HIGHLIGHTS AMONG GAMES

PANDEMIE

CAN YOU SAVE MANKIND?

Dear reader! This time the world is threatened by viruses - a horror scenario, which within the last few years has seen a very real media treatment in the wake of Bird Flu, Ebola or Pig Flu. Very rarely I have seen a cooperative game that can be explained with a timeframe of 15 minutes and that represents such an impressive and enduring challenge. Admittedly, even in “Pandemic” a smart-alec at the table can turn into a secret tiresome director of the game, but the different roles, that each fighter of the pandemic can embody - yes this is our big joint goal - do offer certain independence for everyone’s final decisions.  When the cities and metropolises are marked as sources for infections a fatal outbreak can happy anytime and even turn into a devastating chain reaction. And such a chain reaction is drastically pictured in this game. It really is nightmarish how the viruses spread across the map. Desperately all search for the four antidotes, but the time pressure is huge, especially when you play with the maximum number of epidemic cards. Only in a correlated and concerted agreement there is a small change to avoid the end of mankind (From: Kastner: Mit Spielen lernen. Humboldt Verlag). In the Österreichisches Spielemuseum at Leopoldsdorf you can expose yourself to those challenging scenarios and try to save mankind once again with like-minded fellow players. www.spielen.at

The map of the world in the light of the nail-biting observer shows a mud-brown background that is spanned by a colorful network of cities in four colors. Here within the next our experts for fighting epidemics, the players, will rack their brains in order to cleverly cooperate and thus to avoid all too devastating epidemics. Each player has his one role to play and all players start the game in the only research station in Atlanta. The details of the game set-up are easily gleaned from the excellent rulebook as regards to pictures as well as text, so that you can quickly start with the game. This all the more as Pandemic is a purely cooperative game - besides “Shadows over Camelot” the best one in the genre, at least in my opinion - where even small rule deficiencies of one or the other fighter against epidemics can be overcome with clever counseling. In your turn you have four actions that are meant to take you to danger points and at the same time to collect the necessary ingredients for an antidote in order to treat the plagues successfully. Diverse event and role cards allow a much diversified game and the expansion “On the Brink” for fans of Pandemic even offers several new scenarios. All this shows solid work from the publisher’s side which must be emphasized! I only mention the Petri dishes included in the expansion. Pandemic ends with the extinction of mankind when the draw pile is empty or if there are not enough infection cubes of a color left or when the outbreak marker reaches the last spot. Sounds dangerous, but don’t be frightened! Those three threats bring a permanent sizzling challenge to the table, which is emphasized by the “sudden” appearance of the deadly epidemic cards, the number of which (from 4 6o 6) is in direct correlation with the pressure on the fighters against the epidemic. But there is a way to win and it can be found: Find the four antidotes on time: Should this not be accomplished, you try again immediately. No game takes more than an hour. And it’s still a game, after all!

Comments to: hugo.kastner@chello.at

Homepage: www.hugo-kastner.at

RECOMMENDATION # 78

Players: 2-4

Age: 10+

Designer: Matt Leacock

Time: 45+

Price: ca. 35 Euro

Year: 2008

Publisher: Z-Man, Pegasus

Tactic: 6 von 9

Info±: 0 von 9

Chance: 3 von 9

A deciding factor in this cooperative game I to make the correct tactical decisions together due to joint and intensive discussions and thus force your luck. The chance element gets more and more dominant the more epidemic cards are in play or the earlier you draw them from the stack. Therefore take the above-mentioned marks for Chance with a pinch of salt.

Hugos EXPERT TIP

Play your first game with only four or maximum 5 epidemic cards, because this makes it much easier to coordinate your role cards successfully. Approach the challenges of “Virulent Strain” or “Mutation” from the “On the Brink” expansion with caution and after a few games. For a crowning achievement you can try the “Bioterrorist”. Should you want to introduce a few more obstacles you can add more plague cubes in the starting set-up, or you use only 11 of the 12 player cards in one of the colors. A limitation of hand cards to six also has a very challenging effect.

Hugos FLASHLIGHT

To focus on the complete picture, a basic management principle, and perfect cooperation are really necessary to stem the threat to mankind. As each game is completely different, especially when using the modules of the expansion and due to the manifold roles available, a permanent adaption to new goals and challenges is necessary. And this all under an enormous time pressure, because mankind is lost when the stack of player cards is exhausted. So, let’s go to Essen! No, not to the Spiel, but to the only German town on the world map in Pandemic.

PREVIEW

MR. JACK

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