The Trials of a Half-Demon Scout in Gloom of Kilforth
Jump back into a beautiful world threatened by darkness in another solo play of Gloom of Kilforth.
I’ve managed to work in some plays of other solo board games recently, yet it’s hard not to want to play Gloom of Kilforth on a fairly regular basis! It was with a lot of excitement that I set everything up again and prepared to head off on another adventure. Although not a proper story, I plan to have some more lengthy reports soon enough!
Game Overview
Game Name: Gloom of Kilforth
Publication Year: 2017
Designer: Tristan Hall
Artist: Ania Kryczkowska
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
The artwork is beautiful to look at as the adventure unfolds. Sometimes, the locations get a little lost, though.
These tarot-sized cards are included with the Pimp My Gloom Expansion. Necessary? Kind of! Larger art often helps bring a world to life in a more noticeable way.
First Play
April 24, 2019
Complexity
3
Latest Play
August 19, 2021
Expansions
1
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
10
Play Time
2 Hours
High Score
45
Game Area
44" x 28"
Low Score
5
A Beautiful Land
Kilforth is gorgeous before the gloom sets in. Just setting out the location cards can be so very relaxing!
Often, there are little details to discover in each illustration. Take the Old Wood. I think I’ve always noticed the unicorn, but never fully appreciated the lighting.
I feel like this ties into the reason for a character’s journey. Though fraught with danger and potential death, the world is worth fighting for.
My only gripe is how my Tarot-sized cards seem to be permanently warped… I’ll just blame the gloom. Ha!
A Very Unlikely Hero
Generating a character with a combination of class, race, and saga is always interesting. Not all of them are obviously or traditionally good, which is nice.
I ended up with a half-demon scout. Watch out! I immediately figured that the Deacon of Betrayal was behind this partial transformation. Prologue complete!
Borrin Tibor found something out in the dark woods. It erased his memory and twisted him into a monster.
Yet he still retained part of his humanity. When darkness threatened Kilforth, he knew his journey was at hand.
The Best Encounter
Things started off in the best fashion possible. As soon as Borrin left Sprawl City, he was challenged to a joust in the wide-open meadows of Grand Plains.
That was fine… Except I had a good laugh over his obvious lack of a steed! What was his challenger thinking?!
Or, perhaps his half-demon status meant that he had hooves or something of the sort. That seemed to be the most likely explanation. So much story in a single card!
Naturally, Borrin lost in utter defeat. I was surprised there was no damage to be taken. Perhaps, only to his honor.
More Standee Bases with Encounter Cards
As many may have noticed, I started using a single standee base for each encounter to make it easier to see. This vertical alignment made the story feel more alive. I also had a chance to spot keywords from afar!
However, I ended up with some fantastic domino-style topples at times. The solution was probably obvious, but a huge thanks goes to Dave in Ledbury at BoardGameGeek! He said it best in a very succinct way:
I used two standee clips to hold up each encounter card, as one was just not enough.
So I gave this method a whirl with this play. Surprise! The encounter cards now take actual effort to knock over and remain a lot more stable. I suppose a third standee base could even be included for maximum stability. It takes a few seconds to make sure each card is seated properly, but this works so well. Thanks again for the idea, Dave!
A Way to Make Friends
Even though I didn’t want to write an in-depth story with this play, I simply couldn’t escape from a tiny narrative!
Take this title, for example. It was still during the first day that Borrin was in the right place to become an Orc-Friend. But what led up to this honor?
The failed joust. I could just picture the orcs watching from the shadows. Did they respect Borrin? Nope! He was probably the source of endless laughs.
That’s one surefire way to make friends! Although silly, this part of the story just seemed so perfect.
Foolish, Foolish Ways
So buoyed by his failed joust and newfound friends, Borrin decided to do a final search of the Grand Plains before he called it a day. There had to be something good out there…
But then he ran into a Doom Guard. He was forced to fight, and the first round didn’t exactly go well.
Borrin had a chance to escape, and I probably should have taken it. Yet I relied on luck, and the Doom Guard was destroyed! But Borrin had 1 health left over.
Health points are directly related to action points here. So less health means fewer actions… Not so good to start off!
New Developments
Borrin had practically nothing to do for a few days, aside from resting to heal up. I believe I heard shouts of “I’m invincible!” coming from the Grand Plains. Ha ha!
Kilforth was already falling into gloom at a pretty alarming rate. The Agent of Betrayal showed up nearby, yet there was no easy way to defeat him with low health.
Many encounters are designed to stay on locations until confronted, often by studying or influencing.
One useful strategy, though, is to leave safe encounters alone. The Holy Church proved very helpful for Borrin!
Taking the Fortress
Advancing through each saga is always interesting. It involves some gold, along with specific keywords. With so many encounters, it’s easy to reuse the same saga!
Still, this saga was new to me. Look who showed up again: The Cleric! She was most helpful.
Borrin ran into an almost identical situation with the Devil. He was brought back down to 1 health and suffered the loss of his title as an Orc-Friend.
I guess they were no longer amused by his antics, particularly since he hovered near death way too much.
A Fitting Discovery
As Kilforth continued to fall into darkness very quicly, Borrin spent a lot of time healing himself again. “I’m invincible!” was still his motto. I wasn’t sure about him.
The next chapter of his saga was fraught with danger, though it was a little easier. Skeleton? No problem!
Perhaps the best part of this adventure was his discovery of an Invulnerability Potion. He wanted to call it the Invincibility Potion, but I refused to allow it. No, Borrin!
As usual, even though I didn’t photograph every little element, there was a great storyline that developed.
Deeper Into Kilforth
Things began to look pretty grim for Borrin. I realized there were only about 10 days left, and he was still stalled on his saga. A proper quest simply couldn’t be found!
Luckily, everything came together within a day or so. At least he made it through chapter 3 successfully.
Mechanically speaking, gameplay boils down to collecting specific keywords to advance a saga through its chapters. Treat it like that, and the game doesn’t get to shine.
The real joy comes from tying the encounters together, imagining the character advancing, and the overall story.
Back to the Orcs
It was fortunate that Borrin was no longer a friend to the orcs! As he raced to take control of the fortress and fulfill his destiny, the evil creatures tried to stop him.
Left and right, their usual mockery turned into violent outbursts. “I’m invincible!” Borrin cried. Ugh. What a guy.
It was Nanula, the Wild Mage, who was the real star of this chapter. Her magic was the main thing that terrified the orcs, though Borrin was convinced otherwise.
The fortress was soon taken, and the rewards were rather pitiful. It served this half-demon scout right, though!
Half-Demon vs. Demon
Barrow Moor was a bit dark and dreary when day broke on the final day. Borrin saw his nemesis not far away. The Deacon of Betrayal sneered at him, almost in laughter.
So, this was it. Shreds of memories came back to him of the day when he was transformed by this demon.
Alas, Borrin wasn’t exactly a student of the world. He beat a Devil and Doom Guard when the odds were against him. What could possibly go wrong in this scenario?
I braced myself for what was coming. Into battle he charged, roaring, “I’m invincible!”
Half-Prepared
Being a half-demon, it was only fitting that Borrin would be half-prepared for the final showdown with the Ancient.
He succeeded in many encounters but had little to show for it in the end. The Resurrect spell looked nice… Yet he wasn’t skilled enough to actually use it.
The class skills are also rather interesting. With each completed saga chapter, a choice must be made between 2 available skills. They’re powerful… If chosen properly.
Borrin failed to go into the battle with any gold, which crippled some of his higher-level abilities. Uh-oh!
Session Overview
Play Number: 5
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: 1 Hour & 30 Minutes
Outcome: 31 Points (Win)
Victory! Borrin survived with his signature 1 health remaining. Take that, Deacon of Betrayal!
Confessions of a Half-Demon
OK. I’ll admit it… I let Borrin get a free re-roll during this final battle. His luck was absolutely horrendous, and it felt in-character to give him a moment that would technically qualify as cheating. I don’t pretend to have excellent strategies, and I lose about half the time at this point. Now you know my secret… Oh, my. Ha ha!
This also seemed like a fitting ending because Borrin’s cheating likely turned him into a full demon. Now, should you listen very carefully in the dead of night, you might barely pick up a faint sound. The cry of, “I’m invincible!”
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
6
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
10
Victory Conditions
Defeat the Ancient
- Overall Goal Progress 50%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game against the Abbess of Penance.
Win at least 1 game against the Deacon of Betrayal.
Win at least 1 game against the Marquis of Pain.
Win at least 1 game against the Prince of Ruin.
Continue the Conversation
Do you like the stories that Gloom of Kilforth: A Fantasy Quest Game creates? What are some of your most memorable moments? I love how I can create dramatic, sweeping tales with ease… Then turn around and have some comical situations happen to my character! This game continues to delight me in so many ways. I love it!
I’m curious how often you invoke the hand of fate in your stories? It took me many games before I remembered that rumors can be discarded for a free success, though the once a day rule still applies. Thematically, that’s me “focusing” on the task at hand.
Great question! I tend to use up the 4 starting fate tokens pretty early on, typically about 1/3 to 2/3 of the way through the adventure. It’s not a great strategy, yet I usually try to save them for influence tests. No successes during the first attempt will turn a stranger into an enemy, so I try to avoid that situation if it makes sense!
I also forgot about the way rumors can be used as fate for my first few plays. It’s tricky to amass a lot of them unless there is some luck with encounters that involve the right weaknesses. Borrin didn’t get so lucky this time around!
I agree about focusing some more. Likely I’ll try to use fate more sparingly in the future, particularly to at least save something for the Ancient battle! My hands were tied here because it was the final day and I had to rush to complete the assault deed. Hopefully, I’ll be a little more efficient next time!
Another awesome report Jessica! I’m already eager to play again!
Thank you very much! I wish you a lot of luck with your next play: Maybe you, too, will have the joust event pop up just so you can get a good laugh. Ha ha!