Pathogen

About this board game

Pathogen is a two-player board game for a 30-minute battle between the Doctor and the Plague across the worlds of humanity and the underworld.

The plague is spreading, and both sides must fight for influence across two worlds at once. Players move their characters using the Movement panel, then place influence tokens onto the map to gain control of these threatened realms.

Every action contributes to the larger struggle between containment and devastation. The Doctor works against the spread of the pandemic, while the Plague seeks to overwhelm the two worlds. The opposing roles create a focused conflict in which control of the map is central to victory.

The game ends when one player achieves one of the stated winning goals:

• Create a path.
• Build up four settlements.

The first player to accomplish either condition is declared the winner. This gives Pathogen a clear race toward victory, with players competing to shape the map through movement and influence while the pandemic continues to spread.

Released in 2022, Pathogen presents a compact contest for exactly two players. Its premise places tireless doctors and a boundless plague in direct opposition, asking whether humanity can curb the pandemic or whether the plague will devour both worlds.