Gloomhaven, released in 2017 established as one of the all time great tactical dungeon games, with a huge interlinked campaign, unlockable heroes and branching story paths. It was redeveloped in 2020 as a smaller introductory set called Jaws of the Lion, and then into a more complex edition called Frosthaven in 2022. Most recently a 2nd edition reprint of the original game came in 2025.
The game is crafted around your character and their deck of cards which will contain abilities and skills suited to their unique play style. In each scenario you will choose which cards form your deck from a pool, and your hand size effectively represents your health, so once you run out of cards you will be exhausted, and cannot continue to participate in that encounter. You will be balancing off saving your most potent abilities which burn your cards from play for the right moment. You can also lose cards if you take excessive damage from enemies, or by resting. During each turn of the game you will select two cards to play, using the top ability of one and the bottom ability of another and using one of them to represent your initiative order.
After each scenario is completed, your party will visit a town where they encounter an event, and can purchase new equipment and weapons, and level up if enough experience has been earned. In Frosthaven this part of the game has been developed more significantly, as you will be adding new buildings and crafting potions from the loot you collected, increasing what you can then do within your settlement. It added a deeper layer to the game that was undeveloped in the original Gloomhaven, however the administration and time it took between adventures eventually became a downside for my group.
The components of the games are good, but can be a little more basic than others with standees for enemies and the original tiles lacking in significant artwork features, although has improved with later versions.This game has always been one of the best group games i have encountered, as the interaction between characters is very high, as what one player does in their turn will have effects on others. It offers great card strategy, with involvement and discussion between players, and game offers surprises as players can spring surprises like collecting loot instead of attacking at a key moment. Whilst these games are often classed within the dungeon crawler category, they are not randomised encounters and explorations, but a linked progressive story comprising a series of scenario challenges, or puzzles that you must overcome with your limited resources. Game balance is really well executed, scenarios are closely fought and monster difficulty is easy to change using statistics discs. Combat is all card based with a small deck of modifiers that provide an edge of randomness and can be customised over time. As a tactical campaign adventure with branching storyline pathways, this game is amazing, and my Virmling Mindthief will be fondly remembered forever.
Even though the original Gloomhaven was such a great group campaign game it was not perfect, as its storyline thread could easily be lost as the campaign branched out. Jaws of the Lion as an introductory stand alone box set contained 4 starting hero characters and 16 monster types along with a more successful and focused campaign story. The maps are also played off a couple of books rather than having separate tiles which was a big improvement, with better artwork and scenery. Frosthaven was another huge box release adding new layers of complexity to the characters and the city, and while the stiory was easier to follow than the original Gloomhaven, the downtime and administration between adventures dragged on longer. As my group longed for a return for the quicker city style of its predecessors, the 2nd edition of the original with its better tiles, graphics and an easier to follow storyline path has again become our favourite version alongside Jaws of the Lion for a smaller campaign.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Expansions
There are expansions you can add to enhance or change the gameplay (my additions highlighted green = own, blue = part owned, red = not purchased) :
Core Sets
Gloomhaven the original has a set of easier characters initially to play and offers a huge gaming expierence, but one that can become a little lost on the storyine over time. Jaws of the Lion is an introductory set, with a focused story and smaller number of heroes and content, and is arguably the best initial version of the game for most players. Frosthaven offers more complex characters for those that experienced and needing more challenge, but has more town admin and time which was considered a hinderance to some of us. Gloomhaven 2nd edition of the original is a clear upgrade with better graphics, tiles and scenario adventure paths, and is my favourite version.
Solo Scenarios
A set of scenarios and reward cards specifically designed for strategic solo play highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each class from the original Gloomhaven and Frosthaven. Meant to be played with hero characters at least level 5. A nice addition if you want to solo play.
Mercenary Packs
A newer edition of four new character boxes to play within any of the game versions. Very neat and tempting but is less value than buying Jaws of the Lion if dont own it.
Forgotten Circles
An older small box expansion for the original Gloomhaven, and features a new storyline of twenty scenarios taking place after the events of the original campaign and involves one new character class called Aesther Diviner. Also features four new monster types, three new bosses and fourteen new items. However, I feel you are much better off getting Jaws of the Lion.