1. You like to play varied games – If you buy Gloomhaven, it will end up taking all of your time gaming. So you bought a new copy of Azul, or are awaiting some new arrivals from Kickstarter? Don’t bother, they aren’t going to get played any time soon. Gloomhaven is a real time hog, but that isn’t always a bad thing. You will find yourself drawn to the characters and their development, you will want to be taking up your time with this game, although this may mean that your shelf of shame just continues to grow….
2. Setup can be a real drag – from buying a Broken Token for $200+ here in Australia, to buying tackle boxes and stationary organisers, this game demands that you are organised. Ask online and you will find that people range in responses, from 10 minutes anywhere up to an hour of setup time. If you are putting the kids down to sleep, or you work and have weekend commitments then you are going to have to be even more organised. Organisers are pretty hard to come by here in Australia – so consider something like the Plano tackle box solution here
3. You live in a house where you like space – This thing is huge…It weighs almost 10kg without any inserts or additions and is twice the size of the vast majority of your board game collection. It will take up a space on it’s own on your shelves and you won’t be able to use your table when it is on there. Now, if you have a spare room, or a gaming cave that is a different story – set that bad boy up and play whenever you get a chance!
4. You have an unreliable games group – this is one that is going to get you. Whether it is that they want to play the new thing that they just bought, or that they aren’t into the game, it is going to set you back on your journey through Gloomhaven. Sure you can swing between playing solo or smaller groups and then back into the 4 players, but is that what you really want?
5. You like to feel rewarded when you play – You want some closure or resolution when you get to the end of a session? Well, for one you probably shouldn’t have picked a campaign based game….Gloomhaven isn’t going to give you the warm and fuzzies and have you feeling like you have achieved something at the end. Levelling up can take months if you are a casual gamer and you won’t get those rewards any time soon. But…if you like immersive game play that will have you group wanting to set up more gaming days, then Gloomhaven is your game.  

So those are our reasons that you shouldn’t buy Gloomhaven, now that the new printing has been released. But you really should…whether it is to sit on your shelf and wait until the kids leave home, or to play once a month when your work schedule allows. Because Gloomhaven isn’t a lifestyle game, you find yourself constantly needing to upgrade or buy more stuff for it, it is complete in the box and it will wait for you to be ready. There is very good reason that this game is the top of most reviewers and player’s lists because it is just that good, no matter the way that you decide to play it. 

Gloomhaven has reached Australian shores again and is available here at Mighty Ape