In this game, your main aim is to eliminate the new pandemic you accidentally created. Two players will be randomly selected to be the first ones who have contracted the disease. The main goal for every player is to eliminate the disease, or, failing that, to not be a carrier at the end of the game. (Caveat: There is an alternative goal, for the two initial carriers. For more information, see the Victory Conditions section, below.)
- At the start of the game, two players will be selected to be the initial carriers. Every player will be notified whether they are infected, or healthy.
- At any time, a player can occupy one of the four testing rooms, by announcing
- At any time, a player can request contact with another player by announcing
- For a list of the results for contact, see the Contact section, below.
- Any player can use one of the doses of the cure they have, to cure themselves, by announcing
- After one week, the number of players currently infected will be announced and we will have a break of two days. Subsequently, we will have a second round of one week, and then the game will end. However, if at the end of the first week everyone is healthy, or everyone is infected, the second round will not be played, and the game will end.
- At the end of the game (after one week or two, depending on the results), three players will be selected as winners, based on everyone's performance, and will receive a special bonus in the next game. Additionally, one player will be eliminated. The amount in their account will be recorded as their final score, and, if positive, divided between the remaining players. For more information on how this selection will be made, see the Victory Conditions section, below.
- All private communication is allowed at all times, except when in a testing room. In-thread communication is allowed at all times.
- When two players make contact, the result depends on the current conditions of the two players.
- If both players are infected, the contact has no effect.
- If both players are healthy, they each receive one dose of the cure. This can only be done once per pair of players. Subsequent attempts will fail to create any more doses.
- If one player is infected and one is healthy, the healthy player becomes infected. Additionally, if the healthy player had at least one dose of the cure, one dose is used, and the originally infected player is now cured.
- The winners and loser will be selected, depending on the following scenarios:
Scenario 1: At the end of the game all players are healthy
- The player with the most doses of the cure remaining will be the first winner. Of the remaining players, the player who made the largest number of healthy-healthy contacts will be the second winner. Of the remaining players, the player who cured the most players in healthy-infected contacts will be the third winner.
- Of the remaining players, the player with the smallest number of remaining doses of the cure will be the loser.
Scenario 2: At the end of the game some players are healthy, and some are infected.
- The healthy player with the most doses of the cure remaining will be the first winner. Of the remaining players, the player who made the largest number of healthy-healthy contacts will be the second winner. Of the remaining players, the player who cured the most players in healthy-infected contacts will be the third winner. For the second and third winner, only healthy players will be considered, unless all healthy players have already been selected as winners.
- Of the remaining infected players, the player who has been infected the longest will be the loser.
Scenario 3: At the end of the game all players are infected.
- The two players who started out infected are selected as joint first winners. Additionally, of the remaining players, the one who has been infected the longest, will be the third winner.
- Of the remaining players, the player who made the largest number of contacts will be the loser.
In all above scenarios, ties will be broken based on the amount in each player's account. That is, if a tie arises, the player with the highest amount will be selected as a winner, over the players with lower amounts, or the player with the lowest amount will be selected as a loser, over the players with higher amounts. The previous sentence makes sense.
- Each player receives $10,000 for each dose of the cure received from healthy-healthy contacts. This occurs during the game; not at the end.
- At the end of the game, every player receives $25,000 for each dose of the cure they still have. Infected players who are not selected as winners will pay a $50,000 penalty.
- If the game ends with Scenario 1 or Scenario 2, the first winner receives a bonus of $50,000, the second winner receives a bonus of $30,000, and the third winner receives a bonus of $10,000.
- If the game ends with Scenario 3, the joint first winners each receive $100,000. The third winner receives $25,000. Furthermore, all three winners receive an additional $10,000 for every other player they personally infected.
Edit: Contact section was edited for clarity.