< back

  Crisis Borealis

A long overdue re-theme of Pandemic.

Originally built in 2022, I revisited the artwork in 2025. This meant adding two more years of real climate disasters to the game's history of Canadian extreme weather. I thought I better 'publish' now to avoid having to add another page to the rulebook.

To download files, click through to each PDF and save.

 

These are a few examples of the resources in the game. If you're familiar with Pandemic (and why wouldn't you be?), you will recognize these bits. The gears of the original game have been transformed: Diseases are now Disasters, Outbreaks are States of Emergency, Research Centers are Emergency Operations Centres, etc. The thematic port was easy; we know how flexible the Pandemic engine is thanks to the many excellent sequels the game has inspired.

There is lots to print for this game. The files and printing instructions follow below. Everything is laid out for printing on letter-sized stock.

To play Crisis Borealis you will also need the cubes from one of your Pandemic boxes (an old copy of Pandemic Legacy: Season One perhaps?). You will need 24 blue, 24 red, 24 yellow and 24 black cubes.

You will need an outbreak marker, an infection rate disc (again, I like to use one of the black discs from Pandemic Legacy), and 6 houses (Pandemic, Catan, Kingdom Builder... ).

Last of all, you will need an assortment of coloured pawns. The roles in Crisis Borealis use the colours found in Pandemic and Pandemic: On the Brink, although the powers of your favourite characters differ by colour in Borealis. You will not need cure markers.

 

 Borealis_rules.pdf   (4 pages)

 

The game board is made of six tiles. With careful taping you can fashion the tiles into a 6-fold board. Tape alternate seams, one on the front and the next on the back, leaving two seams untaped. Fold the seams of the board on their taped sides to pack the board away.

 Borealis_board_1.pdf   (trim borders)

 Borealis_board_2-5.pdf   (trim borders, and divide)

 Borealis_board_3.pdf   (trim borders)

 Borealis_board_4.pdf   (trim borders)

 Borealis_board_6.pdf   (trim borders)

 

 

 Borealis_roles_backs.pdf   (print double-sided with roles)

 Borealis_roles.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 

 

 Borealis_event_backs.pdf   (print double-sided with events)

 Borealis_events.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 

 

 Borealis_player_backs.pdf   (print double-sided with player cards)

 Borealis_player_1.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 Borealis_player_2.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 Borealis_player_3.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 Borealis_player_4.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 Borealis_player_5.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 Borealis_player_6.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 Borealis_player_7_providence.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 

 

 Borealis_disaster_backs.pdf   (print double-sided with disaster cards)

 Borealis_disaster_1.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 Borealis_disaster_2.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 Borealis_disaster_3.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 Borealis_disaster_4.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 Borealis_disaster_5.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 Borealis_disaster_6.pdf   (trim using cut lines)

 

 

 Borealis_actions.pdf   (print double-side with itself)