Special

Edition

eBook edition

PANDEMIC

Trevor Bender’s
Virus Crisis:
A COVID-19 Scenario
For Pandemic

2020
Rodger B. MacGowan Publication ©2020, All Rights Reserved
 C3i Magazine e-Book Edition
COVID-19: A Pandemic Scenario

C

OVID-19: A Pandemic Scenario is played using the base game of
Pandemic designed by Matt Leacock and published by Z-Man Games. As a
cooperative game, the players must work together to not allow humanity to be over-
whelmed by the spread of the Coronavirus. Game play uses the same components
and rules of Pandemic, with the exceptions listed below. The map starting position
reflects the world situation as of March 11, 2020, at the moment the World Health
Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic and when the United
States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared the entire globe a
Level 2 Travel Risk. The scenario helps players better understand how this Corona-
virus spreads and explore the benefits and costs of mass-scale Social Distancing.

WHAT’S CHANGED
(Setting Up; Page 2 of Pandemic Rules):

1. No Change

2. Players are free to choose in player order (see step

12 below) whatever Role Card they want. Players
may start their Pawn in either Research Station
(see Step 3 below), and may make that choice after
drawing Player Cards (Step 8).

3. In addition to the Research Station that starts in

Atlanta, Georgia, which represents the CDC, place an
additional Research Station in Essen, Germany which
represents the WHO, headquartered in Geneva,
Switzerland.

4. Place the Outbreak marker on the “1” space to re-

flect the Outbreak that has already occurred in Wuhan,
Hubei, China. Place the Infection Rate Marker on the
first space of the Infection Track (“2”). Place the 3
non-Red Virus Tokens on the Sunset side.

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 C3i Magazine e-Book – COVID-19: A Pandemic Scenario – Rules of Play

Note, for this scenario, Disease Cubes represent the following population totals as having Active Cases of COVID-19 in their
respective locations:
• 1 Cube = 1,000+ people
• 2 Cubes = 10,000+ people
• 3 Cubes = 50,000+ people

5. Only the Red Disease Cubes are used in the 11. Do not use the Infection Draw Pile to seed
COVID-19 Scenario; place the other colors aside. the map. Instead place Red Disease Cubes in the
following locations to reflect the world situation on
6. No Change March 11, 2020:
7. No Change • 3 Shanghai (represents Wuhan)
8. No Change • 1 Beijing
9. No Change • 2 Seoul
10. No Change • 1 Tokyo
• 1 Taipei

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 C3i Magazine e-Book – COVID-19: A Pandemic Scenario – Rules of Play

• 1 Hong Kong placed in that location even if that location is drawn

• 2 Tehran as part of an Epidemic or Infection step or is adjacent
• 2 Milan to an Outbreak location. Once 5 location cards of the
• 11 off map ready to be placed during play same color are played for Social Distancing (or 4 if the
4th card was played by the Scientist), then all of the
12. The player who most recently washed their hands locations in that region are considered Social Dis-
goes first. tanced and no future Disease Cubes can be played in
any location of that color. Turn the pile of cards of the
WHAT’S CHANGED (Game Play): same color side ways to so signify this achievement.
• New Special Action – Social Distancing: A player EXAMPLE: In the Yellow region, if five locations
in a location specified by a card in their hand may such as Lagos, Santiago, Lima, Miami and Los Ange-
spend an Action there to establish a Social Distanc- les are played through the Social Distancing Action,
ing policy in that location. Place the card at the top of then red Disease Cubes can no longer be played in
the map as a reminder. No new Disease Cubes can be any location with the same Yellow color. Note that

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 C3i Magazine e-Book – COVID-19: A Pandemic Scenario – Rules of Play

there is an economic impact to Social Distancing; after • Options – This is a challenging scenario, and players
the first region is Social Distanced, all players will are encouraged to start at the Introductory Game level
have 1 less Action per turn (normally 3 Actions per with only 4 Epidemic cards in the deck. Players are
turn instead of 4). free to add in additional Roles or Special Event cards
from other Pandemic expansions as they see fit.
After the second region is Social Distanced, player’s
may only draw 1 Player Card instead of 2 during their BACKGROUND (Current Event Information from
turn. There is no further cost if a third or fourth region Wikipedia as of March 21, 2020):
is Social Distanced. DESIGN NOTE: Social Dis- The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing
tancing includes a variety of activities that would have pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
a negative impact upon the economy, and thus de- caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome
crease tax revenue and mobility, to include school clo- coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak was first
sures, cancelation of sporting events and other large identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China in December 2019
gatherings, disruption of air or other long-distance and declared a pandemic by the World Health Orga-
public transportation, closing of international and in- nization (WHO) on 11 March 2020. As of 21 March
ternal borders, mass teleworking, etc. Also, each time 2020, more than 292,000 cases of COVID-19 have
a region is Social Distanced, lower the Infection Rate been reported in over 180 countries and territories, re-
marker one space to the left (if possible). DESIGN sulting in more than 11,900 deaths and 93,600 recov-
NOTE: The purpose of Social Distancing is to lower eries. Regions affected by major outbreaks include
the infection rate and so flatten the virus spread curve mainland China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Spain.
so that there are more medical resources available to On 13 March 2020, the WHO declared Europe the
those in need. new epicenter of the pandemic.

• Epidemics – During phase 3 “Increase intensity of The virus is believed to spread between people
the infection,” instead of placing the discard pile on primarily via respiratory droplets produced dur-
top of the draw pile, shuffle it directly into the draw ing coughing. It may also be spread from touching
pile. DESIGN NOTE: This shuffling of the previously contaminated surfaces and then touching one’s face.
infected location cards across the entire deck repre- It is considered most contagious when people are
sents the fact that the COVID-19 Coronavirus has symptomatic, although spread may be possible before
spread pretty randomly and uniformly across the globe symptoms appear. The time between exposure and
and (so far) rarely revisits a decontaminated location. symptom onset is typically five days, but may range
from two to fourteen days. Symptoms are most often
• Playing the Infector – Regardless of the color of fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. Complica-
the Infection card drawn, always play a Red Disease tions may include pneumonia and acute respiratory
Cube(s) in the location, unless that location or region distress syndrome. There is currently no vaccine or
has been Social Distanced. specific antiviral treatment, but research is ongoing.
Efforts are aimed at managing symptoms and sup-
• Victory – To win, the players must Cure the Red Vi- portive therapy. Recommended preventive measures
rus AND Eradicate it (flip the Cure maker to its Sunset include hand washing, maintaining distance from
side) from the map. DESIGN NOTE: Establishing other people (particularly those who are unwell), and
Social Distancing policies in all four colored regions monitoring and self-isolation for fourteen days for
may help in this objective, but does not in and of itself people who suspect they are infected.
ensure victory; the disease needs to be eradicated
from the map. Public health responses have included travel restric-
tions, quarantines, curfews, event cancellations, and

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 C3i Magazine e-Book – COVID-19: A Pandemic Scenario – Rules of Play

facility closures. These include a quarantine of the Misinformation and conspiracy theories about the vi-
Chinese province of Hubei, the nationwide quarantine rus have spread online, and there have been incidents
of Italy, the nationwide quarantine of Spain, curfew of xenophobia and racism against Chinese and other
measures in China and South Korea, various border East or Southeast Asian people.
closures or incoming passenger restrictions, screen-
ing methods at airports and train stations and travel
advisories regarding regions with community spread. CREDITS
Schools and universities have closed either on a na- Scenario Designer: Trevor Bender
tionwide or local basis in at least 151 countries, affect- Art Director & Layout: Rodger B. MacGowan
ing more than 1.2 billion students. Photography: Abel Renunció
Proofreader: Steven MacGowan
The pandemic has led to global socioeconomic dis- © RBM Studio LLC, 2020
ruption, the postponement or cancellation of sporting
and cultural events, and widespread fears of supply
shortages which have spurred bulk buying of goods.

C3i Magazine e-Book Page 6 ©RBM Studio LLC 2020