Pandemic: A Cooperative Board Game for 2-4 Players

Tired of games with vicious competition? Looking for a cooperative board game for 2-4 players? Want to save the world from the ravages of disease? The game for you is Pandemic, by Z-man games.

In this board game, players work together to cure and eradicate four diseases, one in each of the major areas of the world: North America/Europe, South America/Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia/Australia. The board is a map of the world with major cities marked. The diseases are designated by small colored cubes. The players serve in different roles, chosen at random: Dispatcher, Medic, Scientist, Researcher, and Operations Expert. Each role has a rule that slightly changes the game for that character. For example, the Medic can remove more disease markers from a city than the other players can. The Operations Expert finds it easier to build research stations. Play begins at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, in the United States.

On his or her turn, a Pandemic player can take actions such as moving to a different city, removing some disease markers from a city, establishing a new research station, or curing a disease. Diseases are cured by collecting cards with the same colors as the disease and turning them in when a player is at a research station. Players work together by planning actions as a group and talking about which player will go to which area of the board.

As part of each player's turn, the player must also draw cards spreading disease. These cards represent cities. When a card is drawn, a disease cube is placed on that city. When a city is to receive its fourth disease cube, an outbreak occurs and the disease spreads to every adjacent city.

Players win Pandemic when all four diseases are cured. Players lose when there are no more cubes of a color to place on the board when one is needed, no more cards to draw when one is needed, or there have been eight outbreaks.

Pandemic is truly cooperative, a nice change from competitive play. It can also be very exciting, with players racing against the diseases as they spread throughout the world. The game is recommended for ages 10 and up, but I think slightly younger children could also understand and enjoy Pandemic. With four players, the game is difficult and hard to win; with two players it is much easier.