Game Overview

Game Name: Gloom of Kilforth
Publication Year: 2017
Designer: Tristan Hall
Artist: Ania Kryczkowska
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game

Table space is quite the monster here! But it’s well worth it. Even from afar, the artwork is breathtaking. Kilforth starts off as a beautiful, sweeping landscape teeming with colors. Little by little, the gloom sets in as the Ancient’s triumph ticks closer and closer. But leave it all to a lone character to stop the darkness and save the land!

Rules Reference Display

It took me a few plays to feel comfortable with the majority of the rules. There are some intricacies and edge cases that require some extra time to fully learn.

Now, though, my storage container can stay propped up to put the rules reference sheet on display! Very nice.

The game flow serves as a reminder for me to follow. Add all of the other sequences into the mix, and this is what I use for almost every game situation.

I still keep the full rulebook nearby, although it’s only used maybe once or twice every couple of plays.

Into the Shadows

After the recent death of my elf wizard, Aerendyl, it seemed fitting to have someone potentially tied to him… A dark elf rogue? I wondered if he looked rather familiar.

Dralmo lived a solitary life. He kept to the shadows. Far from the spotlight of everyday life, he passed his time.

Yet something was stirring beside him. The shadows had shadows of their own in some of the darkest places. More than once, Dralmo thought he saw eyes peering back.

Sprawl City was an uncomfortable mess, violently loud and close. Here, though, was where a new chapter began.

To the Lonely Gorge

There was little information to go on, aside from the rumor of a smuggler near the Lonely Gorge. Little did anyone know what Dralmo was capable of…

Allies were akin to assets. His ritual power allowed him to drain their essence at will. But he left that detail unspoken.

The road from Sprawl City was relatively safe. Only the threat of a zombie protecting the smuggler gave Dralmo pause. He stuck to the shadows, though, and struck.

On a gameplay note, leaving these quests in place provided me a guaranteed safe route. No enemies to encounter!

Gathering Bonuses

Concealed in her own shadows, Zara Rose was tricky to locate even without the zombie threat. She watched Dralmo from afar, though, and was intrigued.

She was the one who chose to follow the rogue. He was wary of her intentions because… Dread pirate and all.

Still, a partnership wasn’t the worst. It was more a question of who would betray who first.

Dralmo used Zara Rose’s skills to stay hidden on his search for a fabled pair of boots. They were certainly not his style, yet the speed was worth the inconvenience.

Learning of a Being

Travel throughout Kilforth turned into a dangerous quest. Dralmo felt the color drain from the land after night fell.

A chance encounter with a man down on his luck pointed Dralmo and Zara Rose in a very definite direction. The mystery of this so-called “Being” was too great to ignore.

Coming upon a statue of unknown origins solidified the man’s story as something more than legend.

With the gloom closing in from all directions, Dralmo knew that he desperately needed to locate the source of this myth. Finding the Being became his fate.

A Knight for a Knight

In the strange gloom of Barrow Moor, Dralmo earned an unexpected title as a Knight for his efforts across the land.

Word of his deeds fighting off the impending darkness spread like wildfire. Or, more accurately, disease. This life was not for Dralmo, dark elf of the shadows.

Even Zara Rose threatened to part ways. Her identity was something of a secret, and to be exposed was to die.

Instead, the Knight of Betrayal showed his terrible face at the right time. The residents blamed a knight for horrible acts. Dralmo escaped, short of the title no one desired.

To the King’s Tomb

Zara Rose helped Dralmo climb Spine Ridge Pass. It was a rough journey, with cruel rocks and shifting gravel. The rogue stepped lightly, but it was no use.

They fought their way from peak to peak, until at last, they glimpsed something in the distance. It was the King’s Tomb, a location sought after by fools and kings alike.

Sneaking up to the entrance, Dralmo was just about to enter when a horrifying screech assaulted his ears.

A ghoul attacked in a frenzy, and it was all the dark elf could do to avoid death. Battered and shaken, he fell.

The First Encounter

Dralmo awoke, on the edge of death, to note that Zara Rose was gone. Instead, he felt the presence of something strange standing over him. He cracked an eyelid.

Fear was the obvious emotion. This was unlike anything he had ever seen before. And on this journey, the rogue had already experienced his share of the unknown.

This was the Being. It stared back at him with unblinking eyes. All that needed to be known passed between them.

And just like that, it disappeared. Zara Rose crept out of a craggy cave to join Dralmo. What was it they were to do?

A Road Home

Over the next few days, Dralmo caught glimpses of the Being just beyond the shadows. So, it followed them.

Nights were practically deadly, and the daylight afforded little respite. Zara Rose was rather pleased with the challenges. It gave her a chance to plot her own moves.

Dralmo spent a great deal of time lost in thought. Silently, he darted from shadow to shadow. A lone brigand was the only foe he dared to face after the run in with the ghoul.

And what of the Deacon of Betrayal? Whispers of the Ancient swirled from dawn to dusk. No one was safe.

To Go Beyond the Veil

As the coming of the eternal night became a reality, Dralmo and Zara Rose forged ever onward.

The pirate was more concerned with her smuggling operation. The dark elf was of use to her, particularly with his affinity to dispatch some rather nasty foes.

Battered by the world, Dralmo was astonished when the Being laid before him a final task. To do so would grant him immense power against the Deacon of Betrayal.

There was only one small caveat… He would step beyond the Veil. Into darkness, where no light shone.

The Final Battle

Zara Rose was the only one who witnessed Dralmo’s journey into the Veil. And even she was unable to describe what transpired. Was it a minute? An hour? A day?

Dralmo returned with a determined look. Barrow Moor was all he could think of, to meet the Ancient in battle.

Before a gloomy hamlet, the unlikely hero faced the terror behind the darkness. The lack of eyes was truly menacing. All fled before such a horrible sight.

But not Dralmo. He had gone beyond the Veil. He saw what he would never accept: A life of gloom for Kilforth.

Equipped for Success

Dralmo was not alone. With the blessing from the Being, he was prepared for a confrontation. He felt it in his heart. Zara Rose stood with him. Truly, utterly, with him.

Every plot had been foiled, except for the Cultist of Betrayal. Assets were stolen from the rogue every round.

He stood his ground, his smuggler friend still with him. When the invulnerability potion was emptied and his gilded sword broke, Dralmo knew he was in trouble.

Zara Rose gave him a wry smile. If he was about to lose, she was still with him. She charged at the Ancient.

Session Overview

Play Number: 8
Expansion: Encounters Expansion Pack
Accessory: Pimp My Gloom Expansion Pack
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Warrior Difficulty Level
Required Play Space: 44″ x 28″
Setup Time: 10 Minutes
Play Time: 2 Hours & 30 Minutes
Outcome: 5 Points (Loss)

The Deacon of Betrayal nearly fell… But not quite. Aided by gloomy fog, the Ancient triumphed to rule over Kilforth.

Affordability

Price & Value

10

Functionality

Challenges & Mechanics

10

Originality

Design & Theme

7

Quality

Components & Rules

9