Gloomhaven casts players as a band of mercenaries working through a medieval dark-fantasy world of dangerous dungeons, forests, and caves. Its branching campaign frames each expedition as a choice between profit and principle, with 95 story missions built around competing interests in the city and the search for ancient relics. The premise gives the adventure a distinctly mercenary edge: contracts may come from city officials or corrupt cultists, and survival is never guaranteed.
Combat turns that risk into careful resource management. Before setting out, players prepare ability-card decks for a party drawn from 17 distinct characters. In battle, each mercenary selects two cards per turn, using the top half of one and the bottom half of the other. Cards also represent a finite resource, so powerful moves must be weighed against the danger of exhaustion. Positioning on hex-grid terrain, character upgrades, perks, levels, and equipment add further layers to planning each encounter.
The game can be played alone or in online co-op for up to four players, with parties of two to four mercenaries. Beyond the branching campaign, Guildmaster offers another adventure with digital-exclusive missions, storylines, quests, maps, and NPCs, giving the game a second structured route through its dark setting.
