Pandemic

by Z-Man Games

Product Features

• Two-four players
• Cooperative play
• A truly cooperative game where you all win or you all lose
• Tons of replay value
• Takes 45-60 minutes to play

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 12 x 1.8 inches ; 4.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0013OBXG2
• Item model number: 5510867
• Manufacturer recommended age: 12 years and up
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #177 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)

  #21 in	Toys & Games > Games > Board Games
  #1 in	Toys & Games > Games > Casino Games

• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)

Product Description

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 outbreaking 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. Contents: 96 wooden cubes (for diseases), 5 pawns, 6 wooden research stations, 6 markers: 1 outbreak marker, 1 infection rate marker, and 4 cure markers, 115 Cards: 48 infection cards, 59 player cards, 4 role cards, and 4 quick reference cards

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. A truly cooperative game where you all win or you all lose.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun cooperative game, April 12, 2008

By	Jeff Holt (Stevenson, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Pandemic (Toy)

Fun game with that unique cooperative element. Teen aged girls loved it as did I, the 40 year old dad. It is a tough game to win, but the level of tension created by the game is quite excellent. Of the half dozen or so games we have played, only one ended where we were just so overwhelmed and lost without even feeling like we had a chance to win. All the other games, the whole table felt like we had a shot at winning and things kept flipping momentum. In a nutshell, good fun.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, yet lightweight, April 29, 2008

By	Catherine Darrow (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Pandemic (Toy)

Pandemic is the sort of rare game that appeals both to geeks and to people who like party games. It's relatively lightweight as boardgames go--each player has four moves, and the rules for them are relatively simple. Yet there is a lot of probabilistic strategizing to be done by the folks of that nature.

The game itself is relatively tough. The diseases -- the board -- wins about half the time in my group, and often in very mean and surprising ways. This makes it all the more fun when we win.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More of a puzzle than a game, February 15, 2010

By	Fishing Ace - See all my reviews

Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Pandemic (Toy)

I purchased this game based on the excellent reviews it has garnered on amazon, and was unfortunately somewhat let down. Don't get me wrong, it's somewhat fun to play, and very unique in that everyone is working together on the same team, but once you realize that its more of a puzzle than a game, everything feels extremely limiting. What I mean by this is that you have to take into account that when you've set up the game, depending on how the deck is shuffled, you may or may not be able to finish ("win") the game, even if you make all the right moves. Let me rephrase this:


****** like Solitaire, skill alone is not enough win this game, the deck HAS to be shuffled such that the game is finishable, and you'll have no way of knowing this til the game is over ******


I found this aspect of Pandemic to be extremely frustrating, and any game affcionado would probably do well to take this into account when considering a purchase. That being said, it is still a fun concept, and with a little tweaking of the rules, could probably be made to be a lot of fun to play. As for me, I put my copy of this on ebay and haven't looked back.