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Questing Beast
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Questing Beast had an interesting enough premise, but it certainly would have benefited from being longer. There were several ideas and plots introduced in the thirty-some pages of this short story, but that wasn't exactly enough room for all of the ideas (or characters) to fully develop. Or, at least, develop beyond absolute basic information.

The overall plot of the story is that these scientists have to file their findings on a planet for...a scientific survey? Something along those lines. A virus somehow gets into their system, though, and completely destroys the data they've been gathering for the past two years.

The only possible back up is called Nannybot, and is also partially infected. The virus has Nannybot believe that it is Sir Pellinor, and it has to find the Questing Beast. If the scientists can make Nannybot think that it has caught the Questing Beast, then the virus can be overwritten, and the two years of data can be retrieved, saving the careers of everyone involved.

The Authurian elements of the story don't go much beyond the Questing Beast itself. The rest is the drama of the report being due, and the age-old implications of introducing foreign wildlife into ecosystems. Very Star Trek.
  
Pandemic
Pandemic
2008 | Medical
Cooperative (1 more)
Thematically interesting
Quarterbacking is a problem with players who have a varying degree of skill (0 more)
Pandemic is a lot of board gamers first cooperative game, and for that it has a lot of value. A lot of people have fond memories getting destroyed over and over, feeling that their first win was a big accomplishment. Unfortunately, after your first few wins, the game loses a lot of its charm. You start to recognize the patterns, and can pretty much tell within the first few terms if your group is going to win. As a result, this game is likely gathering dust in a lot of people's collections: too nostalgic to sell, but not good enough to play.

The game also suffers a lot of the basic problems of cooperative games. Experienced players quarterbacking is common. The randomness of the cards drawn is frustrating. The roles drawn don't always work well together (and can largely dictate if you win).

Overall, I would still recommend this to a new board gamer. But I would still probably recommend the Legacy versions more highly.