Through the Mountains has a real crowdfunding audience, but its strongest selling point is a new route-building puzzle, not a more expensive box. Allplay’s Kickstarter campaign pairs Reiner Knizia’s standalone sequel with deluxe editions of Through the Desert and two other games. On November 8, the campaign displayed 2,656 backers and $343,279 pledged against a $10,000 goal.
That is a funding snapshot, not sales delivered or a verdict on the design. The campaign closes November 12 at 11 p.m. EST, which is November 13 at 04:00 UTC. Those dates refer to the same deadline.
Two yaks, one increasingly crowded map
Allplay describes turns built around placing two yaks and extending caravans. The interesting changes are the terrain: valleys hold up to three yaks and connect to surrounding spaces, while reaching a temple allows one bonus placement per turn. Routes of the same color belonging to different players cannot touch.
The practical question is which opening you can afford to leave for later. A valley can carry your caravan farther, but rivals can fill it before you arrive. A temple offers an extra placement, potentially changing the race for a bottleneck. Those are concrete reasons to inspect the new rules even if you already own Through the Desert. They are publisher-described mechanics, not GameGuideDog playtest findings.
Buy the game before buying the upgrades
The official FAQ confirms that Through the Mountains stands alone. You do not need Through the Desert. It lists 2–4 players and an estimated 45-minute session.
Standard uses mainly plastic and punchboard. Deluxe changes the production with resin, wood and metal leaders; Collector’s adds metal scoring tokens and bags. More metal does not establish better decisions. Start with the rules and the edition’s actual contents, then decide whether the upgrade earns its space and cost.
Allplay targets August 2027 delivery, an estimate rather than a guarantee. Allplay’s FAQ says the games are currently English-only and EU VAT is collected additionally in the pledge manager. It also says there will be no late pledges; a $1 pledge grants pledge-manager access but misses campaign-exclusive bundles. Check the current reward and shipping table for your country before paying.
The official campaign video above introduces the project. For another approach to a crowded table, see our Card Wars 2026 guide, or browse board games. The next useful step is reading Allplay’s linked draft rulebook, not treating the funding total as a recommendation.
