Doom & Gloom but at least no Boom

Imagine if you will you are an up and coming would be hero in the land of Kilforth, you spend your days walking around Sprawl City talking with other adventurers and would be heroes. No imagine you are questing across the land, dodging trolls and avoiding the bloody politics of the factions scrabbling for control of Kilforth. Grab your Gilded Sword and your Doom Shield as we go an a Gothic High Fantasy trip

Welcome to Gloom of Kilforth

Story

The land of Kilforth is a perilous place, nefarious monsters and mysterious strangers are only some of the dangers this land has to offer new adventurers. Beyond the Kilforth's borders, the evil Overlord Masklaw sets his plan to blanket Kilforth in a cloud of gloom. The only way to save Kilforth is for our intrepid adventurers to battle through the gloom and defeat the Ancient One, oh and you've only got a month to do it.

Game Mechanics

Cooperative Game

Dice Rolling

Modular Board

Role Playing

Set Collection

Variable Player Powers

Deck/Bag/Pool Building

Number of Players

1-4

Play Time

45 - 180 minutes (Up to 45 minutes per player)

Down Time

Action Planning

How does it play?

It plays relatively well, despite suffering from over complicated rule book syndrome. Once you learn the game it's just a matter of playing it.

Setup

1. Deal out Locations randomly in a 5x5 grid with Sprawl City in the centre to form the Map.

2. Shuffle and place the 4 Reward, 4 Encounter & the Night

decks next to the Map.

3. Mix Loot tokens in the draw bag.

4. Each Hero chooses a Race & Class card and takes:

4x HP Tokens

4x Fate

1x Gold

1x Hidden Marker

4x Enemy tokens

A 3-card Saga set

2 cards from any one Reward deck (choose 1 to keep in hand & return the other)

Place relevant Skill cards next to the Map

Place Hero figure in Sprawl City

5. Randomly select 1 Ancient & its Abilities card:

Shuffle & place their Plot deck next to Map

1x Ancient per player if playing cooperative

6. The Hero with highest Sneak takes the First Player token

Each turn in the game is played over a day/night cycle. When all the players have performed the day phase they move onto the night phase.

Daylight

During the daylight phase the player conducts the following: -

1. Break Camp: Heroes take AP equal to current HP

2. Hero Turns: Heroes take turns until all Heroes Make Camp.

On you turn:

a. You must Engage all Enemies at your Location at the start / end of your turn

b. You must then perform one Action OR Make Camp (Discard all remaining AP & end your turn)

c. You may perform any number of Deeds at any time while not Hidden

Night

During the Night Phase the player conducts the following: -

1. Gloom: Each Hero at a Gloom Location loses 1 HP

2. Darkness: Draw & resolve a Night card:

Replace Weather card if Weather

One Location falls into Gloom

Place a Plot card if required

3. Dawn: Each Hero:

Discards all Encounter successes

Becomes Unhidden

Defeated Heroes regain 2 HP

Unveils all Skill cards

Takes First Hero token if first to Make Camp

Actions

The Actions a player can make on their turn are: -

a. Move to an orthogonally adjacent Location.

Draw an Encounter if none are present

You must immediately Engage any Enemy present

b. Clear 1 Obstacle OR Plot card from your Location.

Take Plot card in hand as a Rumor

Draw a Loot token

c. Search to draw a new Encounter at your Location.

Only if no Obstacles present

d. Hide to become Hidden.

e. Confront a Quest, Place or Stranger at your Location.

Only if no Obstacles present

f. Rest to regain 1 lost HP.

Only if no Encounters present

g. Discover to place an Asset into play from your hand

Only at the Location listed on the Rumor card

h. Market to perform in any order at Sprawl City:

i. Heal to regain lost HP for 1 Gold each.

ii. Purchase 1 card from 3 drawn from 1 Reward deck.

iii. Sell any Rumors / Assets for half their Gold value (rounded down).

i. Regale to complete a Saga Chapter.*

Max once per Day

Spend 5 Gold AND for each keyword:

a) Discard a Rumor with the keyword

b) Select an unselected Asset / Skill with the keyword

(you may keep the Asset or discard it for its Gold)

Gain 1 Skill & 1 HP (increasing your max HP)

Deeds

Deeds can be performed by the player at any time, even as an action

a. Assault an Ancient at your Location (Plots take effect)

Only if no Encounters present

Only after completing your Saga

Coop: After all Heroes have completed their Sagas

b. Exchange Gold / Rumors / Loot / Item Assets / Spell Assets with a Hero at your Location.

c. Overcome an Encounter with a Weakness matching one of your in-play Keywords > Gain Reward

d. Resolve the Deed Ability on a card or token.

e. Team Up with other Heroes at your Location who have not yet Made Camp:

Encounter: Roll 1 extra die per teammate

Engagement: Surprise, Evasion & Escape are skipped

Each team member Fights (and is fought by) the Enemy simultaneously and individually

Each Hero on a Team may call on Fate once per Day

Test

During the game the player will have the opportunity to perform tests. During the test the players will: -

1. Roll dice equal to the Attribute being tested

2. Gain 1 success for each 5 or 6 rolled

3. Once per Day, you may call on Fate to add 1 success:

>Discard a Rumour card OR Fate token

Successes

For each test that generates a success, they are recorded as follows: -

Successes remain on an Encounter until

a. The Encounter is defeated > Gain Reward

b. The Hero moves to another Location

c. The Hero Makes Camp

d. The Hero Escapes or is defeated in an Engagement

Engagement

During the game, the player will come across an NPC that will need to be defeated in combat. Engagements are conducted as follows: -

1. Surprise: Roll 1 extra die on the first Battle round:

A Hidden Hero may lose Hidden to gain Surprise

A newly drawn Encounter gains Surprise unless the Hero is Hidden.

2. Evade: If Hidden, you may attempt a Sneak test:

a. Success: Avoid the rest of the Engagement (Auto success if your Sneak is greater than your Foe’s)

b. Failure: Your Foe gains Surprise

3. Battle: Perform Battle rounds until defeat or escape:

i. Hero and Foe simultaneously resolve a Fight test

Remove 1 HP & 1 AP per success

ii. Check if Foe is defeated > Gain Reward

iii. Check if Hero is defeated

iv. Escape: You may end the Engagement & Make Camp

Return to your previous Location (or the nearest enemy-free Location if it is enemy occupied)

4. End of Battle: If undefeated, Foe heals all HP

Rewards

The player during the game will have the opportunity to earn rewards, the reward process is as follows: -

1. Loot: Gain Gold value of Encounter OR draw 1 Loot token

2. Rumor: Take Encounter card in hand OR draw a Reward card

>Must take Encounter card when vs. an Enemy Stranger

3. Trophy: Each effect (in order) may be resolved (must if ‘Forced’)

Saga Chapter Completion

Each hero in the game has a Saga they need to complete in order to bring the ancient in to play so they can defeat it and win the game. Each chapter of the Saga has it's own criteria, the finale of each saga is conducted as follows: -

Finale: Does NOT cost 5 Gold; When completed, either:

a. Place your Totem card in play as an Asset OR

b. Discard your Totem for its Gold value

When the first Finale is completed (by any Hero)

All Ancients enter play

Co-op: All Heroes must be present at your Finale Location to Regale your Finale

Competitive: When a Hero completes Chapter 3 / 4, all other Heroes may complete Chapter 1 / 2 for free

Ancients

The Ancients in the game act the same way a Final Boss in a video game does, each ancient has their own abilities.

Do not heal HP at the end of an Engagement

Cannot be Escaped from in Battle

Cannot gain Surprise against or be Surprised by

Cannot be Engaged until you have completed your Saga

You are eliminated if defeated by an Ancient

Confronting a Stranger

1. Your Hero must be Unhidden

2. You may then:

a. Influence: If your first attempt has no successes > Stranger becomes your Enemy

b. Attack: Stranger automatically becomes your Enemy

3. If the Stranger is now your Enemy, place one of your Enemy tokens on its card, and immediately Engage in battle (neither side has Surprise)

Sneak Tests

When entering a Location with an Enemy AND you are Hidden, you may attempt a Sneak test rather than Engage them: -

SNEAK > FOE’S SNEAK: Automatic success!

SNEAK = FOE’S SNEAK: Roll all successes OR Roll only 1 failure & use 1 Fate

SNEAK = FOE’S SNEAK - 1: Roll all successes + 1 Fate

SNEAK = FOE’S SNEAK - 2: Automatic failure!

Losing HP

When a Hero loses an HP, they also lose an AP if possible

If you lose your last HP: -

• Make Camp and end your turn immediately
• Lose all Gold
• Sacrifice 1 Asset or discard 1 Rumor
• Return to Sprawl City
• You are eliminated if defeated by an Ancient

Limits

Each player can have a maximum of: -

6 Rumor cards in hand

6 Assets in play - Cannot have 2 Assets with the same unique *Keyword

• Unique *Keywords
• ALLY - Arcane, Martial, Pious, Shadow
• ITEM - Armour, Jewellery, Potion, Weapon
• SPELL - Aid, Combat, Healing, Kinetic
• TITLE - Order, Rank, Reputation, Steed

6 Loot tokens

Reward Types

There are a number of rewards available in the game, the following details what rewards the player can get in game and from where: -

• ENEMY - Item
• PLACE - Title
• QUEST - Spell
• STRANGER - Ally

Card Attributes

In the game items and characters will come with an attribute, he following is a list of attributes in the game: -

• Immune: Card cannot be affected by abilities or attributes of the indicated card type
• Map: Effect stays in force while the card is in play
• Relocate: Does not count as a Move
• Spell Study Value: You may not use a Spell unless your Study is at least as high as the Spell’s Study value
• Spend AP: Can be any type of AP
• Trap: Effect triggers immediately when the card is Engaged; Pay as much of the cost as possible
• Trophy: After gaining the Reward from a defeated Encounter, you may trigger this effect (unless it is Forced)
• Veil: Rotate a card 90° to indicate that this ability has already been used on this Day
• Weakness: The card may be Overcome if you have any assets with the indicated Keyword

Game End

Competitive: The Hero who defeats the Ancient before the end of the 25th Day wins. If no Hero achieves this, the Hero with the most Gold + Gold value of all Assets wins.

Co-op: The Heroes win if all Ancients are defeated before the end of the 25th Day.

Components

1x Rulebook

32x Skill cards (8 in each of 4 types)

276x cards

25x Location cards

4x Ancient cards

4x Ancient Abilities cards

24x Plot cards

8x Race cards

8x Class cards

25x Night cards

24x Saga cards (3 for each saga)

82x Encounter cards (21 Badlands, 20 Forest, 21 Mountain, 20 Plains)

72x Reward cards (actually 74: 19 Ally cards, 19 Item cards, 18 Spell cards, 18 Title cards)

164x wooden tokens

16x Fate tokens (hourglasses)

4x Hidden tokens (trees)

60x Gold tokens (discs)

30x Action Point tokens (black hearts)

30x Health Point tokens (red hearts)

24x Obstacle tokens (clouds)

100x cardboard tokens

16x Enemy tokens (4 for each hero) (skulls)

82x Loot tokens

1x First Hero marker (plus a spare)

8x Hero standees

10x Hero standee bases

6x Six-sided dice

1x Loot bag

Theme

A gothic high fantasy adventure to save the land and become a famous hero

Replay Value

I would say there is a fair bit of replay in this game, no two games are ever going to be exactly the same, it depends on how well the game comes across with players

Favourite Part

The artwork, it is just stunning.

Least Favourite Part

The fact that no matter how hard I try, I just can't get into the game

Expansions

There are no expansions but the game can integrate with the Shadows of Kilforth and the upcoming Call of Kilforth stand alone sequels, both of which share the stunning artwork that Gloom of Kilforth is known for

The Bottom Line

This is a good game and worth the time to play it. My only beef with the game is that I just couldn't get into it like my other games. In my opinion the artwork is better than the game but that doesn't mean that people shouldn't play it. I'd recommend trying it for yourself and seeing whether or not you like it, at least the artwork is good

 7/10 Gloom

Game Designers: Tristan Hall

Game Artists: Ania Kryczkowska

Publishers: Hall or Nothing

Images courtesy of BoardGameGeek