Throughout east Richmond are vast fields of farmland. When I used to live near Cambie and #5, I used to do my daily cycling out there, resting just pass the farm with the large red barn. Around that area were animals such as llamas, sheep, horses, and of cows. Not saying the others aren't cute, but the cows are the cutest.
So when we were designing Spark-A-Doodle's game modes, the old trope of aliens abducting cows had to be done. We asked ourselves: who would want to steal one?
Aliens, obviously.
Thus Pasture Panic was born.
From the humans' side, their precious fuzzy cows used only for their milk, otherwise set free to roam around, are being cownapped, and that's terrifying. But flip it around, and the aliens see something else entirely: cows kept and used by humans for reasons they find deeply unsettling. To them, they're rescuing the cows from whatever nefarious purposes they think the humans have in store for them.
Nobody's lying. Nobody's evil. Everyone just sees it from their own side. which felt like a much more interesting story than a simple villain.
This idea then gave us Showdown, our card game mode. A little inspired by the Poker table energy some of you might recognize from other favourites. You play as a cow invited to sit at an alien's table. Every alien has a bias going in... but we're not telling you what it is.
More on Pasture Panic's world soon. For now, just know why there are cows playing cards with aliens, and why it all makes sense to us.