Episode 43: Pandemic

Mike If I said the word pandemic to you mate, what would you er what would come to mind? 

Owain Hello, listeners, and welcome back to another episode of the English Waffle. My name is Owain and in each episode, Mike and I do a bit of waffling about a particular topic. This week we talk about, well, Mike's recent activity related to the pandemic, although I suspect he's going to surprise us. I don't know why. Carry on listening to find out. I'll be back at the end to remind you about the English Waffle projects and give you some news. And for those of you who are listening for the first time, I'll give you some information about how to get more out of the podcast by visiting our websites, englishwaffle.co.uk. In the meantime, let's get waffling. 

Mike If I said the word 'pandemic' to you mate, what would you er what would come to mind?

Owain Pain in the arse,...

Mike Covid, no?

Owain Oh, sorry Covid. Yeah, Covid-19. Yep. Yep. Um, Yeah, uh, yes, real... 

Mike But not necessarily the name of a board game. 

Owain Haha, no. No, that would be kind of weird, wouldn't it, to sit there and play a game and have fun with a pandemic. Wouldn't it? That'd be weird? 

Mike Yeah. And yet...and yet this is exactly what I did last Friday with some friends. 

Owain Oh. Oh, right. 

Mike We played, we played a game called Pandemic, which is a co-operative board game, in which you are trying, as a team, to eradicate four deadly diseases that are spreading around the world. (Owain: Ok.) So very, very. What's going on in the world? (Owain: Okay.) And basically the one of the best things about it is that you are working as a team. You're not in competition with each other. So most board games that we play traditionally are winner...You have a winner. You have a loser. You might work in teams to be the winning team. But there's basically a winner and a loser. And this game (Owain: Yeah), you know, this game is a cooperative game. So we're all working together to beat...to beat the game. 

Owain To beat, to beat the virus. 

Mike Exactly. Have you played that kind of a game before? 

Owain No, I don't think, I don't think so. And I think everybody should be playing it right now because, you know, we all need to work together to get through this whole thing right now. So it's quite a nice...quite a nice little lesson, isn't it? (Owain: And how do you actually.../ Mike: Well, that's it.) How do you actually work together to beat the virus? Would you do? 

Mike So, each player is given a role to play. Erm, there are...I think there are four in total. You can either be a doctor who flies around the world to cure people who have got any of these diseases. Or you can be a researcher. A researcher is somebody who's looking for the cure, actively looking a step. So it's a scientific role. (Owain: Ok). And then I think the third role is a dispatcher who can move the medic or the researcher. There's a fourth role, but...so the third role is a dispatcher. Some...Think of like somebody who perhaps works as a courier or...(Owain: Ok.../ Mike: Someone like that. He... / Owain: Yeah ok alright like...) 

Owain Yeah. Like Hermes or some some sort company like that that carries parcels and things like that or... 

Mike That's it. (Owain: Yep) That's it. So they are responsible for moving things around. And then the fourth role is a...a... Is...What's the fourth role? I've forgotten what the fourth role is. 

Owain So, we've got, we've got, um, a doctor, we've got a researcher, we've got a courier or dispatcher. 

Mike That's right. And then we've got a quarantine expert. Thank you for reminding me. And the quarantine expert is responsible for making sure people are staying safe and, er, putting measures into place to to make sure they stave place. Now, it's really good fun. This this game, because you do, you...it sounds a bit stressful, perhaps maybe in the current times. But it's it it makes you think before you speak. (Owain: Yeah.) And you collectively come up with solutions, which I think is great. 

Owain It is, it is! And, and actually a great way to spend an evening, I mean, even though you're dealing with a potentially life-threatening scenario, quite a fun way to spend an evening with a group of friends and um, you know, did did you...? We there was some some nibbles and some some drinks and things like that? How...? 

Mike That's it. That's it's. One of...one of the group made some snacks, some pastries. And we had a few few drinks around the table. It was really it was a really nice relaxing way to spend an evening. 

Owain Yeah. Yeah ok. And is that something...? Did you, did you have the game already or did you come out here when the pandemic started? All right. Or you saw it in the shop and you thought, oh, look, pandemic,...(Mike: That...) I'll get...I'll have to get that. 

Mike No, they had the game already (Owain: Right ok, ok) They had the game. Maybe waiting for this particular occasion. 

Owain Yeah, to crack open their...their set of Pandemic. Uh, yeah, okay, nice.