Founders of Gloomhaven*

Founders of Gloomhaven is a complex and engaging city-building strategy game that immerses players in the early history of the Gloomhaven universe. Unlike its predecessor, Gloomhaven, which is a cooperative campaign-driven game focused on tactical combat, Founders of Gloomhaven emphasizes strategic planning, resource management, and negotiation, offering a completely different experience that stands on its own.

Gameplay Overview

• Competitive Tile-Placement and City Building: Players vie to construct the city of Gloomhaven, strategically placing tiles to build resource buildings and then using those resources to construct more significant buildings and score prestige points.
• Action Selection Mechanism: Utilizing action cards, players choose their actions each turn, balancing the need to expand their own infrastructure with the necessity of collaborating with others to access a wider array of resources.
• Race-Specific Abilities and Resources: Each player controls a unique fantastical race with specific abilities and limitations on the types of resources they can produce and import. This diversity encourages players to negotiate and collaborate to achieve their construction goals.
• Auction and Influence System: Periodic auctions allow players to influence which new buildings are introduced and where they are placed. Players spend influence points to strengthen their votes, adding a layer of strategy to the city's development.

Key Features

• Strategic Depth: Founders of Gloomhaven offers a rich strategic experience, requiring players to carefully plan their actions, manage resources efficiently, and negotiate with others to maximize their influence over the city's development.
• Player Interaction: The game's emphasis on collaboration and negotiation between players for resource sharing and building construction creates dynamic player interactions and ensures that no two games are alike.
• Replayability: With a variety of races, each with unique abilities and resource limitations, as well as a modular board and varying strategic opportunities, Founders of Gloomhaven boasts high replay value.
• Thematic Consistency: While mechanically distinct from Gloomhaven, the game maintains thematic consistency with the larger universe, offering fans a different perspective on the city's lore and history.

Conclusion

Founders of Gloomhaven is a testament to the rich and versatile world of Gloomhaven, offering a deep, competitive strategy game that focuses on city building and resource management. Whether you're a fan of the original Gloomhaven looking for a different kind of challenge, or a newcomer to the universe interested in strategic city-building games, Founders of Gloomhaven delivers a complex and rewarding experience that encourages strategic thinking, negotiation, and collaboration.