Pandemic · Reference sheet

Pandemic reference sheet

Overview

Place board; put 1 research station in Atlanta [p.2 — Setup]
Place outbreaks marker on '0'; place cure markers vial-side up [p.2 — Setup]
Place infection rate marker on leftmost '2'; infect 9 cities: 3 cards × 3 cubes, 3 cards × 2 cubes, 3 cards × 1 cube [p.3 — Setup]
Deal Role cards; place all pawns in Atlanta [p.2 — Setup]
Deal Player cards: 2p = 4 cards, 3p = 3 cards, 4p = 2 cards [p.2 — Setup]
Shuffle Epidemic cards (4 = Introductory, 5 = Standard, 6 = Heroic) into equal-sized Player Deck piles, then stack [p.3 — Setup]
Player with highest city population on a card goes first [p.3 — Setup]

Each turn has 3 mandatory phases in order:

Do 4 Actions — any combination; same action may repeat [p.3 — Play]
Draw 2 Player cards — resolve Epidemic cards immediately if drawn [p.6 — Draw Cards]
Infect cities — flip Infection cards equal to current infection rate; place 1 cube each [p.6 — Infections]

Action	Cost	Effect
Drive / Ferry	—	Move to a connected city [p.4]
Direct Flight	Discard destination City card	Move to that city [p.4]
Charter Flight	Discard City card matching your city	Move to any city [p.4]
Shuttle Flight	—	Move between any two cities with research stations [p.4]
Build Research Station	Discard City card matching your city	Place station here [p.4]
Treat Disease	—	Remove 1 cube (all cubes if cured) from your city [p.4]
Share Knowledge	—	Give or take the City card matching your city with a player in same city [p.4]
Discover a Cure	Discard 5 same-color City cards at a research station	Cure that disease [p.4]

Win: Cure all 4 diseases — game ends immediately [p.7 — Game End]

Lose (any one of these):

Outbreaks marker reaches last space (8 outbreaks) [p.7 — Game End]
A disease cube cannot be placed because supply is empty [p.7 — Game End]
Player must draw 2 cards but fewer than 2 remain in Player Deck [p.7 — Game End]
Eradication is NOT required to win [p.7 — Game End]

Outbreak: when a 4th cube would be placed in a city — advance outbreaks marker 1 space, spread 1 cube to all connected cities [p.7 — Outbreaks]
Chain Reaction Outbreak: outbreak triggered in a connected city during the same event; cities already affected this card do not receive another cube [p.7 — Outbreaks]
Epidemic: special card — Increase infection rate, Infect bottom card of Infection Deck with 3 cubes, Intensify (reshuffle discard onto deck) [p.6 — Epidemic Cards]
Eradicated: cured disease with zero cubes on board; no new cubes placed for it (flip marker to 'Ø' side) [p.4 — Treat Disease]
Infection Rate: number of Infection cards flipped at end of turn; increases each Epidemic [p.6 — Infections]
Intensify: step 3 of Epidemic — reshuffle Infection Discard Pile and place on top of Infection Deck [p.6 — Epidemic Cards]
Hand Limit: max 7 Player cards; discard or play Event cards immediately if exceeded [p.6 — Hand Limit]

Q: Do you draw a replacement card after drawing an Epidemic? — A: No. [p.8 — Commonly Overlooked Rules]
Q: Does the Research Station's city color need to match the disease you're curing? — A: No, cure at any Research Station. [p.8 — Commonly Overlooked Rules]
Q: Can you take a card from another player on your turn? — A: Yes, if you are both in the city matching the card. [p.8 — Commonly Overlooked Rules]
Q: Can you take any City card from the Researcher? — A: Yes (only the Researcher), if you are both in the same city. [p.8 — Commonly Overlooked Rules]
Q: When does the hand limit apply after receiving a card? — A: Immediately upon receiving it. [p.8 — Commonly Overlooked Rules]