The designer of Wrath of the Lich King tells us his favourite game

I have an odd history with Pandemic. It served as one of the four horsemen of my entry into the hobby (the others being Catan, Arkham Horror, and Shadows Over Camelot). Like many people, I was surprised and delighted by complex tabletop (and especially cooperative) gaming, a hobby that that has had a huge impact on my life, both personally and professionally.

Unfortunately, I played so much of the first edition of Pandemic that I was effectively ‘over it’ by the middle of 2009. Even as I started and progressed my career in the industry, I haughtily ignored Pandemic for years until I transferred from Fantasy Flight Games to Z-Man Games. Settling into that new environment, it became clear very quickly that I would have to get over my ‘being over’ Pandemic.

This didn’t prove as challenging as I expected. One of my first acts as part of the Z-Man crew was to binge Pandemic Legacy: Season One over the course of four days. This was to prepare for a visit from the designers (Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau) to discuss the subsequent seasons. It was exhausting, intense, and still very much ‘work’ – but also incredibly fun and thrilling. I count it among one of the best experiences I’ve had both as a gamer and creative professional.

Unsurprisingly, in my years at Z-Man I spent a considerable amount of time working on Pandemic-related ‘stuff’ I had to examine and dissect it as a design and brand from every angle. I managed and developed several Pandemic projects, working with some of the coolest, friendliest, and most talented designers in the industry (Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau, again). I even designed and developed several offshoot prototypes, and eventually one of them saw the light of day (Wrath of the Lich King).

Through all of this, it was impossible not to develop a deep respect and even fondness for Pandemic.

Its mechanisms have every hallmark of a true classic. You are asked to learn and perform very simple tasks (move your pawn, remove cubes, collect sets of matching colours). However, its decision-making scales upward in a way that pushes you to consider carefully, find small or large optimizations, and occasionally take a few risks. In addition, Pandemic meshes design with theme very cleanly, using barely a shred of flavour text. Your actions, the threats, the consequences all make sense, even though it’s essentially pushing pawns and cubes on a world map.

Its scalable simplicity allows it to easily shift themes, which is why it functions so well when adapted to other genres and IPs. Not just the Pandemic System offshoots, but dozens of other cooperative games that stood upon Pandemic’s shoulders, creating incredible experiences from its influence.

Finally, I respect how it presents its subject matter, tying it into the nature of ‘cooperation’ itself. Disease is a grim subject matter, and the game could easily present itself as alarming, unsettling, or gruesome. Instead, it focuses on what really matters in a crisis: coming together, solving problems, and the satisfaction of cooperative triumph. 

Looking for more?

This review came from Tabletop Gaming Magazine, which is home to all of the latest and greatest tabletop goodness. Whether you're a board gamer, card gamer, wargamer, RPG player or all of the above, find your copy here.

Get your magazine here

Read More... 

If you want to read more about one of the most hotly anticipated games of the year, check out our interview with Cole Wehrle on ARCS! A new game from the designer of Root and Oath, and we've got all you need to know.

To infinity and beyond

Join us in person

We can't wait for Tabletop Gaming Live 2022! An epic weekend in Manchester full of board games, card games, roleplaying games, wargames and more, with amazing exhibitors, great games, and an opportunity to game together in person.

See you there!

Treat Yourself! 

Have you visited our game store? We have everything from mystery boxes, to games and accessories – including the above Power Rangers: Heroes of the Grid, with a great discount! Head over to find your new favourite game.

Visit the Game Store

Sometimes we may include links to online retailers, from which we might receive a commission if you make a purchase. Affiliate links do not influence editorial coverage and will only be used when covering relevant products