Gloomhaven

stuck at user agreement, reported in the forums but there's another post from 2023 that still hasn't been answered. so glad they put it on sale so more people cna buy a broken game.

Recently came back to Gloomhaven after a long time away, and I suddenly like it much, much better! I've played for more than 5 hours, but mostly offline. Recommendations for beginners and frustrated players: 1. Start with Guildmaster mode. The tutorial and balancing are designed for single players running all characters. Original board game mode isn't. 2. Each card has FOUR options, not two. You can always skip the fancy move on the card, and instead click on the little Move 2 or Attack 2 tabs in the middle. This helps you keep moving and not burn through your entire deck. 3. Don't use TTRPG or Turn-Based Tactical tactics for navigating dungeons. Gloomhaven's rules are way more abstract, and you have to learn them. For example, you need to always be thinking about how to get through (or at least into) every room. This often means moving on before everything in one room is dead. 4. The more characters you send on a quest, the higher their total level had better be. If you're training level 1s on a travel quest, it's best to take only two. For a relic or survival quest, four seasoned adventurers, including one designated healer, may have enough extra options to overcome the raised difficulty, while two might not. 5. FAILURE COSTS NO RESOURCES! Play out doomed missions. At least in Guildmaster, you get to keep whatever loot and XP your heroes got before they became "exhausted." Theoretically, you could "fail to the top."

This game works as a convenient, more easily manageable and considerably less time-consuming alternative to the tabletop game it's derived from. Feels very faithful to the original, noticeably more challenging and, sadly, a bit less entertaining due to some slight lack of polish. ++ Excellent gameplay, worldbuilding and storytelling. + Character and environment models are beautiful and spot on, but the combat animations are usually just a generic weapon waving and shouting, that seldom matches those unique, cool abilities described by your cards. + Solid voice acting. Alec Newman did a great job as a narrator, although with him being the sole carrier of the story, it felt more like listening to a nice, Scottish fantasy book, than actually being part of the events. An ensemble cast might have created a more immersive experience in a game of such scope. • Music is gloomy (as it should be) but monotonous. - Tedious multiplayer and turn order. There might be some occasional desyncs and dropouts but, worst of all, there's this constant waiting for... nothing in particular after players' selecting their actions. I recommend having a secondary monitor with something to watch to fill the gaps, while the game crunches the numbers.

TLDR: Gloomhaven is supposed to be a hard game, most people playing don't know the origins of the game and don't appreciate this ease of access version. I have a long history with Gloomhaven. I started out on the tabletop version. Then moved to a hybrid of tabletop and using applications on a tablet to reduce set-up time. Then the beta version of the Steam version came out. I beat the main campaign via tabletop the old school way and had a lot of fun despite how hard the base game was. It was satisfying to reach a point where every scenario didn't feel like a marathon. I understand where people have negative feelings towards the game, but it wasn't built to be an outright easy game, it is an acquired taste for people who like a challenge with progression. I have played Frosthaven tabletop, that is a much harder game. The creators of these games are purposefully creating high learning curve games. When it comes to the Steam version itself, I don't have many complaints. The Xbox controller function is buggy and tends to crash the game or be unplayable. However, playing on keyboard and mouse has been smooth. Overall, this version lets me enjoy all the good parts of the original table top without having to setup the scenarios. I primarily play solo or with friends on one screen. I don't think this type of game works well over an online platform and understand why the multiplayer of this game doesn't do well. This game was meant to be played at the table, where you discuss strategy in real-time.

I am not a huge fan of tabletop games, but this one is a masterpiece. For me it's the GOAT. No matter the bugs, no matter some of the unbalanced builds. It just feels good and you get a lot of emotions by strategizing and rolling some of the good&bad stuff, especially with friends ;)

As of 2025: DO NOT BUY for Mac! There are numerous bugs that corrupt saves, stall at loading screens and delete all your progress. This was a beautiful, faithful adaptation of an amazing boardgame, but is now unplayable due game-breaking bugs now that no one seems to be updating. (I have followed all the advice I could find in forums too but without success). I am so disappointed that they are still allowed to sell this in this state :(

I am glad people like this game. I understand statistics quite well, but the amount of x0 cards pulled really is frustrating and makes the game really not fun. I understand hard. But I play games to enjoy myself, and even on easy mode I find this game hard to enjoy. Maybe I will come back to it one day, but I have other more challenging and fun games to play.

I did not enjoy the exhaustion mechanic. And the multiplayer game progressed slowly enough that by the time we finished with one combat scenario, I could no longer refund the game. (2.2 hours) At least I got it on sale? Though I probably won't ever play it again.

This game has a really janky design that has cost us many hours of level re-play. I like the strategy, but the frustration this game gives its players through bad design in a thousand small, but crucial spots, means I can't recommend it to anyone. Keeps crashing on me now. It's a well designed game in terms of level and character, but not a functional one.

Gloomhaven, developed by Flaming Fowl Studios and based on the acclaimed board game by Isaac Childres, is a masterclass in turn-based tactical RPG design that blends deep strategic combat, meaningful progression, and a rich fantasy world into one of the most ambitious digital adaptations in the genre. More than just a board game port, Gloomhaven takes the core elements that made the physical version so beloved and transforms them into a robust video game experience, offering hundreds of hours of content, a sprawling world to explore, and a complex but rewarding gameplay loop that emphasizes smart planning and careful decision-making over raw power. Set in a dark, morally gray fantasy world teeming with danger, Gloomhaven places players in control of a band of mercenaries seeking gold, reputation, and personal glory. The narrative is driven by a branching campaign full of morally ambiguous choices and unexpected outcomes. Each mission you undertake feeds into a larger world map that changes based on your actions, unlocking new paths, story beats, and locations. The tone is consistently grounded—less about saving the world and more about surviving brutal odds for the right price—an approach that feels refreshingly mature compared to traditional high-fantasy tropes. What truly sets Gloomhaven apart is its combat system. Every character has a unique deck of cards representing abilities, attacks, and movement options. These cards serve both as your combat actions and your stamina, creating a natural tension between using powerful abilities and managing your longevity in the dungeon. When a character runs out of cards, they are exhausted, so the game becomes a careful balancing act of tactical efficiency, synergy, and long-term survival. Each scenario demands creative thinking, as enemies have varied behaviors and abilities, and environments are filled with hazards, traps, and interactive elements that require careful navigation. It’s a system that emphasizes planning over randomness and rewards players who take the time to understand their characters and enemies deeply. There are 17 playable classes, each with a completely different playstyle and mechanics, from stealthy assassins and supportive healers to elemental summoners and tanky brutes. The game encourages replayability by introducing new mercenaries gradually, requiring players to retire older ones and begin again with fresh abilities, changing up your team composition and strategy every few hours. This retirement system ties into the overarching campaign progression, creating a sense of legacy that mirrors the tabletop experience and adds emotional weight to your mercenary's journey. The digital adaptation improves on several areas of the physical game, most notably in terms of quality of life. Tedious setup, stat tracking, and enemy AI management are handled seamlessly, allowing players to focus on the strategic core of the gameplay. The interface is clean and information-rich, although the complexity of the system may still overwhelm newcomers. Fortunately, the game offers a well-structured tutorial and scalable difficulty to ease players in. The visuals are dark and atmospheric, with a grounded art style that suits the world’s gritty tone. Environments are detailed and varied, and the character animations—while not flashy—are functional and convey the impact of each action well. The soundtrack is haunting and subdued, complementing the tension of each scenario without being intrusive. Beyond the main campaign, Gloomhaven offers a Guildmaster mode, a more flexible sandbox-style progression path with dozens of handcrafted missions, unique storylines, and different character unlock conditions. This mode is ideal for players who prefer a more modular, objective-based experience without the full commitment to the narrative campaign. Multiplayer is also well-implemented, with online co-op that lets friends team up for dungeon runs together, echoing the social nature of the board game. That said, Gloomhaven is not without its challenges. The learning curve is steep, and the game demands careful attention to detail. One wrong card play can spell disaster for your entire party, and success often relies on synergy and forethought more than brute force. The pace can be slow, especially in longer missions, and those expecting a more traditional RPG with loot-based progression and frequent combat may find the deliberate pacing and card-based mechanics less engaging. Technical performance is generally solid, though occasional bugs and UI quirks can slightly interrupt the flow. In conclusion, Gloomhaven is a deep, complex, and immensely satisfying tactical RPG that rewards careful planning, long-term thinking, and mastery of its systems. It offers a near-endless supply of content and strategic variety, making it one of the most content-rich and thoughtfully designed turn-based games available. Whether you’re a fan of the original board game or a newcomer to the world of tactical RPGs, Gloomhaven is a must-play experience for anyone craving a dark, challenging, and richly rewarding adventure. It’s not just a game—it’s a campaign you live through, one mercenary contract at a time. Rating: 7/10

It's not that the game can't be fun at all but..... The implementation of the rules is just poor. For example, items can't be activated when you should be able to use them. I only figured out the extendt of it when i was 20 hours into the game - too late to get a refund. If you want a digital version that is true to the game, this is not it.

I wish I read reviews before purchase, but Im a huge fan of tactics games like BG3, JuggedAlliance3, Divinity1-2, X-com, and a ton of indie and low budget tactic games like Hard West 2 and Rogue Waters. Like I already played every tactic game I could find, this one couldnt be bad. right? Well, dont be decieved as me - IT IS NOT TACTIC GAME Its LOOKS like tactic (tiled map, turn based, action points, etc.) but it is just a CARD BASED puzzle game. I dont even want to explain gameplay loop in battle because it is over complicated and stupid because of cards. But in general my problem with the game is that in actuall tactic games each character/role have specific moveset, actions he can make. And this action set is SAME each turn. While here you need to choose 2 cards with actions that you can perform this round. It is so baaaaad that your heroes limited to some NEW movements each round. And cards are burned after use, so you can just run out of attack moves and left only with movement for example. If you want draw new deck - skip turn. Because of this it is much more a puzzle game to plan your cards, then planing a tactical battle.

I bought this as a part of the steam summer sale, because my group just started a new Gloomhaven campaign on TTS and saw that this might be a more streamlined alternative, but I wish I hadn't. This game promises to be a faithful port of the Gloomhaven board game and it's simply not. Giving it the benefit of the doubt, especially from older reviews of this game, it seems like it was a faithful adaptation at first, but updates led to more bugs being born, and a lack of developer care late into its life ensured those bugs stayed alive up to its current version that you can buy now. My group only played the first mission twice, and honestly, we noticed maybe three issues with the game's interpretation of the board game's rules, but one of those issues was just so basic that we simply don't have the faith to continue moving forward with this version of the game. For reference, in the last 30% of the mission in our second attempt, we noticed that Crit and Null cards would not trigger a reshuffle of the deck at end of turn. Modifier decks would only reshuffle after ALL cards had been drawn. It's not absurdly impactful, but it's such a basic rule to fail at. Maybe it was just a one time bug or something, but I don't believe enough in the competence of the devs to continue with it. I only referenced the one rule misinterpretation/bug in my review so far, but there is a lot more to dislike. We had: - poor Line of Sight interpretation, with enemies and allies both being able to shoot through directly through walls - a different rule interpretation that I won't describe here because my review is already too long, - slow loading times in general for overworld events - pseudo soft-crash, where everyone but the host was stuck on the loading screen, requiring the host to restart multiplayer. - personal quests being visible to all players despite the "concealed" option being checked on - game always taking control of your camera, making you reset to your preferred camera angle after each turn I'll be honest, a lot of the above is forgiveable to me. it's a board game, so I don't mind it being slow or finicky, but the fact is that this game just isn't "correct" Gloomhaven. I only played for one day and I have 5 hours of playtime for this game (pretty typical for two mission attempts in Gloomhaven), but I've requested a refund regardless. I hope steam support gives me this refund, not only because I don't want to waste my money on a game that I will never touch again, but because I don't want the developers to profit despite their laziness. I still love Gloomhaven, but we'll be playing on Tabletop Simulator from here on.

Fun game if you can look past the desync issues in multiplayer. Unfortunately, I can't.

This game is super hard - not sure why they don't slowly introduce you to gradually harder challenges - but it is fun. Recommend playing on Normal difficulty or lower. There's over 300+ hours of gameplay with this game.

By far one of my favorite board games ever, I've played all the haven games so far and I cannot wait for Frosthaven to launch. this is an amazing game and they have formatted it amazingly to digital. The game is also great if you just love turn based games, with a plethora of abilities, characters, and items to unlock/utilize.

Excellent game! Much more like a tactical puzzle than a turn-based RPG.

The game is too difficult, even on easy mode. They haven't adapted the learning curve at all. When making choices, the effects to validate are hard to understand and poorly indicated on the screen. I've played a lot of Lion's Jaws in board games. An undo button would make perfect sense because sometimes the player isn't sure what to validate and it becomes extremely frustrating.

Tolle Umsetzung des Brettspiels mit weiterem spannenden Spielmodus.

This game is great, except for the part where the elemental system is so fucking dogshit that it makes me want to rip my hair out on every turn. If you value your time or your sanity do not ever choose Elementalist unless you love UI elements that lie to you and exceptions to every rule in this game's moronic rulebook. Want to cultivate an element on an attack? Sorry, the element you consumed on that attack somehow occupies an invisible fucking space in the game and disallows this from happening (LITERALLY GOES AGAINST MOST OF THIS CHAR'S PERKS BTW). Want to cultivate an element while it's disappearing? This can happen, but only during your passive "cultivate element of choosing at end of turn". Otherwise, no. WHAT IS THIS SYSTEM? ITS SO FUCKING TRASHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

There are some elements from the original boardgame which Im not a fan of, I'll say that but move on to the video game pros and cons: Pros: Overall Id say its worth buying. I got it on sale but the price point before the sale is pretty spot on for the quality of the game build overall. The art is good, the game seems to be faithful to the board game itself in its look and feel, the voice over and audio is great, the animations are overall pretty good, the screens between world, city, and shops are well done, I really enjoy the storyboard images for slides. Cons: The RNG for combat itself.....can leave something to be desired. Some of it feels like railroading in some aspects. If the game wants to make things difficult for you, it deals this out to you mercilessly. When you loot an item, it cuts off the name and description for some reason, and you have to wait to actually get the item (sometimes after a mission) to see what it does. It would be nice if it were always available even during the mission that you picked it up on. After a dungeon in multiplayer, you can find yourself just hanging waiting to come back to the world screen. The way we dealt with it was to disconnect the player and have them reconnect to the game. This shouldnt be necessary. There's no mention in the tutorial how the area affect templates are situated, and during playing Cragheart I had to learn that you can rotate them after we did a couple missions. To add to this, when you are trying to rotate the radials, they are hard to see on the map. There's a ranged burn card that lets you pick multiple targets, but for some reason radius range attacks don't have that option to attack multiple times with that card. Maybe it has some sort of issue with it but I cant say - pick a whole different target and have overlapping radius affects. Summary: There are a few issues and bugs I don't particularly like with the game, but for the money you pay for it and the entertainment that comes from the game alone, its a worthwhile purchase.

Great game! I would recommend playing this game with a group of friends who enjoy challenges. Game is tough but managing your way through the quests always feels rewarding.

The game is amazing! The beggining is difficult, you have no items, the strategies are still hard to grasp, and maybe you've got the wrong combination of classes. Still, if you persist, you are in for one of, if not the, best tabletop game experience out there. One tip is, if you are playing solo, is to play with three characters. It allows you to unlock more classes more rapidly, and class compatibility becomes less of a problem. I also recommend playing the guildmaster mode a little bit as it has a very good tutorial.

Not recommended for brand new players. This is a very complex and often challenging game originally meant to be played with multiple people. You must learn your character, and in time, master it. Doing this with 3-4 characters you've never seen before at the same time will cause you a lot of frustration. Having said that, this is an amazing board game. The mechanics of losing cards puts a hard round timer on each scenario so you can't waste turns trying bait or set up the perfect trap. The scenarios were built with a goal in mind and your ability to adapt is far more important then your ability to plan ahead, or sculpt favorable situations. Losing a scenario doesn't mean you failed... just your strategy or approach. You still gain experience and gold, and most importantly, you know something not to do. Level up, explore, evolve your party as characters retire, and eventually discover the secrets of Gloomhaven! My board game group has played the physical version for over 2 years with a game played on most weekends. We've moved on the Frosthaven now but this game will always hold a place in our hearts as one of the best legacy strategy games out there.

best game up to and including the pandemic

overall very good, though some quirky behavior and a few bugs. Multiple target cards are the easiest to mess up so learn the systems click order to avoid the worst issues. No "save and retry" option, no undo once you execute a card. However, Gloomhaven does allow you to replay a scenario which is IMO a very good alternative. Learn from your mistakes.

This game is awesome, great for jogging the mind and coordinating with friends!

I have the boardgame and enjoy playing it with my son. Having some house rules that allow us to fudge results somewhat is crucial to getting past some levels, however, and this game sticks strictly to the rules. I made it pretty far. I had beaten something like 30 scenarios. Then I ran into a situation where I couldn't get past any scenario without a TPK (total party kill) despite trying multiple available scenarios. It's simply too difficult to get past a scenario when you're facing 15 enemies with multiple ranged attacks that damage 20% of your hitpoints each round. I suppose the game was designed to be difficult so I can't fault it. I ended up quitting the game. Maybe I'll go back one day? I don't know.

Great adaptation, although hosting could be less complicated. Nevertheless fun!

We have been playing the physical board game of Gloomhaven after completing Jaws of the Lion. We added digital so my son and I can play additional questions without all the management required for the physical version. We love the digital version so far as an easy way to jump in but also prefer the physical as its good to get off screens!

I likes the game very much. Funnest with friends but solo is still quite good. Would buy again at full price.

DO NOT START WITH THE CAMPAIGN. Despite being the top option on the Main Menu, I assumed "Guildmaster" was some sort of multi-player mode and banged my head against the Campaign (the common nomenclature for single-player mode) for a few hours and was close to leaving my own negative review here after that experience. The Campaign mode tells you how to do NOTHING and is considerably more difficult than the any of the battles I've faced in the hours since I switched to Guildmaster. Considering how many people heave left negative reviews for this game, commenting on how the game explains nothing to you, actively hates the player, etc., it would seem that people mistakenly starting from the Campaign mode is very common. Don't let this be you!

Great turn based dungeon crawler. Tons of scenarios and characters to play.

If you liked the board game or were interested in the board game, this is a great way to go. It makes learning the rules so much easier and setting up and tearing down the game can be a pain. Plus this board game is a beast! I love that I own it but I never get anyone to play with me. Now it doesn't matter and it is super easy to just jump into and get my play on! Think of it as a tactics board game with cards. It is not the easiest to master but worth it.

AWESOME , i have played the board game and all its expansions , took months but worth it and this digital version is exactly what i needed ! Just check my hours played , that should answer any questions or doubts you have. And a chunk of that is multi player online, never get that many issues at all. Cant wait for FrostHaven digital version now !!

The game is great. One thing unable to play a single game multiplayer, any member was getting disconnected and kicked out 3-4 times a session.

I bought this game on sale as I'd been eyeing it for awhile. It's horrible. The exhaustion mechanic is horrible, the scenarios are horrible, the looting system is horrible, burning and discarding cards you need feels horrible... Do not buy this game. Get Baldur's Gate 3, get Solasta, get literally any other turn based game and you will not be as absolutely miserable as you will be if you buy this.

awesome boardgame solid port, some bugs, like an enchanted cards shield effect never applying

6 hours stuck on first quest, after saving cards clearing 1 and 2 room thinking this is the end, we got "boromired" by the archers in the third room. Used my invisibility cloak to hide from my own decisions. Brute tanked like a wet tissue. Peak coop tragedy. devs designed the first quest so you can never ask for a refund. 10/10 would be emotional damaged again.

A faithful adaptation of the video game.

true to the boardgame, love it.

shared suffering builds character

Don't start with "normal".

nice.