Can’t Wait: Pandemic Legacy!

The game that’s now at the top of my Want List is Pandemic Legacy!

It’s been talked about for a long time and now it’s a reality!

Pandemic Legacy was released at Spiel Essen 2015 is now available for purchase. If you too have been waiting it’s release, it’s time to grab a copy.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then read on…

 

What is Pandemic Legacy?

Before I dive into the answer to that question, it’s best if I let you know what Pandemic is.

Pandemic is a the poster-child for cooperative board games. Whenever anyone mentions a cooperative board game, Pandemic comes to mind. While it wasn’t the first cooperative board game published, it has definitely been the most popular.

In Pandemic players work together to find cures to diseases that are spreading across the world. Each player has a unique role with special abilities and only through a joint effort will players beat the game.

If you’d like to know more details, check out our full review of Pandemic (it was one of the first games we ever reviewed).

What’s “Legacy”? 

A couple years ago, Risk Legacy was published and took the board game industry by storm as such an innovative game.

It’s not that Risk itself is an innovative game (and by no means a new game). But what was unique about Risk Legacy is that players created their own permanent changes to the game itself.

Right from the start, players are faced with a decision of a special ability for their faction. One is chosen and the other is torn up and thrown away. So right from the get-go, every game of Risk Legacy is permanently different from others. And that method continues to play out through many plays of the game.

When players trigger certain events in the game, new elements are permanently introduced to the game.

While I was skeptical at first, after buying a copy of Risk Legacy for our family and playing it with my boys, I am now a big fan. It’s been a ton of fun watching our game of Risk Legacy evolve as we play. What an experience!

So now that Pandemic Legacy is a reality, I can’t wait to get a copy and enjoy the full experience.

But the cool thing about Pandemic Legacy is that my whole family likes Pandemic and will be able to join in the fun. With Risk Legacy, it was just me and the boys. But with Pandemic Legacy, mom’s going to be a part of the fun as well!

Still not sure?

Here’s a short description of the game:

Pandemic Legacy starts what will be one of the worst years in human history. Whether it is the worst year is up to the players, who must band together to save the world. Unlike in Pandemic, actions taken in one game of Pandemic Legacy affect all future games. Characters will change. Some may be lost. Heroes will emerge. And, of course, there are the diseases, which start under control, but soon…

Can you save humanity? Can your team make it through the year? Can your team face month after month of surprises, setbacks, and fleeting victories? Will you be ready for the challenges that await in Pandemic Legacy?

Doesn’t that just sound so awesome!!

Another cool thing: There even looks to be a teaser on the box. Notice the “Season 1” under the game title? We’re not sure what that means, but it’s another thing I’m excited to find out more about while playing the game.

I’ve listened in on early reviews of Pandemic Legacy and I don’t think we’ll be disappointed.

I’m sure once we get a copy of Pandemic Legacy we’ll get our review posted pretty soon after.

 

Other exciting games coming

We hear about multiple board game Kickstarter campaigns on a daily basis. It’s amazing how many board game and card games are making their way to market by going the crowdfunding route to get published.

Every once in a while we’ve written about games that we find particularly interesting so you, our readers, can be aware of them too.

Today we’d like to highlight 2 board game projects that look really cool.

 

Boogie Dice

Here’s the description from the designers: “Boogie Dice are the world’s first self-rolling, sound activated, programmable, gaming dice. Clap your hands, snap yours fingers or bang the table, and they will start to Boogie.”

Sure I’m a bit skeptical when it comes to automated rolling dice. After all, is putting dice in your hand and rolling them such a chore that it needs to be automated?

No. But that’s not the point.

Boogie Dice may be a bit gimmicky, but they sure look like a very fun gimmick to play with!

Boogie Dice can replace any regular dice in your games. But that’s not all.

Boogie Dice are also to be used in Bots Battleground – a fast-paced, real-time card game that was designed specifically to utilize the novel properties of Boogie Dice.

For more information and photos, check out the Boogie Dice Kickstarter.

 

Scythe

The other Kickstarter campaign that has me (dad) excited is Scythe by Stonemaier Games.

Not only do I think it looks like an epic and fun game, but so do hundreds of others. The initial funding level to publish the game was set at $33,000. But already, only a few days into the campaign, over $840,000 has been pledged for the game!

Here’s from an email we received from Stonemaier Games:

Scythe is a competitive 4x game (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) set in an alternate-history, 1920s Eastern Europe. Scythe tells the stories of 5 unique factions competing over an unclaimed patch of land surrounding the mysterious Factory.

Every copy of Scythe includes 25 miniatures, 200+ custom wooden pieces, and 130+ pieces of original art. It plays 2-5 players in about 115 minutes. With over 750 multiplayer blind playtests and 300 solitaire blind playtests, Scythe is our most playtested game yet.

The Scythe Kickstarter campaign runs through November 5. So if you want in on the initial print run, jump on board now.

UPDATE July 2016: Our full review of Scythe is now up! Check it out!