Attachment 2a -TEST_POD edition_Game Instructions

THIS IS A
RULEBOOK
POD EDITION

Disclaimer
Neither the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nor any of its
employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal
responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information and
instructions in this game, including its rulebook. Use of specific trade names and
commercial sources does not constitute an endorsement by the authors or by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Images and content may be subject to copyright.

Acknowledgements
This is a TEST POD Edition was created at the request of the Peoria City/County
Health Department (Illinois) staff to assist with training and exercising point of
dispensing (POD) plans.
Lauren Finklea, health scientist within CDC’s Division of State and Local
Readiness, created all game concepts, rules, and mechanics. CDC Creative
Services created all art.
We would like to thank all staff who tested this game and all corresponding
components and documents.

Did we miss something?
We will routinely update the rulebook as we receive feedback. If you have a
question on content or note something confusing, please let us know.
Contact [email protected].

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About This is a TEST
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designed This is a TEST (Training and
Exercise Simulation Tool) to train emergency preparedness and response partners for various
roles and responsibilities faced when responding to any incident. TEST is a collaborative game
that bridges the gap between discussion and operational exercises. It uses narrative-based
problems to foster teamwork, discuss resource management, and aid in understanding specific
roles and responsibilities during an emergency.
TEST may be used as a training and exercise tool depending on the needs of the jurisdiction.
TEST is aligned with adult learning principles and FEMA’s Homeland Security Exercise and
Evaluation Program (HSEEP) exercise design. Facilitators can modify objectives and
gameplay to meet training and exercise requirements. Evaluation should align with HSEEP
principles.
TEST is played over five rounds which include multiple phases that progress through response
operations.

About These Rules
This rulebook accompanies This is a TEST POD (point of dispensing) Edition. It is highly
encouraged that players and facilitators watch the playthrough video before reading these
rules or looking at other game content.
Because the game is complex, general concepts are explained first. Gameplay is later
described step by step. The FAQ section has additional information. If you have more
questions, contact [email protected].

Intended Audience
Staff from public health, emergency management, hospitals, volunteer organizations, and
others who would be involved in setting up or operating a POD.
Technical Assistance
For technical assistance with This is a TEST POD Edition:
• Email [email protected].
• Submit a Technical Assistance Request through the Online Technical Resource and
Assistance Center (On-TRAC) at www.cdc.gov/orr/readiness/resources/on-trac.htm.
• Reach out to your Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program
jurisdictional representative, or CDC Division of State and Local Readiness (DSLR)
project officer or health department liaison officer (HDLNO).

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CONTENTS
Components .......................................................................................................................................... 6
About the Incident Commander Token .................................................................................................... 7
About the Status Tracker ..................................................................................................................... 7
Green Zone (1) Benefits.................................................................................................................... 7
Orange/Red Zone (2-3) Penalties ....................................................................................................... 8
Dark Red Zone (4) Penalty ................................................................................................................ 8
About Inject Cards .............................................................................................................................. 9
About Player Mats............................................................................................................................. 10
Gameplay Based on Number of Players ............................................................................................. 11
Gameplay Overview .............................................................................................................................. 12
Phases ............................................................................................................................................ 12
Game End ........................................................................................................................................ 13
Setup.................................................................................................................................................. 14
Gameplay ............................................................................................................................................ 16
1. Arrival ......................................................................................................................................... 16
2. Processing ................................................................................................................................... 16
Meeple Points ............................................................................................................................... 17
Special Station Processing ............................................................................................................. 18
3. Funds and Resources ..................................................................................................................... 20
4. Injects ......................................................................................................................................... 20
5. Player Actions .............................................................................................................................. 21
6. Prepare ........................................................................................................................................ 21
Quick Start Rulebook ............................................................................................................................ 23
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) .......................................................................................................... 27
Complex Cards and Player Actions ...................................................................................................... 27
Game Components ............................................................................................................................ 27
Glossary of Terms ................................................................................................................................ 29
Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................... 29
Key Terms and Definitions .................................................................................................................. 30
Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

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Scenario
A public health emergency has occurred, and you are tasked with setting up a point of
dispensing (POD) site that will triage, register, and provide medication to the people who
arrive. To operate a successful POD, staff will need to work together and be mindful of the
continuously unfolding situation as more and more meeple arrive. You have a base level of
staff but will probably need to request additional staff throughout your shift. As in any
emergency, time and resources are limited, so you will need to work efficiently to process
meeple effectively and safely.

Requirements





Facilitator 1
3-7 players
Game components (set)
One coin

Follow along with the
playthrough video!

Playtime
 Approximately 60 to 90 minutes but can be
adjusted by adding or subtracting the
number of rounds played.

https://www.cdc.gov/orr/re
adiness/podtest.htm

Game Objectives 2
 Process all meeple at your POD by the end
of the shift (game).
 Resolve all inject cards while managing hazard levels, public anxiety, and staff fatigue
to make sure they don’t hit “Game Over.”

Cooperative Gameplay
TEST is a fully cooperative game, which means that teams make all decisions together and
there are no individual winners.

1
Facilitators can range from a trainer or exercise facilitator to someone who has read the rules and watched the
playthrough video.
2 The facilitator sets learning and exercise objectives.

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Components
The components for TEST POD are shown in the following images.

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Incident Commander Token
The Incident Commander leads dialogue and makes final
decisions on injects and spending of funds.
The Incident Commander Token is passed to the right after
each round to allow different players to take on the leadership
role.
Logistics player will be Incident Commander for Round 1.

Status Tracker
The Status Tracker has three meters that players reference and use throughout the game:
Hazard, Anxiety, and Fatigue. Play markers and player pieces are used to mark the status of
each meter.
• Hazard represents the safety issues that might arise
at the POD. One play marker measures the Hazard
status throughout the game.
• Anxiety represents the public’s anxiety around the
event while at the POD. One play marker measures
the Anxiety status throughout the game.
• Fatigue represents staff (player) fatigue from working
at the POD. Each player has their own game piece
for Fatigue that matches the color of the player mat.
This means that each player has their own fatigue
status.
Throughout the game, players will move pieces on the Status Tracker to the right (indicated by
the + symbol) or to the left (indicated by the – symbol) based on decisions and actions taken.

Green Zone (1) Benefits
When players have any piece in any green area (1) on the meters the team receives a benefit.
• Draw 1 less meeple when the Hazard and/or Anxiety status is in the green. 3
• Draw 1 less inject when any player Fatigue status is in the green.

3

If the marker is in green for both Hazard and Anxiety, players would draw 2 less meeple.

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Orange/Red Zone (2-3) Penalties
When players have any piece in orange (2) or red (3) areas the team receives a penalty.
• Draw 1 (orange) or 2 (red) more meeple when the Hazard and/or Anxiety status is in the
orange/red.
• Draw 1 (orange) or 2 (red) more inject(s) when any player Fatigue status is in the
orange/red.
Dark Red Zone (4) Penalty
If any piece reaches Game Over (4) on any status meter, the game immediately ends.

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Inject Cards
Injects are scenarios that will happen during your POD operation and will affect the status
tracker meters, game resources and arriving meeple.
Injects always have a title (1), narrative text (2), action text (3) and an inject number (4).
Action text (3) shows how an
action affects the Hazard,
Anxiety and/or Fatigue meters.
The plus (+) and minus (-)
signs next to each action (e.g.
Attempt Sign, Hire Medical
Interpreter, or Online ASL)
show the cost of the action.
A plus (+) sign can mean
moving forward on the status
meter, receiving funds, or
gaining resources or meeple.
A minus (-) sign can mean
moving backwards on the
status meter, paying funds, or
losing resources or meeple.
The inject number (4) is used
by the facilitator or exercise
design team and aligns with post-exercise discussion questions.

Inject Selection Section

Facilitators will select injects before gameplay to match training or exercise objectives. This is
an example set of injects for first-time play.
“Positive” injects are underlined. Shuffle inject deck. Add positive injects to the deck every 4
cards. Positive injects provide resources or some benefit to players.
Pill Dispensing Injects: 1, 3, 7, 8, 14, 19, 21, 24, 26, 32, 38, 39, 40, 46, 50, 51, 53, 55
Vaccine Injects: 1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 13, 19, 21, 24, 25, 32, 38, 39, 40, 46, 50, 51, 55

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Player Mats
Player mats provide information about the actions each player can take in the game. They are
based on responsibilities at an actual POD.
Each player has their own individual mat with six actions to choose from. Each mat is broken
into sections.
The top section of the player mat (1) gives a
description of the role at a POD and indicates
what each player in the game specializes in –
such as getting resources, managing staff
fatigue, or managing public anxiety.
The middle section (2) describes the six
phases of play for each round.
The bottom section (3) described actions that
the player can take related to the duties for that
position.
Some actions are limited (once or twice per
game) as noted in the action.
Each action has a cost for use, which is in the
“PAY” circle at the top right of the player action
(4).

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Gameplay Based on Number of Players
Required Roles for Gameplay
At a minimum, the Logistics (LG), Intake and Education (IE), and Safety Officer (SO)
roles are required to play the game. All other players can be added to fit the training or
exercise audience and needs.
Player Actions
The number of actions any one player may take from their player mat during a round
varies depending on how many players are in the game.
• For 3–4 player games, players may perform multiple actions on their player mat in
each round.
• For 5–7 player games, each player may perform only one action on their player mat
per round.
Combined Roles
There are combined roles for Health Communicator (HC) and Intake and Education
(IE) (labeled HCI), and Safety Officer (SO) and Security and Law Enforcement (SLE)
(labeled SOS). These are found on opposite sides of player mats. These can be used if:
• injects are selected that require those players
• players would like to explore additional roles and responsibilities at a POD
represented by missing players.
For example, a 3-player game could use LG, IE, and SO, or LG, HCI, and SOS, which
allows– for wider variation in injects and player actions.

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Gameplay Overview
TEST consists of five rounds. Rounds represent one hour of your work shift. At the end of each
round, the play marker will move to the next round on the Round Tracker. Rounds 1-4 consist
of six phases. Round 5 only has Phase 2 (Processing) where players have closed their CRC
but are trying to process any remaining meeple.

Phases:

1. Arrival
New meeple arrive and are placed on
the board from the Staging Area.

2. Processing
Meeple move through the stations
based on the capacity of each station.
3. Funds and Resources
Funds are added to the team pool of
available funds from the Staging Area.
Any resources that are on the Round
Tracker are placed at stations.

You’ll note there are only
four rounds on the Round
Tracker. Rounds 1–4 will
include all phases marked
on your player mat.
Round 5 is special and will
include only Phase 2
(Processing).
This gives you one extra
chance to process any
remaining meeple before
the game ends.

4. Injects
Inject cards are drawn and read aloud.
The Incident Commander guides the
team through a collaborative decision-making process to resolve issues on selected
inject cards.
5. Player action
Players work together and spend their available funds to carry out the actions on their
player mats. These actions can get resources or help lower levels on the Status
Trackers.
6. Prepare
New meeple and funds are placed on the Status Tracker to prepare for the next round.
The role of Incident Commander moves to the player to the right.
Player Roles:
• Logistics (LG)
Specializes in gaining resources to increase capacity and reducing Hazard and other
players’ Fatigue.
• Intake and Education (IE)
Specialize in increasing griage and form & registration capacity, reducing some Hazard
and Anxiety.
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•
•

•
•
•

Safety Officer (SO)
Specializes mainly in reducing Hazard and some Anxiety.
Health Communicator (HC)
Specializes in reducing Anxiety, increasing forms & registration capacity and decreasing
the number of meeple arriving to your POD.
Personnel Coordinator (PC)
Specializes in reducing Fatigue , and gaining additional resources.
Security and Law Enforcement (SLE)
Specialize in reducing Hazard, Anxiety, and Fatigue.
Medical and Dispensing (MD)
Specialize in reducing Hazard, Anxiety and triaging injects.

Game End
The game ends either after five rounds are completed or if any of the play
markers or player pieces reach Game Over on the Status Tracker.
Players win if they can process all meeple (move them through the gameboard to the exit),
without reaching Game Over by the end of Round 5.
Players lose if any marker or piece reaches Game Over or if they are unable to process all
meeple (move all meeple through the gameboard to the exit), by the end of Round 5.

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Setup
1. Gameboards: Place your main gameboard in the middle of the table. Place the Status
Tracker and Staging Area beside the main board.
2. Resources: Place resource tokens on the board, matching resource images to locations
on the board.
• 1 Griage
There are two game options:
pill dispensing and
• 1 Medical Evaluation
vaccination.
• 2 Forms & Registration
• 2 Triage
Choose the gameboard that
• 3 Dispensing (pill-dispensing game only)
matches your
• 3 Administration (vaccination game only)
training/exercise goals.
• 6 Observation (vaccination game only)
Example Setup for Pill Dispensing Option

3. Injects: Place inject cards on the board. (See Inject Selection Section for more
information.)
4. Player Mats: Each player takes 1 player mat matching the role they are playing in the
game and places it in front of them.

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5. Incident Commander: Give the Incident Commander
Token to the player who is assigned the role of
Logistics.
6. Player Pieces and Play Markers: Place player pieces
and play markers on the Status Tracker and
gameboard.
• Place player pieces in the far-right yellow area
in the Fatigue bar on the Status Tracker.
• Place 1 play marker each in Hazard and
Anxiety in the far-right yellow areas.
• Place 1 play marker on Round 1 on the gameboard.
7. Meeple: Add 18 green (6 with black “x” for those needing medical evaluation) and 12
yellow (4 with black “x”) meeple to a bag or container and mix. This is the available
meeple pool. Draw 7 meeple randomly and place them in the Staging Area. (See Prepare
section, Table 1 for more information.)
8. Funds: Place 10 funds in the Staging Area.
9. Remaining Pieces: Set any remaining pieces to the side for later use.
Differences between POD Pill Dispensing and Vaccination Versions
Setup instructions for the Vaccination version of TEST POD are on the back of the Pill
Dispensing version.
Key differences:
• “Dispensing” instead of “Administration”
• an additional “Observation” area for the Vaccination version
For Vaccination version setup, use 3 Administration and 6 Observation resources.

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Gameplay
This section will provide additional details and tips for first time players. Players should defer to
their facilitator to help work through the process clearly and efficiently.
Watch the playthrough video for an example of a first round of gameplay. (link)

1. Arrival
The Incident Commander takes all meeple from the Staging Area and places
them on Arrival on the gameboard. After the first round, the new meeple are
added to those left over from the previous round.

2. Processing
Select meeple to move through the POD.
Players should work through each station
one at a time.
Process meeple in station order:
1. Griage
2. Medical Evaluation
3. Forms & Registration
4. Triage
5. Dispensing (Pill version) or
Administration (Vaccine version4)
6. Observation (Vaccine version only 4)
The processing power of each station
depends on how many resources are
available and their total number of meeple
points. Total processing power is the sum of
all meeple points found on the resources at
that station.
Any meeple that can’t be processed due to
lack of resources are left waiting until the next round. Meeple at the exit may be removed from
the board. Do not put meeple back in the available meeple pool.

4

Flip over the gameboard to use the Vaccine version the opposite side of the gameboard.

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Meeple Points
Meeple points are a key concept in the game.
The meeple points available for each resource are
printed in the bottom right corner of the resource.
There are two meeple colors used in the game.
Meeple color represents how many meeple points
are needed to process that meeple.
•
•

Green meeple = 1 meeple point
Yellow meeple = 2 meeple points

Yellow meeple represent people who are sick,
might need additional assistance or have access
or functional needs.

Helpful Tip
It’s important to prioritize
meeple who need assistance.
Ideal PODs have the resources
and staffing to properly
accommodate those in need.
At the end of each round, if
yellow meeple are in line at
any station, move the marker
+2 Anxiety on the Status
Tracker.

Example: Processing Meeple at Forms & Registration
There are 6 meeple in Waiting before Forms & Registration, representing 8 meeple
points*.
We currently have 2 Forms & Registration resources.

Each resource has
a processing power
of 2 meeple
points, or 4 total.

You can process:
• 1 yellow and 2 green
• 2 yellow
• 4 green meeple

*4 green meeple at 1 point each (4x1=4) and 2 yellow meeple at 2 points each (2x2=4)
= 8 meeple points.

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Special Station Processing
Medical Evaluation, Dispensing, and Administration have special station processing rules.
Medical Evaluation
• At Griage, check if meeple need medical
evaluation by flipping them over to check their
feet for a black X.
• Meeple with a black X need medical
evaluation. They follow the red “medical”
arrows to the Medical Evaluation area.
• All other meeple follow the blue “non-medical”
arrows to Waiting before Forms &
Registration.
• Players flip a coin to conduct the Medical
Evaluation.
o Heads means immediate medical attention, and the meeples follow the red
arrows to the Exit. The Incident Commander pays 2 funds for transportation to
the hospital.
o Tails means that the meeple do not require immediate medical attention and can
be processed by the POD. These meeple follow the blue arrows to Waiting to
enter Forms and Registration with other meeple.

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Dispensing–Pill Version
After Triage, meeple can be separated into three
areas at Waiting before Dispensing. The areas
are Drug 1, Drug 2, and Assistance.
The standard rules place 1 dispensing resource at
each area in Dispensing.
Green meeple use Drug 1 and Drug 2.
Yellow meeple use Assistance.
When placing new resources, they can be added to any of the three areas.
Meeples exit the POD after Dispensing and leave the game.
Variation in Play
If players do not wish to have separate lines, they can ignore the separated areas or
use a combination of Drug 1 and Assistance. This could match the jurisdictional POD
plans.
Administration and Observation–Vaccine Version
Administration
After Triage, meeple can be separated into
the Express and Assistance areas at
Waiting before Administration.
The standard rules place 1 administration
resource at each area in Administration.
Green meeple use Express.
Yellow meeple use Assistance.
New resources can be added to either of the two areas.
Variation in Play
If players do not wish to have separate lines, they can ignore the separated areas.
This could match the jurisdictional POD plans.
Observation
All meeple move from Administration to Observation, then to the Exit
and leave the game.

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3. Funds and Resources
The Incident Commander takes the funds from the Staging Area and adds them to any current
or leftover funds from the previous round.
Funds roll over each round. Each new round, players will receive 10 additional funds (shown in
Phase 6, Table 1).
Resources and Funds awarded during injects and player actions from the previous round
(phrased “next round” on the inject card or player mats) are gained during the current phase
and placed on the gameboard. No additional meeple may be processed with newly gained
resources placed in this phase until the next round during Phase 2 (Processing).

4. Injects
The Incident Commander draws a base level of 3
inject cards but, the total number of injects drawn in
any round can be modified based on the position of
players’ Fatigue on the Status Tracker.
The Incident Commander passes injects out to the
group to read aloud.

Some injects don’t have a choice
and will just happen.
Others may have conditions
(such as having lines at a station)
that players can ignore if the
conditions aren’t met.

After all cards have been read, players discuss which options they would like to take for each
card and decide about how to proceed as a group. The Incident Commander makes the final
decision.
Players can choose to resolve injects in any order, but all injects must be resolved before the
phase ends.
Remember

If any player has their Fatigue status in the orange or red areas, players draw 1 or 2
more injects.
If any player has their Fatigue status in the green area, players draw 1 less inject.

+ indicates player pieces would move toward Game Over (to the right).

When considering injects or future player actions, the Incident Commander can set
aside funds as a placeholder. This may help with determining how many funds might be
needed to accomplish all injects and perform player actions in the next phase.
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5. Player Actions
Players can perform any action on their player mat if funds are available. 5 Some actions have
limits to how many times they may be used during a game.
Following are some examples of player actions. For additional clarification on player actions,
see the FAQ section or talk to your facilitator.
•
•
•
•
•

To keep track of actions you might take, place funds on them.
Get resources early for greatest processing efficiency.
Be proactive with reducing meters on the Status Tracker.
Perform actions that cost “0” often.
Colored circles in the top left of each action can tell you if that action affects a meter
on the Status Tracker. For example, the Self-Care action impacts Fatigue which is
colored in blue text when appearing on player actions, injects and the Status
Tracker.

Performing Self-Care and Using Cubes (Action Markers)
Every player can perform Self-Care to reduce fatigue. When a player selects this option,
they may move their meeple two spaces back on the status meter for Fatigue. Once a
player selects this action, they cannot complete any other action from their mat in that
round5.
Each player can use this only twice per game, as shown by the two squares. Players use
the action markers to indicate that they have completed an action that has limited use.

Example:
The Safety Officer has used the Self-Care action once and is going to use it again. They
place an action marker on the second square on their player mat under Self-Care. The
Safety Officer can no longer perform Self-Care for the rest of the game.
For 3-4 player games, players can perform multiple actions on their player mat each round except for
Self-Care. For 5+ player games, players may perform only one action on their player mat each round.

5

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6. Prepare
Unless altered by an inject, player action or Hazard and Anxiety levels on the Status Tracker,
the Incident Commander will add new meeple and funds to the game as follows:
•

Preparing for Round 2 (End of Round 1)
Draw 9 meeple and 10 funds.

•

Preparing for Round 3
Draw 9 meeple and 10 funds.

•

Preparing for Round 4
Draw 7 meeple and 10 funds.

•

Preparing for Round 5
No additional meeple are drawn.
The next and final round is for trying to
process any remaining meeple.

Table 1: Meeple and Funds for Each
Round

Some inject cards may add or subtract
to the number of meeple or funds
added during each round.

The Incident Commander checks the POD
gameboard to see if there are any yellow meeple
waiting in line at any station. If there are yellow
meeple waiting, move the marker for the Anxiety status to the right 2 spaces (+2 Anxiety).

The Incident Commander passes the Incident Commander token to the player on the right and
moves the play marker to the next round on the Round Tracker.

Remember
There is a fifth round that you can use to process any remaining meeple in your POD.
You will perform only Phase 2 (Processing). Do not draw new meeple, funds, or inject
cards.

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Quick Start Rulebook
How to setup the game
1. Place gameboard, Staging Area and Status Tracker on table.
2. Place resources on gameboard (numbers listed beneath each).
3. Place inject cards on gameboard.
4. Hand out player mats.
5. Give Incident Commander Token to Logistics player.
6. Place play markers and player pieces on the Status Tracker and Round 1 on board.
7-8. Place 7 meeple and 10 funds on Staging Area.

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What to do each round
Rounds 1–3: Complete all phases (1–6).
Round 4: Complete all phases but skip drawing additional meeple and funds at the end of the
round.
Round 5: Complete Phase 2 only (Processing).

What to do each phase
1. Arrival
• Take meeple from Staging Area and place on Arrival on gameboard.
2. Processing
Go through each station (1–5) and process meeple as resources allow (see graphic).
• Processing power is on the bottom left of each resource. (See section for more detail.)
o Add up the processing power
from each resource to determine
the total processing power for
that station.
 Green meeple are worth 1
meeple point.
 Yellow meeple are worth 2
meeple points.
Medical Evaluation - Meeple with a
black X on the bottom go to Medical
Evaluation (2) from Griage (1).
• Flip a coin for each meeple at
Medical Evaluation to determine
where they go.
o Heads: Need immediate
medical attention and cannot
be processed by the POD.
 Meeple follow red arrows to
“Exit.”
 Pay 2 Funds per meeple exiting.
o Tails: Can be processed by the POD.
 Follow blue arrows to Waiting before Forms & Registration and process as
normal.
Meeple not processed to the exit during the round stay on the gameboard at the station
where they were at the end of the most recent round.

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3. Funds and Resources
• Gain all funds from the Staging Area and add them to your current funds.
• Place any resources on the board that are from injects or actions that said “next round”
on gameboard.
4. Injects
• Each round has a base of 3 injects, but modifications (+/- injects) are made to the base
number depending on player Fatigue on the status tracker. Incident Commander
calculates the injects for the round, draws inject cards and passes cards to players to
read each out loud before making decisions.
• Resolve all injects.
5. Player Action
• Perform player actions from player mats by paying the cost in the right corner of each
action.
• Based on number of players, players may take one or more actions (See page 9). Use
action markers to cover squares where noted on mats to show that limited actions have
been completed.
6. Prepare
• Rounds 1–3: Check Status Tracker for Meeple and Funds modification and combine
with base levels in table. The current Incident Commander draws meeple and funds and
places them on the Staging Area.

During Round 1, the Incident
Commander will prepare for
Round 2 - drawing 9 meeple and
10 funds.

•

Rounds 1–4: The current Incident Commander passes the Incident Command Token to
the player on their right and moves the play marker to the next round.

How to End the Game
The game ends either when any player piece or play marker hits Game Over on the Status
Tracker or the five rounds have ended. Players win if they process all meeple within the five
rounds.

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Example Setup for Vaccine Option
1 Griage
1 Medical Evaluator
2 Forms & Registration
2 Triage
3 Administration
• 6 Observation
•
•
•
•
•

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This section provides detailed information on TEST POD mechanics and answers to common
questions received from pilot testing and implementation.

Complex Cards and Player Actions
Meeple in Line
What do I do if an inject card refers to “meeple in line” but there are no meeple?
Immediately resolve that card. No further action required.
Removing Resources
What happens if an inject card says to remove X number of resources, leaving a station
with no resources?
Always leave one resource token at each location. Remember that each card is 1 resource.
Replace Yellow with Green Meeple
If an inject card or player action states “replace a yellow meeple with a green meeple”,
can I replace a yellow meeple anywhere on the board or only in arrival?
Players may replace a yellow meeple anywhere on the board with a green meeple. Green
meeple are taken from the unused meeple pool. Yellow meeple are placed with already
processed meeple off the board and out of the way.
Meeple Processing after Gaining Resources
If resources are immediately added to the board by inject cards or player actions, can I
then process meeple waiting for that resource before the next round?
No. Meeple are processed only during Phase 2 (Processing). They remain on the board
unprocessed until the next round.
Game Components
Resource Tokens
How many resources do resource tokens represent?
Resource tokens may represent a combination of multiple resources. For example, Forms
& Registration represents 2 registration desks per card. When injects mention removing 1
resource, players remove 1 resource token from the board.
Shuffling Inject Cards
Should I shuffle the inject cards?
No, unless told otherwise by your facilitator. The inject cards are typically in a specific order
designed to meet exercise or training objectives.

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Adding and Subtracting Meeple
How do I know if I have to add or subtract the number of meeple arriving for the next
round?
Either an inject card, player action, or the Hazard and/or Anxiety level will cause you to add
or subtract meeple for the next round. For inject cards that change arriving meeple
numbers, place on the Round Tracker for the round it impacts.
Modifying Meeple Amounts
What if I want more or less meeple requiring medical evaluation or a different proportion
of yellow to green meeple in my game?
Discuss this with your facilitator. These rules are for the base game. Facilitators may
change meeple numbers to fit training and exercise goals.
Running Out of Meeple
What do I do if there are no meeple left in the available meeple pool?
Place all meeple that have been processed back into the available meeple pool.
Status Tracker
If there is more than one player Fatigue in the orange, “Draw 1 extra inject” area on the
Status Tracker, would the number of injects be multiplied by the number of players?
No, players will draw only 1 extra inject if there is any player in the orange. This is the same
if there are multiple players in the red or green areas. The “Draw x” only applies once, no
matter how many players are in that area.
If there is one player in the green, one in the orange, and one in the red area for Fatigue,
are the inject modifications added?
Yes, in this case, there would be a total of 2 injects drawn. Green (-1) + Orange (+1) + Red
(+2) = 2 total extra injects.

Did we miss something?
We will routinely update the rulebook as we receive feedback. If you have a
question on content or note something confusing, please let us know.
Contact [email protected]

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Glossary of Terms
Abbreviations
ADA Americans with Disabilities Act
IC

Incident Commander

IE

Intake and Education

HC

Health Communicator

HCI

Health Communicator and Intake

HOH Head of Household
LG

Logistics

MD

Medical and Dispensing

PC

Personnel Coordinator

POD Point of Dispensing
SLE

Security and Law Enforcement

SO

Safety Officer

SOS Safety Office/Security

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Key Terms and Definitions
Access and functional needs (AFN) – Includes individuals who need assistance due to any
condition (temporary or permanent) that limits their ability to act. To have access and
functional needs does not require that the individual have any kind of diagnosis or specific
evaluation. Individuals having access and functional needs may include, but are not limited to,
individuals with disabilities, seniors, and populations having limited English proficiency, limited
access to transportation, and/or limited access to financial resources to prepare for, respond
to, and recover from the emergency. (FEMA)
Available Meeple Pool – Collection of meeple that have not been put into play and are
available to be drawn to be places on the board.
Griage – Greeting station in a POD that performs preliminary triage (Greeting + Triage)
Meeple – small board-game piece, usually with a stylized human form.
Phase – Break up of stages or portions of a round that signify different portions of gameplay
actions.
Round – Completion of all phases. In this game, there are six phases in a round.

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