FTW Staff Picks - Pandemic Legacy: Season 2

For The Win Board Game Cafe's Staff Picks is a weekly series where we take a quick look at some of the staff's favourite games, old and new.

Pandemic Legacy: Season 2

Genre: Cooperative Legacy

Designer: Matt Leacock & Rob Daviau

Player Size: 2 to 4 Players

Game Length: 60 minutes

For fans of: Pandemic, Forbidden island, Seafall

The wait is finally over and the timing couldn't be any better. The temperature is dropping and it's time for some good old fashioned indoor fun. And if you've managed to finish binge watching Stranger Things 2, there's another Season 2 waiting for you. The sequel to one of our favourite games of 2015, Pandemic Legacy, brings back the game you love, with a whole new twist on how to play.

While it is distinctly labeled as Season 2, there is no actual prerequisite to play Season 1. There is some referential material, but it's done in a more wink and nod fashion as opposed to key narrative elements. Gameplay-wise, the game still mimics the foundation of the original Pandemic. But because of how a seasoned Pandemic player might approach the new game, it may actually lead to some over zealous moves. You kind of have to reprogram the way you see the game from the new viewpoint. We didn't play the prologue because we felt comfortable we would be fine, but it probably would have helped to familiarize with the new system.

Without spoiling anything beyond what you find on the back of the box, Season 2 has players embark on a journey in a post-apocalyptic Earth. Instead of cubes representing disease, they represent supplies that you need to disperse for cities to avoid incidents. To start, only a very small chunk of the map is available to explore. As you progress, you will slowly fill in your world and make discoveries. But by adding more to your world, your supplies will be spread even thinner. The exploration aspect feels similar to Seafall, another Rob Daviau project. The unraveling narrative really hooks you.

As I was watching Stranger Things 2, I couldn't help but think about how much I missed the cast. And as I play Pandemic Legacy: Season 2, I couldn't help but think about how much I really love the Pandemic universe and its many games. I really disliked Seafall and it put a very sour taste in my mouth when it came to Legacy projects. But Season 2 has definitely been worth the wait. I didn't think it was possible after the many expansions and spinoffs, but they found yet another way to breathe life into a familiar formula. Of all the variations I've played of Pandemic, Season 2 might just be favourite. If you were on the edge, stop debating, go out and get it. You won't regret it.