Pandemic

If you're so goth, where were you when we sacked Rome?

I know, I used that same joke when I made the announcement post for Pandemic: Fall of Rome, but it's one of my favorites and when can I use it with such specific context associated? Anyway, Fall of Rome is the upcoming spin-off of the exceedingly popular Pandemic game. But instead of diseases or trying to keep a country above water, you're trying to save one of the greatest civilizations Western culture has had. Can you keep it going?

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If you're so goth, where were you when we ransacked Rome?

A rather silly question, to be sure (you were hanging out in the Collosseum, petting the lions), but it's one that you can live out in the new version of Pandemic that Z-Man Games has announced. Barbarian hordes are gathering outside the walls and the citizens of Rome are trapped. The garrisons are stretched thin. Will they be able to hold out or is the Fall of Rome inevitable? The new edition is available to order now.

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Hard to believe, but Pandemic has been around for 10 years. A full decade of sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy heads, and fevers. With this milestone being reached, Z-Man Games is coming out with a special 10th anniversary edition of the game. Pre-orders are being taken now, and those that are lucky will get a set of painted miniatures to go with it.

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I'm just getting over a cold. Another coworker and her kid just found out they have strep. It's not a good time. Viruses and bacteria are spreading all over. What we need is a group of public health officials to come in and clean this place up. As you all know, that's your job in Pandemic. But what group is the best at curtailing these health hazards? That's what the Pandemic Survival Series is all about. The new season just got underway and you can join in. Your own bleach wipes are not required, but recommended.

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Ok, so I was being a little facetious, saying that we were expecting a Snowpocalypse here in Atlanta, with the little bit of snow that was coming down at the time... but... yeah... we had a bit of a Snowpocalypse. That was the view from my front door last night and it was still much the same this morning. Thankfully, since then, the sun's come out and much of it is melting. But still... yeah, quite a thing. Good day to stay in and do some gaming. But what games? Well, you can find out what games are like with the Review Roundup!

This week we have: Villages of Velaria, Pandemic Legacy: Season 2, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle - Box of Monsters Expansion, Axis & Allies: Anniversary Edition, Wizards Wanted, Braintopia, NMBR9, Ticket to Ride: Germany, Planetarium, Barbarians: The Invasion, Space Race, The Captain is Dead, and Heaven & Ale.


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It's feeling a lot like Saturday 2: Sat Harder (editor's note: rework that title before publishing) here. Yesterday I spent much of the day at home, hanging out and working on my friend's Guild Ball minis. He moved recently and a bunch of his stuff got jumbled and busted up. Plus, there were some new kits he'd gotten in that he wasn't sure when he would be able to assemble them. Putting figures together is arguably my favorite part of the whole hobby, so I've offered to fix his busted minis, assemble his new ones, and even move some of his other figures over to sculpted bases he'd gotten. There's ~35 minis that are getting some kind of work on them, from assembly, to those bases, to fixes, to green-stuffing the slots. It's been a fun project. Certainly kept me busy. Plus, next time I see them on the other side of the pitch, I don't have to see a bunch of half-assembled and busted figures. :P
But I'm currently taking a break (my hand's cramping from using a pin vice all morning) to bring you those reviews I know you all so desperately desire.

This week we have: Storm Hollow, The Mysterious Forest, Pandemic Legacy Season 2, Vengeance, Gloom of Kilforth, Spoils of War, Santorini, Kerala, Mini Rails, Armageddon, By Order of the Queen, NMBR 9, Coded: Card-Time Strategy, Legend of the Five Rings, Woo-Hoo!, AquaSphere, and Cities of Splendor.


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Cold and Flu season is coming up. But on the gaming table, it's already here. Pandemic Legacy Season 2 is now available. And with how people reacted to Season 1, I can only imagine what sort of reaction this new set will garner. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if there's at least one group out there that hasn't already picked it up and did a marathon game session, akin to binge-watching a new season of a show when it comes out on Netflix.

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The thing that sets Legacy-style games apart from others is that the game will literally change each time you play. What you do in one session will have an effect on the next. Card packs will be opened. Other cards will be removed. The game board will be altered. People went crazy over this aspect of Pandemic Legacy Season 1. But what can we expect to see in the upcoming Pandemic Legacy Season 2? Well, Z-Man games gives you a bit of insight in this preview.

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It's not quite cold and flu season yet, but that just means it's time to stock up on disease-fighting knowledge. It also means to get prepped for the upcoming 2018 Pandemic Survival Series. Yes, Pandemic is usually a cooperative affair, but in this format, you're racing against another set of researchers to be the first one to cure the deadly diseases spreading across the world. I hope you're not afraid of needles.

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Floods. They're a problem that's been facing humanity essentially since the first group of huts were set too close to a rising stream. In The Netherlands, there's a whole series of levees, reservoirs, and pumping stations that keeps the country dry. Well, when those start to fail, simply sticking your finger in the dam won't be enough. Working against the flood is what you'll be doing in Pandemic: Rising Tide.

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It's early dawn here at Gen Con Day 2. I... wish I could tell you what happened to Day 1. I swear it was just here a minute ago. At least, that's how it feels. I can tell you that the hall is busy. But what would you expect from a show that's sold out? Thursday already felt like a Saturday. So it's anyone's guess as to what the rest of the show will be like.

Anyway, over on the TGN Facebook page, I've been regularly updating with galleries from the show. Here's what we had yesterday.

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Usually, I'm all like, "hey! It's Saturday! Go get your gaming on!" and, in a way, I'm still that. But I'm also, "It's the Saturday before Gen Con... ... ... I Have So Many Things I Still Need To Do!!!" A couple people have asked me, "are you ready for the show?" My answer is, "you're never 'ready' for Gen Con. You're where you are in your attempt to be ready, and then the show starts happening, whether you got all you needed done or not." But I am doing my best to have as much done as possible. That includes getting you your reviews I know you all so desperately desire.

This week we have: Nerdy Inventions, Incantris, Anachrony, Lucky Dogs, Wordsy, Deckscape: Test Time, A Dog's Life, Titan Tactics, Frantic, Have at Thee, Upon a Fable, Sopio, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Shadow War: Armageddon, Massive Darkness, Oh My Goods, Nimbee, Pandemic Legacy Season 1, and The Lost Expedition.


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It starts with a cough or a runny nose. Soon, people's organs are melting. Ok, maybe that's a bit extreme, but it's still sort of what's going on in Pandemic. People fawned all over Pandemic Legacy: Season 1. But where there's a 1, there's a 2. As such, Z-Man Games has announced Pandemic Legacy: Season 2: Leg Harder (not official name. It's just Season 2).

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Well, now that you've gone and gotten your name on the list to get your copy of the new edition of 40k, let's get down to business with the regular affairs for Saturdays. That is, the Review Roundup.

Today we have: Carcosa, Pandemic, 12 Realms, 12 Realms: Ghost Town, Legendary: Big Trouble in Little China, Imperial Settlers: Aztecs Expansion, Space Invaders: Dice, Coal Baron: The Great Card Game, Saga of the Northmen, Wettlauf nach El Dorado, Get Rich Quick, Critters Below, and Honshu.


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Having just gotten over being sick the early part of this week, posting a story about a new Pandemic game coming out just seems to book-end the event just fine. Well, this fall, Z-Man Games is coming out with Pandemic Iberia. It's going to be just a one-print-run game, so if you want to save the people of the Iberian peninsula from the ravages of horrible diseases, you'll want to get your order in. Here, Z-Man gives us a look at what new things will be in the game.

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Gen Con tends to be the big show that sees a lot of new releases for gamers here in the States. Essen is much the same thing for those of you gamers who are over in Europe. The show is rapidly approaching, and Z-Man games has posted up what sort of releases they'll have with them at the show.

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Hey there everyone,
We've made it to Saturday, so that once again means it's time for a Review Roundup. A bit lighter this week than usual. I'm sure that's due to Gen Con last weekend. I expect, though, that the next couple weeks will be pretty full of new reviews. I know several reviewers were getting copies of the new CMON games, at least.

Also: We're looking into what's up with the TGN Blogs page. We'll let you know when we find out anything.

Anyway, as for today, we've got: Battle of the Bands, Get Adler, Super Hack Override, Beneath Nexus, Legends of Andor New Heroes Expansion, Warmachine Cephalyx Mind Slaver & Drudges, Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition, Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu, Tyrants of the Underdark, Animals On Board, Farmageddon: Farm Fresh Edition, and Stellar Conflict.


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I swear this show is just screaming by this year. It's already the end of Day 3. Today will be the last day for Gen Con 2016. As usual for Gen Con Saturday, it was a whirlwind of activity. There was roaming the hall, taking photos most of the morning and early afternoon. Then there was the media event in the CMON booth. Expect a few more posts about games from that in the morning. My brain's just too fried to do much more than get you a recap of the photos I posted earlier today.

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It's cold and flu season here. You know, you get the sniffles, you grab some orange juice and maybe a swig of cough syrup, then before you know it, you're missing a couple days of work with what feels like the end of the world of sickness. Well, while you may go a little loopy from that cough syrup, it will all pass with time. In Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu, if you go insane, you might just stay insane.

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For those of us here in the Northern Hemisphere, it's cold and flu season. Already, several co-workers have come down with various illnesses that've kept them home. Personally, I've got an immune system tempered in the fires of "former janitorial supervisor at a major hospital." And no, "supervisor" doesn't mean that I didn't stick my hands into things best left unmentioned. But it's not just in the real world we have to worry about contagious diseases. The Virulent Strain has been added to Pandemic Mobile.

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Hello there, Saturday! Nice to see you could stop by. Do come in, have a seat, and make yourself at home.

I hope your Saturday is going nicely. I've got baking to do. Cookies, brownies, and maybe some other stuff. We'll see.

But that's me. As for you, it's time to get you some review articles to chew on.

Today's articles feature: Fischkrieg Space Mat Starfield, the Pandemic App, They Come Unseen, Age of Tyrants, Thunderbirds, Jaipur, Hengist, Animal Upon Animal: Crest Climbers, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Pharaoh’s Gulo Gulo, Expedition: Famous Explorers, Dragon Farkle, Ghostbusters: The Board Game, Codenames, Discworld: Ankh-Morpork, Subterfuge (iOS version), Rome: Rise to Power, Warhammer Quest the Adventure Card Game, and Automobiles.


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Hello to everyone on this cold Saturday. I hope you're having a good day. I'm cracking nuts... for that fruitcake I've been telling you all about all week. They don't use the phrase, "nutty as a fruitcake" for nothing, you know. I hope you have your own projects you're working on, be they gaming-related, culinary-related, or just whatever else you feel like doing.

What I feel like doing at the moment, though, is taking a small break from making small breaks (these are the jokes, people!) and share with you the reviews I've come across in the past week.

Today's articles feature: Black Hat, Ships, Above and Below, Traders of Osaka, The Bloody Inn, Hangtown, Rum & Bones, The World of Smog, Avarium Academy, The Builders: Antiquity, T.I.M.E. Stories, Bang! The Dice Game, Mysterium, Fury of Dracula, Pandemic Legacy, Between Two Cities, El Grandulon for Freebooters Fate, Opel Blitz by Rubicon Models, Star Wars Armada Wave 2, DreadBall Xtreme, and Pathfinder Battles: Red Dragon Evolution Set.


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Happy Halloween, everyone!
Whether you're going out to a party or staying in, celebrate the holiday with some spooky-themed gaming. At least, that'd be my suggestion.

But how do you know what will and won't be a good game? You read a review, of course! And we've got a whole new batch for you here today.

They include: Blood Rage, The King is Dead, D&D Miniatures White Dracolich Miniature,Battle Foam P.A.C.K 432 Molle Army Bag, Apocalypse Chaos, Conflict of Heroes – Awakening the Bear Second Edition, Brother Vinni Minis, The Grizzled, Pandemic Legacy, Bright Future, Nautilus Industry, Warband Board Game, Stealing Mona Lisa, The Batman Miniatures Game, Isle of Trains, and Sneaky Cards.


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Board Game Quest had themselves a little chat with Matt Leacock. They talk about the creative process that he uses and how it's changed over time, what it's like to have created a gaming phenomenon such as Pandemic is, what it's like to work on a licensed product like The Thunderbirds, and his thoughts on Legacy games. Plus, several other things. Go check it out.

From the post:
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Z-Man Games has started taking pre-orders for Pandemic Legacy. They've got two versions available, Red and Blue (but I think that's where the resemblance to Pokemon ends). In this cooperative game, players must try and keep 4 deadly diseases at bay for a whole year. You must balance between trying to simply treat areas while researching a cure. Event cards mean that things are always getting more complicated as you go along. No two games are ever the same. Each time you play, you create changes that stick with the game. If you've not played a "Legacy" style game before, it can be a bit odd to mark up or somehow change game components, but it really does create a unique gaming experience.

The game will be released October 8th.

From the announcement:
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