Lead the Netherlands into the Industrial Age in the latest version of the cooperative classic! It is the dawn of the Industrial Age in the Netherlands. For centuries, the country has relied upon a series of dikes and wind-powered pumps to keep it safe from the constant threat of flooding from the North Sea. But this system is no longer enough.
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It is the dawn of the Industrial Age in the Netherlands. For centuries, the country has relied upon a series of dikes and wind-powered pumps to keep it safe from the constant threat of flooding from the North Sea, but this system is no longer enough.
In Pandemic: Rising Tide, it is your goal to avert tragedy by constructing four modern hydraulic structures in strategic locations that will help you defend the country from being reclaimed by the ocean. Storms are brewing and the seas are restless. It will take all your guile to control the flow of water long enough to usher in the future of the Netherlands. It’s time to get to work.
Containing the water that threatens to consume the countryside is your greatest challenge. Water levels in a region are represented by cubes, and as the water containment systems currently in place begin to fail, more water cubes are added to the board. With water levels constantly on the rise, failure to maintain the containment system could quickly lead to water spilling across the board.
To successfully build the four hydraulic structures needed to win a game of Pandemic: Rising Tide, you must first learn to predict and manipulate the flow of water. Failing to maintain safe water levels throughout the country can bring you perilously close to failing your mission. Fortunately, water can be corralled by a strategically placed dike or slowed by pumping water out of a region. Correctly identifying and intervening in at-risk areas can get you one step closer to victory.
| Ages | 8+ |
|---|---|
| Mechanics | Action Point Allowance System, Cooperative Play, Hand Management, Point to Point Movement, Set Collection, Trading, Variable Player Powers |
| Play Time | 45m |
| Players | 2 Players, 3 Players, 4 Players, 5 Players |
| Publisher | Hobby Japan, Z-Man Games, Inc., Asmodee, Asterion Press, Edge Entertainment, Z-Man Games |
| Designer | Jeroen Doumen, Matt Leacock |
cbazler
After playing some 50+ games of base Pandemic (plus expansions), 30-some games between Pandemic Legacy Seasons 1 and 2, and at least 10 plays of The Cure and Cthulhu, I am pretty much sick of the Pandemic system. Nevertheless, this is STILL very good. The way water floods regions really changes the core mechanics and feels different than the other iterations of this game. I actually wish this had been renamed / rebranded as [i]anything[/i] else, because I just can't bear to own another Pandemic in my life.
AFallenApple
This is actually my favorite iteration of Pandemic, but the board is a huge problem. Trying to go the historic route sounds great, but the names are too long, and the regions are too clumsy for all the pieces. Stacking dikes in the small clustered regions is a super pain. Also, because the names are so long and take up most of the space in the smaller areas, you have to cover them with the pieces--it becomes a challenge locating them. Lastly, the regions themselves are overly complex making it hard to quickly see what flows where each turn.
bcnevan
Excellent reimplementation of Pandemic that is much more than a reskin. For example, via the operable pumps, incentives are shifted in a way that the players walk along a line that's close to both success and disaster. There's a trade-off between quickly building one of the game's four systems that are needed to win the game, and getting the most out of its bonus. Further, we aren't simply here to eradicate water--water can't be destroyed. Instead, we need to shape how it flows through the low lands so we can manage its increasing presence. So, the puzzle is engaging, there are thematic touches throughout, and those thematic touches provide a logical connection to solving the engaging puzzle. Finally, the game comes with a couple modules to mix up the puzzle more, so there's plenty of game inside the box.