Gloomhaven Board Game Review
Overview:
Name of the game: Gloomhaven
BGG Weight: 3.89 / 5
Year Published: 2017
Publisher: Cephalofair Games
Designer: Isaac Childres
Number of Players: 1-4 (best with 2-3 players)
Playing Time: 60-120 minutes per scenario
Game Category/Theme: Fantasy adventure, dungeon crawling, cooperative play
Board Game Mechanics: Action Queue, Action Retrieval, Campaign / Battle Card Driven, Card Play Conflict Resolution, Communication Limits, modular board
Ratings:
Strategy: 9.2
Complexity: 9.5
Player interaction: 8.8
Replayability: 9.7
Game rating: 9.4
Cost: 7.5
Calculations:
Weight Rating = (9.2 + 9.5) = 18.7
Playability rating = [(9.7 + 8.8 + 9.4) – 9.5] = 18.4
Play Rating score = (18.7 + 19.4) x 2 = 74.2
Value Rating = 74.2 / 7.5 = 9.89
Final Score Rating = 74.2 + 9.89 = 84.09
Review:
Gloomhaven is a cooperative adventure board game that is designed to be played over multiple sessions. Players take on the role of fantasy adventurers, navigating a modular board of dungeon and wilderness scenarios, battling monsters, and completing quests. The game has an intricate storyline, and each scenario completed unlocks new quests, characters, and items, adding to the overall campaign’s depth and replayability.
The game is best played with 2-3 players, but it is possible to play solo or with up to four players. Players must work together, using a combination of tactics, hand management, and special abilities to complete scenarios successfully. Combat is turn-based and tactical, with each character having unique abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.
The game has a high learning curve, and the rulebook is dense, which contributes to its complexity rating. However, once players become familiar with the mechanics, the game flows smoothly, and the rewards of advancing the campaign make it well worth the investment of time and effort.
Gloomhaven is a premium board game, with a high cost of entry compared to other games in its category. However, the sheer depth and replayability of the game make it a worthwhile investment for dedicated board gamers.
Overall, Gloomhaven is a complex, challenging, and immersive adventure board game that is sure to please fans of the genre. Its replayability and depth make it a worthwhile investment for players who enjoy long-term campaign play.
10 Games that may appeal to someone who liked Gloomhaven:
- Frosthaven – A follow-up to Gloomhaven, set in a frozen wasteland, with new characters and gameplay mechanics.
- Descent: Journeys in the Dark – A dungeon-crawling adventure game that is similar in mechanics and theme to Gloomhaven.
- Mage Knight – A fantasy adventure game that combines deck-building with board game mechanics.
- Twilight Imperium – A space-themed game that has similar campaign-style gameplay and mechanics to Gloomhaven.
- Eldritch Horror – A cooperative game that involves battling Lovecraftian monsters and saving the world from an otherworldly threat.
- Pandemic Legacy – A cooperative game that is played over multiple sessions, with each game impacting future games.
- Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate – A fantasy adventure game that involves exploring a haunted city and uncovering dark secrets.
- Aeon’s End – A cooperative deck-building game with a fantasy theme.
- Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island – A survival adventure game that involves working together to overcome challenging scenarios.
- Legends of Andor – A cooperative adventure game with a fantasy theme, where players must defend their kingdom from invaders.
This review was provided by Open Source Artificial Intelligence programs. It uses a series of complex statement to have AI programs amalgomate their databases to produces information on board games. These reviews are completely unedited output from the AI bots.