Gloomhaven - How to Play - Actions and Abilities

Learn how-to-play your actions and abilities in Gloomhaven. This video starts simple and adds complexity and after you're done, you will have a good understanding of how to take the top or bottom action from just about any character card you encounter in this game.
This is actually my second take at this video. Soon after the first one was posted, Kader Si Tayeb, Nick Dungeon and Ambar88 were helpful in pointing out a few things I overlooked, misspoke or just plain got wrong. Now a few corrections were made :). So let's try this again. Please let me know any questions, comments or feedback in the comments section below. Now feel free to click play, or click on any of the links below to jump right to a topic!
0:00 Introduction
0:19 Abilities on cards
1:07 Move action start simple
2:48 Traps and hazards
4:28 Jump
5:13 Flying
5:44 Opening a door
6:22 Treasure - end-of-turn looting
6:54 Basic move
7:19 Attack action start simple
9:14 Basic attack
9:36 Ranged attack
11:01 Line of sight
11:27 Melee area attack
13:25 Ranged area attack
16:15 Target
18:36 Push, Pull and Pierce
19:58 Conditions
21:51 Elemental Infusion
24:55 Heal ability
26:33 Active bonus actions and shield
27:48 Retaliate
28:28 Persistent bonus
30:03 Summon
32:38 Mindthief - augment cards
33:50 End of a round
Here's the Gloomhaven playlist. I'll add any Gloomhaven related videos to this playlist as they're released: • Gloomhaven
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[@timjones990]

Another praising comment for this video, I only just thanked you for an amazing GH tutorial yesterday, these really are quite clear and precise 110% appreciated.

[@ModernTablegamer]

Awesome! Thanks so much for the kind words!

[@arthurkurbedzis]

Extremely helpful guidance for a quick understanding of the game.

[@tahtli]

Far out! I'm new to GH and your videos are incredibly helpful! Hands down for the amazing quality 🤟

[@theculturevulture]

Thank you for these. Your videos have been the most help I found on KZbin since I started playing Gloomhaven about a month ago.

[@ModernTablegamer]

You bet! Thanks so much for letting me know.

[@meloniepurcell9248]

Such a great series. Thanks so soooo much.

[@marioabadfernandezdelacigo8893]

These videos are WONDERFUL. Thank you for so much effort.

[@ModernTablegamer]

You bet! Thank you so much!

[@LindaAlcornBurg]

These have been a great help in understanding the gameplay. Thank you for your clear and well-curated explanation of gameplay.

[@ModernTablegamer]

Wow! So glad to hear it and thanks for your kind review!

[@coasterfreakrob]

Your Gloomhaven videos have helped me learn this game better than anything else I've read or watched. Great job! Also, shout out for the electronic Merlin game on the shelf! Had one of those when I was a kid!

[@ModernTablegamer]

Yes! you noticed Merlin sitting back there. That was the Switch of the late 70s and if it had connectivity, I'd send you a friend request so we could test our skills:). Thanks for the kind words!

[@PaintNPieces]

Great video Peter!

[@MrAdmitos]

excellent work!

[@Floridaisfun]

I’m late to the Party on this game. Currently playing through JOTL and loving it.I have this game waiting under the bed..I can’t wait to get punching those cardboard pieces out..Anyways I just wanted to thank you for these videos they have helped me massively.👍

[@rangerdanr]

Thank you for this (and the other) Gloomhaven video. New comer to GloomHaven, But have played HeroQuest and Descent - as well as DnD for nearly 45 years. I received Gloomhaven for my birthday (65th) and have been trying to figure out all of the nuances to set up and playing. A bit if a steep learning curve. However, your videos stand out as being the best and most accessible - especially for the basics of set up and learning to play. Thank you Pete for putting these together.

[@tenderbrick]

Ive only played the first scenario, but for now im using the hit tokens as hit point tokens. So me and my party can see directly which enemies remain, how much health is left. When its depleted its clear on the enemy stats the monster is dead as its now an empty space like the rest of the dead or non existent enemies. May need to revise this when there are more and stronger enemies, but its a great way for to start and track

[@supersteve76]

GREAT VIDEO!!!! 28:30 my question is, how many persistent active abilities am I allowed to have in play at the same time? More than 1? Thank you again and great work!!

[@ModernTablegamer]

Good question. I don’t believe there is a limit. Reducing the cards in your hand would be the limiting factor though and thank!

[@anthonvanderneut]

11:30 You can always draw a line. The essential thing missing here is that that line cannot intersect, **or touch**, a wall.

[@lukewilton9525]

Can you choose any attack cards to use when it's your turn or do you have to pick the top two cards every time from the deck

[@Phrostbitex]

At 24:14 ish. You say it's muddled until it's next turn. So for example if I go after the creature because for example I am initiative 78 and its 54, I muddle it with an ability, that muddle sticks around until that creature goes again the next round? We have been removing status effects once the round is over and not when the creature has its next turn as said in the video.

[@TheVlad1616]

Correct. Status effects don’t go away until you/monster start and end a round with an effect. So in your example, the monster is muddled it’s next round. On the other end of the spectrum, if you strengthen yourself on your turn, you don’t lose that until the end of your next turn.

[@henrikjager2337]

Hej. Can i use boots of striding to get 2 ekstra length to my “jump 4”, so I Can jump 6 hex?? Is jump a movement or not? Hope you or anothe can help me.

[@AdamHelman]

Hi - at the 15:00 minute mark you're describing a ranged area attack. In the case shown the hero is adjacent to both of the 2 monsters targeted, so should you not have been disadvantaged and drawn 2 modifiers for each monster?

[@adellevickery2483]

double check the character doing the attacking. It's the one on the bottom left doing a ranged attack, not the adjacent character.

[@mateusdbp]

@15:04 arent you in a disadvantage for being melee in a ranged attack? Thanks :)

[@JonFromWA]

In your ranged area attack explanation, that uses a cluster of 3 for attack, your character is adjacent to two enemies. Wouldn't you attack with disadvantage?

[@zarles1]

I had the same question

[@kosterix123]

11:30 but what is range 3 exactly? 2 hexes inbetween attacker and target?

[@GregPizl]

So we started playing Jaws of the Lion and are a little confused as to the Push and Pull movements. Do these have to be in the straight line of hexes? I noticed this being the case in the video game adaptation and have never played the original so I'm not sure if this was covered there... all it says is that these have to be a hex further or closer to you, does the player get to decide the direction if say a trap isn't located in a straight line from him or her?

[@ModernTablegamer]

Hi Greg, what I remember on this is that push has to be hexes farther away from and pull is hexes closer to you. If you have more than one point of movement, that has to be in a straight line. If there are multiple paths a character could be pushed and each path pushes the character farther away, then I believe you choose which path and like I said before, if there are multiple points of movement, then those have to be in a straight line. Maybe there are other thoughts out there on how to interpret?

[@GregPizl]

@@ModernTablegamer It is a bit confusing, but this other video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqPYq6R_i557qbc was able to help explain this better. Basically, we weren't sure about the sideways movement, but it appears that is allowed as if the hex is still further or closer to the player.

[@ugottabkittenme4752]

How many active abilities can you have in play at one time? Or is it unlimited?

[@Algomas17683]

Hi there, I like your videos but for what Im looking for I see most of people make the same mistake. GloomHaven rulebook says "After and attack is made AND THE FINAL ATTACK VALUE IS CALCULATE (modified first by any bonuses and then the attack modifier card) that amount of damage is suffered by the target. As I see in your video you apply the damage 1 by 1 disrespecting the rule. I said it because a friend says if he do it your way if another creature spawn after the death of the firt enemy he can target the new enemy and thats the situation that makes my friends stop playing the game until we find the right way to use area attacks

[@peterpickguitar]

When we rest and I have less cards than my maximum hand, can I add the X cards that remained at start ? Can cards be added once we are back in gloomhaven(after completing scenario)

[@ModernTablegamer]

Hi Petercross. If I remember correctly, you can only change your cards when you create your character to start the game or when you level up in the town of Gloomhaven.

[@aiaegaming2952]

No. The maximum hand size is for the beginning of the scenario. Whenever you start a scenario, you can pick any of the cards available to you, as long as you respect your max hand size. Over the course of the scenario, your hand size will be reduced as you rest and spend your cards, which is perfectly normal, that's your timer before exhaustion, and if all of your teammates run out of cards before completing the win condition of the scenario, it's a defeat

[@BuildAProWorkShop]

I really dislike the rule to shuffle the modifier deck at the rounds end. I much rather do it immediately. It’s more like rolling a die. If you role a d20 you would expect to be able to roll the same number twice in a turn

[@markc8401]

Thanks for clarifying the rules about elemental infusion (confusion?). The rulebook did a poor job in explaining it IMO, with no examples. Thanks!

[@kosterix123]

4:00 so trap/hazard doesn’t end your turn.

[@haqon8310]

HOW DOES THE TINKERER PLACE A TRAP

[@kosterix123]

15:10 so you have to draw an attack modifier card to each target? That makes no sense. The modifier modifies the ink bomb in its entirety, and does not refer to any specific target, otherwise it would be an enemy deck card.

[@ThoughtsOnThoughts]

No spoiler tag for secret characters :(

[@aiaegaming2952]

There's no spoilers, Demolitionist is from Jaws of the Lion and is available from the start of that specific game

[@holysmoke8439]

Why is this game so big? Tiles n cards r very lame art design n seems fiddly more than sword n scocery