Pandemic by Z-Man Games/Pegasus Spiele is an excellent co-operative board game. It was a 2009 nominee for the prestigious Spiel des Jahres, but lost out to Dominion. Pandemic is suitable for 2 to 4 players. It’s recommended for players as of the age of 10.
The premise of the game: four deadly diseases have broken out in the world. A team of specialists are responsible for the eradication of the diseases before they wipe out mankind.
The contents of the game box are as follows: 96 wooden cubes (in four different colours to denote each disease); 5 pawns; 6 wooden research stations; 6 markers (1 outbreak marker, 1 infection rate marker, and 4 cure markers); 115 Cards (48 infection cards, 59 player cards, 4 role cards, and 4 quick reference cards).
Each player receives a role card with a description of their job title. They also receive a list of permissible actions which they can perform when it is their turn. Each turn allows a player to perform 4 actions. In addition to the actions which every player is allowed to do, their specific role gives each player a couple of unique abilities. For example, the Medic can cure cities of diseases faster than other players. The Scientist only needs 4 cards of a particular disease in order to develop a cure for it instead of the normal 5.
Pandemic can be played at three different levels of difficulty. Beginners start off with 4 epidemic cards shuffled into the stack of playing cards. More experienced players use 5 epidemic cards, and very good players use all six.
To win the game, the players must work together and use their individual strengths to find cures for all 4 diseases before it is too late. The game is lost if all playing cards are used up; if all disease cubes of a particular colour are already on the board; or if an 8th outbreak of disease occurs.
My Verdict: Pandemic is fast-paced game with plenty of potential for variety. The co-operative aspect makes interaction with fellow players essential, and it’s a fun variation on board games which traditionally pit players against each other. The basic rules are easy to learn. Most of the work before the initial game lies in setting up the board and shuffling the cards. While the basics are easy to grasp, it quickly becomes clear why beginners only start with 4 epidemic cards. Understanding the potential uses and consequences of the various role cards and permissible actions takes a few games. If you like board games which are a little more complex than the average, I can highly recommend Pandemic.
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Oh, that looks like a good game! I’ve only been able to hook my friends on Settlers of Catan so far, but perhaps I can keep leading them down the board game trail….
This is game is a fave of mine. The expansion for it is supposed to be great.
Dominion is awesome as well, but I really like cooperative games. Shadows over Camelot by Days of Wonder (I think you can give it a whirl online) has a hefty price tag and longer play time but is also a co-op game and is great fun.
@Lynn Spencer: It is a fun game. I also love Settlers of Catan but it requires a minimum of 3 players, so I hardly ever play it. Most of the games we own can be played as of 2 players.
@Dhympna: Pandemic is my first experience of a cooperative game and I think it’s a brilliant idea. We have the expansion but we haven’t played it yet. We’re still struggling to win at the middle level (5 epidemic cards).
Thanks for the recommendation of Shadows over Camelot. I’ll definitely check it out.
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