Pandemic - Wrath of the Lich King: First impression of the licensed board game

Asmodee Germany has wielded the licensing cudgel again: The result is Pandemic: World of Warcraft – Wrath of the Lich King, a board game that was once again created in cooperation with Blizzard Entertainment. This time it wasn't Days of Wonder who was responsible for the implementation, but rather Z-Man Games, the studio that also developed the original series of the Pandemic brand. How good is Pandemic: World of Warcraft – Wrath of the Lich King? Below is a first impression.

The newest game, which uses the original Pandemic system, came in a few weeks ago based on the popular Blizzard license. In Pandemic: World of Warcraft - Wrath of the Lich King it is - according to the template - icy. Northrend is in need - again, all the time. Fans of the MMORPG know the plot, which can be broken down into a few lines.

Not quite Pandemic

This time it's about a plague of ghouls and monstrosities that are fought by heroes from the Warcraft universe. Finally, three heroic quests must be completed before you can face the Lich King. The title can be played with up to five players or solo. The following impressions come from a three-player game.

People who have played another pandemic game several times are advised to read the rules carefully, as there are some differences to the other offshoots. For example, places that are too full on the map do not spill over to other areas. Also, firing cards out (in good time) is a better strategy than holding them in hand. Due to the fight with the dice against the powers of the Lich King, this variant feels very close and more brutal than commanding legions against the barbarians (Pandemic: The Fall of Rome) or the clinical removal of viruses.

Even if I personally don't have much connection to the lorry, I was assured by fans that the card is pretty and that the special abilities of the heroes fit perfectly well with the templates. The three quests that are drawn from the nine shake up the level of difficulty quite a bit. You use your cards (and ideally those of your fellow combatants) by showing them (not spending) and then moving fields on the quest sheet (including the battle results on the two dice). If you don't fill the whole thing at the table with a little bit of cinema in your head, it quickly becomes a bit dreary optimization, at least in comparison to the fun riding around and killing monsters in the country. But that still has less of a clinical effect than swapping city cards.

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Heroes with life points and special abilities, dice against monsters, quests and treasures: This pandemic variant got a good-tasting shot of “Ameri-Trash”. The whole thing becomes a good and quick cocktail. The miniatures push the price up a little. But the solo player variant and the option to enjoy the game with up to 5 players who consider together which synergy effects you can use, leaves no one at the table idle. By activating the use of cards, the alpha player is also less of a problem. It is a very good introduction for board game skeptics because you always have the feeling that you are moving something on the board. I own pretty much all of the Pandemic flavors myself, and besides Rise of Tide, this one fills a void that I didn't know I had.

And? How good is the board game?

The solo options get better with every pandemic iteration and take the mental load off the solo player, but offer a lot of variety with three characters and for me already falls into the area of ​​“excellently implemented”. Now to the important part and the central question: What does the wife say ? “In this variant, I like that in the fights, your own skin is also a little at stake. You feel a little closer to the action than in the basic version. This promotes cooperation and sharpens the view for the consequences. "

Anyone who has missed the other special editions and is looking for a cool product that is also suitable to bring skeptics or WoW fans to the board has come to the right place. In general, too, the presence of the Lich King evokes the feeling of a general threat from other dark fantasy figures. So knowledge of Warcraft is not necessary at all to have a good time. The high quality game material is definitely worth the money. And if you also like to paint miniatures, you will find a box with a very fair price.

Alternatives to Pandemic - WoW: Wrath of the Lich King:

• Pandemic - Fall of Rome (A little more for the co-sim fan)
• Switch and Signal (Slightly simpler and probably shorter)

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