Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

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Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

Post by Skinypupy »

Frosthaven, the sequel to Gloomhaven, was announced by Cephalofair yesterday. More details to come at PAX Unplugged this weekend.
It's official: the Gloomhaven board game is getting a sequel. Frosthaven has finally been announced after three years of teasing, and although we'll get more info this Saturday at PAX Unplugged, we know for sure that it's a fully-fledged follow-up to one of the best board games of the last few years. Except hella chilly, as you may have guessed from the title. That's because it's set in the frozen north and has players contending with snow yetis, the elements, and eerie machines that walk the wastes with a will of their own. In the developer's own words, it's "Gloomhaven 2.0… [tells] another epic story on the scale of the original game, with the same complexity and grandeur". Sweet. If you're new to the board game, Gloomhaven and its follow-up are 'Legacy' RPGs where the consequences of each adventure carry over into the next one. This results in a story that's entirely unique to you.

Frosthaven broke cover in newsletter-form yesterday, and its contents were swiftly posted on Reddit by user CompassionFountain (we've tried to access the same newsletter, but no dice as of yet). As the game's designer explains, this Gloomhaven sequel will feature "16 new characters, over 25 new enemies, over 100 new items, somewhere around 100 new scenarios, and so much more". The action takes place far to the north of the original game's White Oak city, and it revolves around "a group of mercenaries at the end of their rope" who are trying to save a settlement from destruction. It'll hit Kickstarter in March 2020, and we'll be able to find out more via livestream this Saturday at 10am EST.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

Post by AWS260 »

I'm more intrigued by the previously announced Gloomhaven Jr. (not its actual name). I don't think that a proper Gloomhaven campaign is realistic for me, but I like the idea of a smaller game that lets me dip my toes, relatively speaking.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

Post by Ralph-Wiggum »

Wonder how much backing will cost for the Kickstarter. The original Gloomhaven originally cost $79 for the version with the character minis ($69 for cardboard instead), which is just a ridiculous value. The second run bumped it up to $99, which is still pretty amazing considering how much you get with the game. I'm sure he could charge $130 or more and still get tens of thousands of backers.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

Post by Lordnine »

I really hope they streamline and cutback on some components this time around. More is not always better. I love Gloomhaven but it is a table hog and takes forever and a day to set up. I even have a fancy insert to help with this and I still think it takes too long. I think the standalone expansion has the right idea by making the campaign book also the map. I wonder if we will see something similar for this.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

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I normally don't like apps, but having played Gloomhaven using apps that track AI and all the necessary chits for health and status, I wouldn't even consider playing it any other way now - it was literally a game changer for me.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

Post by Ralph-Wiggum »

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 12:42 pm I normally don't like apps, but having played Gloomhaven using apps that track AI and all the necessary chits for health and status, I wouldn't even consider playing it any other way now - it was literally a game changer for me.
+1000. It makes everything so much easier. Only having to set up the map and the monsters/items on the map makes set-up only take 15/20 minutes when the whole group does it. It would be even faster if we ever bothered to figure out an intuitive organizational system for all the monsters.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

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Smoove_B wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 12:42 pm I normally don't like apps, but having played Gloomhaven using apps that track AI and all the necessary chits for health and status, I wouldn't even consider playing it any other way now - it was literally a game changer for me.
Same
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

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Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:16 pm
Smoove_B wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 12:42 pm I normally don't like apps, but having played Gloomhaven using apps that track AI and all the necessary chits for health and status, I wouldn't even consider playing it any other way now - it was literally a game changer for me.
+1000. It makes everything so much easier. Only having to set up the map and the monsters/items on the map makes set-up only take 15/20 minutes when the whole group does it. It would be even faster if we ever bothered to figure out an intuitive organizational system for all the monsters.
I will say, forking over the money for the Broken Token organizer made all the difference for us. Boxes for each monster, places for every type of token, a tile container with the order of the tiles etched in it...

I have the apps, but oddly I mostly use them to keep track where we stand in the campaign.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

Post by Smoove_B »

I have the organizer and I just gave my copy of the game to someone and told them to keep it. I'll play the game whenever, but I'll never wrestle with 37lbs of those components ever again to set it all up.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

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Smoove_B wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:22 pm I have the organizer and I just gave my copy of the game to someone and told them to keep it. I'll play the game whenever, but I'll never wrestle with 37lbs of those components ever again to set it all up.
Yeah, I don't know why I get satisfaction out of the actual cards and components. But there we are.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

Post by Smoove_B »

I normally do as well. This game I think is my one exception. My enjoyment of the game went up 1000% when I played with a buddy using the apps instead.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

Post by Lordnine »

Well, I saw a picture of the box on Twitter. If that is the final then Frosthaven is just as big as the original, which means I'm probably not getting my streamlined experience. :(
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

Post by hepcat »

If by "streamlined" you mean less content, then we have very different definitions of that word. I want more monsters, more characters, more items. Streamlined usually refers to making a game less fiddly in terms of mechanics in the context of gaming.

Now, if you just want a smaller footprint, I can understand that. But I honestly never had that much trouble fitting it on the table after I discovered Gloomy Companion.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

Post by Malificent »

Lordnine wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 4:53 pm Well, I saw a picture of the box on Twitter. If that is the final then Frosthaven is just as big as the original, which means I'm probably not getting my streamlined experience. :(
There is the separate streamlined casual Gloomhaven game coming out - Jaws of the Lion.

http://www.cephalofair.com/2019/11/offi ... -lion.html

That might work better for people who want the same mechanics but with less components...
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

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hepcat wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 7:02 pm If by "streamlined" you mean less content, then we have very different definitions of that word. I want more monsters, more characters, more items. Streamlined usually refers to making a game less fiddly in terms of mechanics in the context of gaming.

Now, if you just want a smaller footprint, I can understand that. But I honestly never had that much trouble fitting it on the table after I discovered Gloomy Companion.
I would say the huge number of tokens and the way the boards are laid out in Gloomhaven are incredibly fiddly. The boards don’t really matter since it is the story triggers that make them unique. You could do the same thing with half the tiles and it would play the same. It makes setup a huge chore. The footprint is also a major thing. Like we are playing with three people and my whole 3x5 table is covered. I don’t think we could fit a 4th if we wanted to.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

Post by YellowKing »

Watched a bit of the PAX stream this morning. Highlights of the 30 minutes or so I watched:

- 16 new classes, 6 new starting classes, 3 new races

- Completely standalone but classes from GH can play in FH and vice versa

- New items - Isaac talked about how GH items won't all be available in FH due to its remote location in the world, but there will be some kind of "import" mechanism that allows you to obtain GH items in FH

- Crafting (!!!) - In FH resources are more valuable than gold, so you will be somehow gaining resources that can be used to craft items or buildings. Maybe a bit of a "restore the town" mechanism going on.

The new starting classes looked really cool. I was particularly intrigued by the time-shifting Quatryl which can choose to go either fast or slow on his turn, using time tokens to use Flash-like speed powers. There was also a new Harrower which can shape-shift between two distinct forms.

Our group is in a bit of a dilemma right now because based on the timelines of all this stuff coming out, we could conceivably be playing Gloomhaven for another year. Considering we've already played Gloomhaven exclusively for a year thus far, we have to decide whether we're ever going to play any other board games. :D
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

Post by Ralph-Wiggum »

Someone on reddit posted pictures of some of the starting classes and their level 1 cards. All the classes looked pretty interesting and a good number of them has unique mechanisms. It seems like it might be a bit more overwhelming for people that have never played the original Gloomhaven, but should make the gameplay more interesting for veterans.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

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A buddy of mine took notes during the live stream and emailed them to me. Copying and pasting them here because there's a lot of good summarized info.

Frosthaven notables:

- Kickstarter in March 2020.
- Release will be early 2021.
- 16 new character classes.
- Around 25 monsters (many new, rest from GH).
- Around 100 scenarios.
- Nothing said about solo scenarios for new classes.
- Many new items. Some you buy, some you build. More on that later.
- Pics of the minis show they will be MUCH more detailed. Isaac said they listened to feedback on that one.

Compatibility with Gloomhaven:

- You will be able to play GH characters in FH and vice versa.
- The story in FH is set after GH, but there isn't much cross-over in the story line, so it doesn't matter much.
- Combat mechanic stays the same.
- No change to co-op vs pvp style, i.e. still can't trade between characters.
- Card enhancements stay the same and unlock later in the campaign, you can't do this right away.
- There is still gold in the game, but there are also resources. More on that later.
- You can buy GH items from an importer in town, but that's unlocked later. GH items are limited and cost more.
- There will be all new battle goals. Nothing was said about using GH battle goals in FH.

Frosthaven general information:

- The story is that you are group of mercenaries going to Frosthaven to rebuild and protect the town. It was mostly destroyed by a huge battle.
- The first scenarios will be mostly around town, gathering resources and rebuilding the wall, structures, etc. The season will be summer.
- In the summer, things aren't bad. It's the time to gather resources and build. You will be able to loot resources like wood, brick, etc. both in scenarios and outside of them (I assume road events).
- Resources can be used to build the town, and also build items (maybe use wood and steel to make an ax).
- A calendar is introduced. Each scenario (or set if they're linked) will advance the calendar one tick. 15 ticks and it becomes winter.
- Road/city events, some player cards, scenario effects, many things will have two possibilities, depending on whether it's winter or summer when being played.
- The campaign will span multiple years, since each 15 ticks the seasons cycle between summer and winter. Again, bad things happen in winter.
- Use summer to build up the walls. When event cards are drawn and it's winter, enemies will attack the town. The damage done will depend on how high you built the walls, and other upgrades you've done to the town during the summer. Isaac said town building is a big thing he wanted to add to Frosthaven that was missing in Gloomhaven.
- Players will chip in their resources to a shared fund to build the town.
- Looted items will not be gold, they will be tokens. Part of each scenario will be building a "loot deck". At the end of the scenario, you use tokens to purchase items (cards) from the loot deck. Nothing was said about being able to save up tokens between scenarios, but Isaac said there would still be gold in the game too, while responding to a question about buying card enhancements.
- All the life goal quests will no longer be available at the beginning. There will be a smaller number to choose from, with more quests unlocking later in the campaign. This is to help with quests that don't match up with where the campaign is, like needing to go to three crypts and they've all been played.
- There will be a side story book found in the campaign. It will have it's own set of challenges, puzzles, etc. It will be there throughout the campaign as something else to work on as you go. Kind of like the Town Records, but more detailed, more puzzles, etc.
- There will be more powerful summons that will be on non-loss cards. That way if a summon immediately dies, it doesn't matter as much since the card was just discarded and can come around again or be recovered. That means you could have two summons of the same type on the board at the same time, unless they create a rule against that. Isaac didn't address this.

Frosthaven Alchemist:
- There will be an Alchemist in town, unlocked during the campaign.
- Herbs will be a type of resource you can loot.
- You can take herbs to the Alchemist and have him use them to make a potion.
- You choose the ingredients. Good luck. The resulting potion may be good or bad.
- It's now a custom item that can be used or kept. May become an item in the store.
- No way of knowing the effect until you drink it.
- They don't know yet the specifics of how you will look up the ingredient combo for the effect, maybe a table.

Frosthaven Character Class information:

- A Shaman class that creates something new. Shadows on the board that she can manipulate. The shadows are NOT like summons, they work completely different. Isaac wouldn't give details on how these shadows will work, or what they will do. I imagine they can do damage to enemies, probably conditions too. Maybe impact allies. A lot left unsaid about this. He did say this is the favorite class of one his testers from either game.
- A Harrower class that has two forms. The class switches back and forth between two forms. It has two separate decks of 7 cards each. When in one form you play from one deck, when in the other form you play from the other deck. Neither deck can become exhausted. There will be actions that force a change to the other form. When short or long resting, you choose which form to rest and that deck is the one refreshed. That means the discards for each deck is kept separate also. One form is melee focused while the other form is range focused. Isaac said this is the most complicated of any class in either game to play.
- A Quatryl character that can manipulate time. The class will have tokens that represent a fast mode resource. To go fast he has to spend speed tokens, but there are only so many. Every card in this class has two modes, a normal mode and a fast mode. Four sections on the card. When you play a card, the normal or fast version is used depending on the mode the character is in.
- A Lurker class. Not much said about playing as a Lurker, other than it cannot speak and communicates telepathically with the other players. Isaac said this doesn't really change the game play, but is the explanation of how a crab-like creature would communicate.
- A character that focuses on summons. See stronger summons above. This class loses health to summon the more powerful ones, so I expect there to be some really strong summons for this one.

Frosthaven new conditions:
- Brittle. This is a condition some ice monsters can place on you. With Brittle, the next damage you take will be double. Isaac didn't say whether brittle will then go away or if it has to be removed.
- Bane. This condition replaces auto-kill, and may retroactively replace it in GH as well. Both a character and a monster can be inflicted with bane. Bane does nothing on the turn it is added. On the next turn, it does 10 hp damage at the beginning of the turn and every turn after that. Isaac said that most players felt that auto-kill was overpowered and not thematic. This way it should still result in quick kills of monsters, though strong monsters may take a few turns. As for bane on characters, we may want to get a Minor Cure Potion if one's available.

Questions and answers at the end that I found funny:

Question: Is it too cold in Frosthaven for Oozes?
Isaac: No.

Question: Will the new characters get more health?
Isaac: No.

Question: Will the new characters have larger card decks?
Isaac: No.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

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New character gallery if anyone is interested.
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Re: Frosthaven (Gloomhaven sequel)

Post by EzeKieL »

Malificent wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:19 pm
Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:16 pm
Smoove_B wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 12:42 pm I normally don't like apps, but having played Gloomhaven using apps that track AI and all the necessary chits for health and status, I wouldn't even consider playing it any other way now - it was literally a game changer for me.
+1000. It makes everything so much easier. Only having to set up the map and the monsters/items on the map makes set-up only take 15/20 minutes when the whole group does it. It would be even faster if we ever bothered to figure out an intuitive organizational system for all the monsters.
I will say, forking over the money for the Broken Token organizer made all the difference for us. Boxes for each monster, places for every type of token, a tile container with the order of the tiles etched in it...

I have the apps, but oddly I mostly use them to keep track where we stand in the campaign.
Ditto
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