Gloomhaven
The short version
Gloomhaven is not really a board game. It is a hobby you commit to for months. If you can get four adults to schedule the same evening every week, and you own the shelf space to keep a 22-pound box open between sessions, then it is the best heavy dungeon crawler on the market. If any of that is not true, buy Jaws of the Lion instead.
How it plays
Every turn you pick two cards from your hand. The top of one becomes your action for the round. The bottom of the other becomes your movement. Or the other way around. You are always choosing which half of each card to keep and which half to burn. When your hand runs out, you are exhausted and the scenario is over for you.
That is the whole engine, and it is quietly brilliant. Every turn is a tempo puzzle. Short rests recover most of your cards. Long rests recover more, but cost you tempo. And your best abilities are usually on cards you can only use once per scenario. Deciding when to burn a good card is the game.
What works
- The combat system. Deterministic on your side, random only on damage modifiers. Nobody rolls to hit.
- Seventeen unlockable classes, all mechanically distinct. The Mindthief and the Cragheart do not feel related in any way.
- Personal quests that retire your character and unlock a new class. The retirement moment always feels earned.
- Enhancement stickers. You put permanent upgrades on individual cards. It is deeply satisfying.
What does not
- Setup takes 20 to 30 minutes if you play out of the box. Get an organizer. This is not optional.
- The rulebook is a mess. Watch a video. Do not learn from the book.
- Some of the starter classes are more fun than others. I will not name names, but if your friend gets the Cragheart, be nice.
- The story writing is functional at best. Nobody is playing this for the prose.
Who should play this
Groups of one to four players who can commit to a weekly evening. Solo players who like tactical puzzles and are willing to run two hands. Anyone who wants a board game to feel like a long RPG campaign.
Skip it if any of these apply. You mostly play at cons or one-off game nights. You do not want to store a 22-pound box. Nobody in your group will read the rulebook. You want something you can teach in ten minutes.
Verdict
The definitive heavy dungeon crawler if you have the group, the table, and the shelf. Do not buy without at least one committed co-op partner.
I have played every scenario in this box at least once and I still boot
it up when the schedule allows. Nothing else scratches this exact itch.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Would be higher if the setup cost were lower.