Reviews by our members

• 5

  1 out of 1 members found this review helpful

  laziali21

  2022-03-15

  Verified purchase from No Label X

  Very good expansion, really gives a different meaning to the game, additional characters, and different scenarios, plus a "villain" that can compete with the rest of the team!

  Translated from Greek · Show original

  • Fun
  • Longevity
  • Construction quality
  • Value for money

  • Moderate difficulty rules
  • Average completion time
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• 4

  24 out of 24 members found this review helpful

  Marty McFly

  2019-12-21

  Verified purchase

  To begin with, I will mention that it is not a standalone game but requires the basic Pandemic board game to be played. On the brink (2009) is the first of the three total expansions of the game. The other two that followed are In the lab (2013) and State of Emergency (2015). The rest of the games released by Zman under the name Pandemic are standalone but either have different themes such as Reign of Cthulhu, Rising Tide, etc., or remain faithful to the theme of viruses such as Contagion, Hot zone - Europe, etc.
  
  Otb includes seven new roles with their corresponding pawns, the addition of a fifth player, eight new event cards, and an extra classic pandemic card for increased difficulty. It also comes with three new challenges: a new purple virus with fewer cubes, accompanied by two mutation cards and three event cards. It also includes a virus sticker to stick on the pandemic map, which I chose (see photo), or alternatively provides you with a card. The second challenge comes from the eight new epidemic cards with different text, each of which optionally replaces the old ones from the base game. These make one of the existing diseases (whichever is dominant in the game) stronger, thus helping its spread and making its treatment more difficult. The third and final challenge of the game is the bio-terrorist. Someone takes on the role and tries to win by sabotaging the rest of the team by destroying their stations, spreading the viruses, etc. Players win in the classic way but also hunt down the bio-terrorist to neutralize them. Of the three challenges, I have played the first two either combined for more difficulty or on their own, and I consider them excellent. Especially the new epidemic cards replaced the old ones immediately. Only in the case that I am introducing the game to friends, I use the classic ones. I have not tried the bio-terrorist. From what I read in foreign reviews, opinions are mixed. The implementation of this gameplay variant did not impress much. However, I would suggest you try it and judge for yourselves.

  The contents are of very good quality, as we are used to from Pandemic (pawns, cubes, cards), and the box also hides an excellent inspiration from the creator. Five plastic cylindrical petri dishes, similar to those used by biologists for cultivating microorganisms, also known as petri dishes. They are accompanied by labels - stickers depicting retroviruses, bacteria, etc., with additional space for you to give them the names you want. I would suggest removing the plastic insert from the pandemic and replacing it with the one from OtB, which has compartments for the petri dishes and enough storage space for both games (see photo). Everything in one tidy box.

  The main disadvantage of the game, I would say, is its price, which reaches that of the base game and sometimes exceeds it. Also, regarding the bio-terrorist, if you don't like it, it will end up being useless. Essentially, you will have paid to play only two out of the three challenges. Finally, the fact that there is no Greek version may concern some people. I would suggest buying the pandemic in English to avoid inconsistency in the cards.

  In summary, if you are tired of the repetition of the pandemic and are considering which of the three expansions to buy, OtB is highly recommended. It is considered by many to be one of the best expansions that will bring freshness and longevity to the base game and provide the impetus for new games for the salvation of humanity.

  Translated from Greek · Show original

  • Fun
  • Simple rules
  • Longevity
  • Construction quality

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