Pandemic (board game)

[Pixiedust34]

I'm starting to do some Christmas shopping and every year I buy a board game for our family. This game caught my eye.

If you have it, do you enjoy it? Does it work well with 2 or 3 players? TIA!

 

[Pixiedust34]

Bumping!

 

[cabloom]

My sister-in-law bought this last Christmas as a "family game". At first we were all laughing - after all, the game features infection cards and diseases. How much fun could it be?

Well - it is a blast! It's a collaborative game - the players work together as a team to cure the world and you discuss strategies amongst yourselves each turn. Each player is assigned a role (medic, dispatcher, etc), but there are more roles than there are players (max 4 players), so every time you play is different because each role has a very critical function and you really miss whichever one you don't happen to have that game. And just when you think things are going good - there's an infection breakout and things go downhill fast.

The first time you play, the initial setup seems a bit confusing but it really isn't a difficult game to PLAY, but it is a very difficult game to WIN. There are different levels of gameplay - winning on "easy" isn't that easy, and we still haven't managed to win on "medium". But it is very addicting!

 

[Pixiedust34]

My sister-in-law bought this last Christmas as a "family game". At first we were all laughing - after all, the game features infection cards and diseases. How much fun could it be?

Well - it is a blast! It's a collaborative game - the players work together as a team to cure the world and you discuss strategies amongst yourselves each turn. Each player is assigned a role (medic, dispatcher, etc), but there are more roles than there are players (max 4 players), so every time you play is different because each role has a very critical function and you really miss whichever one you don't happen to have that game. And just when you think things are going good - there's an infection breakout and things go downhill fast.

The first time you play, the initial setup seems a bit confusing but it really isn't a difficult game to PLAY, but it is a very difficult game to WIN. There are different levels of gameplay - winning on "easy" isn't that easy, and we still haven't managed to win on "medium". But it is very addicting!

It sounds good! Thanks for the review!

I know--it does sound weird to see a board game called Pandemic. : )

About how long does it take to play with 2-3 players?

 

[ZephyrHawk]

If you're interested in "collaborative" type board games where everyone works together towards a common goal, might I suggest Arkham Horror? It's also a bit confusing the first time you set it up, but once you get into it, you'll never go back to Monopoly. Too, it's a bit weird. Instead of trying to stop a global pandemic you're trying to stop the Old Ones from enetering the world and destroying all creation. Pretty cool, actually.

 

[laurie31]

Oh wow - both the games mentioned sound really fun. I was thinking we had enough a a warped sense of humor to find the irony in playing a game called Pandemic. My kids like Monopoly, Life, and all the Cranium games. (although I confess I find setting up Life to be a pain in the rear...)

We'll look into both of these for Christmas! Thanks!

 

[cabloom]

I'd say around 30-45 minutes for 3 players on "easy". The fewer players, the fewer cards you use in the initial setup. And once you've gone through the deck once, you're finished - very frustraing when you're justthisclose to curing the world!

I'll have to check out Arkham Horror - sounds like it would be right up our alley!

 

[minkydog]

. My kids like Monopoly, Life, and all the Cranium games. (although I confess I find setting up Life to be a pain in the rear...)

I used to feel the same way until we found "Pirates of the Caribbean Game of Life."

 

[DonnaL]

Where did everyone find this game? My husband is employed by a vaccine manufacturer (pandemic flu vaccine in addition to many other vaccines). I suggested we should get the game for when we get together with friends who also work there..........he's not thrilled with the idea......wonder why???

 

[muffyn]

there is a card game out there called Munchkin.
you have to gain 10 (pennies) from killing off monsters by dice roll, you have protective clothing etc & treasure you draw from decks.

different type of game if you are looking for something ( & has a lot of add-on decks)

 

[muffyn]

duplicate

 

[SueM in MN]

Where did everyone find this game? My husband is employed by a vaccine manufacturer (pandemic flu vaccine in addition to many other vaccines). I suggested we should get the game for when we get together with friends who also work there..........he's not thrilled with the idea......wonder why???

ahh, yeah.

I am currently an RN employed as in Infection Control Specialist. We've done scenarios with area hospitals which sound very similar to the game. We all have roles - some are incident commanders at their site, some are consultants, etc.
The goal is the same - to prevent illness in as many people as possible. It gets kind of personal when you start thinking of patients in your hospital and how a real situation might play out.

 

[DonnaL]

My husband has said they also work out different scenarios with everyone having a specific function. He said playing a game at home with some of the same scenarios would make it seem too much like work. They've been really conscious of possible outbreaks and taking a very proactive stance on family members being vaccinated so as to reduce the risk of possible employee infection.