[Brel]

A lot of excitement and discussion is going around in BGG about this new cooperative game.  I'm interested to see what's the fuzz about...  It's now up there as the fifth Hottest Game! 

[Brel]

Now the number one hottest game in BGG!!! 

A video review is available for download at obsessedwithgaming.com.  You can also click here to download a high quality mp4 file (Save To Disk).

[Alger B C Lim]

dude nakareserve ka na ba ng copy nito? lol

will you be ordering this in the next shipment? haha syet looks nice... im tempted...

-alger

[Brel]

Discovered a cool deal with this game.  I can now accept pre-order for PANDEMIC for only P1,480!!!  Limited number of stocks available.  Arrival late April 2008.

[Brel]

Pandemic game designer Matt Leacock gave a talk at Google in Mountain View, Ca. about boardgame design and the title was "Cooperation and Engagement: What can board games teach us?".  You can watch it here:

Pandemic game has been enthusiastically received, with its first printing selling out in less than a month.  Matt discussed how being an interaction designer affected the game design process as well as how cooperative games can point to new models for engagement in online systems.

[Victor Kh'BaHzur]

Darn it,

   Game Crab already has a copy of Pandemic and I haven't gotten around to learning the game.  Must make it a priority this Monday.


Darth V
"I game, therefore I am..."

[Brel]

I've already read the downloaded rules from Z-man.  It looks like this is a very streamlined game and will be very easy to understand/explain to new players.  Just bought my own copy from another source (last copy) and I should receive it very soon.  Can't wait to play it. 

[Victor Kh'BaHzur]

Kewl!

   Let us know if you ever succeed on the Heroic Game setup.  So far it's been Pandemic: 2, Game Crab: 0 on that setup.


   Personally, I've played it 3 times now, won on the Introductory Game (2 player game), then lost in a Heroic Game (4 players), and lost in a Normal Game (4 players).


Darth V
"Reminiscing on a girl named Pan..."

[Gerald]

People who know me can honestly say I seldom gloat.  But...

WE FINISHED PANDEMIC IN HEROIC MODE!  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! 

Whew... glad I got that out of my system.  Hehehehe... 

[Brel]

Really?!  That is magnificent!!!    How many players were there? 

I guess it would be time for you to then to try out the.... "Pandemic Super Heroic Expansion Card"!  Ta-tah!!! hehe  

This extra "Epidemic!" card will allow the game to be played at the "Super Heroic" setting.

[Gerald]

There were 4 of us.  Will post a detailed report soon.  Hehehe...

[Brel]

According to Z-man, Pandemic will return in early November. Also, expect to see other languages of the game over the coming months: German, French, Dutch, Korean, Chinese, Czech, Polish, Slovakian, Finnish and Swedish.

[Brel]

There is a planned expansion for Pandemic in 2009 according to the Z-Man Newsletter Issue 2.