Gloomhaven has been sitting atop the board game charts for several years now, but the high price tag and massive scale of the game has definitely been a barrier to entry. That's why Cephalofair Games developed Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion - a casual version of Gloomhaven that can be played standalone or as an expansion to the original. Below you'll find everything you need to know about Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, and when you're ready you can grab it here on Amazon for $44.42, which is 11% off the list price and just a couple bucks shy of an all-time low.
Overview: Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is a cooperative game of tactical combat that's set before the events of the original game. It includes four new characters that are part of the "Jaws of the Lion" mercenary group — Valrath Red Guard (tank, crowd control), Inox Hatchet (ranged damage), Human Voidwarden (support, mind-control), and Quatryl Demolitionist (melee damage, obstacle manipulation). These characters can also be used in the original Gloomhaven.
The game also includes 16 monster types (7 new standard monsters and 3 new bosses) and a new campaign with 25 scenarios. The plot involves investigating a string of disappearances in the city, and it will be up to your little band to get to the bottom of it.
The Gloomhaven experience has been simplified in Jaws of the Lion with a more streamlined rule set, built-in tutorials, and play-surface scenario books (instead of endless cardboard map tiles). What's more, the game is roughly half the average price of Gloomhaven. That said, the original Gloomhaven game is also available on Amazon for $101.99. The Forgotten Circles expansion is available on Amazon for $20.62. The Gloomhaven sequel Frosthaven is currently live on Kickstarter.
While you're at it, you might want to check out the new Dungeons & Dragons board game Adventure Begins. Like Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, it offers a streamlined experience of a complex game.
The original Gloomhaven, which is currently the #1 rated game on the definitive BoardGameGeek chart, is a fantasy-style campaign game in which players take control of mercenaries residing in a dangerous setting. Players play through a branching storyline filled with different combat scenarios, with players using a hand of cards to progress through small dungeons filled with dangerous enemies. One unique part of Gloomhaven is its focus on hand management, as players slowly lose cards from their hand over each scenario. While some cards unleash powerful abilities, most come at the cost of permanently removing them from your hand for the rest of the scenario, which cuts short the number of turns a player can take.
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