Gloomhaven Review - JonGetsGames

Here is my Gloomhaven board game review. Review copy was provided by the publisher. Look below to skip to each section of the video:

Positive Review Points - 16:02
Neutral Review Points - 25:30
Negative Review Points - 33:18
Variability - 38:14
Player Count - 39:36
Conclusion - 40:51

[nicolaszhang]

I've watched your playthrough a few months back and it's what inspired me to purchase the game. And now with this review I can just say your content is really amazing. It has to take a ton of time to film these videos and they are clearly well thought out and well articulated. Subscribed, and hope to see more of your content in the future!

[Spudkitty]

You are the very best of explaining a deep, complicated game like Gloomhaven. You know what details are unnecessary to highlight in a basic review, and you explain and show very clearly an overview of the game. Nice work!

[kennyng]

actually for brute at 10:12, you could have used sweeping blow and attack both enemy

[davidarlington]

Great review but what makes it GOLD for me is the tip about using CD sleeves to hold the Monster cards and AI cards! Brilliant! :)

[sarahgreen]

With the movement of monsters, my party just simplified it to "Moves to the closest player character and if the distance is the same, move to the character with the highest initiative that turn. If already engaged with a character, they continue to fight that character." Makes it super simple and also seems balanced. I am the Tinkerer and tend to go early in initiative order, which makes me a target often but I can also plan to move away and heal if needed. It just adds to the fun of planning our turns. I'd rather spend my thinking time planning my card plays than moving monsters around...

[aaronprieto]

This was a great review. Thank you for taking the time to make it.

[FNARproductions]

One great way to cut down scenario time is to use an app to help deal with bookkeeping and enemies. Have only played about 10 scenarioes but each takes my group about an hour at this point. Makes it alot easier to keep track of everything so the party can focus on their own characters. Also means you dont have to deal with the enemies modifier and ability decks, finding their stat cards, tracking their hp and status, room infusions etc.

Can recommend Gloomhaven Helper or Gloomhaven DM.

[JM-dbez]

Agreed, game is really good. If you like dungeon crawls with some really great mechanics/variability, with a legacy world-building aspect that drives the campaign--then this is a must-buy. I've enjoyed it quite a bit.

[TomTeachesGames]

I'm with you. I think this game is SO smart in its mechanisms and gameplay -- but the time commitment is rough.... For myself I've just decided that I likely will not ever finish the campaign, but by bringing it out 2 or 3 times a month can still have an extremely great time while at it.  Also, I invested in the Broken Token insert -- and I really like it -- but I LOVE that blank CD sleeve idea even more than the deck boxes that the BT insert I wonder if I can find some kind of way to use those sleeves with this insert.... hmmmm....

[Scouser]

First of all, I want to give you a huge Thank You for your work! Your videos helped me a lot with the gameplay and the rules.
Personally, I don't mind the bookkeeping, the game pieces management and the long setup of the campaign. I enjoy it! Maybe I am just crazy :)

[DownLow]

We use timers for choosing your cards each round and for your turn. 5 and 2 minutes respectively. This helps to keep the overall time each scenario takes down. It's really easy, especially for indecisive people, to get stuck with analysis paralysis and take 20 minutes to choose two cards lol

[malarkey]

Really solid review bro. Thanks a lot for taking the time.

[jeffreyoliver]

I 110% agree with you on the difficulty factor. My group has played over 50 times and lost a small number of times. Sometimes due to stupidity on our part. But in many scenarios it comes down to a single card draw or two people being exhausted and the other two barely scraping by.

[franckitef]

I was waiting for this one! Thanks for all the work, i really enjoy all your videos, even if I don't plan to grab the game presented.

[diegogarciacampos]

Just in time. I need to put this beast on the table soon! Thanks a lot for yur videos, they are extremely helpful!

[MrKevo]

Love the vids man. Just found your channel a couple weeks ago and is my go-to for first run through of games

[timgrossman]

I'm sure I'm in the minority but I don't feel nearly as positive about the rulebook as you. After I unboxed the game and did some organizing I was pretty lost on how to simply set the game up and get a party going.

[brandonzappala]

How does this video not have more likes? Great job Jon!!!

[Table.Fables]

The CD tip for the monster stuff is awesome! Thank you sooo much :) I have the game on order and that makes me feel so much more at ease- the enemy items is what I was most concerned about! How many CD sleeves did you need Jon?

[MsLadyFuchsia]

Can you link the BGG survey quiz you mention? That sounds like a good way to learn the game rules. Played it once and we want to get into it, but learning curve is killing us.