Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion (2020)

box art for Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

players 1–4 players (best at 2)

playing time 30–120 min

ages 14+

weight 3.64 / 5

BGG rank 12

BGG rating 8.35

designers Isaac Childres

artists Francesca Baerald David Demaret Alexandr Elichev

publishers Cephalofair Games Albi Albi Polska Arclight Games CoolPlay Feuerland Spiele

categories Adventure Exploration Fantasy Fighting Miniatures

mechanics Action Queue Action Retrieval Campaign / Battle Card Driven Communication Limits Cooperative Game Critical Hits and Failures Deck Construction Grid Movement Hand Management Hexagon Grid Legacy Game Line of Sight Multi-Use Cards Once-Per-Game Abilities Player Elimination Role Playing Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game Simultaneous Action Selection Solo / Solitaire Game Variable Player Powers

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is a standalone game that takes place before the events of Gloomhaven. The game includes four new characters — Valrath Red Guard (tank, crowd control), Inox Hatchet (ranged damage), Human Voidwarden (support, mind control), and Quatryl Demolitionist (melee damage, obstacle manipulation) — that can also be used in the original Gloomhaven game. The game also includes 16 monster types (including seven new standard monsters and three new bosses) and a new campaign with 25 scenarios that invites the heroes to investigate a case of mysterious disappearances within the city. Is it the work of Vermlings, or is something far more sinister going on? Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is aimed at a more casual audience to get people into the gameplay more quickly. All of the hard-to-organize cardboard map tiles have been removed, and instead players will play on the scenario book itself, which features new artwork unique to each scenario. The last barrier to entry — i.e., learning the game — has also been lowered through a simplified rule set and a five-scenario tutorial that will ease new players into the experience.