Gloomhaven - roguelike dungeon-crawling adaptation of the board game

[LESS T_T]

https://www.asmodee-digital.com/en/gloomhaven/




https://af.gog.com/game/gloomhaven?as=1649904300

Spoiler

Developed by Flaming Fowl Studios (ex-Lionhead devs, Fable Fortune) and published by Asmodee Digital.

We warned you!

Deep in the darkest dungeon, amongst the clinking chains and screams of their victims, Flaming Fowl and Asmodee Digital have teamed up to make you once again live through the epic journey of Gloomhaven… digitally!

Our development minions are working days and nights so that you can discover or rediscover this one of a kind tactical, turn-based RPG.

In this rogue-like dungeon-crawling adaptation of the famous board game, you will journey through terrifying randomly generated dungeons, fight against increasingly horrific and powerful foes…or die trying.

The art of dungeon-crawling:

Our game designers are channelling Gloomhaven’s quintessential spirit day after day: deep tactical mechanics, battle preparations… and also dying.

In Gloomhaven, you play as a team of mercenaries on their own personal quests to go conquer a world of darkness and trials. Choose your group members wisely, because in the turmoil of battle you can only rely on your wits, skills and spells to fight your way through the putrid dungeons and forgotten ruins.

If you survive your perilous journeys, you might have the opportunity to expand your team, improve your spells or maybe fill your coin purse. You’ll need these things to overcome the hordes of malicious beasts, demons and whatever else may find itself in your path towards victory and domination of all. No decision should ever be made lightly, so choose with caution!

Features:

- Discover the digital adaptation of Isaac Childres’ ultimate strategic board game.

- Face countless enemies in the dungeons of this turn-based rogue-like game with addictive and tactical gameplay.

- A huge variety of hero classes are available so that you can create your own custom group of formidable champions!

- Each hero class may be played in various ways. Do you prefer your golem to be soaking up damages on the frontline or crushing your enemies in a crater? It’s up to you to choose your specialty.

- Don’t forget to consider all of your characters’ skills to create a truly epic team !

- Also, please do not feed the development minions after midnight. Who knows what could happen?

 

[Agame]

Anyone played the boardgame? Cos this looks really generic hur de dur.

 

[Ebonsword]

Anyone played the boardgame?

Nope, although it's somehow the highest rated game currently at boardgamegeek.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/174430/gloomhaven

I've looked into it a bit, and seems like it combines Ameritrash dungeon crawling with Euro-style combat. Frankly, I hate almost anything Euro-style in a boardgame, so that immediately turned me off.

It is also apparently a "legacy" game, meaning that you actually physically change the components as you play, so you can't go back to the game's original state if you want to start over at some point.

I think that they have released some revised components or something that let you get around that, but it was something else that turned me off about the game.

 

[mondblut]

It's been 25 years and HeroQuest is still wondering why people put up with this crap instead of proper RPGs.

 

[Galdred]

It's been 25 years and HeroQuest is still wondering why people put up with this crap instead of proper RPGs.

Because the combat is more tactically interesting in some dungeon crawlers, and you are not at the mercy of a drunken gamemaster.
Descent (and Imperial Assault) blow any tabletop RPG combat out of the water.
Not sure about Gloomhaven. I am anti Eurotrash, but I liked Mage Knight however.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Looks like a torrentable version will be released soon.

GLOOMHAVEN DIGITAL GAME ADAPTATION ANNOUNCED FOR PC - GEN CON 2018
Share.
The video game will an adaptation, not a direct translation.
BY TOM MARKS Gloomhaven, one of the best board games around right now and the top rated board game of all time on BoardGameGeek, is getting a video game adaptation.

Announced at Gen Con 2018, developer Asmodee Digital said that it won’t be trying to make a direct digital translation of the board game, but an actual adaptation. They are working directly with Gloomhaven creator Isaac Childres as part of that.

First Screenshots of the Gloomhaven Video Game

7 IMAGES

The Gloomhaven video game will be a dungeon-crawling roguelike that aims to capture the experience and appeal of the board game. It will initially be a single-player only game, essentially replicating Gloomhaven's random dungeon mode, but you'll be able to unlock other things permanently as you play more

The plan is to eventually build out the whole campaign over the course of its development as it will initially launch in Steam Early Access. Asmodee says they are looking forward to using the Early Access period to get feedback and ideas of what exactly players want to see brought over from the physical game.

You can watch the launch trailer below and see screenshots in the slideshow above:

Gloomhaven Video Game Trailer
share

Autoplay setting: On
0:56

We don’t know much more about how it will play yet, but Asmodee confirmed to IGN that its combat will still be turn-based and hex-based. We've only seen a glimpse of a single character so for, but that will surely be expanded out as well.

There is a Steam page for the video game here, and you can also find the .

For more of our coverage from Gen Con 2018, check out IGN's tabletop page, where you can see everything from the show and more.

Update: This article originally said the game will be first-person, which is incorrect information we were given through a miscommunication. The article has been updated.

 

[Matalarata]

It's been 25 years and HeroQuest is still wondering why people put up with this crap instead of proper RPGs.

You know I love pnp and proper RPGs but (if we're talking about playing with other people, of course) they require time and schedule to work, while things like Descent, Mansion of Madness or GloomHaven only require 30 minutes to set up. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of crawlers though, there are better boardgames to play imho.

Because the combat is more tactically interesting in some dungeon crawlers

Dude, I respect you and your boardgaming know-how but this is blatantly false. Any battlemap-oriented pnp (like Pathfinder) has tactical combat that's leaps and bounds beyond your craziest boardgaming fantasy. Manouvers, spells, overland travel and the strategic aspects that come with it...
I played dozens of crawlers and they are a totally different beast. Also this:

and you are not at the mercy of a drunken gamemaster.

Is akin to playing with faulty pieces or an incomplete board. Ofc finding a good master is harder than putting together 4 blokes to play Betrayal at the House on the Hill but a decent master will blow the experience away and a good one will give you a time to remember.

Descent (and Imperial Assault) blow any tabletop RPG combat out of the water.

...this... really brought me close to retard your post. I hope you're sarcastically exagerating. In any case, here, compare this to descent:

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/combat

 

[MicoSelva]

I have the board game, and it is really good, but also complex enough that the digital version might be superior because of less micro-management (analyzing enemy moving patterns based on cards, etc.) and therefore better pace. However, the game will also lose a lot of its appeal, and difficulty, in single player, due to the somewhat competitive nature of the board game, where each player has their own goals (that are not necessarily beneficial for the party) and needs to fulfill them to advance their character.

The world itself is a rather non-generic fantasy (after you pass the initial scenarios filled with bandits and skeletons), somewhat similar in tone to Warhammer Fantasy. The picture below shows the general vibe pretty well.

 

[SausageInYourFace]

I always dreamt of playing Gloomhaven but I wasn't even gonna try to convince my normie friends to get into boardgaming.

I appreciate that it will now get a substitute video game conversion so it can loose all its board game charme and I will still play it on my own like the lonely nerdy loser that I am.

 

[Galdred]

Because the combat is more tactically interesting in some dungeon crawlers

Dude, I respect you and your boardgaming know-how but this is blatantly false. Any battlemap-oriented pnp (like Pathfinder) has tactical combat that's leaps and bounds beyond your craziest boardgaming fantasy. Manouvers, spells, overland travel and the strategic aspects that come with it...
I played dozens of crawlers and they are a totally different beast.

They are indeed, but almost all RPGs have the dungeon broken down into a set of micro encounters, while in crawlers, you fight over the whole dungeon.
Of course, the RPG rulesets are more complex, but complexity in itself does not lead to higher difficulty, but where crawler shine is that it is purely a competition:
The dungeon lord or whatever is really there to not pull any punch, and actively tries to kill you at every occasion.
The competitive element makes it more interesting to me, while the gamemaster is there to make sure everything goes well, what I like in crawlers is that the opponent can make no arbitrary decision.
This is a huge difference to me.

Descent (and Imperial Assault) blow any tabletop RPG combat out of the water.

...this... really brought me close to retard your post. I hope you're sarcastically exagerating. In any case, here, compare this to descent:

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/combat

You are right in that RPG are usually more complex. But I suppose I found crawlers more interesting because of the aspect I mentioned before: having more options does not make the combat better in itself for me. The fact that it is a life or death struggle, and that your opponent really has to follow the rules makes it a more challenging experience to me.

Both crawlers and RPG derive from proper wargames, but I find crawlers to be closer to their ancestors when it come the "experience".

 

[Matalarata]

but almost all RPGs have the dungeon broken down into a set of micro encounters, while in crawlers, you fight over the whole dungeon

Fake news. Pnp is as varied as your immagination is. Sounds travel, henchmen are added to the fight, the whole scene can simply go through different locations. The adventure my Pathfinder group is playing atm, for example, sees them chased by a boneless monstrosity, too big to fit inside the tunnels and walls but alien enough to just push itself through passages. The thing is a CR 11 encounter, they are a level 6 party, if it reaches them is TPK, more or less. They are constantly fighting lesser threats and environmental hazards in one continuous battlemap. The threat of death is very real, although I'm playin' an heavily customized horror setting, base Pathfinder is a joke.

The game of Call of Cthulhu I'm playing here on the Codex has seen at least one scene where exploration seamlessly turned into a combat scenario, and we kept exploring the battlemap in consecutive rounds. That is, the whole map wwas comprised of a single, very peculiar, encounter. I could go on but you get the gist of it. Also, a good master doesn't pull punches and he's there to kill you. It's all in being able to create balanced and well designed encounters. If you need to fudge your rolls more than twice or thrice in a whole campaign, you're failed as GM.

The fact that it is a life or death struggle, and that your opponent really has to follow the rules makes it a more challenging experience to me.

For me it is the opposite. Crawler characters are throwaways, while I'll take care of a PC I invested hundred of hours into. It all boils down to the quality of your GM, I concour on that point.

 

[mondblut]

It's been 25 years and HeroQuest is still wondering why people put up with this crap instead of proper RPGs.

Because the combat is more tactically interesting in some dungeon crawlers, and you are not at the mercy of a drunken gamemaster.
Descent (and Imperial Assault) blow any tabletop RPG combat out of the water.
Not sure about Gloomhaven. I am anti Eurotrash, but I liked Mage Knight however.

I am referring to computer games. I know normies would rather play a popamole Monopoly with orcs than a game that takes months to learn and years to resolve. But why do we need them on PC? Everything you state as a virtue of those HeroQuest knockoffs is already a feature of an AI-driven computer game in the first place. In the end it's just another popamole "roguelite" for fingeringphones with 3 stats. Why?

 

[Covenant]

Anyone played the boardgame?

Nope, although it's somehow the highest rated game currently at boardgamegeek.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/174430/gloomhaven

I've looked into it a bit, and seems like it combines Ameritrash dungeon crawling with Euro-style combat. Frankly, I hate almost anything Euro-style in a boardgame, so that immediately turned me off.

What's the difference between Euro-style and American-style combat?

 

[Matalarata]

What's the difference between Euro-style and American-style combat?

American (also sometimes called Ameritrash) games are all about fun! and atmosphere. They are, usually, much more asymmetric and there are big differences between characters/classes that create numerous "local" imbalances. That is, a specific character can be incredibly useful in one circumstance and a sitting duck in another. Variables are much more extreme, if there are artifacts or magic items to be found, they can be gamechanging or simply introduce new mechanics (teleport, resource production, elimination of threats) trivializing challenges that were unsurmountable just a couple turns before.
Usually, the design principle of American games gives them a better flavour. That is, if the game puts you in the shoes of a warrior, a drug dealer or a lovecraftian investigator you feel like playing that role.

Euro-style games have all their nuts and bolts exposed. They are (usually) much tighter, with well thought numeric variables, easily readable and with little or no injection of new mechanics once the game starts. They push for simmetry a lot more and usually end up feeling like puzzles more than everything else.
The design principle is all about having clear and stable mechanics, sacrificing variability and immersion. For example, this:

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/127398/legends-andor

Is an Euro crawler. As with all crawlers, you have enemies you need to confront with and loot to collect. Except, if you kill too many monsters, it's game over. Yep, coz they designed it tying combat and the passing of time on the strategic map in an abstract manner, each time you down an enemy, the forces of darkness (which are overwhelming) are coming closer and closer. You need to approach it more like a puzzle and consider the maximum amount of fighting you can do, how to optimize char development and the defense of strategic points on the map. Tight, precise, clean. Is it also fun? Err... yes and no.

I'm not totally against Euro Games, some of them are my favourite ever but I generally find American games much more fun.

 

[Covenant]

Huh. The brief Google I did implied something similar, but I thought it must be something else when it seemed to imply that American games were more RNG and Euro-games were more strategy. Your explanation fleshed that out and made it make sense though, so thanks.

 

[Galdred]

The fact that it is a life or death struggle, and that your opponent really has to follow the rules makes it a more challenging experience to me.

For me it is the opposite. Crawler characters are throwaways, while I'll take care of a PC I invested hundred of hours into. It all boils down to the quality of your GM, I concour on that point.

On that, I have to agree. It also depends on the group dynamic. But many crawlers, including Gloomhaven also have character progression. It is very different, and you don't have the same feeling of attachment obviously, but you still have interesting build decisions and a reason to try to give your best shot at it in these.
Descent : RTL 1st edition or Imperial Assault also had the Overlord get XP to improve monsters, and recruit better Lieutnants, so it was a strong incentive to be as mercyless as possible for the not-DM.

It's been 25 years and HeroQuest is still wondering why people put up with this crap instead of proper RPGs.

Because the combat is more tactically interesting in some dungeon crawlers, and you are not at the mercy of a drunken gamemaster.
Descent (and Imperial Assault) blow any tabletop RPG combat out of the water.
Not sure about Gloomhaven. I am anti Eurotrash, but I liked Mage Knight however.

I am referring to computer games. I know normies would rather play a popamole Monopoly with orcs than a game that takes months to learn and years to resolve. But why do we need them on PC? Everything you state as a virtue of those HeroQuest knockoffs is already a feature of an AI-driven computer game in the first place. In the end it's just another popamole "roguelite" for fingeringphones with 3 stats. Why?

Most Crawler ports have been underwhelming indeed. However, Gloomhaven is a very different beast. From what I have seen about the game, it is a deck/Resource management puzzle wrapped in a dungeon crawling fluff, so it cannot be compared to simulationnist RPG.
Maybe it is pushing it a bit too far, but it could be considered spiritually closer to something like Slay the Spire or Dreamquest.

 

[Galdred]

Huh. The brief Google I did implied something similar, but I thought it must be something else when it seemed to imply that American games were more RNG and Euro-games were more strategy. Your explanation fleshed that out and made it make sense though, so thanks.

Another key difference is that American games are usually more about direct conflict, and in your face confrontation, while Eurogames are usually more about "racing" and non confrontational competition. They usually have much less direct interaction.
the focus of AT games is usually on strategic positionning and randomness management, while Eurogames are usually more about optimization.

Also, eurogamers hate dice, but for some reason think that cards are OK.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[eggdogg]

I fail to see how this would be better than the board game in any way beyond convenience.

 

[Galdred]

I fail to see how this would be better than the board game in any way beyond convenience.

Setup and teardown time I suppose. That and finding friends to play with if you live in a remote area.

 

[LESS T_T]

Post from digital version's director at BGG thread: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2035940/asmodee-digital-gloomhaven-steam/

The main thing to bear in mind is that the game will play exactly like Gloomhaven. As has been reported already it will initially be released as a Rogue-like mode which is therefore different to the full humongous campaign of the boardgame, and therefore why it is being called an adaption rather than a direct translation.

Some elements of the game will be tweaked better for a digital release, for example, the AI will draw cards and follow rules exactly like it does in the boardgame, but now 'you' won't get to choose the exact route it takes in cases of ambiguity, the AI will do that itself.

The game is not being simplified, it's being streamlined and taking the running of the rules away from you, while allowing you the full complexity and depth of the tactical decisions, all wrapped up in a pretty 3D shell.

Also multiplayer is on the list but not confirmed yet.

 

[Serus]

What's the difference between Euro-style and American-style combat?

American (also sometimes called Ameritrash) games are all about fun! and atmosphere. They are, usually, much more asymmetric and there are big differences between characters/classes that create numerous "local" imbalances. That is, a specific character can be incredibly useful in one circumstance and a sitting duck in another. Variables are much more extreme, if there are artifacts or magic items to be found, they can be gamechanging or simply introduce new mechanics (teleport, resource production, elimination of threats) trivializing challenges that were unsurmountable just a couple turns before.
Usually, the design principle of American games gives them a better flavour. That is, if the game puts you in the shoes of a warrior, a drug dealer or a lovecraftian investigator you feel like playing that role.

Euro-style games have all their nuts and bolts exposed. They are (usually) much tighter, with well thought numeric variables, easily readable and with little or no injection of new mechanics once the game starts. They push for simmetry a lot more and usually end up feeling like puzzles more than everything else.
The design principle is all about having clear and stable mechanics, sacrificing variability and immersion. For example, this:

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/127398/legends-andor

Is an Euro crawler. As with all crawlers, you have enemies you need to confront with and loot to collect. Except, if you kill too many monsters, it's game over. Yep, coz they designed it tying combat and the passing of time on the strategic map in an abstract manner, each time you down an enemy, the forces of darkness (which are overwhelming) are coming closer and closer. You need to approach it more like a puzzle and consider the maximum amount of fighting you can do, how to optimize char development and the defense of strategic points on the map. Tight, precise, clean. Is it also fun? Err... yes and no.

I'm not totally against Euro Games, some of them are my favourite ever but I generally find American games much more fun.

Give this man a medal a bottle of vodka. Not just for this post but for all posts in this thread so far. This guy knows what he's talking about.

Also I believe "ameritrash" and "euro" terms in boardgaming have been "officially" replaced by... some others terms. And yes I still refer to those two main types as ameritrash and euro as well.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Galdred]

Also, eurogamers hate dice, but for some reason think that cards are OK.

cards are shuffled once. As such you are dealing with lack of information, rather than active randomness on every step. Dunno about this particular game but in some you can count cards like in black jack.

But that is my whole issue with cards. Counting cards is not a very interesting activity to me. I'd rather assess probabilities without having to keep track of everything that happened before, like with dice...

 

[Ranarama]

What's the difference between Euro-style and American-style combat?

Amercan means RNG-heavy, rolling dice, and playing with plastic miniatures.

Euro means almost-full-information, and puzzle combat, likely hinging on using resources correctly.