I've looked at this game off and on since it came out. The most important thing you said that I have not heard anyone else say is that you are not a "Pandemic person". Neither am I. I loved base Pandemic for the first three plays. Then we beat it on the fourth and I haven't enjoyed it as much ever since. I was bored of the system, I guess. I played a few of the others over the years including Rising Tide, but nothing held my interest. I'm looking at this a little more closely again. Thanks for your video!
I was surprised to learn that you dislike the trading mechanism. To me, that is one of the more thematic elements of the game because it makes little sense to allow characters in different cities to trade. One option you could try is to skip a turn before the trade is completed.
This is actually a perception issue. Traveling around the board to accomplish important tasks is literally what Pandemic is about! Going to a city to trade a card is no different than going to a city to get rid of cubes or going to a city to cure because it has a Research Center or going to a city because it had a barbarian you need to make a deal with. A task is a task is a task. It's especially odd to find card-trading "more" irritating than cube-clearing when card-trading is far more important! Trading cards will actually help you win the game. Clearing cubes is just putting out fires. The only alternatives to traveling to specific cities to trade cards are luck (just drawing the cards you need from the deck) or some sort of handicap (like every player having the ability of the Researcher). I'd rather play with the current rules, which force me to use my wits to solve the challenging puzzle of getting around the map efficiently.
An excellent clear review...thank you very much. I agree 💯 with the comment about the tediousness of swopping cards only when two players are in the same town. Do you think the game would work if every role had the card sharing powers of the mercator? BW M
I get not liking the trading cards around the table aspect of Pandemic, but it is definitely an absolutely fundemantal aspect of the games. If you could freely pass cards around the table a lot of the tension of Pandemic would be lost. The card trading creates a conflict between the two primary parts of the game; Curing and Treating. That's where games are won or lost. It's easy to keep treating and treating until time is up, it's also easy to go for cures while outbreaks explode and also lose you the game. You have to coordinate between the two eventualities. It keeps some measure of depth to keep the puzzle from being a relatively simple manner of placing pawns in good positions for coverage and then moving cards around until you win. Since the parts of the puzzle would no longer be in conflict, it becomes much more about luck of the draw (or just lasting until you inevitably win) than thoughtfully planning turns, bases, and specific characters around the map.
I agree that the need of being in the same city to exchange cards is a bit tedious. After playing Pandemic for so long, I think that this rule adds a lot of strategic depth. Are you going to cure disease in City A first, or are you going to exchange cards in City B? Notice that you only have 4 moves or so each turn, and so the decision of which action you do first becomes important. Btw, if you hate exchange cards mechanism, Pandemic Legacy Season 1 actually alleviate this by introducing new mechanisms to exchange cards. However, I do not think Liz is going to get into this game given her indifference towards the Pandemic base game.
That was why I liked the Lab module, it reduces the need to exchange cards as you trade in the 5 cards in stages. You don't need to try and get all the cards to one player as each player can carry out a stage on the lab board
I'm confused about how the barbarians work compared to normal pandemic? Do they along a track? How does that work? Some spots have split tracks it seems.
I've looked at this game off and on since it came out. The most important thing you said that I have not heard anyone else say is that you are not a "Pandemic person". Neither am I. I loved base Pandemic for the first three plays. Then we beat it on the fourth and I haven't enjoyed it as much ever since. I was bored of the system, I guess. I played a few of the others over the years including Rising Tide, but nothing held my interest. I'm looking at this a little more closely again. Thanks for your video!
They were trying to be thematic with the card exchange but there are other less thematic ways that would have been smoother.
I was surprised to learn that you dislike the trading mechanism. To me, that is one of the more thematic elements of the game because it makes little sense to allow characters in different cities to trade. One option you could try is to skip a turn before the trade is completed.
This is actually a perception issue. Traveling around the board to accomplish important tasks is literally what Pandemic is about! Going to a city to trade a card is no different than going to a city to get rid of cubes or going to a city to cure because it has a Research Center or going to a city because it had a barbarian you need to make a deal with. A task is a task is a task. It's especially odd to find card-trading "more" irritating than cube-clearing when card-trading is far more important! Trading cards will actually help you win the game. Clearing cubes is just putting out fires.
The only alternatives to traveling to specific cities to trade cards are luck (just drawing the cards you need from the deck) or some sort of handicap (like every player having the ability of the Researcher). I'd rather play with the current rules, which force me to use my wits to solve the challenging puzzle of getting around the map efficiently.
It is thematic, but it is tedious
Another great review from Liz. Thanks
An excellent clear review...thank you very much.
I agree 💯 with the comment about the tediousness of swopping cards only when two players are in the same town.
Do you think the game would work if every role had the card sharing powers of the mercator?
BW
M
I get not liking the trading cards around the table aspect of Pandemic, but it is definitely an absolutely fundemantal aspect of the games.
If you could freely pass cards around the table a lot of the tension of Pandemic would be lost. The card trading creates a conflict between the two primary parts of the game; Curing and Treating.
That's where games are won or lost. It's easy to keep treating and treating until time is up, it's also easy to go for cures while outbreaks explode and also lose you the game. You have to coordinate between the two eventualities.
It keeps some measure of depth to keep the puzzle from being a relatively simple manner of placing pawns in good positions for coverage and then moving cards around until you win. Since the parts of the puzzle would no longer be in conflict, it becomes much more about luck of the draw (or just lasting until you inevitably win) than thoughtfully planning turns, bases, and specific characters around the map.
I dont solo, but I do appreciate your opinion on games. Thank you. Keep them coming!
Curious if You like Reign of Cthulhu for solo?
I agree that the need of being in the same city to exchange cards is a bit tedious. After playing Pandemic for so long, I think that this rule adds a lot of strategic depth. Are you going to cure disease in City A first, or are you going to exchange cards in City B? Notice that you only have 4 moves or so each turn, and so the decision of which action you do first becomes important. Btw, if you hate exchange cards mechanism, Pandemic Legacy Season 1 actually alleviate this by introducing new mechanisms to exchange cards. However, I do not think Liz is going to get into this game given her indifference towards the Pandemic base game.
That was why I liked the Lab module, it reduces the need to exchange cards as you trade in the 5 cards in stages. You don't need to try and get all the cards to one player as each player can carry out a stage on the lab board
Totally agree about passing cards. So irritating!
I'm confused about how the barbarians work compared to normal pandemic? Do they along a track? How does that work? Some spots have split tracks it seems.
I truly LOVE the mechanics and the theme of this game buuuuuuuut it's far TOO EASY for me.
Easier than Iberia? I found Iberia (without modules) too easy, even easier than vanilla Pandemic.
I was the first to give a like. Do I get a free copy of pandemic: Rome? Jk
I was the second Like. Can i at least get 50% off? 😁
I want this game for a long time. 25% off for me.