Pandemic: On the Brink
Pandemic: On the Brink Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
This expansion adds a 5th player, 6 roles, 8 events, and 3 challenges to Pandemic.
To get started, play the base game with the new roles and events. You may also add a challenge to vary the game some more. We suggest you try the three challenges in order:
- Virulent Strain challenge: makes one disease particularly nasty in unpredictable ways.
- Mutation challenge: adds a 5th (purple) disease that behaves differently from the original four.
- Bio-Terrorist challenge: pits one player against the others.
Components
- 7 Role cards
- 7 Pawns
- 8 Event cards
- 12 Disease cubes
- 1 Cure marker
- 1 Cure Indicator
- 1 Cure Indicator card
- 3 Mutation Event cards
- 2 Mutation cards
- 8 Virulent Strain Epidemic cards
- 5 petri dishes with labels
- 4 blank cards
- 1 Bio-Terrorist location pad
- 1 Epidemic card
- 1 Reference card
- 1 sticker and 1 card, for the Mutation or Bio-Terrorist challenges (apply the sticker or use the card, as needed)
Remove each individual sticker and carefully place one onto each of the five petri dish covers.
On the Brink cards have this icon in their lower right corners, so you can easily separate them.
New Roles, Events, and Rules
New Roles
Add the 6 new Role cards to the base game Role cards before shuffling and dealing 1 Role card to each player. See page 8 for more details.
Use the Bio-Terrorist Role card only when playing the Bio-Terrorist challenge.
New Events
Add the 8 new Event cards to the 5 base game Event cards and shuffle them face down. Add 2 Event cards per player to the Player cards, before shuffling and dealing Player cards to each player. Put unused Event cards back in the box without looking at them.
This is a rules change from the base game.
Play the new Events normally.
5-Player Game
Pandemic can be played with 5 players. During setup, deal a Role card to the 5th player and 2 Player cards (as with 4 players) to each player.
Legendary Game
Feeling invincible? Try the Legendary difficulty level. Use the Epidemic card in this expansion to play with 7 Epidemic cards.
Set up the game normally (separating the Player cards into 7 piles before shuffling an Epidemic card into each pile).
When you draw the 7th Epidemic, the infection rate remains at 4 (the track maximum).
Warning: Not for the faint of heart...
Adding Challenges
Each challenge adds some difficulty, so you may wish to try each new challenge with 1 fewer Epidemic card than you would normally use when playing the base game.
Experienced players may combine the Virulent Strain with either the Mutation or Bio-Terrorist challenges.
New Roles
Bio-Terrorist
The Bio-Terrorist is used only in the Bio-Terrorist challenge (see page 5).
Role card text: Use only in the Bio-Terrorist Challenge. After each player turn, do up to 2 actions, plus 1 Drive/Ferry action (in any order).
Archivist
The Archivist's hand limit is 8 cards. He may, once per turn, as an action, draw the City card that matches the city he is in from the Player Discard Pile into his hand.
Role card text: Your hand limit is 8 cards. Once per turn, as an action, you may take the City card that matches the city you are in from the Player Discard Pile into your hand.
Players may not freely discard cards (for the Archivist to retrieve); they may discard only by doing an action requiring a discard or when over their hand limits.
Containment Specialist
When the Containment Specialist enters a city, if 2 or more disease cubes of the same color are present, he removes 1 of them.
Role card text: When you enter a city with 2 or more disease cubes of the same color, remove 1 of them.
He does this when moved by others (the Dispatcher or the Events Airlift and Special Orders). If several diseases with 2 or more cubes are present, he removes 1 cube from each of these diseases.
Epidemiologist
The Epidemiologist, once per turn and on her turn (only), may take any City card from a player in the same city. The other player must agree. Doing this is not an action.
Role card text: Once during your turn, you may (with permission) take any City card from a player in the same city with you. Doing this is not an action.
Field Operative
The Field Operative may, once per turn as an action, move 1 disease cube from the city he is in and place it as a sample on his Role card.
When he Discovers a Cure, he may replace exactly 2 of the needed City cards by returning 3 cubes of the cure color from his Role card to the supply.
Role card text: Once per turn, as an action, you may move 1 disease cube from the city you are in onto this Role card. When you Discover a Cure, you may replace 2 of the needed City cards with 3 cubes of the cure color from this card.
The Field Operative may return sample cubes from his role card back to the supply at any time (see Event Cards timing, Pandemic rules, page 7).
Generalist
The Generalist may do up to 5 actions each turn.
Role card text: You may do up to 5 actions each turn.
Troubleshooter
The Troubleshooter, at the start of her turn, looks at as many Infection cards as the current infection rate (by taking them from the top of the Infection Deck, looking at them, and putting them back in the same order).
When moving to a city via a Direct Flight, the Troubleshooter reveals the City card used to the other players (but does not discard it). She may do this when moving other pawns via the Event Special Orders, but not when being moved by other players.
Role card text: Start your turn by looking at as many Infection cards as the current infection rate. When you do a Direct Flight, reveal the City card used (but do not discard it).
In the Mutation challenge, if the Troubleshooter sees a Mutation card, she does not get to look at the bottom Infection Deck card.
New Event Cards
Borrowed Time
Play any time. Not an action.
Take 2 extra actions this turn.
Commercial Travel Ban
Play any time. Not an action.
The Infection Rate is 1 until the current player's next turn begins. Put this card in front of this player. Discard it when his next turn begins.
Mobile Hospital
Play any time. Not an action.
This turn, remove 1 disease cube from each city the player Drives/Ferries to.
New Assignment
Play any time. Not an action.
Select a player. This player may swap his Role card with any one of the unused Roles.
Rapid Vaccine Deployment
Play after Cure. Not an action.
Play immediately after a Discover a Cure action to remove 1-5 cubes of the cured disease. These disease cubes must come from connected cities.
Re-Examined Research
Play any time. Not an action.
Select a player. This player may draw any 1 City card from the Player Discard Pile into his hand (discarding if over his hand limit).
Remote Treatment
Play any time. Not an action.
Remove 2 disease cubes from the board.
Special Orders
Play any time. Not an action.
This turn, the player may spend actions to move 1 other pawn (with permission) as if it were his own.
Fine Points
Borrowed Time. The player drawing this card may not immediately play it to continue taking actions (as that player is now in the Draw Cards step of his turn).
Mobile Hospital. The Containment Specialist first removes 1 cube of each color with 2 or more cubes present and then removes 1 more cube (for each city entered).
New Assignment. If the current player was selected and he swapped either from or to the Generalist role, then he may do up to 5 actions this turn.
Rapid Vaccine Deployment. This can be played only immediately after a Discover a Cure action. Each affected city must be connected to at least 1 other city affected by this event (unless this event affects just 1 city). At least 1 cube must be removed from each of these cities.
Special Orders. As when moving other pawns with the Dispatcher, the current player must discard (or reveal) any cards used to move that pawn by Direct or Charter flights. Powers that are part of movement (such as the Medic's power to remove cured disease cubes or the Containment Specialist's power) do occur.
Virulent Strain Challenge
In the Virulent Strain challenge, a disease has gone out of control in nasty, unpredictable ways.
Setup
Put the normal Epidemic cards in the box — you will not need them. Prepare the Player Deck (step 5) using Virulent Strain Epidemic cards instead. Select the Virulent Strain Epidemic cards to use by shuffling them face down before taking the needed number (4-7, based on your difficulty level). Put the unused cards away without looking at them.
Use 4 Virulent Strain Epidemic cards for your first game. Use 6 after mastering the Standard game.
Divide the remaining player cards into face down piles, as equal in size as you can, so that the number of piles matches the number of Virulent Strain Epidemic cards you are using. Shuffle 1 Virulent Strain Epidemic card into each pile, face down. Stack these piles to form the Player Deck, placing smaller piles on the bottom.
Determining the Virulent Strain
When a player draws the first Virulent Strain Epidemic card, determine which disease will be the Virulent Strain for the rest of the game. After performing this card's Infect step, the disease with the most cubes on the board is the Virulent Strain. Finish doing this Epidemic and its Virulent Strain effect (see below). Put this card next to the Virulent Strain's cube supply as a reminder.
If several diseases are tied for most cubes on the board, randomly choose the Virulent Strain from among the tied diseases.
If you are also playing with the Mutation or Bio-Terrorist challenge, the purple disease cannot be the Virulent Strain. Ignore it when determining the Virulent Strain.
Virulent Strain Epidemic Effects
Besides its Epidemic effects, each Virulent Strain Epidemic card has an effect which applies only to the Virulent Strain disease. Read the card aloud and follow its instructions. Some cards have a continuing effect; these affect play after the Epidemic is done. Keep these cards face up as reminders. Others have an immediate effect, taking place before the Intensify step of the Epidemic. Flip these cards face down after their effect and Epidemic is done.
The 8 Virulent Strain Epidemic cards are:
- Chronic Effect (continuing). During Infections, when a Virulent Strain city is drawn, place 2 Virulent Strain disease cubes if the city has no Virulent Strain cubes (otherwise, place 1 cube normally). This does not affect Epidemics or Outbreaks.
- Complex Molecular Structure (continuing). If the Virulent Strain has not been cured, you need 1 more Virulent Strain City card to Discover a Cure for it. Otherwise, ignore this effect.
- Government Interference (continuing). To leave a city with Virulent Strain disease cubes, a player must first, on that turn, Treat at least 1 Virulent Strain cube in that city.
- Hidden Pocket (immediate). Before doing this card's Intensify step, if the Virulent Strain is eradicated but at least 1 Virulent Strain card is in the Infection Discard Pile: flip its cure marker back to its uncured side; and place 1 cube on each Virulent Strain city whose card is in this discard pile. Otherwise, ignore this effect.
- Transcriber note: the printed card shows a cure-marker icon where the side name would be. The icon is the plain (uncured) cure marker, so the text is rendered as "uncured side".
- Rate Effect (continuing). During Infections, draw 1 more card than the infection rate if at least 1 Infection card drawn was a Virulent Strain card (and the Virulent Strain is not yet eradicated).
- Slippery Slope (continuing). Move the outbreaks marker forward 2 spaces (not 1) when an outbreak of the Virulent Strain occurs.
- Unacceptable Loss (immediate). Before doing this card's Intensify step, remove 4 Virulent Strain disease cubes from the supply to the box. If fewer than 4 of these cubes are in the supply, instead remove them all.
- Uncounted Populations (immediate). Before doing this card's Intensify step, place 1 Virulent Strain disease cube on each city with exactly 1 of these cubes (ignore cubes of other colors).
Virulent Strain Fine Points
Complex Molecular Structure. A player would need to turn in 6 city cards of the Virulent Strain color to cure the Virulent Strain, except the Scientist, who would turn in 5 cards, or the Field Operative, who could turn in 4 cards and 3 Virulent Strain samples.
Government Interference. Removing (but not Treating) a Virulent Strain disease cube—with the Containment Specialist's power, the Field Operative's sample power, or the Events Remote Treatment or Rapid Vaccine Deployment—does not satisfy this effect's requirement. The Event Mobile Hospital does satisfy it. Other players' pawns affected by this effect cannot be moved by the Dispatcher or the Events Airlift or Special Order, unless the current player first Treats a cube in the same city that the pawn being moved is in.
Rate Effect. If the Troubleshooter sees a Virulent Strain city card when looking at Infection cards while Rate Effect is in effect, the Troubleshooter does not look at an additional card. When combining this challenge with the Mutation challenge, if the card drawn to resolve a Mutation card is a Virulent Strain city, that card does not count towards Rate Effect.
Winning and Losing
This challenge is won or lost normally, as in the base game.
Mutation Challenge
The Mutation challenge adds a 5th purple disease to the game that appears in unpredictable ways. Players must either cure all 5 diseases or cure the 4 other diseases and have no purple disease cubes on the board.
Setup
Put the 12 purple disease cubes near the other cubes as a supply. Put the purple Discovered Cure Indicator and cure marker on the board. Put the 2 Mutation cards in the Infection Discard Pile (do not shuffle them into the Infection Deck).
After dealing cards to players, but before preparing the Player Deck (step 5), shuffle the 3 Mutation Event cards with the remaining Player cards.
Mutation Event Cards
When a Mutation Event card is drawn, follow its instructions and discard it. Do not draw a Player card to replace it.
If a player draws both a Mutation Event card and an Epidemic card, do the Mutation Event first.
If a player draws 2 Mutation Event cards, the player decides the order to do them.
2 Mutation Event cards place purple cubes on cities of cards drawn from the bottom of the Infection Draw Pile. Do not place cubes of those cards' colors on those cities.
The 3 Mutation Event cards are:
- The Mutation Threatens! (Play at once. Not an action.) If the purple disease is not eradicated, draw a card from the bottom of the Infection Deck. Place 3 purple disease cubes (only) on this city. Discard that card to the Infection Discard Pile.
- The Mutation Spreads (Play at once. Not an action.) If the purple disease is not eradicated, draw 3 cards from the bottom of the Infection Deck. Place 1 purple disease cube (only) on each of these cities. Discard these cards to the Infection Discard Pile.
- The Mutation Intensifies! (Play at once. Not an action.) Place 1 purple disease cube on each city with exactly 2 purple cubes (ignore cubes of other colors).
The Mutation (Purple) Disease
The purple disease is like the other 4 diseases, except as noted below. Purple disease cubes enter play in three ways.
Mutation Cards. During Infections, if a Mutation card is drawn (and the purple disease is not eradicated), draw an Infection card from the bottom of the Infection Deck and place 1 purple cube on that city. Do not place a cube of the card's color on the city. Discard both cards to the Infection Discard Pile.
This counts as 1 Infection card draw for the turn.
The Event Resilient Population cannot be used to remove a Mutation card from the Infection Discard Pile.
The Mutation card text is: If the purple disease is not eradicated, draw a card from the bottom of the Infection Deck. Place 1 purple disease cube (only) on this city. Discard the card drawn and this card to the Infection Discard Pile. If the purple disease is eradicated, just discard this card. In both cases, this counts as 1 Infection card draw.
Infections. During Infections, if an Infection card is drawn for a city with at least 1 purple cube on it, place both 1 purple cube (if purple is not eradicated) and 1 cube of this card's color (if that disease is not eradicated) on the city, resolving any outbreak(s) normally.
An Infection draw is the only time when cubes of both colors are placed. When drawing cards from the bottom of the Infection Deck, either just cubes of that card's color (for Epidemics) or just purple cubes (for Mutation cards and Mutation Events) are placed.
Curing the Purple Disease. When Discovering a Cure for the purple disease, discard 5 City cards in any mix of colors, with at least 1 of them a city that has 1 or more purple cubes on it.
When a Scientist or Field Operative turns in fewer City cards, at least 1 of them must be a city with 1 or more purple cubes on it.
If the purple disease is eradicated and a Mutation card is drawn during Infections, just discard it. It still counts as 1 Infection card draw for the turn.
Winning or Losing
The players win immediately if they either cure all 5 diseases or cure the 4 other diseases and have no purple disease cubes on the board.
Like any other disease, if you cannot place the number of purple cubes actually needed on the board, your team loses. There are only 12 (not 24) purple cubes in the supply!
Bio-Terrorist Challenge
This challenge pits one player, the Bio-Terrorist, against the others, seeking to create panic throughout the world with a 5th disease.
This challenge works with 3 or 4 players. 5 players (1 Bio-Terrorist and 4 other players) is not recommended.
The Bio-Terrorist wins if the other players lose and there is at least 1 purple disease cube on the board. To win, the other players must either cure all 5 diseases or cure the 4 standard diseases and have no purple disease cubes on the board.
The Bio-Terrorist challenge may be combined with the Virulent Strain challenge, but not the Mutation challenge.
Setup
Select the Bio-Terrorist player. Give him the Bio-Terrorist Role card, the black pawn, a folded Location sheet, and a pencil. The black pawn begins off the board. After infecting 9 cities (step 3), deal 2 Infection cards to the Bio-Terrorist.
Select the Bio-Terrorist either randomly, by including the Bio-Terrorist Role card among the Roles dealt out, or by choosing a volunteer.
Put the 12 purple disease cubes near the other cubes as a supply. Put the purple Discovered Cure Indicator and cure marker on the board. Use 2 Event cards per player in the game, including the Bio-Terrorist (for this purpose only). Deal Player cards to the non-Terrorist players normally.
Determine the first player among the non-Terrorist players. The Bio-Terrorist then secretly notes on his Location sheet the city he will start in. The first player begins play.
Play
Non-Terrorist players take their turns normally, except they now have a possible Capture action (see below).
The Bio-Terrorist takes a turn after each player's turn (after that player Infects Cities). The Bio-Terrorist can do up to 2 actions, plus 1 Drive/Ferry action (in any order). The Bio-Terrorist does not automatically Draw Cards nor Infect Cities; he must use actions to do so. The Bio-Terrorist uses Infection cards (not Player cards) during play, discarding them to the Infection Discard Pile.
While players often plan out their entire turn before taking any actions, turns are done one action at a time. A player who moves and spots the Bio-Terrorist may, if he has any actions left, then choose to capture the Bio-Terrorist.
The Bio-Terrorist performs his actions one at a time, possibly placing purple disease cubes, discarding cards, or announcing airport sightings. He does not announce which action he is doing, but players may be able to deduce information based on the order in which things happen.
Bio-Terrorist Secrecy
The Bio-Terrorist moves secretly about the board, keeping track of his actions on his Location sheet.
Whenever the Bio-Terrorist is in the same city as other player(s), the Bio-Terrorist is spotted and puts his pawn on the board. If he (or another player) then moves so that the Bio-Terrorist is not in the same city as another player, the Bio-Terrorist removes his pawn from the board.
If the Bio-Terrorist moves by a Direct or Charter Flight (see below), he discards the card to the Infection Discard Pile and announces that his pawn was "sighted" at that airport. He does not reveal if he used the card for a Direct or Charter flight nor on which of his actions this flight took place.
Capturing the Bio-Terrorist
If the Bio-Terrorist pawn is on the board, a player in the same city as the Bio-Terrorist may, for an action, capture him.
Capture: Put the Bio-Terrorist pawn on your role card. He discards all cards in hand to the Infection Discard Pile (without effect).
Bio-Terrorist Location Sheet
- Map. (Printed on the location sheet; no text.)
- Fold Line. Fold the map section down over the action log section to hide your current location from the other players.
- Action Log. Record your starting city location and actions for each turn here.
- Suggested Action Notation. (Printed key of suggested symbols for the actions below; the symbols are graphic and not reproduced.)
Bio-Terrorist Actions
On his turn, the Bio-Terrorist may take up to 2 actions, plus 1 Drive/Ferry action. This optional Drive/Ferry action may be done before, after, or between his other 2 actions.
As the Bio-Terrorist, record your actions on your Location sheet to track your current location. Suggested notation is provided.
The Bio-Terrorist's hand limit is 7 cards; if he has more than 7, he must discard the 8th card to the Infection Discard Pile (without effect).
Actions
Each of these actions may be done twice per turn (up to 3 times for Drive/Ferry when combined with the extra one).
- Draw Card. Draw 1 card from the Infection Deck into hand.
- Drive/Ferry. Move to a connected city.
- Direct Flight. Discard an Infection card to move to its city. Announce an airport sighting there.
- Charter Flight. Discard the Infection card that matches the city you are in to move to any city. Announce an airport sighting in the city you left.
Hidden Actions: each of these actions may be done only once per turn, if the Bio-Terrorist is not spotted (or captured).
- Infect Locally. Place 1 purple cube on your current city.
- Infect Remotely. Discard an Infection card to place 1 purple cube (only) on that city.
The Bio-Terrorist may Infect Remotely the city he is in.
- Sabotage. Remove a Research Station in your city, discarding an Infection card whose color matches this city. Return the Research Station to the supply.
While Captured
While Captured: the Bio-Terrorist can do only Draw Card or Escape actions.
- Escape. Discard an Infection Card to move to its city. Announce an airport sighting there. Take back the Bio-Terrorist pawn.
Since the Bio-Terrorist loses all cards in hand when captured, his 1st action after being captured will be Draw Card. He can use this card to Escape or draw another card (skipping his Drive/Ferry action). After the Bio-Terrorist does an Escape action, he completes his turn normally (taking a 2nd action if he escaped on his 1st action, plus his optional Drive/Ferry action).
The Bio-Terrorist (Purple) Disease
The purple disease is like the other 4 diseases, except as noted below. Purple disease cubes enter play by Bio-Terrorist actions and infections.
Infections. During Infections, if an Infection card is drawn for a city with at least 1 purple cube on it, place both 1 purple cube (if purple is not eradicated) and 1 cube of the card's color (if that disease is not eradicated) on the city, resolving any outbreak(s) normally for the card's color and as below for purple.
An Infection draw is the only time when cubes of both colors are placed. When the Bio-Terrorist Infects Remotely, only 1 purple cube is placed. When drawing a card for an Epidemic, only 3 cubes of that color are placed.
Purple "Flare-Out" Outbreaks. Outbreaks of the Bio-Terrorist's purple disease (only) are so intense that they "flare out", leaving the cities they outbreak from with just 1 purple cube.
This applies to the Bio-Terrorist challenge only, not the Mutation challenge.
To do a purple outbreak, remove 2 purple cubes from that city (returning them to the supply) and then place 1 purple cube on each city connected to it (moving the outbreaks marker forward 1 space).
If a purple disease outbreak results in "chain reaction" outbreaks, do not add purple cubes to cities that have already had an outbreak as part of resolving the current action or Infection card.
Curing the Purple Disease. When Discovering a Cure for the purple disease, discard 5 City cards in any mix of colors, with at least 1 of them a city that has 1 or more purple cubes on it.
When a Scientist or Field Operative turns in fewer City cards, at least 1 of them must be a city with 1 or more purple cubes on it.
Bio-Terrorist Winning, Etiquette, and Sample Turns
Winning and Losing
The non-Terrorist players win if they either cure all 5 diseases or cure the 4 standard diseases and have no purple disease cubes on the board.
Like any other disease, if you cannot place the number of purple cubes actually needed on the board, the players lose (and the Bio-Terrorist wins). There are only 12 (not 24) purple cubes in the supply!
The Bio-Terrorist wins if the players lose and there is at least 1 purple cube on the board. The Bio-Terrorist loses (and is out of the game) if the players ever eradicate the purple disease.
The Bio-Terrorist must be careful not to allow the purple disease to be cured and then immediately eradicated.
Everyone loses if the players lose and there are no purple cubes on the board.
Etiquette
The Bio-Terrorist may listen to the other players as they discuss their plans and cards, but should not interrupt them on their turns. The non-Terrorist players may not hold private discussions nor pass notes to each other.
The Bio-Terrorist may not reveal Infection Cards in hand until playing them, but must disclose, when asked, how many cards are in his hand. The Bio-Terrorist is on the "honor system" for recording his own location and reporting whenever he is spotted.
As the Bio-Terrorist can do nothing on the other players' turns and they can do nothing on Bio-Terrorist turns, we recommend that everyone keeps this in mind and plays briskly (although tricky situations needing discussion can arise — this is not intended to prevent these discussions).
Sample Bio-Terrorist Turns
In the mid-game, there is 1 purple cube each in Cairo and Seoul. The Bio-Terrorist is hidden in Seoul and holds 3 Infection cards: Cairo, Istanbul, and Shanghai.
On his turn, the Bio-Terrorist Infects Remotely in Cairo (discarding his Cairo card), Infects Locally in Seoul, and Drives to Shanghai.
The next player takes her turn, neither entering Shanghai nor removing any purple cubes. She draws an Epidemic card that puts 3 red cubes in Beijing and the Infection discards back on the deck.
During the Infections step, Cairo is drawn. Both 1 black cube and 1 purple cube are placed in Cairo.
The Bio-Terrorist then discards his Shanghai card for a Charter Flight to Cairo, announcing a Shanghai airport sighting; Infects Locally in Cairo, producing an outbreak there; and then Drives to Istanbul.
The next player, however, enters Istanbul with an action left. The Bio-Terrorist announces that he is spotted and places his pawn on Istanbul. The player then Captures him. The Bio-Terrorist discards his Istanbul card and gives this player his pawn.
On his turn, the Bio-Terrorist draws Mexico City and Escapes, discarding Mexico City and announcing an airport sighting there. He takes back his pawn and then Drives to Los Angeles. His plans to create an outbreak in Istanbul foiled, he heads towards Seoul...
The sample turns are illustrated with map and notation graphics on the printed page, which are not reproduced.