tabletopgaming.co.uk 67complete sense; sometimes even the
most carefully planned battles go awry.
In presentation and component quality,
Fall of Rome is a clear improvement on its
predecessors. From nice chunky tokens to
gorgeous card backs, it looks beautiful laid
out on the table. e theme inspires and
enriches the look of the game to its bene t.
Pandemic fans will not be disappointed
by the latest instalment in the series. Fall
of Rome is still intrinsically Pandemic but
with added freshness and challenge. All
the same, the game could be just as easily
serve as an introduction to the series.
Pandemic Legacy remains the
ultimate Pandemic experience. But in
the growing parade of smaller spin-o s,
Fall of Rome con dently marches at the
front of the procession.
ALEX SONECHKINATRY THIS IF YOU LIKED... PANDEMIC
While the original Pandemic will always be a co-op classic, Fall of Rome definitely
offers more both in gameplay and visuals, and could become a go-to in the series.S
tart talking about a co-op game
where players travel around a
map clearing it of cubes and it
is immediately obvious what is being
described. Whether those cubes are
diseases, growing water levels – as in
2017’s Rising Tide – or an angry hoard of
Visigoths has become more and more
irrelevant. You say Pandemic and, no
matter the theme, everyone instantly
knows what the game will be about.
Having such de nitive gameplay
comes at a disadvantage: it is so robust
that not much can be done to it. Little
changes might spice up the familiar
gameplay by adding a couple of exciting
twists here and there but, essentially, no
matter which version nds its way onto
your table, you are still playing Pandemic.
Sometimes it is a better version – two
fantastic seasons of Pandemic Legacy
testify to that – and sometimes it is
worse, but, either way, it’s Pandemic.
Good news: Pandemic: Fall of Rome
is one of the better spin-o s. It tries its
absolute hardest to bring something
new to the series, with some fairly
minimal yet meaningful additions.
is time around players are the forces
of Rome defending its territories from
invading barbarian tribes. To win, players
have to form treaties with all the tribes –
or eliminate them. e usual Pandemic
end-game conditions apply, meaning
there are more ways to lose than win –
achieving the latter requires co-operation,
planning and tactical thinking. e most signi cant change in Fall of
Rome revolves around the introduction
of tribe forces on the map. Instead of
immediately spawning into a location as
with the infections of typical Pandemic,
they travel along set migration paths,
so it might actually take them a couple
of turns to arrive at their destination.
While this may seem like an advantage
for players, allowing them to plan better,
the in ux of tribes is still not easy to
control. One careless move and it is easy
to nd yourself overrun.
Clearing locations is trickier and a lot
more reliant on luck. Players roll dice
based on the number of legionaries
present. e dice can clear tribe cubes
and activate characters’ special powers,
but may also eliminate friendly forces.
When the game is hard already
and relies so heavily on co-operation,
planning and strategy, the luck element
that rolling dice brings could have
been frustrating. Fortunately, it is not.
It enjoyably raises the stakes and adds
tension. is could be because the dice
and special powers are balanced just
right. Or simply, because it just makesA spin-o that marches its way to the top
PANDEMIC: FALL OF ROME
40-60m 1-5 8+ £47WHAT’S IN
THE BOX?
◗ Game board
◗ Three battle dice
◗ Seven role cards
◗ Seven pawns
◗ 70 player cards
◗ Seven reference cards
◗ 49 barbarian cards
◗ 100 barbarian cubes
◗ 16 legion
◗ Six forts
◗ Five alliance tokens
◗ Invasion rate marker
◗ Decline markerPLAY IT? YES
Pandemic: Fall of Rome doesn’t
redefine Pandemic. However, as
a new instalment in the series, it
brings new and interesting ideas
that manage to improve on the
gameplay so many know and love.tart talking about a co-op game