How To Play - Pandemic

Introduction

Pandemic is a captivating cooperative board game that challenges players to work together to save the world from the brink of disaster. It's designed by Matt Leacock, is a cooperative game where players become disease-fighting specialists tasked with stopping the spread of four deadly diseases across the globe. Unlike many board games, where players compete against each other, Pandemic requires players to collaborate, strategize, and make collective decisions to win. The objective is clear but challenging: discover cures for all four diseases before outbreaks and epidemics overwhelm the world. With its blend of strategy and teamwork, Pandemic offers a thrilling and immersive gaming experience.

Setting Up the Game

1. Prepare the Board: Place the research station in Atlanta and put all disease cubes, infection rate marker, outbreak marker, and cure markers on the board as per the instructions.
2. Infect Cities: Draw nine infection cards and place disease cubes on the corresponding cities, following a specific pattern for initial infection.
3. Distribute Role and Player Cards: Each player receives a role card and a hand of player cards. The number of cards dealt depends on the number of players.
4. Prepare the Player Deck: Shuffle the player cards and add epidemic cards to the deck, then deal the remaining cards to form the player deck.
5. Game Start: Players place their pawns in Atlanta, and the game begins with the first player's turn.

How to Play

Pandemic is played in turns, with each player performing the following steps on their turn:

1. Perform Actions: Players have four actions per turn, which can be used to:
   • Move: Travel between connected cities or discard a city card to fly directly to that city.
   • Treat Disease: Remove one disease cube from your current city.
   • Share Knowledge: Exchange city cards with another player if you are both in the same city.
   • Build a Research Station: Discard the corresponding city card to build a station there.
   • Discover a Cure: Discard five city cards of the same color at a research station to discover a cure.
2. Draw Player Cards: Draw two cards from the player deck. If an epidemic card is drawn, resolve it immediately.
3. Infect Cities: Draw infection cards equal to the current infection rate and place disease cubes on the corresponding cities.

Winning and Losing

To win the game, players must discover cures for all four diseases. However, several conditions can lead to a loss:

• The player deck runs out of cards.
• The outbreak marker reaches the last space on the outbreak track.
• There are not enough disease cubes when needed to place on the board.

Strategy Tips

• Prioritize Cures: Focus on discovering cures as quickly as possible, as this is the only way to win the game.
• Use Roles Effectively: Each role has unique abilities. Use these abilities strategically to maximize their benefits.
• Control Outbreaks: Prevent outbreaks by treating diseases in highly infected cities.
• Plan Ahead: Coordinate with your teammates and plan several moves ahead to optimize your actions.
• Utilize Event Cards: Event cards can be game-changers. Use them at critical moments to prevent disasters.

Conclusion

Pandemic is a challenging and rewarding game that requires players to work together to save the world. Its cooperative nature makes it a fantastic choice for team-building and family game nights, as it encourages communication and strategic thinking. Whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned veteran, Pandemic offers a unique and engaging experience that will test your problem-solving skills and teamwork. Gather your team, take on the roles of disease-fighting specialists, and embark on a mission to save humanity from a global pandemic. Can you and your team find the cures in time? The fate of the world is in your hands.