In the thrilling 2013 edition of Pandemic, multiple deadly diseases have erupted worldwide at once. You and other players step into the shoes of disease - fighting experts. Your goal? Treat disease hotspots and find cures for four plagues before they spiral out of control. The game board shows major population centers on Earth. Each turn, players get up to four actions like traveling between cities, treating the sick, finding cures, or building research stations. Card decks give you these abilities, but watch out for Epidemic! cards that speed up the diseases. Another deck controls normal infection spread. Players take unique roles and must strategize according to their strengths. For example, the Operations Expert can build research stations for cures and better city - to - city movement. The Scientist can cure a disease with just four cards instead of five. But time is short. If diseases spread too far or too much time passes, you lose. Cure all four diseases, and you win! This 2013 edition adds two new characters, the Contingency Planner and the Quarantine Specialist, not seen in earlier versions.

How to play: First, each player picks a role card and gets a set of cards. The game board represents the world with different cities. On your turn, you can take up to four actions. You can move to another city, treat the sick there, try to discover a cure, or build a research station. Use the card decks to help you do these things. Be careful of the Epidemic! cards as they make the diseases spread faster. Keep an eye on the normal infection deck too. Try to plan your moves based on your role's strengths. For example, if you're the Operations Expert, build research stations early. If you're the Scientist, save up the right cards to cure diseases quickly. Things to note: Time is your enemy. The diseases won't wait for you to act. If a disease spreads too much in a city or if too many turns pass, you'll lose the game. Also, work well with your teammates as you all have different skills. Maintenance advice: Keep the cards in a dry place to prevent them from getting damaged. You can use a card sleeve to protect them. If the game board gets dirty, you can gently wipe it with a soft, dry cloth. Have fun playing and save the world from the plagues!