Miami Dice, Episode 117 - Pandemic: In the Lab

[@Hieronymus-Pseudonymous]

Three people have already mentioned it, but why not? Epidemiologists don't study the epidermis - they study epidemics. Skin doctors are dermatologists.

[@bernardoaraujo6655]

I knew this would be the top comment.

[@kustomkure]

Pandemic is one of my favorite games and I usually agree with Zee. But Sam killed it here, I am backing him up 100%. This expansion is simply crucial. The five cards finally make sense. The game becomes whole. I don't think I will play the game without the expansion anymore.

[@agaricus]

Basically this. In the Lab is an essential expansion for pandemic to really throw yourself into the theme of the game. I much prefer how cards are managed with In the Lab. I've alternated playing In the Lab and vanilla and I'm finding I just rather play with this expansion.

[@CaptLoquaLacon]

What I found is that the lab actions are more satisfying than trying to co-ordinate to trade cards. That has often felt really punishing without certain roles that make movement a lot easier.

[@Kajotex]

Funilly enough, i played this this weekend with my gf who played before and one of her friends who never played a modern boardgame in her life. I teached them both with the in the lab expansion from the get go and they both got into it. The friend even had the pilot and was playing correctly, even though she was a bit confused at first. but that went away. I'm with sam on this one.

[@Lugo428]

How'd the game play out? Assuming you even remember.

[@TonganJedi]

I'm on Sam's side. If you're explaining the game from scratch, it's not that much more complicated than vanilla game. I think it feels more complicated than it is because it's being compared to the non-expanded version by veteran players. The thematic gains look to be the real winner here.

[@cyseren524]

I agree you with Sam. I always hold back from the original game for the rule of discovering cure just to play some cards. This expansion absolutely intensifies the whole game and brings the researching part of real life to the game board. This is great!

[@ramonosuke]

Great review, I really loved Zee's opinions on here especially. I agree I wouldn't introduce this to new players either, cause it takes the game away from "gateway" territory. I own On The Brink, and I think it supplements Pandemic so well, that, I to,agree it is the first expansion to get over the the other two(In the Lab and State of Emergency), so much so, that I'd recommend buying it outright. I really love Pandemic, for its simplicity and tense play, but would love to add this expansion to it for my more experienced gamer friends.

[@Sandrockcstm]

If your group can't play the game because you have an alpha gamer, that's a person/group problem, not a problem with the game. It's sort of like saying, "They need to fix 7 Wonders because our kids chew on the cards and rip them up." The lack of maturity of a person in your gaming group is an issue separate from the merits of the game itself, and is not something that Zman needs to "fix," because the game plays just fine for people that are able to share the floor and cooperate.

[@otterbot]

Not a big deal, but I question showing upgraded components during the game walk-through that aren't in the game (...maybe you could put a link to the Litko pieces in the video description?). As for the opinions, I like that Pandemic is one of Zee's all-time favorite games and yet he can still maintain perspective and empathy across other people's gaming needs. That's thoughtful and I appreciate it. And Sam,... well, at least he's funny ;-) Thanks, enjoyed the discussion guys.

[@mathiassecherappelmllehave7459]

@ Qvist. It is, but you need both the original pandemic and "on the brink" to play "in the lab". The 2013 cards match in all 3, but if you have a 1. edition pandemic, the cards will match in size, but not in layout. It won't ruin the game, but some of the surprise.

[@MarcelPogorzelski]

Thematically I had problem with trading in five card as cure. The cards are plane tickets, so you cure disease with plane tickets. This expansion looks awesome.

[@LDROak]

Ok, first I must say 1 - I'm a fan of the dice tower 2 - ... not sure how to put it I think Miami Dice is one of the best part of the Dice tower You 3 on the screen have amazing chemistry :P (now that's theme) I love, and I can't stress this enough, when any one of you get really pumped up about something ( good or bad ) when you disagree on something, when you defend your opinion strongly it makes a great show and a real JOY to watch thank you !

[@talronen9673]

Tom said that he loves this better then otb but he said that it is less necessary. This is because the otb adds tons of new things for a lot more versatility and and makes the life. Of this game longer while itl adds one big thing that you can love or hate. Tom loved it

[@freddieyu]

Nice review! Maybe you can "tap" the role card to indicate that the free bonus action from the role has been used, then untap once the player's turn is over...

[@ericcharles6315]

12:53. A real outbreak has occurred and Sam had been infected with Tom's excessive fixation on theme.

[@Brend0ver]

My group has found ITL to make the game easier on normal difficulty (5 epidemics). I love this expansion. The theme and the puzzle elements of figuring out where to put the cubes is amazing.

[@philaurent1983]

This trio rocks! Always fun to watch, awesome!

[@smoothcriminal28]

I am with Sam on this one.. His perspective resonated completely with me and now i am very curious about this expansion.

[@TheSquareOnes]

If the base game had been this thematic and interesting I might have considered it over Defenders of the Realm. This expansion looks amazing but it's probably too late to convince me to buy in. Sam seemed to nail it though, complexity is rarely a bad thing when it is added for the sake of theme. The core system is so simple that I can't imagine anyone getting stuck if you use this the first time, it hardly took any learning to jump into the original so now it would just take a "normal" amount.

[@x7y2k12]

How you know if you used your special ability? Tap your role card. Just turn it 90 degrees when you use your ability and turn it back next turn.

[@BlimpMcGee]

Very informative guys, we really need a secondary channel DiceTowerPlaytime to see your sessions!

[@gheilers]

Okay...can this expansion be played with only the base game, or is OTB also required? I picked up "In The Lab" at the recent Barnes and Noble clearance sale...thinking it was a standalone expansion, requiring only the base game.

[@rooster1038]

As far as I can tell, certain parts of ITL needs OTB, but not all of it. I'm in the same position, just bought it today, and I found a forum saying you do need OTB, but that might just be for certain parts like the bioterrorists and alike.

[@atthegates1986]

This looks really fascinating. Just got Pandemic last week. I guess I will buy this as soon as there is a German translation. I understand why this is an expansion though - I played Pandemic with my non-gamer-girlfriend and she enjoyed it very much. If we would have started with all this mechanisms right away she probably would have given up and never gotten into it.

[@randalladkins7452]

No, Tom says in the review that he got them from Litco (not sure of spelling).

[@onlythistube]

Thx, as always, for the great review and effort, guys! Is it mandatory to have the 1st expansion for the 2nd one? If not, which expansion is, if at all, essential or preferable?

[@danlewis1885]

No ... you can play the Lab part shown in this video without having the first one. You need the first to play the Virulent strain enhancement (to have enough Epidemic Cards) and the Mutation enhancement (to have enough purple cubes and the three Mutation cards that go into the Player deck). You can, theoretically, use existing Epidemic cards if you know what the On The Brink Virulent Epidemic cards show - just use removable tape and number the cards and then have a list next to the board of the Virulent strain additional task you need to perform (the Virulent Epidemic cards have same three instructions as original Epidemic cards with one additional item added). Same can be said for Mutation, use something else for the 12 purple cubes you won't have and then use three unused Event cards and number them with removable tape and have the instructions for the three missing Mutation cards handy. All the rules are online in PDFs on the game maker's web site.

[@spiraldaddy]

I agree with Slamming Sammy - this expansion is required. It comes down to this - you need the macroscopic view of the disease spreading but then you need the microscopic view of it being cured. That is called thematic brilliance. The original game's theme bored me after a while but with this new expansion, you feel like you are dealing with the germs directly. Get me a hazmat suit and the heart syringe for when it tears as I grapple for the vials from the bioterrorist - yes!

[@JoshuaCJones]

Great stuff guys. Really in depth thinking got a lesser experienced gamer here and I really appreciate it.

[@adammarquis]

Hard to catch during the video, where are those neat virus tokens from?

[@jonnyneo53]

Can anyone explain to me the abilities of the pilot? The way I understand it is that he cannot move via Drive, Direct flight, or charter flight. He can only move to a city 3 connections away and may take another pawn with him if they're on the same space. Is this correct? I find it weird that it forces the pilot to move 3 connections away only, and not be able to move to the city next to where he's at...

[@GamersGrind]

Two questions. In the intro which host is the red one with the hearts and why isn't there a water skiing die for Zee?

[@Braz__]

@ Darklordbrink : There will be an upgrade pack available - as far as I know...

[@Verseval]

Man...that velvet is getting some real love

[@kholdstare21]

I myself will never play Pandemic without this expansion.

[@patriciogarcia6804]

I thought this expansion took the game some where it shouldn't have gone. I love Pandemic and play it often. I have only played this expansion a few times and I often avoid using it.

[@randalladkins7452]

still think him and Sam need a piece for the audio podcast!

[@randalladkins7452]

Yeah for Zee taking over!!

[@ihaveamouthandimustscream5649]

Where do you get those disease tokens from? :)

[@Subcomandante73]

If only Z-Man would send some of these over to Europe I would be playing this right now. I've had it on pre-order for months and am told I 'might' get it next month :(

[@karenescamilla7832]

I really looooved it, it does makes it more fun :)

[@graphycus]

The Field Director is not cool? I think is one the most powerful characters in the whole Pandemic serie. I played over 250 games and I'm always happy when this character is in play, because it mostly guarantee you to win, even in harder levels.

[@ginodaveggio8687]

So to play this expansion you have to buy the new version of the base game?

[@falgrum]

Been a pandemic hater for some time now. However, this actually looks like it might make the game fun and not just a game that plays itself anymore...

[@Madbonna1]

Is this compatible with the older version though? Is on the Brink compatible with the older version also?

[@lpdude72]

"I'm not going to get this..." *ding dong* "wait someone's at the door. Oh Sam!" BAM! XD Nah, i can see this being an instant hit with my gaming group, thanks for the review.

[@DCope89]

Sam Healey keeping it real!

[@MultiWarandpeace]

Does the game take longer now, after everyone has learned it?

[@tactical_cardboard]

Are those virus bits included in the expansion?

[@ihaveamouthandimustscream5649]

YES SAM!! For sure.

[@JeromeChan]

I often house rule it so that no one can say anything unless the active players asks for help.

[@Straddllw]

I like this one better than in the brink.

[@Braz__]

By the way: Why is this episode called "Miami Dice", when Z is joining? It should be called "Dice`s Angels" ;-)

[@limplamp6692]

What about if you don't like the original pandemic, could this possibly make you like it?

[@JaniGreen]

Epidemiologists aren't dermatologists, Tom!

[@Daremachina]

I was surprised that this is worth picking up over On The Brink. I thought OTB did an excellent job of keeping the game fresh and challenging every single play through. I didn't feel that when reading about In The Lab does that. Glad to see otherwise.

[@godofzombi]

Maybe the disease is cured by going trough airport security scanners five times in a row.

[@JoshuaCJones]

I think the comment below to tap the role when they do the bonus lab action item is brilliant. Spoken like true magic nerds haha

[@JeromeChan]

You can still use the non in lab components to play a harder game.

[@ABevs]

No. He bought them from a company called litko. They're about $40.

[@neoeinstein]

Epidemiologist and Dermatologist. One deals with the study of spread of disease beyond a single person (epi + demos) the other deals with the study of skin (derma). Unless that was a joke. Otherwise nice review!

[@davqvist]

I'd love to play this. But is this expansion compatible with the "old" base game?

[@AnzacBear]

Considering a vast majority of people who watch the dice tower videos are fans... You probably shouldn't call them stupid.

[@fish3977]

It allways hurt when they drop the items

[@drwilliam821]

Epidemiologists is not a skin doctor. Epidemiology is the study of the patterns, causes, and effects of healthand disease conditions in defined populations. Still a good review though.

[@WickstarRunner]

Despite the "Knight's Tale" reference (well played Sam) this is a pass for me because they still haven't fixed the Alpha Gamer problem that makes Pandemic unplayable for my group.

[@Outinthedark]

Getting trolled at 6:14

[@brandonsurowiec8789]

'Virus Token Set' can be found at litko.net

[@Raphaelus13]

I'm surprised. :) I though it would end up being contrived and not that fun.

[@mrfaldor]

Pandemic: Suck It Haters!

[@t3l3phasicworksh0p]

But they wish they were!

[@xcrement]

I would rather have gotten the litco pieces than this expansion. :(

[@reptar33]

Skin Doctor?????????

[@JoeGrimer]

The guy on the right is dripping with character... really like people who aren't politically correct! XD