Learn to Play Gloomhaven in 25 minutes (Scenario and Campaign)

How to play the scenarios and full campaign of Gloomhaven in 25 minutes (there's a couple minutes of silliness in the front and back)
To support RTFM, consider pledging at / rtfm
Want to buy this game? It's expensive but worth it, and you can get it here amzn.to/2IttRfY (or go to your local game store. That's cool too)
Links mentioned:
Official FAQ - boardgamegeek.com/thread/1897...
My Heart Will Go On (played horribly on a recorder) - • My Heart Will Go On - ...
Corrections:
4:10 If an event card is put back in the deck, it is placed on the bottom of the deck, not shuffled in. Event decks are only shuffled when new cards are added.
8:58 Very small correction here. Disarm stops an enemy from taking any attack actions on their next turn, instead of just stopping their next attack.
9:11 The Tinkerer is actually within range of the elite, but in order to hit the regular enemy he eventually goes for, he does need to move.
17:15 Hazardous terrain deals half of trap damage, rounded down.
20:21 If only wounded, healing will remove the wound and heal as normal.
23:58 You don't actually have to keep your personal quest secret, though I find it more fun to do so when possible.
Want to rewatch something?
Intro - 0:00
Basics - 1:47
Event Cards - 3:31
Scenarios - 4:32
Combat Basics - 7:04
Monster Actions - 10:11
Resting 12:20
Looting 13:28
Items 14:47
Elements - 15:30
Terrain Tiles - 16:16
Becoming Exhausted/Avoiding Damage - 18:06
Conditions/Effects - 18:41
Completing Scenarios - 21:45
Starting a Character/Leveling Up - 22:40
Personal Quests/Retiring - 23:44
Prosperity/Reputation - 24:45
Sanctuary/Enhancement - 25:19
Shameless Self-promotion - 27:06
If you want to follow me on socials, go to rtfmshow and rtfmshow for RTFM and general gaming related stuff or / sheasayswords for the stupid stuff I say in my free time.
You should also check out / tentwentyfilms because there's some funny stuff there too.
Why are you still reading this? Go play games or something.
#tutorial #boardgames #RTFM #rtfmshow

[@PredominateOne]

"Now you might think that based on the effects, wounds should be called poison and poison should be called wound, but to that.. i have... to say... umm up next we have blessing and curses." 10/10 explanation, keep up the great work.

[@RageBadgerGaming]

I mean, how many people found that intuitive the way it is?

[@snufkin4568]

@@RageBadgerGaming I don't know, but I did. The poison adds a damage when you get attacked because every oz of strength you lose makes a poison more effective and the wound really makes sense because it's like a bleed damage.

[@RageBadgerGaming]

@@snufkin4568 I mean it's perfectly fine but I kinda feel like wounds tend to be exacerbated when struck and poison slowly saps the life out of you.

[@clipsolo]

I feel it’s a mistake which they didn’t bother to fix. When your wounded you’d be easier to hit and damage (been like this in other similar games too) and poison is ongoing damage as usual.

[@mrbartlebee]

Has anyone made a house rule to essentially switch the description of poison/wound, and if so, did you have largely positive or negative effects? Will making this house rule in my play group break the game? lol.

[@shaolinlueb]

the more i watch the instructional videos, the more and more i realize this game isn't too complicated. it's just filled with details. tons of details. and tokens, a lot of those too.

[@fritsravn6814]

haaaaaaa

[@kayakbrent]

I hope you are right about that. I feel like I'm treading in deep water!

[@valladin82]

Been playing it on Table Top Simulator. I think we spent more time learning how to use TTS than we did Gloomhaven itself once we got going.

[@Chrinik]

And stickers...lots of stickers

[@syncmonism]

@@Chrinik :(

[@noahpelletier8491]

0:23 the camera shakes when he puts down gloomhaven

[@Emily_Entropy]

Pacing is a vital part of video that a lot of people in this space fail at. Yours is perfect! I loved the conciseness, but I was most impressed by your consistent pace.

[@RTFM]

Thank you so much!

[@EdibleBlimp]

This was a great introduction to Gloomhaven. I like how clear and to the point you are with instructions

[@RTFM]

Aw, thanks!

[@Srchowdown]

@@RTFM you are amazing man my wife and i picked this up and this one guide allowed an idiot like myself to play this game....

[@RageBadgerGaming]

It is in the name of the channel!

[@joshuasmith2259]

Thanks bro, second time watching this after returning to Gloomhaven following an 8 month break. A superbly executed tutorial. Concise, funny and real! Thank you.

[@RTFM]

Thanks, glad I could help!

[@andrewjones9542]

That was one of the most concise, informative and interesting play walkthroughs. I'm so excited to play this game.Well done and thank you.

[@TemujinReads]

Excellent video, as always! Some small notes/clarifications: 4:10 If an event card is put back in the deck, it is placed on the bottom of the deck, not shuffled in. Event decks are only shuffled when new cards are added. 17:15 Hazardous terrain deals half of trap damage, as shown on-screen. 20:21 You're correct that you won't receive any healing if you're poisoned, but if you just have a wound, you still receive the full heal amount.

[@RTFM]

Ooh, yeah those are important. Thanks for the spot.

[@strawberrymangotime]

@@RTFM maybe you should pin this person?

[@jaredrichardson78]

You have a talent for explaining something and also your light touch of humor makes the video easy to get through. Thank you and I hope you have a great day!

[@colingorrie4593]

I hadn't thought it possible to describe something this clearly this well. A masterclass in both design and execution

[@RTFM]

Wow, thank you so much!

[@BeegtymeRawkstah]

"Move guy kill thing get stuff repeat." There are so many murder hobos playing D&D who need to play this instead.

[@violet3430]

BeegtymeRawkstah yes, but it really depends on your playstile, before I got into dnd I thought there was too much diversity, but in this game it feels there’s too little customization. But I’ll tell you how it turns out.

[@hawkthetraveler6344]

Or at l east try it , I think the story arc part my be something newer players take back to d&d. "hey GM don't I get to pick a personal story goal in your campaign?"

[@jimholmes4729]

The clearest intro walk through I've found so far. Thanks for a great job. It's made my first game much more sensible and less confusing. Erm, fun, too, I guess.

[@RTFM]

Haha, glad I could help!

[@LordMigit]

dude I love your videos, they are always the exact right mix of informative, interesting and entertaining.

[@RTFM]

Thank you so much! Those are the things I'm going for.

[@die-cry-hate]

Your channel is worthy of many many more subscribers! Your instructions are clear and to the point! My wife just got me Gloomhaven, so this was the first place I turned to for instructions, as I have enjoyed and learned a lot from your other learn-to-plays. Keep them coming!

[@RTFM]

Thank you so much! I certainly plan to keep making these. Next up is War of the Ring (next few weeks) and then Nemesis after that (considerably later).

[@bishop083]

My group calls the battle goals "Bad Idea Cards". Finishing them almost always seems to require you do some kind of bad idea at some point.

[@RTFM]

Sometimes. There are a few that I've managed to accomplish without even trying. Some of them have definitely led to us losing scenarios though, so you're not wrong.

[@jgmrequel]

I've managed to get the "keep everyone alive" goal twice as tinkerer, and those were scenarios where someone pushed too hard and exhausted and I was silently cursing for the rest of the scenario where I threw up my hands, said f' it, and went in crossbow a blazing for loot.

[@RTFM]

Oh no! Everybody takes the healer for granted, but at least the Tinkerer is pretty good at getting XP and loot.

[@khristienpennanen1810]

I just rewatch this video for fun sometimes. It's a problem

[@RTFM]

Is it a problem? Seems fine to me.

[@JendersGaming]

Haha I do the same thing!

[@boardgamesbuddy5966]

Me too

[@TOAST-FACEKILLAH]

Great Scott c tshirt my dude... Just got bought gloomhaven for my birthday. Gonna watch this to learn up

[@EmmettMcMullan]

Awesome video. Thanks for the tutorial. I'm seeing this as a Legacy analog edition of Angband, with the narrative content of a boardgame like Eldritch Horror or Betrayal. I'm excited to give it a try now, especially since I see that the mechanics are mostly things I've seen before in TTRPGs, or Mechs vs. Minions. Keep up the awesome production work. This video was really easy to follow and well edited. Good on ya!

[@adrianhawley91]

Thanks for the run through, very helpful to make it easy to start playing.

[@breanne2117]

Thank you for this video! Getting my family ready to play. This makes starting so much faster!

[@RageBadgerGaming]

Very helpful! We just did a primer on common mistakes Gloomhaven makes but condensing all these rules in a shorter video is invaluable for new players! :)

[@AnxiousAaron616]

This video is fantastic!! Videos like this are the reason why I come on youtube in the first place. Thankyou.

[@RTFM]

That's so nice to hear, thank you!

[@Cerhob]

OMG so happy I found this! You taught me how to play TI3 (And 4) so I'm looking forward to learning Gloomhaven from you!

[@RTFM]

Thanks! Glad I could help!

[@SSinthaNorthwest]

Great video! I've had this game for awhile now and I'm ready to start digging into it, thanks for making this!

[@RTFM]

Thanks! It took me a while to really crack it open too. Hope you have fun!

[@robertj7993]

Thank you very much for this video! It's really well done, and also one of the few reasons why I purchased Gloomhaven. I just recently got my copy, and I'm reading the rules while also watching the video multiple times, just to learn it easier. My friend and I will start playing this soon. Thanks again for the video.

[@RTFM]

No problem, I'm glad I could help. Have fun with the game!

[@anthonyperks2201]

I just bought the game and it has yet to arrive, but I loved this description. It has really helped me to look forward to it.

[@kenrickfearn1448]

One if the most succinct and professional games explanations for this awesome game ...subscribed to your channel - nice ! Ric

[@RTFM]

Thanks!

[@MattieSheldonTheYoutuber]

I love this video! Informative, clear and very witty! You’ve gained a subscribed 👍

[@KLeeFMVs]

Just bought this on a whim and was blown away by the size of the box and contents. I instantly thought "What have I gotten myself into?" loool. I love fantasy games, so really wanted to try it out. Looking forward to watching this later with my husband and trying to figure out how to play. Thanks a lot.

[@RTFM]

It's certainly a big boy, but it's worth the time you put into it (in my opinion at least). Hope y'all like it!

[@Sipulka]

Thank you so much for this video, an amazing job explaining one of the most complex boardgames (of those intended for massmarket I mean)! Highly appreciated!

[@TheLynx409]

Amazing explanation video and very well presented. Thank you so much!

[@andiefukov8802]

Very concise and generally good enough instructions. Lacks several specific rules, but pretty good as a quick-play guide!

[@JustQuixa]

Woohoo! Glad I found your excellent instructions. We already played a bit the last 2 days and you already cleared up a few mistakes we were making lol Thanks for taking the time to make this thorough yet easy to follow video!

[@RTFM]

No problem, glad I could help!

[@TheKuoala]

Great introduction, one of the best out there. Thank you!

[@Aurion254]

Thank you so much for this. I bought gloomhaven as a Christmas present to myself and completely cocked up the first playthrough. I was using the monster action cards for both actions and attack modifiers! Also, was using the character specific modifiers instead of the standard 20. When I got to the penultimate card and it wasn't either the null or 2x card I knew I'd made a mistake. I did wonder why I hadn't drawn any negative modifiers! Watching this has made me realise I made another mistake too, I'd set up archers instead of guards in the first room. Going to have another go today. Now I've watched this, I'm confident I can get most of it right now. Thanks again!

[@RTFM]

Hey thanks! And don't worry about it, I messed up a bunch of stuff when I first started playing this game. If you're having trouble with any of the bookkeeping I would also recommend getting Gloomhaven Helper. It's a companion app that takes care of a lot of little background things so you don't have to.

[@Jindorek]

very concise, clear and thorough. and minimum spoilers. you have my sub.

[@NathanDHNam]

After we watched your videos a couple of times, we were able to complete the first campaign. Thanks for making this video!

[@RTFM]

No problem, glad I could help!

[@pixxelwizzard]

I really feel this channel is right up there with WiP and SU&SD. Great content, well made, and fun to watch. I'm not a parthenon subscriber thingy person, but RTFM has my full moral support.

[@RTFM]

I'll take it!

[@thechatterbox6783]

This video helped fill in some questions I still have about game. We just got it have barley scratched the surface. Your video will help us get deeper. Thanks for posting.

[@RTFM]

No problem! Glad I could help

[@buckeubanks3610]

you're so awesome at explaining stuff, thanks so much for your effort

[@maximeouellet791]

Simple, basic, well explaned. Love it !

[@lp9092]

Great tutorial. Just working on Jaws and planning to dive in to GH next year... like in two weeks. Even more rules and complexities. Thanks!

[@timothyzube7393]

I have watched this video a few times. Anytime it has been awhile since my group has gotten together I like to watch this as a refresher. I wish the instructions explained the game as well as this video (especially the white text he added in for clarification).

[@bl1ndcat867]

Thank you! Fantastic video, super friendly and straight forward. Loved the Beef boi ♥ part!

[@bryanf1091]

This video just convinced me to the buy the game. I've been interested in it for a while, but because of the price point, and potential to be complicated, I've held off. After watching this though, I've decided to buy it. Job well done! Really great video, with a really good explanation of things.

[@hawkthetraveler6344]

Overall very well done video on this game. Nicely edited but not over produced, good vibe.

[@ChristopherFehrenbacher]

Looking to finally start this game with the family after buying it for Christmas. Thanks for the great video!

[@jacobstatnekov6483]

What a good introduction, I feel ready to pick up a copy and start playing. Thanks!

[@RTFM]

Thank you so much! If you're going to buy it on Amazon, feel free to use the affiliate link in the description box for this video. It kicks a couple bucks my way at no cost to you.

[@RageBadgerGaming]

Definitely helpful! A lot of people tend to make some of their own hiccups learning and playing the game. :) Glad to see a detailed explanation.

[@RTFM]

No problem. Glad I could help!

[@embetz311]

Thank you!! Tried playing with my son today... did it wrong but still had fun. This will make future sessions much more enjoyable!

[@RTFM]

Glad I could help!

[@kimpipers2246]

Thanks for this video! Helped me get started!

[@danoleary7401]

Thank you for a great video. I have read the book and your video cleared up the confusion and I ready to tackle the ocean of chits and markers to start climbing the mountain of cardboard and start to play the game.

[@RTFM]

No problem! Glad I could help!

[@Solcoyote]

Just picked up my copy of Gloomhaven. Thanks so much for this awesome video! As a noob I found it super helpful.

[@RTFM]

Glad I could help!

[@meeplegourmet4653]

excellent video! thanks for the dedication! I can't wait to play!

[@devinvm]

When watching this video I was thinking that I want to be able to explain things in daily life with the brevity and clarity that you bring in this video.

[@RTFM]

The secret is to just bring a teleprompter with you everywhere you go.

[@boatofcar3273]

Excellent video. I appreciate the effort you put into this!

[@RTFM]

Thank you so much!

[@betomuraro7126]

Goal of the scenario: Kill Everyone "Nice, simple, Moraly clear." xD

[@RageBadgerGaming]

Sometimes you gotta break a few skulls to make a few coin!

[@broganirwin864]

Great video - excited to give this a go!

[@gamewise950]

Has anyone else watched this like 5 times? ;P Amazing production quality, great script and super engaging. Thankyou so much for your hard work.

[@RTFM]

Aw, thank YOU so much! That means a lot!

[@gamewise950]

@@RTFM you absolutely deserve it. I've watched a lot of videos and nothing comes close

[@godlessveteran2431]

This is very helpful! Thanks for making this!

[@rcwinter]

Like most, very well done and thought out. appreciate the occasional humor added:-) I dont worry about speed as can pause and back up so appreciate the faster pace. great video! thanks

[@RTFM]

Haha, much appreciated! I do try to slow my natural pace down a bit, but I get excited. Glad to hear it's not an issue for everyone.

[@MrChartrand]

Great job on this vid. Very easy to follow - thank you sir!

[@RTFM]

No problem! Glad I could help.

[@Sem5626]

i paused my solo campaign for a while and then the regret set in, this video was awesome to come back and do a quick skim through to make sure i remembered how to play still great stuff

[@RTFM]

Happy to help!

[@Andy_Quest]

Hey 👋🏼 just wanted to say thanks for the awesome content, love your channel. I just want every game released to pay you to make a ‘how to play’. 👊🏼 I’ve already bought three of the games I’ve seen in your vids and now I’m ordering Gloomhaven!

[@RTFM]

Thank you so much! I would also enjoy that, though maybe not EVERY game. Gotta sleep some time.

[@Theaaronf1927]

This game is insane! So many rules and so much detail

[@jeremyboughtono2]

There are many board games that make this look like snap.

[@sarahannferrigan]

Okay, so I read the rule book, watched the SU&SD review and playthrough, tried Scenario 1 with the rule book in my hand (solo), watched THIS video and finally feel like I have grasped it.

[@RTFM]

Haha, yeah it can definitely feel like that at the start. I promise that most things will get a lot easier after playing a few missions.

[@sarahannferrigan]

@@RTFM haha I'm counting on it. Thank you for the great instructions.

[@depotdevoid]

Thank you! Going to try this game next weekend I think and this really helps.

[@RTFM]

Good luck!

[@LordHorst]

Thank you so much for this video. Helped a great ton understanding the rules.

[@RTFM]

Glad I could help!

[@JScottGaribay]

Fantastic video. Super helpful for getting us up and running fast. Thank you very much.

[@RTFM]

No problem, glad I could help!

[@j.a.velarde5901]

- ANOTHER FLAWLESS VIDEO - Thank you guys. Wonderful work.

[@RTFM]

Thank you so much!

[@BlubberyChimp]

Great job bud! Keep up the good work.

[@RTFM]

Thanks! I'll try!

[@AlexandreOliveiraMCZ]

Man, excellent video, I'm just finishing Jaws of the Lion with my kids and we are about to embark into this greater world that is Gloomhaven, hopefully we will put a dent to it's campaign before Frosthaven arrives. Thanks for the video.

[@RTFM]

Glad I could help! Best of luck!

[@Luuute]

I reorganized everything today and in doing that i realized that its not as much stuff as I thoight, its just intimidating to look at right away

[@tysonbelko4358]

Great overview! Thank you.

[@timlewallen4986]

This is very well done sir. Subscribed!

[@kayakbrent]

I found this after listening to tgib, and you mentioned doing a walkthrough. Thank you. You just might have saved the most expensive paperweight I have ever owned.

[@RTFM]

Haha, glad I could help!

[@Frankzoar]

Great video, as always!

[@RTFM]

Thanks!

[@2532robh1]

Excellent. Can't believe I didn't discover you until now. Subscribed!

[@RTFM]

Thanks!

[@Darxandri]

Holy hell, you basically spared me from reading 50+ pages of manual and teaching it to my friends. xD Thanks a lot. Amazing and easy tutorial to follow. ;)

[@RTFM]

No problem, glad I could help!

[@ricdarn4356]

Amazing and really condensed guide!

[@jaspercreelle1332]

Damm you got talent to explain things, first video and already a fan

[@RTFM]

Thank you so much!

[@chuckchuckerson5364]

Thank you very much. I am playing this soon with some friends, and this was helpful.

[@RTFM]

No problem, glad I could help!

[@hemphikid1598]

Thanks for the good in depth information and not walking around the subjects. You helped me a lot.👍

[@RTFM]

No problem! Glad I could help.

[@jonasherman9195]

Very structured guide!! Thanks!

[@ItsBEASTLYtime]

Awesome explanation! Much appreciated

[@marshalsea000]

We gave up playing Gloomhaven (around about the time you made this video) as it just seemed too hard (we got 4 missions in) and the rules too silly, with us having to constantly having to "House Rule". Turns out the manual is a heap of junk. So many things we read multiple times and came to different opinions to here. This video is a godsend, and I'm looking at the shelf at that huge box thinking it's time to revisit the Gloom.

[@jdfields711]

Any updates?

[@BadKommentator]

Would like to know that, too.

[@marshalsea000]

Tainted Grail came out instead. But Jaws of the thingy arrived this weekend. We're going to finish off Tainted Grail and then start that one as a taster.

[@Klebsiella33]

Well explained and a great sense of humor. Subscribed!

[@RandyRhombus]

great video, learned a few things that we were doing wrong on our first attempts at the game.

[@RTFM]

Oh that happens for sure. I can't tell you how many things I used to do wrong that I found out about while writing the script for this.

[@chrisbang9438]

excellent teaching style, great review

[@RTFM]

Thanks!

[@matteberhardt1750]

Thank you for your video. Very helpful

[@mauroschiavo1926]

Thank you so much for your amazing review and for breaking this game down :D!

[@RTFM]

No problem, glad I could help!

[@pirs]

great vid, cant wait to play this

[@sklurgs6747]

Excellent video. Thank you very much

[@anonimoX3000]

Awesome video, many thanks!

[@hikaru99]

Thanks for the video! Very informative

[@seanmurray7720]

Excellent job! Thank you!

[@FurchtbaresGaming]

awesome video, it brought me right back on track after pausing playing for quite a while =)

[@RTFM]

Thanks, glad I could help!

[@AlexGorskov]

Amazing explanation! Greaaat stuff, man!

[@RTFM]

Thanks!

[@mrspank35]

Outstanding... and subscribed.

[@-41337]

concise video. much appreciated. top tier.

[@RTFM]

Thanks!