Gloomhaven is one of those board games that is hard to explain without eventually saying, “It’s huge.” The box is huge, the campaign is huge, and there is enough game here to keep the same group busy for a very long time.
I played the original edition of Gloomhaven, and this review is based on that version. What hooked me was the combination of tactical combat, character progression and a campaign where choices actually open up new characters, quests and items as you play.
It is definitely not a casual game you pull out when you have twenty minutes to kill, but if your group likes long campaigns and working together, there is a lot here.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Important Update About Gloomhaven Second Edition
Gloomhaven Second Edition is now the current version of the game. It changes quite a bit from the original, including characters, scenarios, events, artwork and parts of the campaign.
I haven’t played Second Edition, so I’m not going to review it like I have. Everything below is based on my experience with the original Gloomhaven. Anyone buying the game now will most likely run into Second Edition instead.
Gloomhaven 2nd Edition
Cephalofair Games: Gloomhaven, Award-Winning Cooperative Strategy Board Game, For 1 to 4 Players, 60 to 120 Minute Play Time, For Ages 14 and up (classic edition)
What Is Gloomhaven?
Gloomhaven is a cooperative campaign game where players take on the roles of mercenaries exploring dungeons, fighting enemies and making choices that affect what happens next.
The original game includes 95 scenarios, but you won’t necessarily see all of them in one campaign. Some paths open while others close, and completing certain goals can unlock new characters, quests, equipment and abilities.
That was one of the things I liked most about it. It could feel a little like a choose-your-own-adventure book, except instead of turning to another page, you might be opening a sealed box and discovering a completely new character.
How Gloomhaven Got Started
Gloomhaven started as a Kickstarter project in 2015. The campaign funded quickly and ended with 4,904 backers pledging more than $386,000.
When the finished game started reaching players in 2017, it was hard to ignore just how much was packed into the box. There was enough content to keep the same group busy for a very long time.
It eventually climbed to the #1 spot on BoardGameGeek, which is how a lot of people first heard about it. The ranking has changed since then, but by that point Gloomhaven was already a huge game in the board game world.
Scenarios, Unlocks and Character Progression
The original Gloomhaven has 95 scenarios made up of the main campaign and optional side quests. You won’t play all of them in one straight line, either. Choices and completed objectives can open new paths while closing off others.
You can also unlock new characters, quests, items and ability cards as the campaign moves along. That was one of my favorite parts. There was always the feeling that something else was waiting in the box.
The original game has 17 playable mercenaries, with six available at the beginning and the rest unlocked as you play. My personal favorite was the Vermling Mindthief.
Each mercenary plays differently, and there are a lot of ways to combine abilities with the other characters in your group. Gloomhaven really does force everyone to think about how their turns work together instead of just doing their own thing.
There are also legacy-style elements that can permanently change the game, but the original version included ways to avoid making those changes permanent if you wanted to reset things later.
Optional Mercenary Pack
Second Edition also has extra mercenary packs for adding more playable characters. Hail, Irritable Enchanter is one of those optional add-ons. I haven’t used this one, so I’m including it here for anyone looking at the newer Gloomhaven products rather than as part of my review.
Mercenary Pack
An optional mercenary pack that adds Hail as a playable character and can be used with Gloomhaven, Jaws of the Lion and Frosthaven.
Does Gloomhaven Deserve the Hype?
For me, yes.
Gloomhaven is a lot of game, and that can be both its biggest strength and its biggest problem. There is a ton to set up, a lot to learn and you need a group willing to stick with a long campaign. This is not something you casually pull off the shelf for a quick game night.
But once we got into it, the cooperative side was what really made it work for me. You can’t just worry about your own character. The best turns happen when everyone starts figuring out how their abilities can work together.
I also liked that finishing a scenario usually felt like it led somewhere. There might be a new location, item, character or another piece of the story waiting afterward. It gave us a reason to keep coming back.
The original box gave us an enormous amount of game for the money, but the important part was that we actually wanted to keep playing it.
Who Is Gloomhaven For?
I would recommend Gloomhaven to groups that like cooperative games, tactical combat and long campaigns where characters grow over time.
I would not start here if you are brand new to modern board games. If that’s you, I have a list of easy board games for beginners that would be a much easier place to start. Gloomhaven asks for a lot more time and attention than that.
One response to “Gloomhaven Review: Why This Massive Campaign Game Became a Classic”
[…] Gloomhaven: The Board Game […]