PANDEMIC

The Dispatcher dispatches herself to Tokyo and puts up a bunch of signs reminding people to wash their hands, reducing the red death and taking Tokyo off the brink. From there she takes an Antonov An-2 to Shanghai where she convinces local party officials to rapidly build a research station.

She then draws Atlanta (Blue) and Cairo (Black). Red death spreads in Bangkok, and zombies multiply in Cairo.

The Situation:

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PANDEMIC

Ok! Another quite-good turn, Baghdad hasn't blown its top. Are we agreed that I ask the Medic to ask Daddy Warbucks to build a research station in Baghdad, so I can pop over there and kill a cube?

That'll account for three of my actions. Options for the remaining action:

We go with the Scientist's plan and I move to Cairo to await extraction. Of my Vietnamese metropolis. With the extra cube in Cairo, that's looking a bit more attractive.

I could take out another cube in either Tokyo or Baghdad.

I could move to Tehran and prepare to eliminate more Black cubes.

Basically the difference between option 1 and the others is that we end with one more cube on the board and one more Yellow card in the Scientist's hands. That'd put us one card away from both a Red and a Yellow cure, which does sound pretty awesome.

I need to consult with my own brains trust, so there's discussion time. Do we think the cube sitch is sufficiently under control?

PANDEMIC

Well, if you wind up in Cairo, she has the third Red at the end of her turn. So if we do:

Medic: Move to Seoul and treat, then teleport to Manila, move to Sydney.

Dispatcher: Move self and Scientist to Sydney, pass card, Move Scientist back to Cairo.

That lets her move to Baghdad and cure Red on her next turn.

PANDEMIC

Well, if you wind up in Cairo, she has the third Red at the end of her turn. So if we do:

Medic: Move to Seoul and treat, then teleport to Manila, move to Sydney.

Dispatcher: Move self and Scientist to Sydney, pass card, Move Scientist back to Cairo.

That lets her move to Baghdad and cure Red on her next turn.

I like it!

PANDEMIC

I am all for using the grant to build a station in Baghdad. I think clearing out Seoul is great, but I'm not sure about the utility of moving to Manila. I'll have a better idea what to do after the Researcher's turn.

PANDEMIC

The brains trust agrees!

Request that the Medic build a research station in Baghdad
Move to Shanghai
Bounce to Baghdad
Treat a cube. Maybe dinner, a movie, let's see where the night goes.
Move to Cairo for sightseeing

PANDEMIC

The Researcher calls the Medic to lament the lack of a research station in Iraq. Turns out the Medic knows a guy and makes it happen. Then the Research takes a ferry to Shanghai and catches a flight on a station to station run to Baghdad. While in Baghdad, the researcher takes out a bunch of zombies and heads to Cairo for some well-deserved down time.

Then the Researcher draws Khartoum (Yellow) and San Paulo (Yellow).

Zombies surge in Mumbai, making the situation more serious while the red death worsens in Ho Chi Minh City, taking it to the brink.

The situation:

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PANDEMIC

So, do we proceed with the Cairo plan?

There's probably a Maltese Falcon joke in there somewhere.

PANDEMIC

I'm still good with it. Between the two of us now we have three Red cards and four Yellow cards, so we're looking pretty good for both cures (and should probably hang, like, y'know?).

PANDEMIC

For the Medic's turn, I think we're probably better off if they stay with cleansing cities rather than getting involved in cures. They're just too darn good at it. If we're lucky (I give it about a 30% chance), the Scientist will pick up an extra Red card on her turn and we'll have no need of the Sydney card anyway, but even if not, we're close enough not to be too worried.