Pandemic Legacy Season 1 players please advise

[Stejay]

My wife and I will be starting this hopefully in the next few days, time allowing.  Which is the best and easiest way to play, with all four characters, or just one each?  If one each, which two, or is it better to swap between games?  No spoilers though please!

[Pelekophoros]

I played two player with my wife and I. We only did one character each.and it was fine. Pick whichever work for you, we swapped occasionally but had clear favourites.

 

It's a narrative experience, but it's your narrative experience. Do whatever works for you to make it fun. If you don't feel like you're having fun, change how you play it the next game. 

[Stejay]

Sounds good, cheers.

[jonnyalpha]

I think it would be fine with 2 but may make it rather easy in some instances as it's easier for you to gather cards into sets to make the cures. Conversely it could make it harder at times as you won't be able to spread out across the map as easily.

 

We played it at 3 but used 4 characters. We treated the extra character as one we all shared and left the hand face up on the table so we could plan more easily. That was the one we would swap out for a different role at times as we all became attached to our own characters as the game went on and we wanted to keep playing our "own" person. 

 

You could consider adding in an extra character to your game. I think it gives you more flexibility without the added pressure of running 2 sets of cards each.

[Hexx]

Tricky

I'd say (having only done it this way) best with 4 characters a game

I'd say easiest with 2 characters a game.

 

You can, and maybe should, consider different characters for different games (you in no way have to, but you can freely vary who plays who). But if you like your characters or are attached to them you can keep playing the same ones.

 

With our 4 player game we swapped a lot - partly to let different people try different roles, partly as we built a good large team we could pick from as missions went. 

 

You can change number of characters from game to game.

 

In the end play how you want to. There's no right/wrong way. And IF you somehow make the game too hard/too easy/not enjoyable for yourself a) it's pretty good and balancing itself out and b) you can always change how you approach it later.

 

[Skeeez]

Season one is great. Having played S1 and S2 at various player counts, the sweet spot is three we found. That said, you can easily introduce and or take out a character to suit yourselves.

[Stejay]

We haven’t started yet, hopefully this weekend. Think we are going with three characters between the two of us.

 

I’m a little scared. We were never too good at regular Pandemic, or even Forbidden Island. Good job it’s just a game!

[Skeeez]

Don't worry. One of the best things about the Legacy aspect of S1 is the balancing. If you suck, it's adds things to help you. If you are walking it, it takes them away. 

 

The most important thing is that you have fun though. If you are struggling you could perhaps start with an extra card or remove an epidemic card from the deck. You'll get better them more you play. 

[jonnyalpha]

You don't have to win every game. In fact you definitely won't and that's fine. Just enjoy it the game will balance things for you.