Pandemic’s 10th Anniversary edition includes miniatures and comes in a metal first aid kit – but it’ll cost you

This year marks 10 years since Matt Leacock’s co-op hit Pandemic first hit the tabletop, and the game is getting a special anniversary edition to celebrate.

Unlike Pandemic’s other limited-edition sets – such as Iberia and Rising Tide – Pandemic 10th Anniversary preserves the gameplay of the 2008 original, but makes some significant upgrades to the look and feel of the game.

Firstly, the whole game is packed in a metal box modelled on an early 20th century first aid kit. The whole thing weighs a hefty 6lb (2.7kg) and can even be mounted on a wall, just as medical kits often were back in the day.

Inside, the components have been given a similar bump in quality, with the wooden pieces of the game’s first edition replacing the later plastic disease cubes and cure markers, and the main map board expanded in size.

Although the set doesn’t feature any other elements from Pandemic’s various expansions, the 10th Anniversary edition does come with improved versions of the Petri dishes used to store disease cubes first introduced in expansion On the Brink.

The biggest component upgrade is the introduction of custom miniatures in the place of Pandemic’s standard pawns. The seven figures are based on the second edition’s roles and finished with a wash.

Meanwhile, the game’s art has been revamped with a new vintage visual style, complete with effects to recreate the look and feeling of an antique printshop.

The character illustrations have been brought over from Second Edition, but now take pride of place in role cards reimagined as ID badges, closer to the look of Pandemic Legacy: Season Two.

As you can imagine, all this does come at a price – Pandemic 10th Anniversary will cost $100 (£77) when it’s released in the last quarter of 2018.

It is described as being limited-edition, although publisher Z-Man hasn’t determined just how limited the set will be – it’s also offering a pre-painted set of the miniatures for those who pre-order through its website.

We looked back on the Pandemic series with creator Matt Leacock and some of the designers and artists who had helped expand his hugely influential creation over the years for the game’s 10th anniversary earlier this year – you can find out what Leacock and others picked as their favourite entries in the franchise here.