I've been doing a lot of 3D modeling & printing, at the expense of pondering games publicly. In May 2017, also started playing pickup games of Gloomhaven as the extra player "player 4" a rotating seat in a regular campaign. Mostly as the Mindthief class.
Discussion came up with a regular game group I was in, and we started playing THAT campaign in June as a Tinkerer. Once second edition copies were showing up, joined group #3 as a Scoundrel, and started a home game (campaign #4) as a Cragheart.
Gloomhaven is a solid 10 for me. The round-to-round mechanics are interesting, monsters have variety without excessive rules, the story is good, and the classes are all very different. It's possible I'll come back to those points, but today's focus is on the experience.
The Start
Starting at level 1 with 30 gold pieces worth of basic gear, the first several scenarios are challenging. You have a brief idea of what your character can do, and realize mid-way through that you could have done better. (A feedback loop, where you want to do better.) And there are items in the store, if you could just afford them.
After several adventures, you level up - giving you access to a new card to mix in. New cards, different scenario challenges...the strategic value of each card can change. By level 5 or 6, you might retire your character to play a new class, revisiting the whole system again with different eyes.
The Player Response
As a player, you want to play again if you felt you were getting close to a better item/level/new class. If you reach any of those plateaus, you want to keep playing to see if that plateau was as good as you hoped.
I played two scenarios last night - the first one, we completed. My Brute got a couple of perk checkmarks, a touch of money, light experience points. The second adventure found me with a third checkmark, a level, and a custom item from the side scenario. New card for leveling (and the anticipation of "what does next level give?), new perks, and the new item (first look, it was weak...second look, amazing). I would have played a third scenario, just to see how everything tied in. Maybe a fourth, to explore those new abilities in different environments.
The Design
Ideally, your game design has replay value. Getting players to return again and again, requires constant feedback loops. The parts that Gloomhaven really dials in:
- Anticipation
- Release (achieving a goal)
- Irregular challenges/rewards
If there's too long of a gap between anticipation and release, there's a disconnect in the loops - even if the reward is good. If it is a short gap, the release fizzles the excitement. Finally, if the challenges are all the same and/or the rewards are static, players feel the grind.
The designer, Isaac Childres, should be pleased with the delivered experience.
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