Frosthaven Digital came out yesterday, and I bought it unseen. Well, unseen other than having played Gloomhaven Digital. Which might still turn out to be a mistake, because both the publisher and the developer are different on Frosthaven Digital than they are on Gloomhaven Digital, although the game company for the two board games is the same.

Gloomhaven as a board game is too much for me. Too many components, too many scenarios, too much time to set up and store, too much of everything. Which is why I didn't back or buy Frosthaven, which is basically more Gloomhaven, with a bit of city builder added. To me it was very clear that I would have huge problems getting Frosthaven on the table and play through the campaign, because it would just be too much work. My experience from the Gloomhaven Digital game is that it keeps most of the good things of the board game, takes away a lot of the hassle, and makes the whole experience so much better. Thus my hope that Frosthaven Digital will end up doing the same.

Having said that, Frosthaven Digital is only in early access, and currently has a mixed rating on Steam. If you never played Gloomhaven as a board game or digital game, this is probably not a game for you. It has all the negative traits of an early access game, bugs, warts, and all. And the whole game series is actually rather difficult, having both complex rules and complicated gameplay. Even if the early access version had been better, this would never have been likely to be new player friendly. Gloomhaven - Jaws of the Lion is probably a better starting point, both as a board game and digital.

Labels: Board Games

- posted by Tobold @ 11:45 AM Permanent Link