After running out of things to say during a weekend away, the Andreskis began working on a plan, a party plan, a panda party plan. Now four years later, after many brainstorms and test plays, the couple is taking to Kickstarter to get Panda Party the card game into production.

Set in an alternate reality, the Pandaverse is where pandas rule after discovering if they ate more than just bamboo, they would have energy to do whatever they wanted. Now, they love to snack on pizza and doughnuts for their dopamine hit, but most of all, they love to party – they’re just waiting to be invited.

“Real-life pandas, they’ve got the body of a carnivore, but they just eat bamboo. It doesn’t give them any energy, they end up sleeping all day,” Ana says.

Ana and Darko have been together for six years, married for one, and are building their first home together. Both share a Macedonian background and met through a shared cultural pastime, folk dancing. They soon realised their families were old friends; Darko even signed the card wishing Ana’s family congratulations after her birth.

“We were kind of dance partners – main boy, main girl – before we became life partners,” Ana smiles.

When they aren’t creating alternate universes, Ana is a data analytics consultant and Darko is a graphic designer.

“I’ve always ignited the logical, mathematical, problem-solving part of my brain,” Ana says. “But I’ve always had this fire inside me to be creative and to illustrate but have never had an avenue to let that out.”

Weeks after that car trip where Ana, her brother, and Darko began the concept for the game, Ana found herself away and unable to stop thinking about pandas who like to party. She started jotting down a sketch on a hotel notepad; later, she and Darko brainstormed the final design, with some pandas based on people they know – like their accountant, and Ana’s mum.

“I’m a stickler for the fine details… we went back and forth, I think we just got where we created a style for the game,” Darko says.

The goal of the game is to collect enough pandas for a house party – and the perfect panda bash houses five furry giants. Each player starts with a selection of seven food and action cards; as in real life, some food is more valuable. Doughnuts are most valuable to pandas; they can be convinced to attend the party with the right number of snacks.

Some pandas are more desirable guests than other. The standard panda is the kind of guest who brings nothing with them. Next up is your silver tier guest who comes with a one-off immediate use action, like the ability to pick up extra resource cards. Then, there are your gold star guests – pandas that bring special abilities which can be used at any time, as well as their own games. The games include everyone giving the cardholder a compliment or a battle of rock, paper, scissors, with the loser having to hand over a card.

“What we really wanted with this game was to have a social element to it. So, most of the gold ones are some kind of social challenge,” Darko says.

As if cute pandas weren’t enough to make you want to play, each panda’s name is a pun. Ana says for her that is where it all starts, and she can build the character around the title. They wanted to ensure the game was fun, light-hearted, and a feel-good time for every audience. For the most part, their characters are ungendered and no actions will cause players to be hurt or offended, although some of the compliments they heard during the trials were questionable. 

“That’s important for us when we’re going through creative processes, like, what does this character mean? And can someone relate to it, and can they make it their own? And, if so, then we go ahead with it,” Darko says.

They are hoping to raise between $10,000 and $15,000 through Kickstarter to get the game into production, with a base pledge of the game costing $35. People will be able to add on other limited features when buying the game. Any excess funds will go straight back into improving the product; one of the stretch goals would see silver and gold tier panda cards made with silver and gold foil.

“We’d be really happy just to have a card game that we can whip out and play with our family and friends, and if other people enjoy it, that’s our goal,” Darko says.

When deciding what to include in the funding pledges, the pair turned to the gaming community in Canberra. They have been given endless support from their friends and family, particularly Ana’s brother, but they also wanted to get some unbiased input. They found a gaming group on Facebook and asked if anyone was interested in trailing the game; Darko says it was time they either went through with the game or gave up.

“What are we doing with this? We leave for months and come back and work on it for a month, then leave it for months again. We’re kind of sick of talking about it, our family is sick of talking about it. And we’re like, you know what we’ll do, we’ll actually spend a bit of time, a couple of weeks, developing a good prototype,” Darko says.

They then took the game to Canberra’s gaming convention where it received an inspiring amount of positive feedback. They committed to a deadline with the funding platform and set about refining their idea. As the campaign coincides with spooky season, launching on Halloween in the US, they thought it would be fitting to introduce their first Bambooster pack as ghoulish pandas.

“We think there’s a lot of opportunity for the Panda Party world to expand by having new themed packs … take pandas out, put pandas in, and mix up whatever kind of party you want to have.”

One of the other Kickstarter perks would see the supporter made into a character in the game. People will be able to send in photos of themselves or family members, and work with Ana and Darko to choose their looks and abilities before being invited to party with the pandas. 

The couple always appreciated how cute pandas were, but say before they started developing the game, they were never big fans. That has quickly changed, and they often find themselves watching panda videos and looking at the panda groups they have joined on Facebook.

“I have to say right now, looking at so many panda images, talking about pandas, they’re damn cute. I think we’re both into pandas. Personally, I am obsessed with a red panda, which is even cuter than a panda,” Darko smiles.

Although the game is set in a panda world, they also want to do their part in helping the real-life pandas of the world. If they reach their funding goal and the game gets made, they plan to donate a portion of each one sold to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

“If we’re starting a conversation about pandas, and people are enjoying this process of thinking about pandas and having these panda parties as well, I think that’s the perfect opportunity to also contribute,” Ana says.

To help get the party started, visit kickstarter.com or pandaparty.com.au for more information.

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