In light of the unnecessary and bizarre global trade pressures, we made the decision to refine Far Away: Corporate Espionage while we wait for the chaos to subside. We decided this before the partial policy reversal, but we already started making extra content and we want to finish that. The game could always use more playtesting too, so we’ll take advantage of the extra weeks to ensure the best product possible.

This all leaves the open question of when we’ll ship. To help answer that, it’s helpful to understand the scope of remaining work. Here is the breakdown of what’s still pending.

An obvious addition any expansion pack brings is more. Fundamentally, people who buy a game expansion are fans of that game. They want an excuse to return to a game they like and rekindle the fond memories of their first few playthroughs. While it’s nice to talk about ways to reinvent a game through an expansion, it’s essential to add that contingent of extra stuff to the core mechanics. However, doing so risks unbalancing the game. As a follow-up to our description of the Hollows terrain, I want to share some of the smaller additions that are coming in Far Away: Corporate Espionage and how we are ensuring they are net-positive additions.

It is impossible not to think about the economy right now. The tariffs and trade wars are the hot topic in the board game world and something we here at Cherry Picked Games are extremely aware of, given the imminent manufacturing of Far Away: Corporate Espionage. But those fees are a single (large) cost in a long and pricey process. There are so many other market considerations that go beyond pure production prices. Inspired by Carla Lalli Music’s excellent Substack piece on the true costs of YouTube videos, I want to share the other real financial concerns I have running a board game business: externalities, inflation, and labor.