2014 · (Web published)
In this game, players are farmers making a living in infamous Pasture 51, where talk of extraterrestrial activity runs high, and cattle are often rumored to disappear. Farmers are full of it, and are always trying to top each others' stories of what they have seen; some of it credible, and some of it less so. You will attempt to weave the most credible UFO story!
Mechanically, Pasture 51 is a stock (get it?) holding game, where players will decide which cattle they wish to hold while also deciding which cattle are legitimately abducted (adding to the credibility of the stories), which cattle simply pass away in the fields, and which cattle are involved in abduction hoaxes (which hurts the credibility of the stories). There is one pasture card on the table for each of these outcomes, where cattle will graze before meeting their fate.
On a player's turn, he will draw two livestock tokens from a bag, with livestock coming in four varieties. He will choose one to keep in his personal stock, and one to put below a pasture card of his choice.
The backs of these tokens all contain special abilities as well. When a token is put out into pasture, it is flipped into the air. If it lands cattle-side up, too bad, no special ability. If it lands ability-side up, the player will get to perform an ability such as moving a cattle to an adjacent pasture, swapping a cattle from his personal stock with one in the pastures, or witnessing an abduction, which moves a cattle token from grazing in the pasture up onto the pasture card, where it is locked for the rest of the game. Abducting cattle while they are in the right pastures will be key to your success!
After a set number of turns, players will determine the value of each cattle variety. Cattle involved in hoaxes will decrease that variety's value, while those that were abducted by the real deal will add to it. Players then compare their personal holdings against the value of each cattle variety, with most points weaving the most credible tale!
