I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel to Japan earlier this month. It’s a country famed for the efficiency and quality of its trains. Let me tell you, it does not disappoint! While it’s not yet time to discuss the Tokyo Metro scenario in Grand Tour, it’s the perfect time to discuss the Japanese scenario from the master set: Mount Hakone. This scenario was designed by Hisashi Hayashi, designer of Yokohama and the Spiel de Jahres winning Bomb Busters. He’s not a stranger to train games either having designed Trains (a personal favourite of mine from uni) and String Railways (beloved by designer Tony Boydell). Let’s see his take on Snowdonia! New resource: lumber Lumber is a...
Today we’re looking at The Siege of Petersburg, the counterpart to Channel Tunnel in our exploration of 2 player scenarios (though this one can also be played with exactly 4 players). The Channel Tunnel had some ambitious ideas that shook the core game up significantly, but ultimately felt like too big a departure to want to play regularly. The Siege of Petersburg is similar in its ambitions. Let’s see how it shapes up. Overview and main changes Like the Channel Tunnel, this scenario changes a lot: There is no weather, work rates are fixed. There are now military generals on the board fighting a war and the winner affects how contracts score Players can manipulate the war using a new...
This week we start a 2 part mini-series on the 2-player scenarios Channel Tunnel (designed by David Brain) and Siege of St.Petersburg (designed by Alan Paull). Both of these scenarios were designed from the ground up as 2 player experiences (though St.Petersburg can play with 4) and both of them are more adventurous with how far they push the core of Snowdonia. Most Snowdonia scenarios already play well with 2, but what could a dedicated 2-player experience offer that the multiplayer scenarios can’t? We will start that exploration today by looking at the Channel Tunnel. Core changes A lot of big things change in this scenario. So many that I feel they’re best presented as a list: The scenario is...
The Deluxe Master Set included all previously existing Snowdonia scenarios. That means this product was the first time the Bayerische Zugspitzbahn was officially printed in English. Although it was available online as a free PNP, originally it was only printed in German. This is in part because the origin of this scenario is a little unique. I asked designer Tony Boydell for comment: “It was designed as a massive thank you to Lookout Games. Lookout changed my life as a designer and opened up so many avenues for me and Surprised Stare Games - adapting a German mountain railway just for them seemed the least I could do to say thanks!” Even in the cold snowy setting of Zugspitze, it’s...
Recently this series has been focused on providing strategy tips and game design commentary on Snowdonia’s many scenarios. With Snowdonia Grand Tour and Special Edition now live on Gamefound, we’re getting 11 new scenarios to add to the existing 18. Today I want to dive into the nitty gritty of what a scenario actually is.Why do we play them? What makes a scenario good? Which scenarios are right for your playgroup? How do these new scenarios shape up against the existing ones? Join me as we answer all those questions and more.What is a Snowdonia scenario? Why do we play them?Snowdonia’s scenarios are what gives it its unique DNA amongst Eurogames. Rather than a fixed or mildly varied set-up, Snowdonia is...
