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As you may know, Pandemic Legacy is the 'seasonal' version of Pandemic. Rather than a game that is built to be played hundreds and hundreds of times, Pandemic Legacy has been designed to be played 24 times, maximum. One question that seems to get asked a lot is whether you need to play Pandemic before Pandemic Legacy. Well, the answer is pretty simple. Yes. You should play Pandemic before you play Pandemic Legacy. While Pandemic Legacy does come with all of the rules that you need to play the game, it does also suggest that you need to understand how the main game works. If you don't know how to play, then you won't get the most out of the game. This is because you will forever be making the wrong decisions. These decisions will, ultimately, hinder your progress. Let's go into this in a bit more depth and, hopefully, we will be answering some of the more burning questions that you may have about whether you can just jump right into this game. Do You Need to Know How Do You Play Pandemic Before Pandemic Legacy? Click Image for More Info Yes. In fact, the rules for Pandemic Legacy suggest that you know how to play the original Pandemic before you jump into Pandemic Legacy. Now, don't get us wrong. Pandemic Legacy plays in roughly the same way as the original co-op. They have roughly the same rules. However, because each of your decisions in Pandemic Legacy can greatly impact the way in which you play the game for the next 12-24 playing sessions, you need to have a good idea of the ramifications of any decision that you make in the game. If you don't know how to play Pandemic, then you are going to struggle a lot with Pandemic Legacy. The game probably won't even be fun when you play like that. This is because you are going to be failing session after session. If you aren't winning in a co-op board game, what is the point of actually playing that game? Should I Buy Pandemic or Pandemic Legacy? Click Image for More Info If you have never played Pandemic before, or there are people in your group that have never played Pandemic before, then start with the ordinary version of Pandemic. Pandemic Legacy is going to be more for those that actually know how to play the game. Basically, it is for Pandemic players that are looking for a little bit more out of their game experience. That being said, you may be able to get away with just buying Pandemic Legacy. This is because until you actually start the 'Legacy' content, the game board and components function just like a normal game of Pandemic. There are a couple of changes to the board, but nothing really too drastic. Think of an extra city connection here and there which makes the game a little bit easier. However, you do have to remember that once you actually start the Legacy content in Pandemic Legacy, your game will never function as a normal game of Pandemic again. In fact, you have pretty much started the countdown timer on that game. You only have a limited number of plays left in it. For now, if you have never played Pandemic, then just start with the normal Pandemic game. It is going to be far cheaper than Pandemic Legacy, and you are going to be enjoying a game that you will be able to enjoy for the rest of your life. You don't get the same with Pandemic Legacy. Did you know Pandemic Legacy has more than one Season? Check out all the Pandemic games by clicking here to view them on Amazon. Is It Easy to Explain Pandemic the Rules to New Players? One of the great things about Pandemic and Pandemic Legacy is that they are both co-op games. This means that nobody is going to be competing against the other players. You will all be able to work with one another. This means that it can be easy to share the rules with the other players because you are all working with the same goal in mind i.e. stopping that virus from taking over the world. However, we wouldn't jump into Pandemic Legacy with people that don't understand the rules. The problem with jumping into Pandemic Legacy is that you are often going to be roped into making the decisions for the people that don't know how to play. They never feel like they are part of the game. This is an issue that we have run into with other similar co-op games like Forbidden Desert. People get bored with the game if you are constantly trying to explain what to do. This, once again, is another reason that you should be starting with the normal Pandemic. You should make sure that it is actually going to be a training game so everybody can learn the rules. You can then play a couple of games after that so that everybody really does know what they are doing. At no point should you ever be telling people the exact decision to make, even if you are the one explaining the rules. It should always be people's own decision, often after a bit of discussion between the players. If it isn't, then they are probably never going to want to play Pandemic Legacy as they will be bored out of their minds. Final Thoughts If you want to jump into Pandemic Legacy, then it is important that you know how to play Pandemic beforehand. If you don't, then you really won't be able to get the most out of the game. It will be far too difficult. You should remember that the Pandemic Legacy board will function as a normal Pandemic board until you start the game properly. This means that you do not have to purchase multiple couples of the game if you really have a session of Pandemic Legacy in mind. Remember, before you jump into Pandemic Legacy, make sure everybody knows the rules. This way you have a much greater chance of success when working through the campaign.