Objective: Work together with your fellow players to complete scenarios (quests) and progress through the campaign, unlocking new abilities and rewards for your characters. The ultimate goal might vary depending on the campaign you're playing.

Number of Players: 1-4 players (cooperative)

Playing Time: Around 60-120 minutes per scenario (depending on player experience)

Components:

• Game board depicting various rooms and corridors

• Character standees and ability cards (unique for each character)

• Monster standees and ability decks (unique for each monster type)

• Attack modifier decks (for players and monsters)

• Scenario booklets outlining objectives and enemy placement

• Map tiles for creating diverse dungeon layouts

• Tokens for tracking health, experience, and other game elements

• Item cards offering various benefits and abilities
  

Setup:

1. Choose Your Scenario: Select the scenario you want to play based on the campaign storyline. The scenario booklet details setup instructions, enemy placement, and victory conditions.

2. Character Setup: Each player chooses a character and sets up their character standee, ability cards, attack modifier deck, and starting items.

3. Map Assembly: Following the scenario instructions, assemble the map tiles to create the dungeon layout.

4. Monster Setup: Place monster standees in designated locations on the map, as instructed in the scenario booklet.
   

Gameplay:

The game is played in rounds, with players taking turns in clockwise order. Here's the core gameplay loop:

Player Turn:

1. Play Two Ability Cards: Each player chooses two ability cards from their hand and plays them one at a time. These cards can provide actions like movement, attacks, item usage, or special abilities.

2. Resolve Actions:  Each ability card has an initiative number at the top. This determines the order in which players and monsters will resolve their actions in the round.

3. Monster Turn: After all players have resolved their actions, reveal monster ability cards for each monster type present on the board. These cards dictate monster movement and attack targets.

4. Combat:  Combat occurs when a player and a monster occupy the same space. Players and monsters alternate playing attack modifier cards, adding or subtracting from their base attack values. Higher attack values after modification deal damage to the opposing target.

5. Resting (Optional): After resolving actions, players can choose to spend a card to "rest," refreshing their ability card hand for the next round. Campaign Play:

   • Players can purchase items, level up, and gain new abilities between scenarios.

   • Personal goals influence character progression and retirement.

   • City and road events occur between scenarios, affecting the story and player resources.
     

Winning and Losing:

• Victory: The players win the scenario by achieving the specific objectives outlined in the scenario booklet (e.g., defeating all monsters, reaching a specific location).

• Defeat: The players lose the scenario if all player characters are incapacitated (reduced to zero health).  However, the campaign can continue even after scenario losses, with some penalties.
  

Basic Strategies:

• Initiative Management:  Plan your actions considering initiative numbers. Play cards with lower initiative earlier to ensure you act before monsters.

• Ability Card Synergy:  Combine your ability cards effectively to maximize movement, attack power, and utility.

• Focus Fire: Coordinate attacks with your fellow players to take down powerful enemies quickly.

• Movement and Positioning:  Use movement strategically to reach objectives, control enemy movement, and avoid getting surrounded.

• Item Management:  Use items wisely to enhance your character's capabilities and overcome challenges.

• Scenario Knowledge:  Read the scenario booklet carefully to understand the objectives, enemy types, and potential obstacles.
  

Additional Notes:

• Character Progression: Through gameplay, characters gain experience points, allowing them to unlock new abilities and enhance their stats.

• Campaign System:  The game unfolds over a campaign, with persistent elements like character progression and choices impacting future scenarios.

• Solo Play: While primarily a cooperative game, Gloomhaven can be played solo with special rules.