If you’ve spent any time in the worker placement landscape, you’ve likely felt the chill of the Welsh mountains while shovelling ballast and laying track in Tony Boydell’s classic, Snowdonia. A decade after its debut, the beloved railway-building simulator is back on Gamefound, not just for a reprint, but for a massive, continent-spanning expansion and deluxe overhaul.
This isn’t just an extra carriage tacked onto your train; it’s a complete luxury refit, offering fans both fresh scenarios and a revolutionary new way to play the game that set the standard for tight, thematic Euro design.
The Perfect Euro Game Gets a Campaign Mode
At its heart, Snowdonia is a masterpiece of crunchy worker placement. It’s the game where you’re constantly battling the ever-changing Welsh weather (or rather, the event cubes) as you race to excavate, lay track, and build stations on the Snowdon Mountain Railway. It’s known for its incredibly tight economy, its brutal timing decisions, and its brilliant solo mode.
But the Grand Tour campaign takes this foundation and elevates it into a truly epic journey, designed for 1-5 players:
The most significant change is a complete departure from the original card-on-board system. Every scenario in the Grand Tour now comes with its own unique, bespoke board. This isn’t just cosmetic; it’s a massive quality-of-life improvement and a thematic game-changer.
By baking the scenario-specific information directly into the board, setup time is drastically reduced. No more fiddling with huge piles of scenario cards! Each board features unique artwork tailored to its location, ensuring that when you’re building a railway, you’re there. We’re talking 1950s lino-cut art for the Isle of Wight, real-world map styling for the Tokyo Metro, and glamorous Art Deco for The Orient Express.
The Grand Tour lives up to its name by introducing a Campaign Mode. Players can now embark on a linked series of scenarios, building a narrative journey across different railways with evolving challenges and persistent rewards. This ambition pushes the boundaries of what the *Snowdonia* system can achieve, offering new levels of depth and replayability.
The expansion includes 11 scenarios in total, featuring new routes like the Demerara-Berbice and old favourites, all compatible with the updated board system.
Snowdonia Here We Go!
Whether you’re a long-time owner of the Deluxe Master Set or a new rail baron ready to start your journey, Naylor Games has ensured this campaign covers all the track:
· New Players: A brand-new base game, the Snowdonia: Special Edition, is available, featuring the classic Mount Snowdon scenario and the new Stockton & Darlington line.
· Master Set Owners: The campaign is offering the Grand Tour expansion along with the highly requested Final Fix Pack, ensuring full compatibility and providing all promos released since the Master Set in one neat package.
The crowdfunding campaign is live now on Gamefound, promising to be the definitive way to experience one of the best worker placement games of the last decade. Get your shovel ready, the world’s railways are calling!
