Pandemic In the Lab Board Game EXPANSION Race Against Time to Discover Cures! Cooperative Strategy Game for Kids and Adults, Ages 8+, 1-6 Players, 45 Minute Playtime, Made by Z-Man Games

Another must-have expansion for fans of Pandemic! It's fun and interesting and offers up fresh, new ways to play. Some things you might be interested to know...1) Ideally, you should have the base Pandemic game and the first expansion, On the Brink, to play In the Lab for full compatibility. For the cards to match, you should either have the second editions of Pandemic and On the Brink, or have the two compatibility card packs for the first editions of the base game and On the Brink.2) The lab portion of the game takes a playthrough or two to adjust to, but it's reasonably easy to get the hang of if you're not impatient. :) Essentially, instead of curing diseases with 5 cards of the same color, you have to first discover, sequence and test the cure in the lab, before you can officially cure it (with 3 cards instead of 5). This replaces the previous method of curing, so if you're playing the In the Lab expansion, you CANNOT cure using the old method (and the Field Operative role is not used). I actually really like this because while cubes are more in demand, I worry less about having to discard city cards.3) I can't yet review on the team games as I've only played this with 3 players so far, but it's pretty neat that there are so many variations.4) There's even a variation on the game where you can play single player! I've only tried this out a couple of times, but it works similarly to the regular game, only you play with the "assistance" of the CDC. Works with both In the Lab or traditional play.5) The new boxes/inserts for the latest editions are capable of carrying ALL the components for the base game and the two expansions, with admittedly some lifting to the cover (there are two boards now after all -- the base game board plus the new lab board), but still, it's nice that I can carry it with just one box.6) Z-man is offering FREE additional scenarios/challenges for Pandemic. This isn't specific to the On the Lab expansion, but I only just learned of it so I'm including it here. There are two so far, "Isolation" and "Government Shutdown," available on Z-man's site. "Isolation" is for 4 players, while "Government Shutdown" is for 2-5 players. IMHO it's cool that they're providing extra value so we can change things up from time to time.7) Tom Lehmann, the co-creator of On the Brink and In the Lab, seems to frequently check the Pandemic boards on Boardgamegeek. It's great because if you ever have questions about specific rules, for example, he and others on the board will provide clarification (I've had personal experience with this). So with this game, I don't feel like I'm just some anonymous person who bought a game from some faceless corporation, given some instructions and a "good luck with that." Don't get me wrong, the rules are for the most part very clearly laid out, so you're not going to be running there with a bunch of questions. But sometimes when you're just not sure about something, the fact that you can get answers from one of the guys who actually designed the game is awesome.I did not have any issues with my vials as another reviewer did, so hopefully they've fixed whatever that problem was. I did buy my second edition of Pandemic and On the Brink early, so that I had the problem with the misprinted board (missing the connection path between Sao Paulo and Lagos) and the edge-to-edge printing of the cards (that lets you "see" what cards are coming up), but at this point I believe all the latest editions have fixed those issues, and with In the Lab itself I didn't have any problems.

Pandemic is my favorite board game. In The Lab, when used with Pandemic's other expansion 'On The Brink', adds new roles, events, epidemic scenarios (virulent strain), new mutation strain game play (with additional purple cubes), team play, official solitaire (more clever than just playing two roles), replacement upgraded cure indicator markers and a separate board with a whole new system of how to cure a disease -- thus the title, "In The Lab".For me, a primarily solitaire player, I really appreciate the solitaire rules, as after twenty or so plays this way, it feels a lot more like a dedicated solitaire game and a lot less like playing both sides of the table. I've heard a lot of people posh posh this addition, saying it's already a solitaire game -- but it shows they don't play this solitaire a lot -- as game play is changed a great deal when working with the CDC.The added cards for additional event, roles, mutation and virulent strain options are all very fun.The added pieces are really nice and will come in handy even when playing the base game.The added board and new way to cure diseases feels a lot more thematic and adds a team mechanic to curing disease (even when playing solo with the CDC). If you'd like to know more about this aspect, I would recommend watching youtube videos, as there are several that describe the basics to the the 'In The Lab' board.To me this is a must have for frequent players and solitaire gamers. You will need the base game (Second Edition) and 'On The Brink' (Second Edition) in addition to this to play.

If you're buying this expansion, you're getting it for the lab expansion. The other two variants included (solo and competitive team) could and should be considered bonus content to the real purpose. For that reason, I'm rating this expansion on how the lab plays.And it plays really, really well! As many have said before, discovering cures in the lab is SO much more thematic than merely collecting five cards. The biggest benefit is that players now really feel like they are dealing with the diseases instead of coordinating travel plans to meet in cities to exchange cards. Players can spread out a little more freely now, instead of always lingering in packs so that one person can get all five cards. And, best, multiple players can be part of finding the cure (characterizing the disease, then testing the cure, then the three-card cure itself).Processing the diseases may seem like a complication... and let's be fair, it is... but all it takes is one play-through before people will get it. It's not nearly as complex as it looks, even if it does add a whole new board. My play group has played Pandemic many times before. We read through the rules once and started playing. Within a few turns, we had the basics down. Did we miss a few little, rules? Yeah. That's to be expected learning any new game or expansion (namely, take your free lab action when you build a research station!).The materials are of good quality, as to be expected. Not every role is a winner, but they all do have their uses. That being said... the Pilot can be crazy good moving people around the world in the blink of an eye every turn!This is an expansion worth getting. After three games (losing the first two, winning at the last possible second on the third), we all agreed that this is how we'll play the game from now on. BUT, nice thing about this expansion, if you ever want to go back to the original rules for curing diseases, that's easy. Just don't pull out the lab board.