Pandemic Legacy Season 1 reference sheet

Overview

• Cooperative legacy game; 2–4 players campaign through 12 months [p.3 — Overview]
• Each month = one game session with unique objectives to win [p.3 — Objectives]
• Diseases spread across the board; cure all 4 to win each month [p.8 — Win or Lose]
• Permanent changes: stickers, scarred/lost characters, upgraded cities carry forward [p.3 — Characters]
• Funding Level (0–10) controls how many Event cards you add each game [p.3 — Funding]
• Lose condition: 8 outbreaks, cubes run out, or Player Deck exhausted [p.8 — Win or Lose]

Setup

1. Read Legacy Deck until STOP card; integrate new cards [p.4 — Setup]
2. Place board; put research station in Atlanta (+ any starting research station sticker cities) [p.4 — Setup]
3. Place outbreaks marker on 0; cure markers vial-side up; place current objectives [p.4 — Setup]
4. Place infection rate marker on leftmost 2; infect 9 cities (3 cards × 3 cubes, 3 × 2 cubes, 3 × 1 cube) [p.4 — Setup]
5. Choose Funded Event cards up to Funding Level; shuffle with City cards; deal hands (2P=4, 3P=3, 4P=2) [p.4 — Setup]
6. Split remaining Player cards into 5 equal piles; shuffle 1 Epidemic into each; stack (smallest at bottom) [p.4 — Setup]
7. Each player selects character and color; all pawns start together at one research station (Atlanta game 1) [p.4 — Setup]
8. Apply any win bonus from previous game; draw random pawn to determine first player [p.4 — Setup]

Turn structure

Each turn has 3 steps:

1. Do 4 actions (any combination; same action may repeat) [p.4 — Play]
2. Draw 2 Player cards (resolve Epidemic cards immediately if drawn) [p.6 — Epidemic Cards]
3. Infect cities (flip Infection cards equal to current infection rate, one at a time) [p.7 — Infections]

Actions

• Scientist needs only 4 cards to Discover a Cure [p.3 — Scientist]
• Medic removes ALL cubes of one color with Treat Disease [p.3 — Medic]

Combat

Outbreak sequence (triggered when a city with 3 cubes would receive another) [p.7 — Outbreaks]

1. Advance outbreaks marker +1
2. Place 1 cube of that color on every connected city
3. If any connected city also has 3 cubes → chain reaction outbreak (advance marker again; skip cities already hit this card)
4. Increase panic level of every outbreaking city by 1
5. Characters in an outbreaking city receive a scar

Epidemic sequence (when Epidemic card drawn) [p.6 — Epidemic Cards]

1. Increase: advance infection rate marker +1
2. Infect: draw bottom card of Infection Deck; place 3 cubes (outbreak if already at 3)
3. Intensify: reshuffle Infection Discard Pile; place on top of Infection Deck

End of game

Win: Complete the required number of objectives for the current month [p.3 — Objectives]

Lose immediately if: [p.8 — Win or Lose]

• Outbreaks marker reaches last space
• Cannot place required disease cubes (supply empty)
• Player cannot draw 2 cards after actions

After any result:

• Choose 2 Game End Upgrades (Unfunded Event, Starting Research Station, Character Upgrade, Positive Mutation) [p.8 — Game End Upgrades]
• Win → next month, Funding −2 [p.8 — If You Win]
• Lose (1st attempt) → replay same month, Funding +2; Lose (2nd attempt) → next month, Funding +2 [p.8 — If You Lose]

Glossary

• Panic Level: City status (1=Unstable, 2=Rioting, 3=Collapsing, 4=Fallen, 5=max); raised by outbreaks [p.3 — Panic Level]
• Rioting (Level 2): No Direct/Charter Flights in or out; research station destroyed [p.3 — Panic Level]
• Collapsing (Level 3): Must discard 1 card of city's color to enter via Drive/Ferry [p.3 — Panic Level]
• Fallen (Level 4): Must discard 2 cards of city's color to enter via Drive/Ferry; character in city when it falls is lost [p.3 — Panic Level]
• Scar: Permanent negative mark on a character card; gained from being in an outbreaking city [p.3 — Scars]
• Lost Character: Character with no scar slots left or in a fallen city; destroy card, take Civilian card [p.3 — Lost Characters]
• Eradicated: Cured disease with zero cubes on board; no new cubes placed during infections [p.5 — Treat Disease]
• Funded Events: Event cards added to Player Deck equal to Funding Level; chosen by group each game [p.3 — Funding]
• Unfunded Events: Event sticker on a City card; always available regardless of funding [p.8 — Unfunded Events]
• Starting Research Station: Sticker marking a city that gets a research station every setup [p.8 — Starting Research Stations]
• Legacy Deck: Sealed deck revealing new rules and story content each month [p.4 — Setup]

FAQ

• Q: Do you draw a replacement card after drawing an Epidemic? — A: No. [p.8 — Overlooked Rules]
• Q: Does the research station's city color need to match the disease being cured? — A: No, any research station works. [p.8 — Overlooked Rules]
• Q: Can you take a card from another player on your turn? — A: Yes, if you are both in the city matching that card. [p.8 — Overlooked Rules]
• Q: Can you take any card from the Researcher? — A: Yes, any City card, as long as you are in the same city. [p.8 — Overlooked Rules]
• Q: When does the hand limit apply after receiving a card? — A: Immediately. [p.8 — Overlooked Rules]
• Q: What if we played a rule wrong and can't go back? — A: Adjust next game's Funding Level up (if too hard) or down (if too easy) to compensate. [p.8 — Overlooked Rules]