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Pandemic Board Game (Base Game) | Cooperative Board Game for Adults and Family | Ages 8+ | 2 to 4 players | Average Playtime 45 minutes | Made by Z-Man Games
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- STRATEGY GAME: Players must work together playing to their characters' strengths as they plan their strategy of eradicating the diseases before they overwhelm the world with ever-increasing outbreaks. A truly cooperative game where you win or lose together.
- COOPERATIVE BOARD GAME: Only through teamwork will you keep the world safe from outbreaks and epidemics. Your team must work together and plan carefully to stem the tide of infection while working toward finding the cures.
- WORK TOGETHER AND SAVE HUMANITY: Four diseases threaten the world, and your elite team of specialists must find a cure for each of them before it’s too late. Everyone must work together applying their unique character skills to benefit the team—and the world.
- GIFT FOR ADULTS AND TEENS: Pandemic is the perfect Christmas or birthday gift for anyone who loves a bit of problem solving! A perfect way to bring together friends and family, be sure to check out our full line of Pandemic games!
- NUMBER OF PLAYERS AND AVERAGE PLAYTIME: This easy to learn family and adult board game can be played with 2 to 4 players. The average playtime is 45 minutes.
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Product information
Product Dimensions | 12 x 8.6 x 1.7 inches |
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Item Weight | 2 pounds |
ASIN | B00A2HD40E |
Item model number | ZM7101 |
Manufacturer recommended age | 13 - 15 years |
Best Sellers Rank | #4,388 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games) #159 in Board Games (Toys & Games) |
Customer Reviews |
4.8 out of 5 stars |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Release date | September 4, 2017 |
Language | English |
Manufacturer | Publisher Services Inc (PSI) |
Warranty & Support
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Pandemic Board Game (Base Game) | Cooperative Board Game for Adults and Family | Ages 8+ | 2 to 4 players | Average Playtime 45 minutes | Made by Z-Man Games
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Product Description
Product Description
Four diseases have broken out in the world and it is up to a team of specialists in various fields to find cures for these diseases before mankind is wiped out. Players must work together playing to their characters' strengths and planning their strategy of eradication before the diseases overwhelm the world with ever-increasing outbreaks. For example the operation specialist can build research stations which are needed to find cures for the diseases. The Scientist needs only 4 cards of a particular disease to cure it instead of the normal 5. But the diseases are out breaking fast and time is running out: The team must try to stem the tide of infection in diseased areas while also towards cures. A truly cooperative game where you all win or you all lose.
From the Manufacturer
Four diseases have broken out in the world and it is up to a team of specialists in various fields to find cures for these diseases before mankind is wiped out. Players must work together playing to their characters' strengths and planning their strategy of eradication before the diseases overwhelm the world with ever-increasing outbreaks. For example the Operation Specialist can build research stations which are needed to find cures for the diseases. The Scientist needs only 4 cards of a particular disease to cure it instead of the normal 5. But the diseases are out breaking fast and time is running out: the team must try to stem the tide of infection in diseased areas while also towards cures. A truly cooperative game where you all win or you all lose.
Important information
Legal Disclaimer
CALIFORNIA WARNING: This product may be subject to Prop 65 rules and regulations. - www.P65Warnings.ca.gov
From the brand
From the manufacturer
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Work together to save humanity in the 2008 bestselling cooperative board game! Four diseases threaten the world, and your elite team of specialists must find a cure for each of them before it’s too late. |
Travel around the world, treat local populations, and collect sets of City cards to complete research. Make sure to contain the spread—if there are too many outbreaks, you’ll lose the game. |
As you cure each disease, they become easier to treat and remove from the board. When you’ve cured all four diseases, your team wins the game! |
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Each player can take advantage of their role’s special abilities. Use your strengths to support your team’s strategy as you work to discover cures. |
All players start in Atlanta at the Center for Disease Control. Build research stations in other parts of the globe to travel and discover cures more efficiently! |
Use Event cards for their special one-time effects to help your team get ahead. And when you’re ready for a new challenge, adjust the game’s difficulty by adding more Epidemic cards to the deck. |
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Pandemic | Pandemic - Legacy Season 0 | Pandemic - Hot Zone - North America | Pandemic - The Cure | Pandemic - Reign of Cthulu | Pandemic - Fall of Rome | |
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Customer Reviews |
4.8 out of 5 stars
18,485
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4.8 out of 5 stars
640
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4.5 out of 5 stars
577
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4.6 out of 5 stars
358
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4.8 out of 5 stars
1,235
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4.7 out of 5 stars
496
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Price | $29.49$29.49 | $69.90$69.90 | $8.84$8.84 | $35.47$35.47 | $39.99$39.99 | — |
Number of Players | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-5 | 2-4 | 1-5 |
Average Playtime | 45 minutes | 60 minutes | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 40 minutes | 45 minutes |
Recommended Player Age | 8 and up | 14 and up | 8 and up | 8 and up | 14 and up | 8 and up |
Game Objectives | Fight diseases | Fight diseases | Fight diseases | Fight diseases | Fight against the Darkness | Fight against Invading Hordes |
Cooperative Game | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Strategy Game | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Adventure Game | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Expansion Option | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
Play over the course of 1 year | ✓ |
What's in the box
Product guides and documents
Videos
Videos for this product
1:19
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After owning for 10 years - my thoughts on pandemic
CJ Reviews Things
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2:35
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Pandemic EXPLAINED (dont usually like CO-OP games)
Eric Gomez
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1:02
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Review of the Pandemic Board Game
⭐ Mays' Healthy Lifestyle ⭐
Videos for this product
1:18
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This Great Cooperative Game Has Lots Of Replayability
Kevin Smullin
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1:51
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This Game is Played In The Best Kind of Stressful Way!
Shop with Lauren
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2:03
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Our Point of View on the Pandemic Board Game
WTI | We Tried It!
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the quality, fun, and cooperative nature of the board game. They mention that the set pieces are well machined, the cards are sturdy, and the game is welcoming. They also appreciate replay value, and complexity. That said, opinions are mixed on ease of use and difficulty.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the board game fun, interesting, and welcoming. They say it's an awesome game to play with family, a great problem solving game for young adults, and equally fun with two or more players. Customers also mention that the premise of the game is really cool and relevant. They also say the game has an exciting and enjoyable group effort.
"...It’s fresh and exciting every time I play it, and I always enjoy upping the difficulty to see how much better I can do against the diseases...." Read more
"...Isn’t that nice? It’s called a cascading outbreak. Such a pretty name. If you get 9 outbreaks in a game you lose...." Read more
"...It is equally fun with two or more players, although the more players, the more challenging it is...." Read more
"...inclusion of multiple roles, which you assign at random, creates a variety of play styles and strategy...." Read more
Customers find the board game Pandemic cooperative, competitive, and tense. They say it teaches cooperation and is won by everyone working together. They also say it provides a valuable lesson in teamwork and communication. Customers also mention that the game has good player interaction and is a great bonding game for families.
"...So altogether, Pandemic is probably the single best cooperative board game that was ever created...." Read more
"...Because I keep coming back.InteractionInteraction is very high...." Read more
"...The cooperative aspect allows for a lot of group discussion, strategy, what-if scenarios, and so on...." Read more
"...It plays pretty well with 2 players, but it is best if BOTH players assume a couple different specialist roles...." Read more
Customers like the quality of the board game. They mention that the design is outstanding, the materials used are really good, and the role cards are all unique. They also say the game is nicely made and comes in a sturdy box. Customers also say there are no downsides to the game and it seems promising.
"...Okay I've rambled enough. If you're on the edge, buy this game! It's awesome. Every game is different and it never gets boring...." Read more
"...The colors are fantastic and the set pieces are well machined. The disease cubes look so good they almost look like shiny candies on your game board...." Read more
"...lends itself well to a small group of different players, and works well with a mixture of seasoned and newbie gamers...." Read more
"...popular strategic board games, I came across this one and it seemed promising...." Read more
Customers find the replay value of the board game high due to the random setup of diseases, events, and other events. They also mention that the difficulty level adds to the replayability tremendously. Additionally, they say the game is unique and doesn't get boring.
"...The cooperative element alone is worth the price of admission. Stay for the fun and the challenge...." Read more
"...The experience of gameplay is different every time, because the players draw roles that feature special abilities..." Read more
"...changes with the number of people playing so I'd rate it pretty high for replayability...." Read more
"...The fake is passable and playable as a game, but nowhere near the quality of the genuine game...." Read more
Customers find the board game complex and engaging. They say it balances dumb luck with careful strategic planning, and requires complex thinking, patience, and doomsday scenarios. They also say the game is good for problem-solving skills, planning, teamwork, and communication, and could be educational.
"...Pandemic also balances dumb luck with careful strategic planning, because it’s possible you’ll already have the cure for a disease within the first..." Read more
"...Overall Pandemic is a great game. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in trying out a collaborative style of game." Read more
"...It requires complex thinking, patience, and doomsday scenarios, which is difficult to gain for younger kids, so it is a bit restricted in my..." Read more
"...It added a little bit of learning & deeper understanding to our fun. My daughter is still begging to play again!" Read more
Customers are mixed about the ease of use. Some mention it's straightforward with the rules, and fairly easy to learn. They also say the game is not terribly complex, and provides clear step-by-step instructions for setup. However, some customers say it'd be difficult to learn at first, and the instructions are basically a small book.
"...The art direction is also very complimentary of the theme...." Read more
"...Learning CurveLow. It takes all of ten minutes to explain and there are directions on the board and the turn cards.Downtime..." Read more
"...Ugh! As you increase the number of players, the game gets more difficult...." Read more
"...The game also supports three difficulty modes (represented by the quantity of certain cards you mix into the deck)...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the difficulty of the board game. Some find it challenging but not impossible to beat. They also say the game becomes easier and easier to keep winning as you get the hang of it. However, some customers say the rules are sophisticated and difficult to remember. Overall, the opinions are mixed, and the game play can vary greatly.
"...If you're on the edge, buy this game! It's awesome. Every game is different and it never gets boring...." Read more
"...about the pieces is that the disease cubes are kinda small and could be easy to lose...." Read more
"...It’s fun since it plays a little bit differently each time." Read more
"...There are several ways to lose the game, but only one way to win...." Read more
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In Pandemic every player is given a special role-card with a nameless character on it who has a special power that will be vital to winning the game. The game board itself is a map of the world with 48 of the most important cities connected to one another by white lines to indicate paths for movement. The four diseases you are struggling to cure are represented by tiny different colored cubes that will inhabit these cities, slowly making the population sicker and sicker.
The players have two objectives that are vital to winning. If the entire supply of any one disease has been distributed across the board, the players loose. So part of the gameplay involves traveling to the world’s many cities to treat the inhabitants and removing disease cubes from those spaces. However, to overcome the diseases and win the game, players have a hand of different colored cards with the names of different cities on them. Players can travel greater distances by surrendering some of these cards, but the real goal is to visit one of the research centers on the board and surrender five cards of the same color to find a cure for one particular disease. Once the cures for all four diseases have been discovered, the players win the game.
Much of the game’s intrigue comes from your hand of cards because in almost every game players will be unsure if they want to use those cards for transportation or save them instead for finding a cure. The majority of player to player interaction involves passing and exchanging these cards around to create optimal hands, but even that will prove a challenge. One of the hardest rules for the players to follow is probably the one that won’t let you exchange a card unless the city printed on that card matches the one you’re currently in. Having one person playing as the Researcher can be the greatest benefit to your team, since they get to ignore that rule.
So on top of the player’s gameplay being very intriguing, the diseases also have an interesting gameplay style. The game’s difficulty is determined by how many Epidemic cards that you have shuffled into the Player Deck. The diseases themselves get a separate pile of cards called the Infection Deck. Each card from the Infection Deck has the name of a city where you will place one more disease cube at the end of each and every turn. Epidemic cards from the Player Deck are downright diabolical, because they will force you to take the discarded Infection cards and then put them back on top of the deck they came from. That means diseases will start targeting the same cities multiple times and players will be running back and forth trying to keep the diseases under control. Outbreaks are even worse, when there are already too many disease cubes on one city and the game will force you to put a cube on each connecting city instead. The mass mayhem and panic that starts to circulate around the game table is one of the most enjoyable things about Pandemic.
The gameplay is a truly flawless experience, in my opinion. Turns tend to happen very quickly and each player’s unique power will strongly encourage coordination between everyone. Pandemic also balances dumb luck with careful strategic planning, because it’s possible you’ll already have the cure for a disease within the first turn of the game. However, if players don’t coordination their efforts and manage their resources wisely that is the path to certain doom. But it’s not only the balance and the coordination that makes the gameplay perfect but also the right theme.
Playing as doctors and trying to do something as noble as fighting diseases is something that everybody in the world can truly admire. When the world is suffering from a pandemic it doesn’t matter what creed or nationality you are since everyone will pool their efforts to save humanity itself, hence the cooperative play. The art direction is also very complimentary of the theme. The game and the cards kind of remind me of a computer monitor that’s tracking the progress of each person and disease. It’s all very family friendly too, since there is no artwork portraying any gruesome pain or agony.
Now, to nitpick on some of the game’s very few shortcomings, there are probably a few people who won’t be convinced a tiny colored cube represents a disease very well. Personally, this has never distracted me from an enjoyable game. Also, the spaces that represent each city can also be very small when trying to fit disease cubes, a research station and player pawns all together into a circle half an inch across. But once again, this has never been a problem to me if the game board isn’t shaken too much.
So altogether, Pandemic is probably the single best cooperative board game that was ever created. It’s fresh and exciting every time I play it, and I always enjoy upping the difficulty to see how much better I can do against the diseases. Winning and loosing are both very fun if you work well together as a team. But even to this day, Pandemic is an example to other game designers trying to make cooperative board games, and it’s not very hard to see why when you pick it up and play it.
It’s true, I haven’t ever beat this rotten game and yet I keep coming back. Because one day I’ll win; in spite of all the wounds to my pride I’ve had to nurse, one day I’ll – I mean- we’ll win. I say we’ll because this is a co-operative game where you all work together against those nasty strains of no-doubt-human engineered beasties. Now, I know there are those of you who beat this every time you play, like I beat Shadows over Camelot every time I play, but I’ve invited those sorts to come play with me and they can barely stand the shame of losing with me.
To make it even worse, we only play with 4 epidemics. I feel like I’m at an AA meeting: “Hi my name is Kyle.”
“Hi Kyle” echoes the crowd.
“I… I suck at Pandemic.”
This is the part where you put your arm on my shoulder and tell me it’s going to be alright.
Game Play
This board is a handsome map of the world; only instead of country boards you see in Risk there is a red web of interconnected cities. Everyone starts in Atlanta were a research station is and you go from there. Each player plays a scientist that has a special ability: one can move others on their turn, one can give cards to another without the restrictions other players have and so on. The game also begins with 9 random cities around the world with varying degrees of infection (one to three stacked blocks). If a city would have a fourth block put on it (called an outbreak), it actually stays at three and the cities connected by the red web get a block. Isn’t that nice? It’s called a cascading outbreak. Such a pretty name. If you get 9 outbreaks in a game you lose. If you run out of blocks for a certain strain you lose, and if you haven’t cured all the strains before your white deck of cards runs out, you lose. I hate to be a negative Nancy, but there’s a lot of ways to lose this game. If, on the other hand, you are able to find cures for each strain, you win!
How do you do that? Well you get someone who has got 5 cards of the same color in their hand to a research station, that’s how. One of the players only needs four.
Every turn each player gets to do four actions. Picking up a cube off a city counts as one, so does moving between cities. You can charter flights with your cards, rather than use them for cures. You can build research stations and fly between those without expending a card, and a few other things. Then you draw cards that you think will help you, but can instead turn out to be epidemics. And you also draw cards for cities that get infected: usually this amounts to adding on square to the city’s pile. As the game progresses, more cards are drawn at a time to be infected. Oh, and when an epidemic happens, the cards for the cities that were infected get put back on the top of the draw pile. Oh dear.
I hate to tell you what to do because what do I know anyway?
Those of you who beat this all the time should tell me what to do. I understand that finding the cures is everything- lest you run out of time. Others say, make sure that you never have three on on e city at a time, as to avoid outbreaks.
Make sure that the medic is only clearing off stacks of infections, the dispatcher should be moving people so that don’t have to move themselves.
Again, I never win, so what do I know?
Theme
If it hasn’t been obvious, I am completely sucked in by the theme. There are similarities to other co-operative games especially Forbidden Island: Each character has special powers, you make moves for the team and then the board pushed you closer to defeat, that sort of thing. Forbidden Island also shares the shuffle the cards and put them back on top of the draw deck mechanic. I tell you this so that you won’t be surprised if you decide to add them both to your game closet, this is why I haven’t added Forbidden Island to mine, though I’ve played the game. While this adds to the evidence that the theme could be stripped out of the game, I don’t recall cascading flooding going on in Forbidden Island, or feeling like humanity is hanging in the balance, or being glad I don’t live anywhere in Eastern Europe. That is to say, I think the theme sticks.
Balance
I read about people who win all the time and needed the expansion to rouse any concern in them. But who can believe everything they read on the internet, I ask you? Just because I’ve never won though doesn’t mean that it’s not an enjoyable experience, mind you. Because I keep coming back.
Interaction
Interaction is very high. There’s all sort of collaborative discussion that goes on through this game.
Learning Curve
Low. It takes all of ten minutes to explain and there are directions on the board and the turn cards.
Downtime
Nill. You are all in it together! And you even get to move a guy in your turn.
What’s not to Like?
I actually know where some of these cities are on the map are but they all have these lines that go from the pin-pointed location to the circle where you actually place the blocks. That remains a bit annoying even after playing the game 10 times.
Collateral Endorsement
My four year old likes “The one where they get sick” We run around curing cities till the infection deck runs out. He feels a lot better about himself than the rage I feel playing by the real rules.
Actually, as I think about it, the first time I played this game I was at the home of some friends and I think we won. But I’m certain I have not won with my copy of the game. I’d say mine is jinxed, but we’ve played on another friends copy and lost there too. Also, I should say that a brother of mine lost two in a row and saw the writing on the wall in the third game and left the table, swearing off the game forever. You might consider your own resiliency before buying this game.
Top reviews from other countries
Looking through YouTube videos and BoardGameGeek...
As a very very noob to boardgames, you'll obviously need to prepare yourself to LEARN new games, but also TEACH new games to others as probably your friends/family are also noobs.
I'm a ramping up beginner to boardgames (have now evolved further from Pandemic) - this game was great because it's easy to learn, relatively (I suggest watching a YouTube video if you're not up for reading the instructions, I did both but YT video alone might have been okay). But fresh and interesting to those who only have Monopoly in their board game resume.
My personal opinion, I'm not much into competitive board games or card games as I think they are usually played rather silently as people focus too much on their own part/plan, and some times (or most times) you don't get to have fun by losing (albeit, some games (and some groups) can make even losing fun too).
I wanted a game that's more chatty (for, again in my opinion, better purpose of "spending time together") - so cooperative games!
This is a great, entry level-ish coop game that involves constant group problem-solving. If you're less into competitive games like me, or if you want to have a break between competitive games, this is a great pick.
Set up time can take a few minutes, so it might also be a great break time for the less-engaged players in your group/partnership.
The game can also be played solo.. if you play multiple roles by yourself, but it's obviously not as fun.
I got this on sale, if it is on sale and you're looking to expand (or start) your collection, do get it!
Again I'm a noob myself so I also haven't tried any of the expansions yet. :P
Reviewed in India on June 4, 2022