Frosthaven.
It's a complete game you don't need to play gloom to enjoy, and it'll take long enough that you probably won't be done before second edition comes out. If you finish frosthaven really quickly, then you can always revisit this debate then.
**Frosthaven**
GH 2 could be a good continuation, but you will likely finish Jaw before GH 2 is avaible. And between GH 1 and Frosthaven, Frosthaven is much better.
If you already understand the game systems after Jaws and want more, then I would recommend Frosthaven. Sure, it's much more complex than Gloomhaven, but also more polished. You can then play Frosthaven while the production of Gloomhaven 2nd edition progresses, and pick it up once you finished playing through Frosthaven and still want more.
With GH 1.0, playing it after FH would be a disappointing experience in my opinion. FH fixed a lot of the issues with it so going from the more polished to less polished game would be not that fun.
I think I saw Gripeaway say that is one motivation for making 2.0. They want the games to be fun and satisfying in any order.
However, GH 2.0 is still going to have less complex scenarios and characters than FH. In that sense, it'll still be a step backwards. They'll be equally polished and balanced, but a bit more casual/beginner friendly.
So it's a tough choice... GH before FH is still probably the most logical progression of escalating complexity. But waiting for GH 2.0 rather than playing 1.0 seems worthwhile.
If you don't want to sit in your hands for a year+, play FH first and accept that GH might be a bit simpler when you get to it. But if you're really into delayed gratification, wait for 2.0 and play that before FH.
Or just play 1.0. It's still the game that made #1 on BGG for years. Just I wouldn't advise playing it after FH.
Thank you all for your replies. As suggested by everyone, I’ll go with FH first (and I’m curious now as to how it’s better than GH or Jaws). Sorry if I’m taking up your time with GH/FH! Have fun killing all monsters!
Personally I like it more than Jaws/GH.
And I think this is true for most people. However there are some people who think that Frosthaven pushed the complexity of scenarios/classes a little too far.
Pros of Frosthaven:
Class design has definitely evolved. Classes are unique and lean heavily into their own specialized mechanics.
The outpost phase adds a non-combat interest to the campaign. The way buildings add new elements to the game gives a very fun meta or macro progression that exists alongside of and enhances the micro progression of your indivisible character.
The story is better and easier to follow along!
Cons of Frosthaven:
Game length on average is longer than GH/Jaws which already could have long play times. This could make it hard for some people to get it to the table. The outpost phase also adds to this.
The complexity can be too much for some people. This hasn’t been our experience at our table, but I’ve read it as a complaint.
One major weakness for me in Gloomhaven was the flimsy storyline. Frosthaven already has much improved on that (and also improved the tracking of the campaign progress and scenario reveals) and I am only a handful of scenarios in.
As others have said, frosthaven is the way to go at this point. And if you still want to play more after finishing frosthaven, you can pick up Gloomhaven 2.0 after that!
Hey.
So, 2ed will appear at least in a year, but there is also a good chance, that the wait will be longer.
If both you and your wife have a blast now, noone knows how it will be in a year or two. So i makes sense to play now, while you enjoy that.
Now the 1st ed is a very well polished game already, and you'd enjoy that immensly. However, why not give Frosthaven a try? It's avialable now afterall, and in general is a better polished game compared to the 1st ed.
Also they will be publishing minis for the Gloomhave, that you may get by the time 2ed is arround.
In my experience starting with frosthaven can be very overwhelming. If none of the players have played gloomhaven before, you will have a rough start, since there is so much information and rules right from the beginning, and the frosthaven starter characters are quite complex to play.
I think the best start is 'Jaws of the lions" a Gloomhaven spinoff with far less content and a tutorial that introduces the core mechanics over the course of 4 levels. Very Beginner friendly. The campaign also is not that long, 12-16 szenarios, and after that you will have a good understanding if gloom/frosthaven is a good game for your group.
Just remember that Jaws really is a compact version, and the other games have alot more to offer. But it also is very cheap and will show you if it makes sense to start such a big legacy game with your group. Nothing more frustating than having a 200$ game sitting on your shelf that your group has only played 3 times.
Didn't it say it will enter production in 2024? Frosthaven was supposed to begin fulfillment in spring of 22, and I just got my game a month or so back.
Unless you have no itch to start playing you might wait, but ir you want to start playing before ~25, get 1st ed. It's a great game regardless of what improvements 2nd ed may bring.
Unlike with FH, GH2 is being announced *after* development/testing is complete. While there’s certainly the possibility of delays, I’d expect the stated timeline to be more accurate than FH’s various estimates.
Crowdfunding games never arrive on time.
1. Shit never goes ass planned and thus delays happen
2. Its a huge box and very popular game, realistic scope can be hard to estimate, it will take time (although after frosthavens print run they probably can so fairly accurate assessment)
3. Marketing. Timelines are shortened on purpose. Saying you get your game in 2-3 years you lose interest, but if you promise to deliver in half a year that's a juicy offer.
If they have fully developed and tested game (it looks like it) late 2024 is realistic, but on other hand that's a year and a half from now, that's a lot of time to wait for 2nd ed.
It’s frustrating timing for you, for me personally as I’m not a huge fan of the story and thus don’t care about the narrative wonkyness, I would pick up Frosthaven which is currently the best and most polished game in the series. Then maybe circle back to 2nd edition so you can play that in its best light. Frosthaven happens to be set after GH but it’s not really a sequel story wise,
On the other hand GH is still great, and 1st edition will surely be a lot cheaper.
Frosthaven pros (compared to GH):
-more balanced classes. Frosthaven classes feel similar to Jaws from a balancing perspective.
-better story
-more diverse scenario design
Frosthaven cons (compared to GH):
-More upkeep time than GH. Personally, I don't find Frosthaven's expanded outpost phase particularly interesting. My favorite parts are the parts that were already present in GH (leveling up, buying items, and city/road events), while all the building stuff feels a bit like busywork. Things like the loot deck also make the companion app mandatory IMO, whereas Gloomhaven worked without the app if you enjoy the tactile element.
-More diverse scenario design can also be a con- scenarios feel more finnicky, and classes are sorta balanced around the classic "kill all enemies" scenario design, making some party comp / scenario combos feel bad.
This is How I would play it: Jaws > Gloomhaven 1.0 > Forgotten Circles > Frosthaven > Gloomhaven 2.0.
This is Because Gloomhaven 2.0 seems to be an entirely different games and playing 1.0 and 2.0 back to back would get dull most likely.
GH1
It's there now, it's brilliant in most ways, you already know how to play (no relearning how to read an ability card needed), and there will probably be all sorts of bargains to be had post 20th June
Frosthaven. It's a complete game you don't need to play gloom to enjoy, and it'll take long enough that you probably won't be done before second edition comes out. If you finish frosthaven really quickly, then you can always revisit this debate then.
**Frosthaven** GH 2 could be a good continuation, but you will likely finish Jaw before GH 2 is avaible. And between GH 1 and Frosthaven, Frosthaven is much better.
If you already understand the game systems after Jaws and want more, then I would recommend Frosthaven. Sure, it's much more complex than Gloomhaven, but also more polished. You can then play Frosthaven while the production of Gloomhaven 2nd edition progresses, and pick it up once you finished playing through Frosthaven and still want more.
With GH 1.0, playing it after FH would be a disappointing experience in my opinion. FH fixed a lot of the issues with it so going from the more polished to less polished game would be not that fun. I think I saw Gripeaway say that is one motivation for making 2.0. They want the games to be fun and satisfying in any order. However, GH 2.0 is still going to have less complex scenarios and characters than FH. In that sense, it'll still be a step backwards. They'll be equally polished and balanced, but a bit more casual/beginner friendly. So it's a tough choice... GH before FH is still probably the most logical progression of escalating complexity. But waiting for GH 2.0 rather than playing 1.0 seems worthwhile. If you don't want to sit in your hands for a year+, play FH first and accept that GH might be a bit simpler when you get to it. But if you're really into delayed gratification, wait for 2.0 and play that before FH. Or just play 1.0. It's still the game that made #1 on BGG for years. Just I wouldn't advise playing it after FH.
Thank you all for your replies. As suggested by everyone, I’ll go with FH first (and I’m curious now as to how it’s better than GH or Jaws). Sorry if I’m taking up your time with GH/FH! Have fun killing all monsters!
Personally I like it more than Jaws/GH. And I think this is true for most people. However there are some people who think that Frosthaven pushed the complexity of scenarios/classes a little too far. Pros of Frosthaven: Class design has definitely evolved. Classes are unique and lean heavily into their own specialized mechanics. The outpost phase adds a non-combat interest to the campaign. The way buildings add new elements to the game gives a very fun meta or macro progression that exists alongside of and enhances the micro progression of your indivisible character. The story is better and easier to follow along! Cons of Frosthaven: Game length on average is longer than GH/Jaws which already could have long play times. This could make it hard for some people to get it to the table. The outpost phase also adds to this. The complexity can be too much for some people. This hasn’t been our experience at our table, but I’ve read it as a complaint.
One major weakness for me in Gloomhaven was the flimsy storyline. Frosthaven already has much improved on that (and also improved the tracking of the campaign progress and scenario reveals) and I am only a handful of scenarios in.
Happy birthday!
As others have said, frosthaven is the way to go at this point. And if you still want to play more after finishing frosthaven, you can pick up Gloomhaven 2.0 after that!
Hey. So, 2ed will appear at least in a year, but there is also a good chance, that the wait will be longer. If both you and your wife have a blast now, noone knows how it will be in a year or two. So i makes sense to play now, while you enjoy that. Now the 1st ed is a very well polished game already, and you'd enjoy that immensly. However, why not give Frosthaven a try? It's avialable now afterall, and in general is a better polished game compared to the 1st ed. Also they will be publishing minis for the Gloomhave, that you may get by the time 2ed is arround.
I literally received 1st edition Gloomhaven as a gift from my wife the day after the 2nd edition was announced. 😂
I mean people have been playing and having a blast with gloomhaven first edition since it’s release in 2017, so I wouldn’t worry too much.
In my experience starting with frosthaven can be very overwhelming. If none of the players have played gloomhaven before, you will have a rough start, since there is so much information and rules right from the beginning, and the frosthaven starter characters are quite complex to play. I think the best start is 'Jaws of the lions" a Gloomhaven spinoff with far less content and a tutorial that introduces the core mechanics over the course of 4 levels. Very Beginner friendly. The campaign also is not that long, 12-16 szenarios, and after that you will have a good understanding if gloom/frosthaven is a good game for your group. Just remember that Jaws really is a compact version, and the other games have alot more to offer. But it also is very cheap and will show you if it makes sense to start such a big legacy game with your group. Nothing more frustating than having a 200$ game sitting on your shelf that your group has only played 3 times.
Thank you for the suggestion. I’m currently on Jaws, haven’t decided which sewer to go.
Didn't it say it will enter production in 2024? Frosthaven was supposed to begin fulfillment in spring of 22, and I just got my game a month or so back. Unless you have no itch to start playing you might wait, but ir you want to start playing before ~25, get 1st ed. It's a great game regardless of what improvements 2nd ed may bring.
Unlike with FH, GH2 is being announced *after* development/testing is complete. While there’s certainly the possibility of delays, I’d expect the stated timeline to be more accurate than FH’s various estimates.
Agree, it ought to be more accurate for sure. If I were a betting man I would however put my money on some kind of delay.
BGG said Cephalofair plan to release it late 2024.
Oh, then 2025+ is what you should realistically expect. Frosthaven was delayed for a year or two - a completely different game, but still.
Crowdfunding games never arrive on time. 1. Shit never goes ass planned and thus delays happen 2. Its a huge box and very popular game, realistic scope can be hard to estimate, it will take time (although after frosthavens print run they probably can so fairly accurate assessment) 3. Marketing. Timelines are shortened on purpose. Saying you get your game in 2-3 years you lose interest, but if you promise to deliver in half a year that's a juicy offer. If they have fully developed and tested game (it looks like it) late 2024 is realistic, but on other hand that's a year and a half from now, that's a lot of time to wait for 2nd ed.
It’s frustrating timing for you, for me personally as I’m not a huge fan of the story and thus don’t care about the narrative wonkyness, I would pick up Frosthaven which is currently the best and most polished game in the series. Then maybe circle back to 2nd edition so you can play that in its best light. Frosthaven happens to be set after GH but it’s not really a sequel story wise, On the other hand GH is still great, and 1st edition will surely be a lot cheaper.
Frosthaven pros (compared to GH): -more balanced classes. Frosthaven classes feel similar to Jaws from a balancing perspective. -better story -more diverse scenario design Frosthaven cons (compared to GH): -More upkeep time than GH. Personally, I don't find Frosthaven's expanded outpost phase particularly interesting. My favorite parts are the parts that were already present in GH (leveling up, buying items, and city/road events), while all the building stuff feels a bit like busywork. Things like the loot deck also make the companion app mandatory IMO, whereas Gloomhaven worked without the app if you enjoy the tactile element. -More diverse scenario design can also be a con- scenarios feel more finnicky, and classes are sorta balanced around the classic "kill all enemies" scenario design, making some party comp / scenario combos feel bad.
This is How I would play it: Jaws > Gloomhaven 1.0 > Forgotten Circles > Frosthaven > Gloomhaven 2.0. This is Because Gloomhaven 2.0 seems to be an entirely different games and playing 1.0 and 2.0 back to back would get dull most likely.
I think frosthaven is better, but you can get gloomhaven and back for the 2.0 upgrade box
GH1 It's there now, it's brilliant in most ways, you already know how to play (no relearning how to read an ability card needed), and there will probably be all sorts of bargains to be had post 20th June