Pandemic Board Game (Base Game) | Family Board Game | Board Game for Adults and Family | Cooperative Board Game | Ages 8+ | 2 to 4 players | Average Playtime 45 minutes | Made by Z-Man Games

Pandemic was the first co-op game Id ever played and for that itll always have a special place in my memories. The game works brilliantly, its exciting, encourages teamwork and is very well thought out. The way our first game ended in absolute failure got us hooked for a couple of weeks, desperate to get better. On our fourth night of playing it - perhaps our twelfth game - wed progressed to the absolutely hardest level and won an exciting game with no moves to spare. Since then, weve never played it again. One problem is that the experienced players can dominate the game, with newbies contributing very little. A plus side is that the newbie wont lose miserably, they just probably wont contribute much either. Thank you Pandemic for introducing me to Co-op games!

My family plays board games often and this has quickly become our favorite! Other reviewers have given great descriptions of the game and explanations of its rules, so I wont go deeply into that in this review. Instead, Ill focus on what makes Pandemic stand out from the other games on the market and how you can get the most out of your game. As other reviewers have mentioned, the fact that this game is cooperative makes it a little different from most of the other games on the market. While many games pit one player against the other, this game encourages players to put their heads together in order to get ahead of four different diseases which threaten to infect the globe. This is great for families with middle school-age and older children, as it teaches cooperation (avoiding the game night brawls that often erupt if one player is a particularly strong competitor!), but its also great for game night with friends and, unlike a lot of other games, can even be successfully and enjoyably played by two people (the choice of character cards prevents the game from being predictable or monotonous when only two are playing). Dont be mistaken - the collaborative aspect doesnt mean the game isnt challenging or that it wont be enjoyable for those who relish a bit of tension and competition. As players, you can control the intensity of the game to a certain degree, by deciding whether to put four, five or six Epidemic Cards into play. Some reviewers have suggested that the game becomes too easy to win once you get the hang of it - to these players, Id suggest using the maximum number of Epidemic Cards and changing the end goal of the game to what my husband and I call over-winning - instead of simply trying to cure all the diseases before the game ends, you must completely eradicate all four. In addition to prolonging play and making the ending a little more difficult, this also makes the game play a little more interesting throughout as it requires a slightly different strategy from all players. If, like us, you also like to play the game a couple of times in the same night, you can step up the challenge by removing the character cards already played (making it much more likely to draw the dreaded Contingency Planner!). Ive seen reviews mention using the game to reinforce geography lessons for slightly older kids, and as long as you bear in mind that the city labels arent directly above the correct geographical location, this could be a great idea. In addition to being a lot of fun, Pandemic is also a well-designed game. The character pieces are wooden instead of plastic, and the translucent plastic disease cubes almost seem to glow when placed on the board, which is a nice aesthetic touch. Weve had our game for almost a year and the cards have stood up to many hours of sometimes pretty enthusiastic play. With as much play time as this game gets in our house, you might think were on a mission to wear it out - it hasnt happened yet. Were still having fun with our original game so we havent purchased the expansions yet, but we plan to! As far as recently-released games go, this is the best weve found and Im sure the expansions are great, too!

My young teens love this game. This is the game they wanted to keep playing during the holiday season, and it is still their favorite. Not easy to learn for younger players.

My boyfriend and I just started doing game nights and this has been a game changer (pun intended). He actually cant wait for no netflix night and usually suggests we play this game. - Its a great cooperative style game. This is awesome for really competitive people who might want to play it a little safer and not risk tensions running too high. - It takes a while to learn. Some of the rules are not as readily apparent from the rule book, and your first game might take a while understanding all of it. For instance, our first game we thought the objective was to eradicate, but its just to cure (multiple beers may have been involved tbh). Be patient and itll seem second-nature after 1-2 games. - Fun balance of strategy and luck. Im not a big fan of pure luck games, mainly because I have none. Some people might like that thrill. But I do like strategizing and coming up with (diabolical) game plans. This is a nice bit of both. - Its not easy to win. Thats part of what makes it so fun. Its addicting because you might get so close, but come up short. Took us 5 games on the easy level to finally win. - Great for 2 or more people. We like games we can have fun with just the two of us (i.e. if you have no friends), or if you invite others. Its also nice because the pace of game-play does allow outside conversation, so you can interact with your friends on a game night, not just immerse in the game and not talk for hours.

Pandemic - a fun game that takes about an hour to play. Weve played it with two and with four. It worked well with both numbers. I particularly like the fact that all players win-or-lose together so animosity is minimal during and after the game. I have played this about 4 times at the lowest of several difficulty settings and the win-lose ratio has been equally divided. The game is complicated to set up and the moves are complicated to make but clear graphics on the board make the action more fluid. A worthwhile game to have in your game-room.

We love playing Pandemic and saving the world together as a team. There is a learning curve and definite strategy involved. After a few rounds, your strategies will change and you will figure out all of the super powers of the different roles and how to use them to your advantage. Great fun!

Loved it. Turned out to be really fun for 2 people and Im sure its even more fun with more. Numerous dynamics and co-op aspect ensures it remains interesting after playing it tens of times.

My boyfriend and I just cant play competitive games against each other. They always end with one of us gloating and the other glowering, muttering profanities under their breath. So, we decided that wed try to find a good cooperative game. Unfortunately, good two-player coop games are tough to come by. Thats why were so happy to have found Pandemic. Its you against the board WITH your partner (up to four people). The game is really easy to catch on to; after playing through the first few moves, we both got the hang of it. You definitely dont need to be a hugely experienced boardgame player to enjoy it. There are tons of small parts and nuances to each game, so I do recommend limiting the game to 10 years old and up. Expect your first game to last 90 minutes with the learning curve, but that time will quickly reduce to an hour or so after you understand how to play the game. Set up takes five minutes. Overall, the game is replayable and thoroughly enjoyable. My boyfriend and I are both not super great at it (yet), but I would much rather be conquering this game WITH him than tearfully conceding another game TO him. At least, now, I have a chance.

This game can get a bit easy If you play it long enough but thats nothing slight adjustments to the rules cant fix. I bump up the infection rate at the beginning to make it more challenging but its a great game to play with your family and get into board gaming. The materials used are really good and high quality and the role cards are all unique to give some variety. This is a game that should be on your radar. Even though so far Ive given this game quite a good review I do think it might be a bit over rated. Its still a good game but I dont think that this is the best beginner game as if that even exists. it certainly is a very good place to start. Just keep your expectations at a reasonable level and youll have a wonderful time playing this game. Also, the directions are also good and Its not too complicated to scare people away so thats a good thing.

Ultimately, you just need to be prepared for the fact that this is a collaborative game where you all play together to win or lose as a team. If you play with a group of players who are used to a more competitive style of game play and like to do their own thing, then this might not be for you. The game is a little complicated, but doesnt take too much effort to understand, and the rules are pretty well written so youll get there eventually. The fact that different players have different roles also makes it interesting because that DOES change-up how the game plays each time. Played it a couple of times with my family. They enjoyed it enough - not so much that theyre begging to play it again sometime, but a good time overall.