If you like Pandemic, then try...

This is a new column we hope to run fairly often, which compares similar games to each other.  If you like one of the games, hopefully you'll like others on the list!  Ideally we hope to add these similar games to the reviews as well, but for now I thought it would be fun to start a separate column.

To kick things off we'll start with Pandemic, a fun cooperative game.  If you're a fan of Pandemic, here are five other games we think you might like:

1.  Flash Point: very similar to Pandemic, but with a bit more added.  The theme of this game is trying to put out fires in a house and save everyone within it.  It's completely cooperative, and in my opinion a bit better than Pandemic because there is more involved.  I only played once, but it seemed pretty challenging as well.

2.  Forbidden Island: The same makers of Pandemic, the game play here feels very similar.  One nice thing is that it plays well with 2 players, making it a fun game if you're a couple or just have one close friend or sibling to play with.  Like Pandemic, there are different difficulty levels, the hardest of which can be quite intense.

3.  Lord of the Rings:  A bit more complex than Pandemic, Lord of the Rings is probably one of the most challenging purely cooperative games we've tried.  It's a ton of fun though.  Like Pandemic, everyone takes a turn but they are all working toward the same goal.  This game also has the rule that you can't share what cards are in your hand, fixing a problem we had with Pandemic.

4.  Red November: Though it's not Jason's favorite, Red November is also a decent cooperative game you might enjoy if you like Pandemic.  Everyone is working together to save a sinking submarine.  It has a similar feel to Pandemic in that it will never feel like you're very close to winning until you actually do - every game seems to come down to the wire.  Plus, Red November can hold up to 8 players - though keep in mind that if you use that many, the game can last for quite a long time (over 2 hours sometimes).

5.  Shadows over Camelot:  It's not completely 100% cooperative, but it's a fantastic game so I have to mention Shadows over Camelot.  For the most part you are working together against the forces of evil, though there is a possibility of a traitor.  You can choose not to play with the traitor to make it purely cooperative, though it tends to be a lot less challenging that way for advanced players.

Pandemic

Pandemic is a cooperative board game in which you are trying to rid the world of several killer viruses.  Your goal is to cure each virus by collecting 5 cards of the same color.  Each turn players will get the chance to move around and fight the disease, cure it, or trade cards.  However, they must also infect several more countries at the end of each turn.  Players much strategize together in order to be victorious.  They are also each assigned a character with a special ability to aid them in their goal.

2-4 players.  Expansion Available (On the Brink).  Approximately 60 minutes.  Easy-Medium learning curve.

Becky says:
I really enjoy cooperative games, so Pandemic gets points for that.  However, it’s definitely not my favorite out of all of the cooperative games we’ve played for a few reasons.  The first is that the game kind of lends itself to one person “taking over” and directing everyone else, rather than allowing individual players to make their own decisions.  This may also be a result of the type of people we sometimes play with, and if new people are slowing the game down.  The other thing I don’t really care for is the fact that the game can end really quickly if you draw the wrong combination of cards. 

But on to the positives!  I really like the fact that there are three different ways to lose the game – if you run out of cubes of one color, if 8 outbreaks occur, or if you run out of resource cards.  Of course I don’t like losing, but I feel like that really keeps you on your toes and makes you strategize in more ways than one.  I enjoy the different roles that you can be – the medic is definitely my favorite.  And when you really get into the game, it often comes down to just a few moves that are the difference between winning and losing.  That’s really exciting and full of suspense, a feeling I love when playing games.  Another really nice thing about Pandemic is that it is relatively easy to learn, so it’s a good “gateway game” if you want to introduce people to this sort of strategy game.  7.5 out of 10.

Jason says:

I think cooperative games are my favorite kind, so I was already partial to Pandemic going in.  That said, the game still stands on its own merit, being a fiercely difficult but satisfying experience.  The gameplay is logical and the “right” move can often be reasoned out, though “right” is hardly ever obvious.  There is a small but influential bit of chance, which I think is a good proportion (too often, games either have too much chance and you have no control, or too little chance and the game is nothing more than a process).  Pandemic is logic with enough uncertainty that it feels like the meeting of a board or an action committee where they lay out their options, discuss the ramifications, and agree to meet again next turn.  Almost a simulation, but the difference between Pandemic and a meeting is that Pandemic is fun, and action committees, not so much.

My biggest gripe with the game is the participation problem.  It’s easy for first-time players or introverted people to be lost in the waves of discussion.  They might think that other people are getting it, so they don’t need to contribute.  But contributing to the discussions is the bulk of the game, so that person ends up feeling like a placeholder, a potted plant with cards.  Then again, the game suggests two ways of play: you can show your cards to everybody, or you can’t but you’re allowed to say what you have.  At first we thought that not showing cards was silly, but since we’ve played more, I think that hiding your cards encourages you to speak more, thus encouraging you to contribute.

Ultimately, I think I’ll give it a 9.1/13, or for the less mathematically inclined, 7/10.  It encourages highly logical thinking and can get pretty intense, but the participation issue does turn some people off to the game.  There is an expansion, which I think improves the game.  Eventually we may do a review of the expansion, which I have no doubt will have a higher score from me.