Replayability?

[UnknownArtriss]

The first time playing it was super fun. with unique missions and abilities but after that, it's just the same all over. All characters have the same abilities in every game, nothing changes there. The missions are the same for the same map.

Can't we get a mode in which we can pick 4 random characters from the start or that their abilities are random when they lvl up? Maybe random missions too?

[Dewguru]

Are you playing Guildmaster mode? The Campaign mode has missions that depend on different decisions you make (such as siding with Jeksera or the Town Guard). There are a few other decision based paths than that one as well that can show one mission and not another.

[The_Mell]

Honestly, if someone is not able to create different builds of a char even as at every level up you can choose between 2 cards, which results in theory in 256 variants, then i doubt that anything can satisfy you.
And random abilities would just create a mess to balancing...

Of course, you cannot even have played every mission in campaign as decisions on your way for one side or another lock other missions. Additionally you need some luck to find all sidequests.


The boardgame features a random dungeon mechanic but those are usually a bit shallow 'kill all' runs as they cannot feature complex quests.

[UnknownArtriss]

I understand how you think about the balancing, but can't it just be a side thing, make it random? It doesent have to be ballenst. just fun. And i understand that missions cant really be changed but I like the random dungeon ide.

[Friends with Benedicts]

Now thats what we called IMBA back in DotA

[indigo]

Most if not all characters have multiple ways to build. And if you start over, you won't have your well upgraded, well equipped fighters, and you won't unlock the characters or items in the same order as last time, so you mix and match.
There are a few points in the game where you can make a decision, and unlock different paths, which offers different missions. Some missions are also unlocked by random events, or character side quests, so you probably haven't seen them all.

Overall, I think the game has good replay value, even if its just once solo, and once in co-op online.

[Artan]

The game also have replayability in the following ways:

1) in different party size (2x 3x and 4x mercenary party size) with the party size impacting the number of enemies in a scenario as well as the composition of the enemies in regards to normals and elites.

2) In different party composition in regards to selected the chosen Mercs and the way each mercenary synergises with the others.

3) In campaign different side quests will unlock with different road and city quests completed and some scenario chests that unlock random side quests will likely unlock a different side quest when completed in different campaign runs.

Please remember that this is a digital version of a tabletop board game and not a video game inspired by the Gloomhaven IP. It is the boardgame in a computer game format.

[UnknownArtriss]

I understand starting with the same abilities and all. But every lvl up is the same, you pick between 2 cards and at the next lvl you pick from the one before and 2 new cards
If no one has seen it, the cards you pick are always in the same order.

I get that you can build them differently, but it's not fun to pick the same cards all the time and every time I restart, I pick the same cards again.

The missions are ok, I think they can be more random but they're all good and there is nothing that needs to be done to them. The only problem for me is the heroes, I was thinking someone can make a mod that changes this up, just adding a button that randomises the cards and maybe the start heroes.

[Tokra]

There are 11 characters that you can unlock. Plus the 6 starting classes. Add 4 more from Yaws of the Lion.
And some of these characters are totally different in play style. On top you can play many characters in different ways. The items also give a big twist to some of the classes.
There is basically quite a lot of varianty in the game and classes.

The campaign alone took us more than 60 hours to finish. Not to mention to unluck all the characters (talking about the board game for the first time). Not sure anymore how long it took in the digital game for the first time, but you can see on my playtime, that i played it quite a bit.

And the game really is way better with a group of players. It is a bit more boring when playing alone, this i have to admit.

[UnknownArtriss]

I still don't think anyone understands what I really mean. It's nothing with that the game has many classes or characters but the problem is that every start with every character is the same. You pick from the same 6 with the same abilities for everyone. They gain the same things every time with every lvl and their missions to unlock new characters are always the same, to unlock the same characters with in the end the same abilities.

I have a problem with my brother starting over all the time for one reason or another. But then we do have the same things all the time. And sure we have tried different abilities but we just come back to the ones we think are good and just play the same way because “its strong”

[Daerious]

As the digital version is based off of a physical board game, there are resources on-line that allow you to map out the different scenarios and when they are unlocked or locked -- keep track of which scenario branches you have taken for your current campaign and choose an alternate route for the next campaign. There are over 90 different scenarios (more with the DLC) but you will never play them all in a single campaign.

Originally posted by UnknownArtriss:

...and just play the same way because “its strong”

A simple solution if you are worried about the mercenaries becoming too strong is to never level up them up -- keep your starting mercenaries and any you unlock at level 1 with just their base cards and any perks that they happen to earn. Your mercenaries will slowly advance in power but only based on what equipment they purchase (or find) and those perks that they unlock.

Another option to keep a replay interesting is to increase the difficulty -- the first two scenarios are very challenging the first time you play the game; however, once you have learned that the game requires strategy and tactics, they are less so. Increasing the difficulty level from normal to hard, brutal or deadly means that you may have to change your approach to every scenario since any mistake could eventually lead to its failure.

Yet another option, that already has been mentioned, is to start with a different mercenary band composition either by changing their number or type. Plus, if you are playing with others, you can switch mercenaries -- for example, if in the last campaign you were the Brute and they were the Spellweaver; in this campaign, you play as the Spellweaver and they play as the Brute.

If you are playing with multiple players, the physical board game sets conditions on what information can be shared when your mercenaries are choosing their cards each turn -- basically you are not allowed to use any numbers nor the names of any of the cards. Playing with limited or no communication between players means that it is more difficult to coordinate your strategies and tactics; however, this might be less than perfect in the digital version as you do not have any control over the game's user interface.

If you really want random -- start a band with one of each of the starting six (or ten) mercenaries and then randomly decide which ones will undertake the selected scenario. This becomes more challenging for several reasons. First, the obvious -- by mixing and matching mercenaries each scenario attempt, you will rarely have an ideal group composition. Imagine trying to complete a scenario with the Spellweaver and the Scoundrel -- one is frail and wants to be as far away from the enemies as possible while the other often gets significant advantages if the enemies are next to one of her allies. Second, the number of items that the Merchant has in Gloomhaven is limited -- outfitting a small band of four mercenaries is sometimes difficult due to several items being preferred over others; now, imagine trying to outfit a band of six or ten -- some mercenaries may be forced to take inferior equipment just to gain a slight edge over the enemies. Third, with each group randomly chosen for each scenario, many of the retirement objectives may take much longer especially if you choose the scenario prior to randomly selecting the mercenaries. Fourth, assuming that you are allowing them to level, the randomness means that they will absolutely be increasing levels at different rates -- while it is unlikely, you could end up with a pair of mercenaries that are level 9 and level 1 which means that you again have to change your tactics for both of them to survive.

[aadjakar]

That's the idea behind picking only a single new card on level-up (that some people try to ignore by their house rules). This means that every character from a certain class could be built and played differently from its predecessors. Add to this the option of using personalized skill enhancements, rather than permanent from the tabletop, and the personalization goes even further.
As for the replayable story, then as the other commenters said, go with the Campaign mode. Coincidentally, that is exactly why it forces you to regularly retire your characters, so some other player may try it out and shape it in a way they'd rather to.