How to Play

Pandemic: The Cure

2-5 players 30-30 min 7.2 Board Game Geek Rating

In this cooperative dice game, players work as a medical team to cure four deadly diseases threatening global population centers. Each turn, players roll dice to determine available actions like traveling, treating infections, or researching cures. Different roles offer unique abilities and specialized dice. Victory requires discovering all four cures before outbreaks overwhelm the world.

Published 2014

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Place the Research Center

Put the Research Center in the middle of the table

Arrange region tokens

Place the 6 region tokens around the Research Center clockwise, numbered 1 to 6

Set infection rate marker

Insert the syringe into the first space of the NORMAL level on the infection rate scale (use EASY level for first cooperative game)

Set outbreak marker

Insert the syringe into the space marked with the symbol on the disease spread scale

Prepare infection dice

Place all 48 infection dice into the bag and mix them

Initial infection roll

Draw 12 infection dice blindly from the bag and roll them; re-roll any dice showing crosses until all show numbers

Place initial infections

Put all dice in their corresponding regions (dice showing 1 go to region 1, dice showing 2 go to region 2, etc.)

Handle overflow

If any region has more than 3 dice of one color, re-roll the excess dice until no region has more than 3 dice of the same color

Place CDC token

Put the CDC token and the curable diseases card next to the region cards

Prepare event cards

Shuffle event cards face-down, place in a stack next to CDC, then draw the top 3 cards and place them face-up beside CDC

Distribute characters

Shuffle character cards and deal one to each player; give each player the matching pawn and dice in their character's color

Return unused components

Put unused character cards, pawns, and player dice back in the box

Position player pawns

All players place their pawns in region 1 (North America)

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Roll player dice

Roll all your player dice at the start of your turn; each die shows either an action symbol or a biohazard symbol

Execute actions

Use dice showing action symbols to perform actions; you may re-roll any die until you get a desired action or biohazard

Lock used dice

After performing an action with a die, set it aside; you cannot re-roll or reuse it this turn

Fly action

Move your pawn from your current region to any other region

Sail action

Move your pawn from your current region to an adjacent region

Treat action

Move 1 infection die from your region to inside the Research Center, OR move 1 infection die from the Research Center to the bag

Collect samples action

Take one infection die from the Research Center (of a disease not yet cured) and place it with your "collect samples" die on your character card

Handle biohazard results

Immediately move the infection rate syringe forward one space for each biohazard rolled, then set those dice aside

Trigger epidemic

When the infection rate syringe reaches or passes a marked space, an epidemic occurs

Disease spread

When a region has more than 3 dice of one color, that disease spreads

Pass samples

After completing all dice actions, you may give all samples of one color from your card to another player in the same region

Attempt to discover cure

Roll all sample dice of one color from your character card

Infect regions

Draw dice from the bag equal to the current infection level and roll them

Use event cards

Any player may spend infection dice from CDC (returning them to the bag) to activate an event card at almost any time

Winning

How to claim victory.

Victory condition

All players win immediately when cures for all four diseases are discovered

Defeat by time

All players lose immediately if the infection rate syringe reaches the end of the infection rate scale

Defeat by outbreaks

All players lose immediately if the outbreak syringe reaches the 8th space on the disease spread scale

Defeat by infection

All players lose immediately if there are not enough dice in the bag to draw during the infect regions phase

Check bag contents

Players may look in the bag at any time to count remaining dice

Pandemic: The Cure

Get Ready

On Your Turn

Winning

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