**Hello everyone, this is Akashi from 14games.**

Recently on X (formerly Twitter), we announced that we would be launching a Kickstarter campaign this fall for the expansion of Snow Planner, titled "New Season."

This post is intended for those who have enjoyed playing Snow Planner, and aims to provide an update on the current situation and clarify my thoughts on the project. The content is structured as follows:

1. Why are we doing a crowdfunding campaign?

2. Details and direction of the expansion

3. You can buy the base game anytime

4. Please follow the pre-launch page

5. Upcoming schedule

If you're interested, please continue reading.

### 1. Why are we doing a crowdfunding campaign?

Initially, we planned to release the Snow Planner expansion for general sale within Japan, and I had mentioned to everyone that we had no intention of doing a crowdfunding campaign. This was because we anticipated the expansion to be a small-scale project both in content and print quantity. However, we are incredibly grateful that Snow Planner has reached more people than we initially expected and has been played in various locations. 

The game also garnered more attention overseas than anticipated, and we received many requests to conduct a crowdfunding campaign for the expansion. Given the potential to offer more luxurious components and the ease of reaching international backers through crowdfunding, we decided to take on the challenge.

I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my gratitude for your support, which has allowed us to pursue this new goal.

### 2. Details and direction of the expansion

(Please note that the following content is subject to change as the product is still under development.)

Introducing the expansion to the base game will enhance replayability and interaction, making it a more strategic and challenging board game.

The Snow Planner expansion "New Season" is planned to include the following elements:

- A wider variety of strategies for hotel management

- New components and modules unique to the expansion

- Many new cards to deepen existing strategies

(We are also exploring other ideas.)

When Snow Planner was initially created, I, Akashi, included every interesting element I could think of and fine-tuned the game carefully. I was concerned that adding multiple expansions to a game could make it difficult for players to keep track of everything, potentially limiting its reach. (Snow Planner already has a lot of elements as it is.)

However, after nearly a year of seeing the game played many times and receiving feedback and evaluations, I began to think that we could make Snow Planner even better. We've been testing various ideas since early this spring, and the game has become even more enjoyable. The replayability has improved, making players want to explore different routes, and the game has been slightly adjusted to allow for more strategic decisions. The interaction between players will also require more awareness of other players' moves.

However, the increased number of elements in the game means that players will have more to consider during each action. While the number of turns and rounds remains the same, the increased decisions may slightly extend playtime.

I plan to prepare detailed articles and pages summarizing the content around the time of the crowdfunding campaign, so please look forward to it.

### 3. You can buy the base game anytime

Since announcing the production of the expansion, I've received questions like, "Should I wait for the crowdfunding campaign to buy the base game and expansion set?" 

You can purchase the base game now or during the crowdfunding campaign. There won't be any significant price difference.

This is because we will not conduct the project in a way that would make those who have already purchased the base game from EC sites or stores, including last year's project and the two Game Markets, feel at a disadvantage. So, rest assured.

The project will offer several plans, including:

- A set of the base game and the expansion

- The expansion only

- Both options with exclusive components

If you choose the set with the base game, it will be delivered at the same time as the expansion set. I suggest considering when you'd like to start playing the game.

### 4. Please follow the pre-launch page

Since opening the pre-launch page on Kickstarter, we've already had a large number of followers, surpassing 300 recently. Thank you so much for your attention. 

This page doesn't involve any payment or reservation of support. However, the number of followers will significantly impact the preparation of the project. For example, the content of the components will differ greatly depending on whether there are 5 pre-launch followers or 50,000.

Especially in board game printing, the larger the quantity, the lower the unit price. On Kickstarter, once the project page is launched, we can't change the pledge prices. Most projects handle this difference through stretch goals. It would be a great help if we could make some predictions in advance.

Specifically, the number of Kickstarter-exclusive components we can include in the plan from the start will vary. If you've read this far, please consider following the pre-launch page.

[Kickstarter Pre-launch Page Link]　(https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/14games/snow-planner-expansion-new-season)

*If you follow the page, you'll receive notifications when the project launches and just before it ends.*

### 5. Upcoming schedule

The schedule for the future (from August 2024 onward) is also updated on the homepage, but here is a summary:

- **September 6th and 7th**: Board Game Grand Festival @ Gotemba Kogen Hotel

- **Crowdfunding Period**

- **November 16th and 17th**: Game Market 2024 Fall @ Makuhari Messe

Thank you for reading this long and perhaps disjointed post. We appreciate your continued support for 14games.