Pandemic (board game)

Pandemic game

Pandemic is a cooperative board game designed by Matt Leacock and published by Z-Man Games in 2008. The game is set in a world where four deadly diseases have broken out simultaneously, each threatening to wipe out a significant portion of the population. Players work together as a team of disease-fighting specialists to treat infections around the world while gathering resources for cures.

Gameplay[edit | edit source]

In Pandemic, players assume different roles, each with unique abilities that contribute to the team's overall strategy. The roles include the Medic, Scientist, Researcher, Dispatcher, and Operations Expert. The game is played on a world map with major cities connected by travel routes.

The objective of the game is to discover cures for all four diseases before any of several losing conditions are met. Players lose the game if:

The infection rate marker reaches the end of the track.
There are not enough disease cubes to place on the board when required.
Too many outbreaks occur.

Players take turns performing actions such as traveling between cities, treating infections, sharing knowledge, and discovering cures. The game includes a deck of Player cards and an Infection deck. The Player deck contains city cards, event cards, and epidemic cards, while the Infection deck determines where new infections appear.

Expansions and Spin-offs[edit | edit source]

Pandemic has several expansions and spin-offs that add new elements and challenges to the game:

Pandemic: On the Brink – Introduces new roles, events, and a fifth disease.
Pandemic: In the Lab – Adds a laboratory board where players can research cures.
Pandemic: State of Emergency – Introduces quarantine markers, emergency events, and a new disease.
Pandemic Legacy – A campaign-based version where the game evolves over multiple sessions.
Pandemic: The Cure – A dice-based version of the game.
Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu – A Lovecraftian-themed version of the game.

Awards and Reception[edit | edit source]

Pandemic has received numerous awards and nominations, including:

The game is praised for its cooperative gameplay, strategic depth, and replayability. It has become a staple in the board gaming community and is often recommended for both new and experienced players.