As a spanish gamer from Alicante (yellow disease) who loves pandemic, a version this awesome game based in my country makes me very happy, Ill be getting this one for sure
This was a labor of love; not just the history, but the beautiful design. I much prefer seeing this thing on the table than the classic, it's just such a nice looking bunch of objects.
Just by the beautiful graphic design and interesting theme alone--having never owned or played any version of the franchise--I think I'd go straight for this version.
It's pretty amazing how they keep re inventing this game. You may be tempted to think that they can no longer innovate, and yet they come up with these new editions that are not just "thematic" but bring really new game mechanics. Thanks for the review Z, I will get that game ^^
Thank you Zee for going over the moving patient varient!!! I've been playing it wrong this entire time.... we've been moving every patient one step towards the nearest hospital every time!
Zee's tom 10 games. 1. Pandemic 2. Pandemic Iberia, 3. Pandemic cthulhu, 4. Pandemic Legacy. :) 5. - 10 anything called pandemic that comes out in the future.
Played a lot of Pandemic and played through Pandemic Legacy, but never owned one version myself. Thank for this great review, I'll now be on my way to buy the Iberia version. Nice callbacks from the Legacy game (quarantine) and I love the railroad concept.
Zee... normally I'm not drawn to Pandemic, because I'm more of a solo player... but this game has some great game mechanics and I'll put that on my "to buy list" after Scythe and Mare Nostrum. ***I just ordered "Bear Valley", the expansion for both "The Grizzled" and "Bang, the dice game". Thank again for introducing me to many games I probably wouldn't have discovered. Looking at Neuroshima Hex as a future buy. Keep up the great reviews... love card games.
I am so tempted. I like Pandemic, I bought Reign Of Cthulhu on black friday and haven't played it yet, and I KNOW this is a limited print run. I just worry that it wouldn't get table time.
How did you find the rules Zee? We're kinda Pandemic addicts but even so, it kinda felt as if the rule book could have done with an extra page in it, the water purification explanations felt a bit rushed - considering they went to the trouble of including some lovely artwork pamphlets I would have liked to have seen a bit more of a thematic explanation for some of the newer rules.
If you were to pick either Iberia or just the base game, which would you get? If you were to get either Iberia + base and On the Brink, which would you get?
Would you say this versions loses the "Gateway" qualities of Original *Pandemic*? It seems to a have a lot more going on, more limitations to movement, and more planning forward with the rails.
Hm, but at the same time, the historic flavour and building a railway line as you're fighting these diseases might make it easier to latch onto for some (e.g. rail enthusiasts or people interested in that period of history)
I'm liking these takes on the Pandemic line, and if we get these instead of expansions to regular Pandemic from now on I'll be happy, in the same way that we get a Ticket to Ride map or two each year (And it makes sense that they'd be base sets, rather than , since there seems to be very little overlap between Base Pandemic and these, new infection decks, new player decks, new map, new roles, bunch of new components in both this and Cthulhu, though more of that in Cthulhu due to using cultists and Shogoths rather than disease cubes) How would you compare this to the differences between TTR and the various other base sets and alternate maps, just for a sense of scale of how different this is to regular pandemic - Personally, I'd rate Cthulhu as being about as different as base TTR and TTR:UK, while this looks more like India compared to base TTR - some new stuff, but nothing completely out there.
This looks very interesting. I was thinking about buying On The Brink for Pandemic but now I'm seriously considering selling it and getting this one instead. Seems like there are a few more things going on, it has a little more flexibility (5 players, variants) than base Pandemic.
jaxommm I'm there with you. Have been playing the Cthulhu one for about a week now. Loving it. Do you think I, as a huge Pandemic fan, should get this one as well?
I would like to know the card size for sleeving this game. Maybe it is the same as the usual Pandemic, but I am not sure. As a Spanish person I really want to get this game, even my wonderful city it is on the board, Badajoz. Great game!
I think Matt learns more and more with each new version of Pandemic to the point that original Pandemic is kind of blah now. Iberia is it's own game that is deeper thematically and deeper mechanically. I don't see any reason to play Original Pandemic anymore with this version out there. If they make Pandemic 3rd Edition, it'll probably just start with all these more thematic ideas right out of the gate.
I’m happy to announce the second printing lacks the game’s title being printed right there on the board. Good god is that a quick way to ruin the look of a map.
Still holding out for a Pandemic board game with good components, not pawns and cubes. Love the look of Pandemic Cthulhu, unfortunately my gaming group prefers less gruesome themes :(
Question for the Pandemic veterans out there: As someone who has never owned a Pandemic game, would it be OK to jump right to 'Cthulhu' or 'Iberia'? Or are they too much of a goofy tangent to represent a proper Pandemic experience?
I think any version of Pandemic, except maybe Legacy, is something you can just jump into. Cthulhu and Iberia add some mechanisms, but I think they still remain light enough to be gateway games. If you're looking to purchase a Pandemic game, purchase the theme you're most interested in. - Pandemic - Cure and treat 4 diseases in a modern setting - Iberia - Research 4 disease in a historical setting - Cthulhu - Stop the old ones Other factors to take into account: - Pandemic has three expansions that offer a wide variety of gameplay. In fact, I would say if you enjoy regular Pandemic that the On the Brink expansion is a "must own". - Iberia is a limited release. Once all the copies have been sold, you'll have to find copies second-hand. Last, if you're looking for something a little heavier, then I highly recommend Pandemic: Legacy. You can, pretty much, play base Pandemic as many times as you'd like until you're familiar with the game. Provided you don't destroy base components while playing the Legacy part of the game, you would have something very similar to the complete standard Pandemic game upon completion. But, you'd also have a map that tells the story of your Legacy campaign. I think you'll be a couple roles short of what's in the standard Pandemic box, and the roles will be on player sheets rather than the cards. So, that would make incorporating expansions a little trickier.
Much appreciated! Thanks for all the excellent info. If the verdict is essentially "Pandemic is Pandemic", then I'm going to find my favorite flavor and dig in. Cheers!
hmm. 2 pandemic style games within a month?!?!? I like the thematic aspects of Pandemic Cthulhu a bit better. I like the addition of the cards that give each virus it's own flavor. Adding more would be interesting too but I believe they'll do some interesting things with Legacy season 2. Thanks for the review.
I'd go with the original Pandemic for your introduction, there are some good expansions (On The Brink but ignore the bio terrorist) but if you enjoy the games concept then Iberia has been different enough to warrant buying it in it's own right. We've really enjoyed our games of Iberia and it's going to get played a LOT, but if I was starting out, I'd still stick with the route we did... base game, then the expansions, then legacy and then Iberia. Cthulhu Pandemic, despite being a big fan of the many tentacled friend, has left me cold.
(having said that, not sure on how limited of a supply Iberia will be, that could be a deciding factor, if it's got a limited run then it's such a good game I'd not risk missing out on it)
Pandemic following steps of Love Letter? :D Well, this version looks great (better than Cthulhu based). I wonder if they would be able to come up with something similar, but still different enough in the future. And everyone knows which continent could provide a lot of thematic cues..
Looks the same. Big deal you travel by rail instead of air. That last variant is the same idea as virulent strain. Nothing new to warrant a special purchase if you own the original + expansions (which have far more options combined.)
It's more like Ticket to Ride USA v UK. More and more impactful changes. Like, every one of the new mechanics you didn't mention is way more a change in the game than the one you did mention.
Having Zee review a Pandemic game is like having Dracula review a blood bank.
lol
Hahahahaha
As a spanish gamer from Alicante (yellow disease) who loves pandemic, a version this awesome game based in my country makes me very happy, Ill be getting this one for sure
Wow Zee you wasted no time getting this review out.
Thanks so much for this.
This was a labor of love; not just the history, but the beautiful design. I much prefer seeing this thing on the table than the classic, it's just such a nice looking bunch of objects.
This review was so persuasive that I went and bought a copy this week. Can't wait to play it.
Just by the beautiful graphic design and interesting theme alone--having never owned or played any version of the franchise--I think I'd go straight for this version.
I've played Iberia. If you like co-ops, you won't be disappointed.
It's pretty amazing how they keep re inventing this game. You may be tempted to think that they can no longer innovate, and yet they come up with these new editions that are not just "thematic" but bring really new game mechanics. Thanks for the review Z, I will get that game ^^
Thank you Zee for going over the moving patient varient!!! I've been playing it wrong this entire time.... we've been moving every patient one step towards the nearest hospital every time!
Zee's tom 10 games. 1. Pandemic 2. Pandemic Iberia, 3. Pandemic cthulhu, 4. Pandemic Legacy. :) 5. - 10 anything called pandemic that comes out in the future.
Pandemic: The Cure!
Pandemic: Contagion!
Pandemic: Cthulhu was disappointing **thinking iberia is also not diffrent enough for me.
Pandemic: Rising Tide!
in 2019 Zee seems enamoured with Pandemic The Fall Of Rome or whatever its called
Thank you for this awesome review Zee! As an infected Iberian inhabitant and a Pandemic fan I couldn't be more entertained :-)
Since this only covers one area, I still think it should be called 'Epidemic: Iberia' , but then that just messes up the whole naming scheme. ;)
Striker J Or maybe "Failry well Localised Outbreak secondary to poor infection control: Iberia"? 😉😀
@@tozmom615
"Like ebola but nobody cares because it's not on the news"
The newer printing is just called Iberia, with a tiny logo denoting that it’s a Pandemic system game
I keep looking for the little X in the corner of the action card to close that popup :)
Pandemic: The Anti-Vaxxer Edition.
BAHAHAHAHAHA seriously an underrated comment!
You win if you're still alive and unvaccinated after the pandemic spreads all over the world.
This comment aged really well
@@DanielPlato I don't want to play this game anymore...
Played a lot of Pandemic and played through Pandemic Legacy, but never owned one version myself. Thank for this great review, I'll now be on my way to buy the Iberia version. Nice callbacks from the Legacy game (quarantine) and I love the railroad concept.
Zee... normally I'm not drawn to Pandemic, because I'm more of a solo player... but this game has some great game mechanics and I'll put that on my "to buy list" after Scythe and Mare Nostrum. ***I just ordered "Bear Valley", the expansion for both "The Grizzled" and "Bang, the dice game". Thank again for introducing me to many games I probably wouldn't have discovered. Looking at Neuroshima Hex as a future buy. Keep up the great reviews... love card games.
...Huh, I find Pandemic to work excellently solo, as long as you don't mind multihanding coops.
Wow, this looks like a solid update to the original! Thanks for the great review!
I am so tempted. I like Pandemic, I bought Reign Of Cthulhu on black friday and haven't played it yet, and I KNOW this is a limited print run. I just worry that it wouldn't get table time.
I keep almost bringing it to the table, but honestly, I don't want to hurt it. It feels like a collector's item, but that's what TTS is for.
How did you find the rules Zee?
We're kinda Pandemic addicts but even so, it kinda felt as if the rule book could have done with an extra page in it, the water purification explanations felt a bit rushed - considering they went to the trouble of including some lovely artwork pamphlets I would have liked to have seen a bit more of a thematic explanation for some of the newer rules.
In the ‘share knowledge’ action - when you give or take a card…is it only one card at a time?
If you were to pick either Iberia or just the base game, which would you get? If you were to get either Iberia + base and On the Brink, which would you get?
Would you say this versions loses the "Gateway" qualities of Original *Pandemic*?
It seems to a have a lot more going on, more limitations to movement, and more planning forward with the rails.
Hm, but at the same time, the historic flavour and building a railway line as you're fighting these diseases might make it easier to latch onto for some (e.g. rail enthusiasts or people interested in that period of history)
@@Stephen-Fox --- also the fact that its not a world map and specific to that region could put people off
The board is an map of Portugal and Spain
I'm liking these takes on the Pandemic line, and if we get these instead of expansions to regular Pandemic from now on I'll be happy, in the same way that we get a Ticket to Ride map or two each year (And it makes sense that they'd be base sets, rather than , since there seems to be very little overlap between Base Pandemic and these, new infection decks, new player decks, new map, new roles, bunch of new components in both this and Cthulhu, though more of that in Cthulhu due to using cultists and Shogoths rather than disease cubes)
How would you compare this to the differences between TTR and the various other base sets and alternate maps, just for a sense of scale of how different this is to regular pandemic - Personally, I'd rate Cthulhu as being about as different as base TTR and TTR:UK, while this looks more like India compared to base TTR - some new stuff, but nothing completely out there.
This looks very interesting. I was thinking about buying On The Brink for Pandemic but now I'm seriously considering selling it and getting this one instead. Seems like there are a few more things going on, it has a little more flexibility (5 players, variants) than base Pandemic.
This one seems closer to the original than Reign Of Cthulhu.
It is a lot closer. Cthulhu is harder than Iberia. Been playing both since Monday, and they are both brilliant.
jaxommm I'm there with you. Have been playing the Cthulhu one for about a week now. Loving it. Do you think I, as a huge Pandemic fan, should get this one as well?
@@kustomkureyeah fuc@ it. Why not!! Get some bandages too PA’ 😷
I would like to know the card size for sleeving this game. Maybe it is the same as the usual Pandemic, but I am not sure.
As a Spanish person I really want to get this game, even my wonderful city it is on the board, Badajoz. Great game!
Did he mention *5* *players*!?
Can't wait. Thanks!
You would have never thought that Spanish Flu was so entertaining ... for me a must buy ...
good ole spanish flu, it's taken such a bad rap over the years
Oh god. First time we played we thought the disease powers were mandatory. God it was hard! It's crazy to keeping track of all of them!
Uhhh no! Another game I'm tempted to buy! Thanks, Zee
Which pandemic to start with as a first game? Original or Iberia?
Set in the 1800's but sea travel is somehow just as fast as air travel. Seems like Ticket to Ride had a baby with Pandemic.
Bort Henderson Ticket to infect?
Andrew Stephens It's coming
I think Matt learns more and more with each new version of Pandemic to the point that original Pandemic is kind of blah now. Iberia is it's own game that is deeper thematically and deeper mechanically. I don't see any reason to play Original Pandemic anymore with this version out there. If they make Pandemic 3rd Edition, it'll probably just start with all these more thematic ideas right out of the gate.
I haven't bought Pandemic yet, should I buy this one instead? It seems a bit more interesting
I’m happy to announce the second printing lacks the game’s title being printed right there on the board. Good god is that a quick way to ruin the look of a map.
Still holding out for a Pandemic board game with good components, not pawns and cubes. Love the look of Pandemic Cthulhu, unfortunately my gaming group prefers less gruesome themes :(
Question for the Pandemic veterans out there: As someone who has never owned a Pandemic game, would it be OK to jump right to 'Cthulhu' or 'Iberia'? Or are they too much of a goofy tangent to represent a proper Pandemic experience?
I think any version of Pandemic, except maybe Legacy, is something you can just jump into. Cthulhu and Iberia add some mechanisms, but I think they still remain light enough to be gateway games.
If you're looking to purchase a Pandemic game, purchase the theme you're most interested in.
- Pandemic - Cure and treat 4 diseases in a modern setting
- Iberia - Research 4 disease in a historical setting
- Cthulhu - Stop the old ones
Other factors to take into account:
- Pandemic has three expansions that offer a wide variety of gameplay. In fact, I would say if you enjoy regular Pandemic that the On the Brink expansion is a "must own".
- Iberia is a limited release. Once all the copies have been sold, you'll have to find copies second-hand.
Last, if you're looking for something a little heavier, then I highly recommend Pandemic: Legacy. You can, pretty much, play base Pandemic as many times as you'd like until you're familiar with the game. Provided you don't destroy base components while playing the Legacy part of the game, you would have something very similar to the complete standard Pandemic game upon completion. But, you'd also have a map that tells the story of your Legacy campaign. I think you'll be a couple roles short of what's in the standard Pandemic box, and the roles will be on player sheets rather than the cards. So, that would make incorporating expansions a little trickier.
Much appreciated! Thanks for all the excellent info. If the verdict is essentially "Pandemic is Pandemic", then I'm going to find my favorite flavor and dig in. Cheers!
Sounds like a top 20 game for Zee (top 100 at least)
I'll be interested to see as during Essen show, he said he liked Cthulhu best as it was different then Iberia/regular Pandemic...so hmmm....
Omggggg, that looks great!
so this is not an expansion but more of a spin-off or a different version of the same game with some different things to it?
hmm. 2 pandemic style games within a month?!?!? I like the thematic aspects of Pandemic Cthulhu a bit better. I like the addition of the cards that give each virus it's own flavor. Adding more would be interesting too but I believe they'll do some interesting things with Legacy season 2. Thanks for the review.
If I don't own any Pandemic games, which one should I pick? Vanilla, Iberia or Cthulhu?
I'd go with the original Pandemic for your introduction, there are some good expansions (On The Brink but ignore the bio terrorist) but if you enjoy the games concept then Iberia has been different enough to warrant buying it in it's own right.
We've really enjoyed our games of Iberia and it's going to get played a LOT, but if I was starting out, I'd still stick with the route we did... base game, then the expansions, then legacy and then Iberia.
Cthulhu Pandemic, despite being a big fan of the many tentacled friend, has left me cold.
(having said that, not sure on how limited of a supply Iberia will be, that could be a deciding factor, if it's got a limited run then it's such a good game I'd not risk missing out on it)
Thanks for the answer good sir!
Zee reviewing a Pandemic game? Better check the dictionary, it probably just got emptied of superlatives !!
Pandemic following steps of Love Letter? :D Well, this version looks great (better than Cthulhu based). I wonder if they would be able to come up with something similar, but still different enough in the future. And everyone knows which continent could provide a lot of thematic cues..
Looks the same. Big deal you travel by rail instead of air. That last variant is the same idea as virulent strain. Nothing new to warrant a special purchase if you own the original + expansions (which have far more options combined.)
Yep, same old thing. The pandemic lovers will jump up and down with excitement. Even though the sea movement makes no sense.
The rules differences make this a different enough variant imo. Have you even watched the video?
webs1 I watched it. Its like Ticket to ride USA v Ticket to ride Europe. Same old crap
It's more like Ticket to Ride USA v UK. More and more impactful changes. Like, every one of the new mechanics you didn't mention is way more a change in the game than the one you did mention.
I just need to say the Theme did NOT change. The setting did. The theme is fighting disease, which you do in both Iberia and the original Pandemic.
This is a replacement for pandemic in my opinion if i got this game i don't think id touch pandemic again LOL.
thanks for the review buddy
I'm 1000th like
Kind of curious why you "need more iberia in your life" LOL
Seems like an unneeded version.