Pandemic: Survival (Round 2)

[Xalxe]

Pandemic: Survival

A game by Matt Leacock
Presented by Xalxe

Overview

Pandemic Survival is an “extreme” version of Pandemic where teams of 2 will face each other in an epic battle to save the world. Their goal: to be the first team to find all four cures, or to be the last team still alive at the end of the game.

In this tournament-style version of the game, all teams will face the same problems: their player cards will all be placed in the same order before the game; the infected cities are the same for everyone; the Epidemics strike at the same time for all teams; every team has the same role cards. The only difference is the decisions they will make! Their strategic choices will lead each team in different directions, and one strategy will pay off in the end and lead to victory.

Game Rules

READ THE FULL RULES

A brief overview of basic turn mechanics is below. This will get you started, but I recommend reading the rulebook for further details if you're not familiar with the game.

On your turn, you have 4 actions, which may be any combination of the following:

Movement Actions

• Drive/Ferry
  - Move to a city connected by a white line to the one you are in.
  
• Direct Flight
  - Discard a City card to move to the city named on the card.
  
• Charter Flight
  - Discard the City card that
  matches
  the city you are in to move to
  any
  city.
  
• Shuttle Flight
  - Move from a city with a research station to any other city that has a research station.

Other Actions

• Build a Research Station
  - Discard the City card that matches the city you are in to place a research station there. Take the research station from the pile next to the board. If all 6 research stations have been built, take a research station from anywhere on the board.
  
• Treat Disease
  - Remove 1 disease cube from the city you are in, placing it in the cube supply next to the board. If this disease color has been cured (see Discover a Cure below), remove all cubes of that color from the city you are in.
  If the last cube of a cured disease is removed from the board, this disease is eradicated.
  
• Share Knowledge
  - You can do this action in two ways:
  
  give
  the City card that matches the city you are in to another player, or
  
  take
  the City card that matches the city you are in from another player.
  The other player must also be in the city with you. Both of you need to agree to do this.
  If the player who gets the card now has more than 7 cards, that player must immediately discard a card or play an Event card.
  
• Discover a Cure
  - At
  any
  research station, discard 5 City cards
  of the same color
  from your hand to cure the disease of that color. Move the disease’s cure marker to its Cure Indicator.
  If no cubes of this color are on the board, this disease is now eradicated.

After a player performs 4 actions, they do the following:

1. Draw 2 cards from the Player Deck, resolving any Epidemics and discarding if they have more than 7 cards in their hand after drawing.
   
2. Draw cards from the Infection Deck equal to the Infection Rate.

How to Lose

A team is considered to have lost the game if any of the following happen:

• Their team runs out of disease cubes of any one color.
  
• Their team suffers eight Outbreaks.
  
• Their team's Player Deck runs out of cards.

How to Win

The winner of the Pandemic: Survival challenge shall be determined in one of two ways:

• The first team to cure (not necessarily eradicate) all 4 diseases will be declared the winner.
  
• Should no team cure all 4 diseases, the last team standing will be declared the winner.

Difficulty & Changes

There will be 5 Epidemics in the Player Deck. The Infection Rate marker will start on the first space of the track.

In order to work with the Survival challenge, the Event and Role cards from the On the Brink expansion have been added to the pool of possible events, and all Events affecting the Infection deck have been removed, as all teams are playing from the same Infection Deck. Four of the following Events will be randomly shuffled into the Player deck:

Spoiler: Possible Events

New Assignment
Remote Treatment
Rapid Vaccine Deployment
Government Grant
Re-Examined Research
Borrowed Time
Airlift
Mobile Hospital
Special Orders

The following Roles are available to be dealt to players:

Spoiler: Possible Roles

Epidemiologist
Generalist
Field Operative
Dispatcher
Operations Expert
Contingency Planner
Containment Specialist
Archivist
Troubleshooter
Quarantine Specialist
Researcher
Scientist
Medic

Wheaton's Law

Don't be a dick.

[Xalxe]

Signups

Signups will last until 24 hours have passed since the most recent signup. You may signup as an individual or a team. You may choose to team up with any player who has already joined by using your words and asking them to be your teammate. At close of signups, all unpaired players will be randomly paired up. If there is an odd number of players, the most recent signup will not be added to a team.

Forum Rules

• Each team will be given a Private Topic to take their actions in. Please use this area to discuss your plans as well, no private communication other than this is necessary, though you may talk elsewhere if it's easier for you.
  
• Player turns will begin with a deadline of 72 hours for each player. The first four epidemics will subtract 5 hours from deadlines, while the last will subtract only 4, so after 5 epidemics, you will have 48 hours to make your actions.
  
• The progress of other teams will be kept secret. You may banter in the main thread, but you will not be informed of how other teams are doing until all teams have finished their challenge.
  
• Draws from both the Player and Infection Deck will be done in the main thread, but updates on outbreaks and such will occur in your individual threads.

Players

Teams

-

BI0CON

: Fluminator & Zulfy
-

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

: xofelf & ForWhomTheJellyRolls
-

Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)

: inspiratieloos &

KuroiXHF

heuristically_alone
-

Indian Health Service (IHS)

: Cheery Dog & Bogre
-

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

: Papa Zito & lillith2013
-

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

: Ircher & animorpherv1
-

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

: TehBrawlGuy & Gammagooey
-

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS)

: Cephrir & Elekitu

[Xalxe]

(players are encouraged to name their teams, once they exist)

[Xalxe]

Is this going to be like Tetris battle where we can send pathogens to other maps.

Maybe in the second iteration

[Xalxe]

We're up to 5 potential teams, what fun!

[Xalxe]

Ah, forgot to write: tiebreaker in that instance would be most diseases cured > most diseases eradicated > first to cure a disease > joint win

[Xalxe]

Ah, forgot to write: tiebreaker in that instance would be most diseases cured > most diseases eradicated > first to cure a disease > joint win

[Xalxe]

/in for a second spot.

Mmmmmmm no

[Xalxe]

If there are no further signups by the time I get up tomorrow, the game will be set up...tomorrow. Probably in the morning but I make no promises.

[Xalxe]

Players

Teams

-

BI0CON

: Fluminator & Zulfy
-

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

: xofelf & ForWhomTheJellyRolls
-

Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)

: inspiratieloos & KuroiXHF
-

Indian Health Service (IHS)

: Cheery Dog & Bogre
-

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

: Papa Zito & lillith2013
-

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

: Ircher & animorpherv1
-

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

: TehBrawlGuy & Gammagooey
-

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS)

: Cephrir & Elekitu

Teams are more than free to change their team names if they so desire.

[Xalxe]

Starting Board

Above is the board as it starts for all players. This is the last time the board will be posted in this thread until the game is over.

The two roles dealt to each team are:

Dispatcher (Pink)

- Move your fellow players' pawns on your turn as if they were your own.
- Move any pawn to another city containing a pawn for 1 action.

Containment Specialist (Tan)

When you enter a city with 2 or more cubes of the same color, remove 1 cube.

I will be creating the Private Topics now, once everyone has one I will set the first deadline.

[Xalxe]

Private Topics created, I will PM you with the links momentarily! Each team begins with the

Dispatcher

's turn. You have 72 hours to decide your first moves.

Deadline

(expired on 2016-05-25 08:04:41)

[Xalxe]

If you want you/I can track down a temporary replacement for that period.

(why are you rabbling ani)

[Xalxe]

Players can also submit for their partners in the event of V/LA, but if it's happening consistently then a replacement will be sought.

[Xalxe]

I'll make a Spectator topic in a bit, PM/post if you want in.

[Xalxe]

Um.. I never got a link to a PT?

well if you spelled your NAME right you'd get it!

(I thought you had two Ls SORRY)

[Xalxe]

Too lazy to PM, so, Spectator Thread (obviously non-spectators won't be able to see shit)

[Xalxe]

You got it dudes

[Xalxe]

Also, players, a reminder that you've got about 36 hours left for your first actions if you haven't taken them already!

[Xalxe]

Deadline's up, update this afternoon. If you haven't submitted now would be an excellent time to do so.

[Xalxe]

The

Dispatcher

's turn has ended. The following cards are drawn and added to the

Dispatcher

's hand.

Player Cards

Cairo

Mexico City

If you have more than 7 cards, you must discard before taking your turn.

The Infection Rate is currently 2, so 2 Infection cards are drawn. One cube has been added to each of the following cities.

Infection Cards

Istanbul

Washington

It is now the

Containment Specialist

's turn. Team updates will be posted shortly in your threads.

Deadline

(expired on 2016-05-28 12:51:21)

[Xalxe]

Xalxe, we can use cards between drawing the infection deck and adding the cubes to the board, yeah?

If you tell me that you're going to do that beforehand (say, provide a conditional "if an epidemic comes up we're using the Remote Treatment on cubes in X and Y), then sure. That's the only way I can really do that fairly, you couldn't say after I announce the cards drawn "oh we would have used the card on that city that just had an outbreak."

In reference to Action Cards.

[Xalxe]

We are in need of a replacement for KuroiXHF; please PM me!

[Xalxe]

Oh hush

[Xalxe]

We are in need of a replacement for KuroiXHF; please PM me!

heuristically_alone replaces KuroiXHF!

[Xalxe]

Don't forget to lock your actions in!

[Xalxe]

Hello naughty children it's update time. One team didn't submit! Hope they like doing nothing at all.

The

Containment Specialist

's turn has ended. The following cards are drawn and added to the

Containment Specialist

's hand.

Player Cards

Los Angeles

EPIDEMIC

If you have more than 7 cards, you must discard before taking your turn.

An Epidemic has been drawn!

Epidemic

Step 1: Increase

The Infection Rate has moved to the second spot on the track. The Infection Rate is still 2.

Step 2: Infect

A card is drawn from the bottom of the Infection Deck and 3 cubes of its color are placed on it.

Buenos Aires

is drawn and infected.

Step 3: Intensify

All cards in the Infection Discard are shuffled and placed on top of the deck.

The Infection Rate is currently 2, so 2 Infection cards are drawn. One cube has been added to each of the following cities.

Infection Cards

Riyadh

Washington

It is now the

Dispatcher

's turn. Team updates will be posted shortly in your threads. Some of you may be seeing an Outbreak in Riyadh. Good luck!

Deadline

(expired on 2016-06-01 06:49:43)

[Xalxe]

Done.

[Xalxe]

The same way Milan is up in Eastern Europe instead of in Italy where it belongs. This map is in no world geographically accurate. Kids, please don't study for your AP Geo tests with board games, it won't end well!

[Xalxe]

16 hours left! Get your moves in!

[Xalxe]

It works.

[Xalxe]

The

Dispatcher

's turn has ended. The following cards are drawn and added to the

Dispatcher

's hand.

Player Cards

Sydney

Milan

If you have more than 7 cards, you must discard before your partner takes their turn.

The Infection Rate is currently 2, so 2 Infection cards are drawn. One cube has been added to each of the following cities.

Infection Cards

Dehli

Beijing

It is now the

Containment Specialist

's turn. Team updates will be posted shortly in your threads.

Deadline

(expired on 2016-06-04 08:51:55)

[Xalxe]

My instinctive reaction is that you'd still only remove one cube, but I'll check the rulebook later to see if it says anything about it.

[Xalxe]

The 'you may remove 3 cubes instead of 1' thing is a specific effect of the 'treat disease' action, the only role that changes with a cured disease is the Medic role which specifically notes that it works differently when the disease has been cured.

inspiratieloos is Wise and Should Be Feared

[Xalxe]

Also there are about 24 hours left in the round and I have 2/? actions.

[Xalxe]

Am at parents', sorry, updates this evening

[Xalxe]

The

Containment Specialist

's turn has ended. The following cards are drawn and added to the

Containment Specialist

's hand.

Player Cards

Bogota

Karachi

If you have more than 7 cards, you must discard before your partner takes their turn.

The Infection Rate is currently 2, so 2 Infection cards are drawn. One cube has been added to each of the following cities.

Infection Cards

Bangkok

Jakarta

It is now the

Dispatcher

's turn. Team updates will be posted shortly in your threads.

Deadline

(expired on 2016-06-10 10:21:43)

[Xalxe]

Also I will be at the SurvivorMeet this weekend; I'm taking my files with me and I will do my best to update at deadline. This will be easier if my ass gets voted out early.

[Xalxe]

Half the round's gone!