Pandamonium: Chaos, Strategy, and the Reign of the Panda Lords
Pandamonium is the kind of game that makes you laugh, strategize, and plot sweet panda revenge—all in under 30 minutes. With its mix of light-hearted chaos, card drafting, and rotating Panda Lords, this debut title from Matthew Phillips-Rudowski and Xandow Games is already charming players of all ages.
We sat down with Matt to talk about the inspiration behind the world of Xandow, the balance of luck and strategy, and why he skipped stretch goals in favor of premium components for all. From café playtests in Wellington to full Kickstarter launch, Pandamonium is proof that indie passion and community support make magic.
The Chaos and Charm of Pandamonium
Pandamonium brings together strategic card drafting and light-hearted chaos, all wrapped in a whimsically themed world of Panda Lords. What inspired you to create a game that’s both family-friendly and tactically satisfying, and how did the panda theme come to life?
My inspiration for this game came purely from my partner after I asked what she could draw to help me out with art – she said Pandas and away my mind went creating the land of Xandow and the Pandapire. So it was definitely theme/world building first. While I’ve been chipping away at some heavier games, I had always planned my first game to bring to crowdfunding would be a lighter weight game that had lots of appeal and replayability. Card drafting and set collection are straightforward mechanics. I thought I could playtest with gamer and non-gamer friends and family alike. That was the foundation and it all developed from there.
Balancing Luck, Strategy, and Accessibility
With a mix of luck, drafting strategy, and fast-paced rounds, how did you ensure Pandamonium appeals to both casual gamers and seasoned tabletop veterans—even the 7-year-old playtester who managed to win?
I wanted the game to be quick to set up and reset, as an entree for the board game night or, for multiple rounds of play in a family or causal friend setting. While there is skill and strategy to it there is a massive luck factor with each Pandamonium Card deciding the players fate. I may be biased but I think it has a perfect balance and luck to strategic play, to entice new players to the table while still being engaging for more seasoned board gamers. The 7 year old victor, Yes! While doing blind playtesting at our local BG cafe (Counter Culture down here in Wellington NZ) my brother and I were pleasantly surprised when children and teens were picking up the game fast and schooling their parents!
Design Decisions & Quality from Day One
You’ve emphasized that premium components—like magnetic boxes, linen cards, and gold foiling—are included from the base pledge. Why did you choose to skip stretch goals and focus on delivering top-tier quality upfront?
Matt- Just personally, I don’t like the marketing tactics of artificial stretch goals or punishing people with an inferior product because ‘we just didn’t raise enough’. We aren’t printing miniatures or anything extreme, so for better or worse (I’m sure not having stretch goals will have affected our campaign as people love them for some reason) I was committed to making the game at the best quality specifications even if it means I need to top things up out of my own pocket. This is my first self-made game and campaign so we’ll see if this decision bites me… Luckily we’ve been successful enough that I shouldn’t need to do that – thanks to everyone’s support!
The Power of the Panda Lords & Game Flow
With rotating Panda Lords and Usurpers, Tribute Tokens, and hand-passing chaos, what are some of your favorite gameplay moments that players can expect during a typical session of Pandamonium?
Ooh good question! There are many great moments to choose from, but my favourite moment is when a player drains the tribute token pile right before someone wins that Lord’s favour! It feels so good but so mean at the same time. (When a tribute token supply is emptied all players must give back all of that type of tribute token to the supply).
First-Time Creators and Kickstarter Dreams
As a first-time publisher, launching your debut game on Kickstarter, what has this journey meant to you and your team? What would you say to backers who are excited to support passionate indie creators like yourselves?
Without Kickstarter and the power of crowdfunding, we simply couldn’t have followed our passions and chased this dream. The support of indie creators is what crowdfunding is all about and thank you so much to any and all of our backers!
As it has just been my brother and I taking on this undertaking (self-inflicted I know, I didn’t have to try to make a game) the learning curve of everything has been steep. All of the auxiliaries of social media marketing, building email lists, running Meta Ads, designing the campaign page etc are all things we had no experience in and we are still no experts! But I would like to encourage anyone else who has that creative itch and can do attitude to go for it, get stuck in, and even if you don’t get the support you need – you’ll walk away with the equivalent of a university degree of experience that you can now go forward into whatever you choose to do next.
Thanks to Matt and the Xandow Games team for bringing the wonderful chaos of Pandamonium to life. With its clever gameplay, whimsical world-building, and dedication to quality, this is the kind of game that earns a spot on the table again and again. Whether you’re a seasoned strategist or a 7-year-old victor in the making, there’s always room in the realm of the Panda Lords.
Pandamonium | Draft Your Destiny & Bribe the Panda Lords
About Xandow Games
Matthew Phillips-Rudowski is a Kiwi board game designer and the founder of Xandow Games, a studio dedicated to creating immersive, original tabletop experiences. Based in Wellington, New Zealand, Matt draws inspiration from storytelling, community play, and the joy of shared chaos. Pandamonium is his first published game—a colorful blend of strategy, unpredictability, and pandas.
