Classes and fatigue

[Costa]

Hi, i never played the board game but i am beginning to understand the game but i am finding it weird that every character has a different amount of ability cards. In my experience it is way easier to die by fatigue (going to slow) than by enemies. So the number of ability cards a character can have is really important.

So i wanted to compare the classes and calculate the maximum number of turns every character can have (when not buring cards, always long resting and in case of the spellweaver getting as much cards back as possible).

Here are the turns the characters die:
Crag: after turn 38
Brute: after turn 33
Scounrdel: after turn 28
Spellweaver: after turn 36

How can this be balanced? Are the cards the scoundrel has on average so much better than the other classes?

Disclaimer: I have only seen all the cards the Brute and Cragheart have and only studied the opening cards for the scoundrel and the spellweaver. So if there are some special cards they can get when levelling then i did not consider those.

[Wyrtt]

Stamina calculator is a thing for ages so there was no need to calculate anything.
Characters do no play the same. Characters with higher card count are allowed to use more LOST cards or take more dmg overall. Those classes are slower so it takes them more moves to cover the map as well.
There are items like stamina potions or buffs that allow to recover some DISCARDED cards and a card from spellweaver to recover LOST cards.
Scoundrel perks allows to have thinnest mod deck of 15-16 cards with no negative mods apart from null. With blessing and googles that deck deals the most consistent positive dmg. Scoundrel cards benefit from positioning and statuses like invisible. She can oneshot bosses if you use her right. But she burns trough her deck and might as well die before scenario ends easily.

Wait till you see beserker. Her whole deck are LOST cards that rely on her having 1-2 hp points left to trigger massive dmg. Playing her well is a true challenge,

[nohero79]

Having played 12 of the 17 classes through to retirement on the board game (and watched my teammates thoroughly play the other 5, I have a good grasp on the mechanics of each class.

There is a distinct style or in some cases a few styles that a class can play. The idea is that not every player wants to play a certain way and the diverse play-styles makes the game fun for more people. I've had friends quickly aim for retirement on classes they didn't like that I played longer because I enjoyed them.

Are they all balanced? No. Are they all capable of being well played and effective? Absolutely.

I'll stick to the 4 classes you know (and the 2 coming "soon").

Scoundrel: Yes, limited rounds in a game. However, with many move 5+ cards, she covers ground faster or as fast as any class in the game. She also has among the highest if not the absolute highest single target damage capabilities in the game. The idea here is that she wastes fewer turns moving through the rooms and fewer turns downing high-health enemies (on *2 attacks with the right set up, I've hit 40+ damage in a single turn with her), thus making up for the limited total turns she can have. Widely considered one of the absolute most powerful classes in the game among all 17... so that says a lot despite her lack of total turns.

Cragheart: Super versatile. Can be a healer, tank, ranged damage dealer or utility specialist. Lots of turns if you use non-burn abilities but there are very few of his moves that provide experience unless you're willing to burn a card. So you can stay in fights a long time, do really anything the moment needs but never have a really high impact on the scenario unless you're willing to burn cards to do so, thus levelling the playing field.

Spellweaver: Ranged damage dealer, good AOE, can support heal when needed. She can be played for the long game by using non-burners and timing your lost card recovery well. She can also be used as a glass cannon and have a high impact but exhaust early. Most people try to find that balance, either managing her rounds in her first "life" only to unleash hell in the final room(s) on her 2nd life. Or finding another balance that works.

Brute: Tank, multi-target melee damage. Has underrated utility with jump movement, small heal and exploitable crowd control. You don't need to burn a lot of cards to get experience or be generally effective. Typically played to last until near the very end. Might not be your last-hero-standing in the down-to-the-wire scenarios but he made it possible for the rest of the team to get to that point with some great cards left to finish strong.

You'll soon see the Tinkerer in action. Has a massive starting hand size with great heals and support mechanics. Interesting in that I believe there is not a single ability that grants EXP unless you burn it. You are encouraged to more liberally use those burn moves for high impact and passable EXP growth. In later levels, can actually be a surprisingly powerful ranged damage dealer in short bursts with some burn cards.

Last of the starting 6 is the Mind Thief and maybe the most fun class of the starting classes for my play-style as it can be quite fragile and ineffective if played "in the moment" but if you can plan ahead (whether in your own abilities, the timing of your initiatives and the likely positioning of other heroes and enemies) then you become a complete powerhouse. 2nd best single target damage (after Scoundrel), best repeatable crowd controller, abuse-able non-burn invisibility and some other clever utility as needed. Also, possibly the 2nd best EXP generating class out of all 17, easily the best of the starting classes. You'll quickly get 1-2 levels ahead of your teammates if you want to, while still churning out great damage, crowd control and invis-tanking doorways. With (not yet implement in digital version) stamina potions, a cloak of invisibility, clever use of fast/slow initiative... you can spend easily a dozen rounds blocking key tiles and doorways and not being able to be attacked directly.

[Costa]

Thanks for the detailed answers! I will certainly try the other classes but i am also a bit wary to play this game too much in its current state. I guess i just have to be patient :)

So there are 6 starter classes in the boardgame and they will eventually all come to the digital game, but what about the other 11? Are they DLC or do you have to complete the campaign to get them?

[Gloomhaven_Community]

We will introduce all characters at a later stage of the Early Access. Here is our roadmap:

https://steamcommunity.com/games/780290/announcements/detail/1610515909003153420

Also, please join our Discord server to learn from more experienced players. Here is the invite:

https://discordapp.com/invite/gloomhaven

Take care,
Gloomhaven Team

[Perkus]

Just like some classes have far more hit points that others, some have more cards. The intention is for it to be balanced by XP generation and relative power of the cards. Classes with larger hands should need to play lost cards more often to earn decent XP and have more impact. The scoundrel has great damage, great speed, great initiative, great looting, etc. Her principal disadvantage IS the fact she has less stamina, and tends to be the first to exhaust. She doesn't have good staying power for very long scenarios. In short ones she's a monster.

[ndauric]

I am so happy to find people that answered this so well; EXCELLENT rundown of the play-balance aspects of the board game given the esoteric nature of class definition / role / utility.

[Wyrtt]

Originally posted by ndauric:

I am so happy to find people that answered this so well; EXCELLENT rundown of the play-balance aspects of the board game given the esoteric nature of class definition / role / utility.

If you have time than visit board game geek forum. One or 2 guys made full on guides with images and builds for each class while using stamina calculator.