After a few mysterious teasers earlier this month, Z-Man Games has officially pulled back the curtain on Pandemic Legacy: Season 0. The prequel to one of the highest-rated board game series in history is set to take players back to

" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Cold War. You and up to three of your fellow medical students will join together to stop the Soviets from developed a killer biothreat. Sounds like a light-hearted romp!

Importantly, Season 0 is fully standalone. You do not need to have completed either of the other two seasons to jump straight in. I can't say with any authority, but I wonder how the games would flow if you played them in chronological order. Obviously, Legacy-style design has come quite far since Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 released, but it might be a fun experiment if you haven't played any of the games.

That said, most people are going to play the series in release order. Those who do should enjoy some fun new twists to classic Pandemic gameplay. It's not quite a completely new experience, but the changes are relatively big. And, of course, more will come as you unlock new content throughout the campaign. If you want, the full rulebook is already available.

However, the thing that has me most excited is the art. I mean, I can't think of a more beautiful-looking board game. Z-Man has gone all out for this release. Look at how they've disease cubes into tiny Russian agents! It's going to look so great on a table near you.

Pandemic Legacy: Season 0 doesn't have a firm release date. However, pre-orders are currently live and the rulebook looks pretty finalized. I would be surprised if it doesn't release in the next few months.