In case of Pandemic, Drink Wine – Pandemic Legacy and Viticulture Game Reviews

I can recall during the Covid-19 Pandemic there was an increase in alcohol sales. Forgive my pun as I introduce the next two games for your new board game collection. Pandemic Legacy is a monumental achievement in boardgames. While not the first legacy game, it did seem to legitimize the genre. It helps it has a solid foundation with the original Pandemic – but the legacy edition is one for the ages. Viticulture is a quintessential worker placement game. While the game is not without its criticisms, it remains one of my favorite worker placement games that has a great theme that several people will adore.

As the collection of game starts to grow, I want to build on concepts of the types of games you have. – I want to revisit and expand on the previous two games I highlighted. Those qualities are:

• Legacy Game
• Worker Placement

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Pandemic Legacy

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Pandemic Legacy Review

What is Pandemic Legacy?

Pandemic Legacy is a cooperative board game where players work together to fight 4 diseases that are spreading across the world. Each player takes on a unique role with special powers. Players will travel the globe to treat/fight outbreaks, discover cures, and hopefully prevent the diseases from becoming an epidemic/pandemic ala Covid 19. The totality of the game (or campaign) is played over a series of individual game plays, with each play representing a month in the game’s timeline. Throughout the campaign, players will face evolving challenges, make difficult decisions, and experience a unique narrative driven by their actions. As they progress, the game board and rules will change based on their choices, leading to a dynamic and immersive gaming experience.

Pandemic Legacy has long been the gold standard for legacy style games. Truth be told, it has been the gold standard for board game in general. Pandemic Legacy held the number 1 spot on BoardGameGeek’s rankings for quite a while, specifically from December 2015 to August 2017, which amounts to nearly two years. During this time, it was widely regarded as one of the best board games available.

What is a turn Like?

It may be helpful to think of Pandemic Legacy in both terms of turns as well as game sessions – as the dynamics between the games will change dramatically.

Every turn is tense. There are about 5 things you always feel like you have to do, but you only get to pick 3 of them. A lot of the time the game will feel like a bit of whack a mole – your team will take steps to keep a disease under control in one area of the world, while another will start to spiral out of control in another area. You’ll want to focus on getting the right cards to the right people to help cure the disease but it seems like your always just falling short of having enough steps to do it. At the conclusion of each players’ turn, everyone is holding their breath that another break doesn’t spiral out of control.

While it may seem it is impossible to win – rest assured it is not. You can win the game! It is perhaps one of the most satisfying feelings as well to win this game, partly because how tough it can be, but also since it is a co-op game, I always felt like the feeling of winning was amplified.

Now, win or lose, there are things that happen in between each session. Discussing what happens between session in legacy games is a bit like the mantra of “Fight Club” – we don’t talk about Fight Club – and I won’t go into the specifics of what happens between games. I’d be doing you a disservice, as much of the fun in the game is finding out what happens next. Generally speaking – you’ll be opening new sets of rules, physically changing the game board itself, and adding new objectives. Trust me what I say the joy of discovery is what propels this game to one of the best all time.

Why I picked Pandemic Legacy

If you’ve followed the games I’ve laid out thus far you’ve been exposed to all the elements that will help you succeed in Pandemic Legacy. It stands head and shoulders above many other games. It also really legitimize the legacy style game system. Which if I’m being honest is the main reason I think you should pick up this game. It just does it so well. The cooperative style game play only adds to the legacy system because of the share experience of collectively opening a new pack or section of the game. That share experience is the cherry on top of this great game.

Another point of view

“…I’m already very prepared to go on board or go on record by saying “this is the best game of the year by far…”

Richard Ham- Rahdo

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VITICULTURE

Viticulture game review

What is Viticulture?

Viticulture is a uniquely themed worker placement game where players take on the roles of vineyard owners in Tuscany. Your goal? Build and manage your vineyard, cultivate grapes, and produce fine wines to fulfill customer orders. Aside from creating fine wine, you can also attract wealthy guests or hire vineyard experts to help you score more points that your opponents. Viticulture leans perfectly into its theme as well as using a solid worker-placement model allowing you to feel like a real winemaker as you juggle the choices of planting, harvesting, aging, and selling your wine. A great worker placement game always wants to make you feel like you wish had at least one more worker because there is always more to do. Viticulture does a nice job of this, but also gives you enough choices to where you feel like your not just wasting your turn if you done’t get the perfect work placement option.

At its core, the game emphasizes strategic decision-making and careful planning. Each turn, you’ll assign workers to various tasks, from building structures like cellars and trellises to hosting tours to earn extra coins. The game is played over a series of years (rounds), with each year divided into four seasons. This seasonal structure adds depth and variety, as certain actions are only available during specific times of the year. There is one “grande” worker that will allow you to place a worker where someone else has already gone – but most of the time you’ll need to carefully choose where to place your workers, lest your opponents snatch that spot from you.

Viticulture is easy to learn, yet its depth and charm make it endlessly engaging. For newcomers to worker placement games, it provides an accessible entry point with a theme that resonates universally. The game’s relaxed pace and satisfying progression make it a standout addition to any collection. It is a great choice as one of your “first” worker placement games. There are a couple of expansions as well as a cooperative game follow up – Viticulture World that are noteworthy add ons if Viticulture is one that sticks out for you.

What is a turn Like?

Viticulture turn order is based around the changing seasons, and each turn represents a phase within the year of your vineyard’s development. The game actually does a nice job of using its theme here to build off the worker placement actions. Only certain parts of the boards are available during the different seasons

1. Spring: Players choose their wake-up order for the year, which determines their initiative and bonuses. Do you prioritize an early start or grab a much-needed resource? I feel like this phase gets overlooked! Turn order can be very important in this game!
2. Summer: Plant vines, build structures, or host a tour to earn money. Most of the action happens during the summer and winter phases. Those first few summers are important to get some grapes in the ground and a foothold in the race for wine.
3. Fall: Draw visitor cards that provide unique abilities or bonuses. These cards add unpredictability and can at times seem to make or break your gameplay.
4. Winter: Harvest grapes, make wine, train new workers, or fulfill wine orders. Decisions in winter often revolve around trying to get grapes from the crush into wine and out into a point-wealthy order

Each decision feels significant because resources are scarce, and timing is everything. You’ll often feel the tension of wanting to do more than your limited number of workers allows—a hallmark of great worker placement games.

Now – the game isn’t perfect – it can be damn frustrating to have plenty of grapes, lots of wine – but you just can’t seem to draw the right wine order to sell to. Some event think it may break the game. I do think it can be frustrating, but the game does offer a couple different spots to collect cards to that will allow you to sell your wine. In addition, there are other spots on the board to get you Victory points as well if the card draws aren’t going your way. I do think some of the expansions have balanced the game a bit more, so those bad draws don’t happen as often.

Why I picked Viticulture

The game’s structure makes it an excellent entry point for newcomers while offering enough depth for seasoned gamers. It introduces core worker placement mechanics in a way that’s easy to grasp, ensuring that players don’t feel overwhelmed. I dig the thematic elements. The theme is a bit more accessible than say “space” or “fantasy” – which can matter when you are hoping to get “non-gamers’ to play with you. In addition to a great theme the strategic portions of the game make it a so that you’ll want to replay time and time again.

If you’re building a well-rounded collection, Viticulture is an essential addition. It introduces worker placement mechanics in a way that’s approachable and engaging while providing a theme that’s universally appealing. Plus, it’s a game that grows with you—its expansions, like Tuscany, offer new layers of depth when you’re ready to explore them.

Another point of view

“…is a well designed, solid, no frills worker placement game. It sets a very high standard for the genre…”

Farrell- Board of It

Final Thoughts on Viticulture and Pandemic Legacy

With Pandemic Legacy and Viticulture in your collection, you’ve continue to a great collection. These games not only highlight two of the most celebrated mechanics in modern board gaming—legacy and worker placement—but also provide great gaming experiences. Stay tuned for the next recommendation, where we’ll continue to find another pair of must-have games for your growing collection!

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