Epidemic

1-5 players  
10-20 min.  
Ages 8+   
by Marek J. Kolcun  
 
In Epidemic you take the role of specialists determined to stop the global epidemic of a vicious 
disease. The disease mutates fast and gains on strength. Will you discover the cure before its 
late? 
 
Components 
5 action cards  
3 map cards  
1 progress card  
1 specialists figure (white) 
1 Pandemy token (red) 
1 research token (white) 
15 disease tokens (red) 
 
Rules  
Setup 
Place the map cards next to each other in the order depicted below. Next, shuffle the action 
cards and put them in a row under the world map. After this, place the pandemy token and 
research token on their starting spots (depicted below).  
 
Finally, place the starting disease tokens. To determine how many go on each map card, check 
the positions of the three action cards that have a globe in the top-right corner. For each action 
card with a globe in the corner, check to see what part of the world is depicted. The map bonus 
(C) above each globe card determines how many disease cubes go in on that section of the 
map. However, you always add one more cube than the bonus. When you add the cubes, place 
them on the highest spaces of that map card.  
 
If this is confusing, consider the following example: 
In the setup below, the Research card, which (if you look closely) depicts North and South 
America in the globe section of the card. The map bonus above this card is +1, so you place 2 
disease tokens (because you always add one more than the bonus) on the Americas card. The 
Treatment card depicts Africa and Western Europe, and it is under what is technically the 1st 
space of the map, the section that contains the remaining disease tokens. This has a +0 bonus, 
so 1 disease cube is placed on this map card. Finally, the event card, which depicts Russia, 
Eastern Europe, Asia, and Australia (and New Zealand) has a +2 bonus over it. Therefore, you 
place 3 disease cubes on that card.  
NOTE: These setup rules ensure that if the card arrangement is favourable for the player(s), the 
map will have more disease cubes. However, if card arrangement is bad for the player(s), there 
are less disease tokens on the map.  
  
 
Finally, place the specialist figure on the lowest numbered space of the least infected map 
card.  
 
The last player to visit a hospital starts the game.  
 
Gameplay  
On your turn, choose any 1 action card in the line and take the corresponding action. After an 
action card has been taken, move it to the leftmost position in the line and slide the other 
cards to the right as needed to fill in the gap.  
If you take the action in the #5 space (numerical order depicted above), you do not need to do 
anything else afterwards. However, if you take any of the other cards in the line, you must 
place 1 disease token on each card to the right of the card you selected. If a card has one or 
more disease tokens on it when it’s selected, these disease tokens must be placed on the map 
(all disease tokens are played in spaces with the most adjacent disease tokens. If there is a tie, 
new disease tokens get placed on the highest-numbered tied space) ​before ​the action on the 
card is taken.  

 
 
After resolving the action and adjusting the card positions, your turn ends and player on your 
left takes their turn.  
 
 
 
Actions  
Action cards use two terms that are described below:  
Current position: A position of chosen action card (goes from 1 to 5, counting left to right). 
Current bonus: A bonus located on the bottom of the map card above chosen action card.  
 
1. Research/Pandemy   
When either of these cards are selected, advance the 
matching token on the track by the number of steps equal to 
the current bonus. If either marker reaches the final space of 
the track, the game ends.  
 
The Pandemy card has additional effects if it has reached or 
passed either of the mutation spaces on the Pandemy track (if 
both Mutation spaces have been reached or passed, both 
effects apply). 
 
Mutation 1: If the Mutation card is played from the rightmost position, shuffle all the action 
cards (see Event).  
Mutation 2: Place additional 1 disease token on the map.  
NOTE: Pandemy IS a real word! It’s not very commonly used, but a pandemy is basically a large 
epidemic.  
 
2. Treatment  
Move the specialists figure by spaces equal to current bonus +1. If 
the specialist ever lands on a space with a disease cube, they 
remove it, regardless of whether that is the final location of the 
figure. If the figure is standing on a disease token when it moves 
off of that space, this token is not removed.  
 
 
3. Disease Spreading  
Add 2 disease tokens on the world map. All disease tokens are played in spaces with the most 
adjacent disease tokens. If there is a tie, new disease tokens get placed on the 
highest-numbered tied space.  
 
This action has additional effects if the Pandemy token has 
reached or passed either of the mutation spaces. (if both Mutation 
spaces have been reached or passed, both effects apply).  
 
Mutation 1: Place additional disease tokens equal to the current 
bonus on the world map. Mutation 2: You cannot skip this card by 
putting a disease token on it anymore.  
 
4. Event  
You may perform a single event action the list from 1 up to the 
current position (e.g. position #3).  
 
1. Shuffle cards to the left or right of the Event card. If there are 
any disease tokens on the cards to be shuffled, move them off 
the cards, shuffle and deal the cards, and return the tokens to their original positions. 
2. Advance the Research token by 1 step.  
3. Remove disease tokens equal to current bonus from under the specialists figure and any 
adjacent locations.  
4. Remove half of the disease tokens from any single action card (round down).  
5. Remove all disease tokens from a map card with specialists figure on it. 
 
Mutation 
Once the mutation token advances to space with mutation, after playing the red 
cards, apply the effect written near such pictogram. When the mutation token 
reaches / passes any mutation space, apply that mutation's effect immediately.  
 
Game end  
The game continues until one of the following conditions are met:  
1. If every map location has a disease token, you lose. (You still lose if all map 
locations have disease tokens as a result of unloading the action card.)  
2. If you have to place a disease token on the map but there are none available 
in the supply, you lose.  
3. If the Mutation token reaches the end of the track (marked by a skull 
pictogram), you lose.  
4. If the Research token reaches the end of the track (marked by a Pills icon), the 
cure for disease is found and you have saved the world.  
 
Variants  
Death Waits For No Man 
At the end of your turn you may take one disease token from the supply. Later, if you want to 
give advice to another player, place the token on the action card with the least disease tokens 
or furthest right in case of a tie. Only then you and only you can freely discuss next steps with 
active player.  
 
Unfamiliar Behaviour  
Try various combinations of the front and back of the map and progress cards that have 
different bonus values.  
 
There Is No Time  
In preparation phase, after shuffling the cards, randomly discard a single card. That card will 
not be used during this game. Card positions are considered to be 2 to 5 in this variant.