Much of the world has been shut down by a recently discovered virus. Governments are scrambling to catch up. Companies are shutting down. Millions of people are getting sick — and the death toll is rising.
Sound like an interesting premise for a board game?
It’s not — it’s life as I write this article. The novel coronavirus pandemic has hit the world at full speed, and no one knows when it’s going to let up.
Most of the world has been encouraged to stay home and to exercise caution as our society gradually reopens. That’s the best thing we can do right now to minimize the spread of the virus while we wait for it to burn itself out or someone to come up with some sort of vaccine.
As board gamers, though, we have another option: tackle the virus head-on. By racing around the world to hotspots. Researching and deploying cures. Delivering supplies and help where they’re needed. On the table, of course.
You have already guessed that I’m talking about Pandemic. Even though it’s only 12 years old, it has quickly become a modern classic and developed a huge following. It has spawned a range of follow-ups, both standalone editions and expansions.
Do you want to do something more than following a stay-at-home order? Pandemic is your chance. It’s a perfect time to play a co-op game about saving the world.
Pandemic
2008 | 2—4 players | 45 minutes
This story is from the Summer 2020 edition of Casual Game Insider.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Summer 2020 edition of Casual Game Insider.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Fun Is No Mystery with: Scorpion masqué
Scorpion Masqué is a Montreal-based board game publisher founded in 2006 by former literature teacher and game enthusiast Christian Lemay
PAGE TURNERS: Games Unfurl Their Majestic Pages
Have you picked up a good book lately? Perhaps you've struggled to find inspirational reading material
Josh Cappel: A Man of Many Hats
The name Josh Cappel is synonymous with variety. If you have a shelf of board games, it's likely that at least one of them has been touched by Cappel
THE KULTURE OF GAMES:
How Board Games Continue to Reflect Growing & Emergent Communities
Project Not All Puzzles Are Created Equal
When sitting down to learn Project L, it may not seem to be a tabletop game at all, but rather the classic video game Tetris. After all, square-shaped board puzzles are acquired and players must fit various polyomino pieces into the recessed spaces of the puzzles.
THE HAUNTED MANSION.. CALL OF THE SPIRITS
Venture into a haunted mansion full of ghosts, ghouls, and spooks! If you dare...
THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW GAME
Bakers: ready your decks, prepare the ingredients, and get baking!
DANDELIONS
Float on the wind, spread your dandelion seeds, and flower across the gardens in this elegantly simple mixture of area control and dice.
TIC-TAC-TOE EVOLVED: THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOUR CORNERS
Inspiration can strike in the unlikeliest of places. was sitting at an airport gate, waiting for my plane,” begins Ray Wehrs, and was mesmerized watching these kids next to me play games of Tic-Tac-Toe over and over again.” Wehrs watched as they stalemated numerous times and set right back up to do it again. In that moment, started thinking about how could make the game better.”
Kabuto Sumo is Major Fun!
If you listen closely, you can hear it...KLONK!