Important Lessons and Conclusions About Gloomhaven
See more of the Gloomhaven world, including unique ways to keep all of the components neatly organized.
After a lackluster initial play, I set out to find the enjoyment in Gloomhaven. It certainly has quite a reputation, although I tried to keep my expectations in check! My own tastes are often a little more unusual. I gravitate towards some lesser-known titles and uncommon themes. Nonetheless, back to the adventuring action I went!
Game Overview
Game Name: Gloomhaven
Publication Year: 2017
Designer: Isaac Childres
Artists: Alexandr Elichev, Josh McDowell, & Alvaro Nebot
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
The first scenario seems to be an odd introduction to the game. Many have said how difficult it is, which isn’t always the best way to instill confidence in a newcomer.
So onward I went with my brute, spellweaver, and tinkerer. They could tackle anything! But could I? Ha ha!
Interesting Choices
The central element revolves around card play. Each one features a top and bottom action. During each turn, 2 cards must be chosen. But don’t think it’s easy!
One top action must be performed, and another bottom action must also be performed. Also in the mix is the initiative number to determine the order of activation.
Managing a trio of characters takes a little effort, but it isn’t too difficult. Finding useful combinations is fun!
For instance, I could plan ahead to set up the brute to do maximum damage. It all came down to careful planning.
Improving the Sequence of Play
Even though I can’t say that I’ve ever truly enjoyed Gloomhaven so far, I wanted to give it a fair chance. I never went beyond the first scenario, so everything could change! I settled in and decided to cut down on the amount of upkeep.
To that end, I decided to test out a few digital apps. This was something that raised a red flag, though. Too much to manually track often means that I would prefer a video game version. Regardless, I used the following apps:
- Gloomhaven Attack Deck: To manage attack decks for all characters and not forget to reshuffle.
- GloomsteR: To reveal scenario details only when needed and keep unexplored rooms hidden.
- Gloomy Tracker: To track enemy health and conditions, as well as manage the elements and rounds.
Other options are available out there. However, I didn’t want to spend anything nor sign up for an account. So maybe this wasn’t the most streamlined way to manage some of the upkeep, yet it still worked out rather nicely!
Around the City
This is where things may diverge from a standard session report. I enjoyed about 15-20 minutes of gameplay. Then, I felt utterly annoyed and frustrated.
The included map looks beautiful and promises so much. With 90+ scenarios, who could get tired of the content?!
Me. Why? Because it boiled down to the mechanics. Every round felt like it dragged on, even though I didn’t spend that much time planning everything out.
I wanted this session to turn things around and show me why Gloomhaven is amazing. But, I learned some things!
Signs of a Not-So-Enjoyable Experience
After years of playing solo board games, there are usually obvious indications when something isn’t working for me. In retrospect, I was a little on edge after downloading so many apps. I like upkeep… With tabletop roleplaying games. Board games that involve an enormous amount of manual bookkeeping usually don’t work for me.
As this session wore on, I seemed to tune out. I was just choosing cards. Even when I set up some interesting combinations with the push or pull actions, I didn’t find anything to celebrate. Then, I think I hit on it.
It comes down to the micromanagement of movement and the sheer size of the map tiles. Sure, they’re not enormous, but having to plan out and count hexes completely took away from the experience for me. I understand the reasoning behind it all, yet I like battles that are more macro-based. Just let me plan my special actions, not my movement!
That might sound like an odd assessment. However, that was it: I had to concentrate so much on tracking movement and planning it out. At one point, I cheated in order to lose early. That’s right. I’m a horrible person. Ha ha!
A Sprawling World
One of the biggest strengths seems to be a large amount of content spread out all over the world via the scenarios.
At the same time, there are roleplaying games that can offer a very deep world. I can’t make a proper comparison, though, since I barely went beyond the first scenario.
The trouble, at least for me, is the sheer time commitment necessary to get anywhere. Is it worth it? I’m sure it is for many! But I know now that this definitely isn’t for me.
The potential is there. I can’t fault anyone involved with the game. It’s just me, yet I don’t think I’m alone.
Repetitive Battles and Enemies
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have enough experience to share any general opinions about the game. That’s why this isn’t a review, nor is it a usual session report. In the end, I tried to figure out exactly what didn’t work for me.
Aside from everything I mentioned already, every combat round felt repetitive. The enemies had different statistics and cards, yet they didn’t feel unique. Putting out the standees in the middle of the scenario also broke the immersion entirely. Granted, that would be due to the way I used the scenario app to keep unexplored elements hidden!
My desire to set up the scenarios with the map and overlay tiles also seemed pretty low. I like exploration but on a much grander scale. Not to make a comparison here, but I think Gloom of Kilforth might prove my point. It’s about traveling around the world, not moving from one space to the next and counting out the micro-movement. Acting vs. managing.
Required Organization
On a more positive note, I’m quite proud of the multiple storage solutions I worked out for the components!
Keeping everything organized seems to be one of the requirements for speeding up setup. This Darice organizer is awesome, and also fits inside the box. Very nice!
Not everything fits, unfortunately, but I downsized from a mountain of bags to just a couple. I’ll gladly take that.
It really can be a mess to manage all of this during play, though. Maybe it’s just me. At the same time, I love other games with plenty of components. So… Just not for me!
Session Overview
Play Number: 3
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Scenario 02 at the Easy Difficulty Level
Required Play Space: 40″ x 30″
Setup Time: 10 Minutes
Play Time: 1 Hour
Outcome: Loss
On another positive note, all of my map tiles are organized in this expanding file folder. Hurray for that! But in terms of this session, I mentioned how I cheated my way into a quicker loss. I wasn’t having any fun, unfortunately.
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
1
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
4
Quality
Components & Rules
4
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
4
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
8
Continue the Conversation
Have you had the chance to enjoy Gloomhaven? Even though it’s not something for me, I can see how it could be a great experience for the right solo player! Do you agree or disagree with any of my opinions? I truly wanted to like this one. However, even the most popular and highly rated board games can’t work for everyone. I’m happy I tried it, though!
Aha! V fcl na ryrzragny ryrcunag: va gur erdhverq betnavmngvba cubgb, ng gur sebag, pbyhza sbhe, haqre gur ryrzrag gbxraf. (rot13.com will decode this, so as not to leave spoilers for other people.)
Ha! For one brief moment, I wondered if I needed to block you from the comments section, Roger. Or I suddenly couldn’t understand what letters do!
This is an excellent way to do spoilers, by the way. And you’re very correct… Someone appears to have been spotted. Very nicely done!
Aww, I was looking forward to Gloom of Kilforth style session reports for this game– while I do enjoy playing Gloomhaven, the story is a little too thin for me to be as engaged with a grand narrative. I think it’s best semi-cooperative; similar to Mage Knight where you might get your treasure stolen by your teammate.
Here’s a thought: have you considered just exploring Gloomhaven as a choose your own adventure book while attempting to accomplish personal character goals? (Some personal goals will work better than others…) Flip the road/city cards, and read the intro/conclusion but skip the fighting part of the scenario unless the outcome impacts the story/personal goal.
I do enjoy your writing style, and would enjoy reading how your party decides which location to go to next, and whether you aid or destroy the forces of evil 🙂
That’s a really great idea! I never considered playing through it that way… I know it’s not designed for that, but it would solve all of my issues. At the current rate, I’ll never actually experience the whole storyline, so this might be the way to go.
I’ll definitely keep it in mind! I need a break from it so I don’t maintain a negative opinion when I next open up the box. However, now I may not retire it forever with this suggestion. Thank you so much for the suggestion and kind words! Should I implement it, I’ll definitely make it more of a storyline than a series of sessions.
Have a great day!