Good day! Yesterday was pretty eventful, and I may not have gotten a lot of sleep, but here we are, a full week into the campaign, looking at close to $2.5 million raise, which is fabulous!

So in the few weeks leading up to the campaign, I got to travel down to LA and up to Seattle to oversee some game plays of the RPG and the board games from some heavy hitters like Penny Arcade and Good Time Society, and we finally got to show some of them off yesterday!

First off, we had a play of the RPG with Penny Arcade that I thought went very well. I'm biased of course, but I had a lot of fun both participating in it and watching it later, and I feel like it gives you a very good idea of how the game plays, in addition to all the ridiculous shenanigans we got up to.

We then followed that up by playing a custom Gloomhaven: Second Edition scenario with Good Time Society. This is a scenario that isn't actually included in the game - I made it special for this playthrough, and you can find a PDF of it here. Since the only enemies are Living Bones and Living Spirits, you could actually play it with the first edition of Gloomhaven or Frosthaven.

And that was enough streaming for the day, right? No, I guess not, because we also had Tabletop Minions painting more miniatures! Uncle Atom is finishing up the Algox Guard he started in the previous stream.

So what are we up to today? Well, we've got a panel discussion starting at 10am PST (very soon!) with myself, Price, and Liz and Richard from Folded Space to talk about design and producing foam inserts for big games like Frosthaven and Gloomhaven: Second Edition. If you have any questions for us or just want to listen to the chat, be sure to stop by!

We'll also be sharing a playthrough of the first scenario of Gloomhaven: Second Edition shot by Rage Badger Gaming, and featuring some of the star play testers from the game's development. That'll be at 2pm PST, and you can expect some great gameplay here, especially since I wasn't there to screw things up.

And finally! It wouldn't be Tuesday without a Fireside Chat! Join me at 4pm PST where I will have on some special guests who just came back from Origins - Chris Kessler, our booth manager; Alisandra Livingston, one of our RPG GMs; and Monica and Bill Paprocki, who head up the cosplay for Cephalofair. We'll get the scoop on everything that went down at Origins, and I'm sure my baby will interrupt at some point as well.

Oh, and of course, if you're looking for discussion on the latest Spellweaver puzzle, here's the BGG link for you.

                               

For the rest of this update, we invited Joe Homes from Satire - the teamed that helped with narrative and development on Jaws of the Lion and Frosthaven - to provide a summary of the main difference in the narrative between the two editions of Gloomhaven: the factions on the edge of war. Here's Joe:

One of the biggest new features in Gloomhaven: Second Edition is the revised Reputation system that underpins the power struggle bubbling beneath Gloomhaven’s surface. Instead of a single reputation track representing the party’s fame or infamy within the city, we now have three tracks, one for each of the main factions vying for domination in Gloomhaven. This isn’t just a rewrite: the scenario trees have been re-woven into a brand-new story that supports this new mechanic, adding exciting choices for players to forge alliances alongside a fun, engaging plot. The faction narrative in Gloomhaven: Second Edition is brand new content that will bring surprises even if you’ve already played through the first edition.

Isaac gave an overview of the new system here, but we think it’s worth expanding on how the new story’s focus on Gloomhaven’s factions makes the world—and the game—better. Along the way, we’ll answer some questions you’ve asked throughout this campaign.

Of the 60-plus scenarios for you to explore in the main campaign, almost half invite the heroes to make alliances, sabotage enemies, and support their friends in gaining control of Gloomhaven.

In the first edition, the map begins with a sticker reading “City Rule: Militaristic”. Gloomhaven is under the control of the Gloomhaven Council and its stalwart military, and that doesn’t change unless you do something about it.

In the second edition, however, we replaced that sticker with “An Uneasy Peace”. The Military, led by newly-introduced First Shield Harmon, is in control for now, but their grip on Gloomhaven is slipping, and the Merchants and Demons prepare to strike at the first sign of weakness. The storm clouds are gathering from the moment you start your campaign, and it will be up to our mercenary heroes to decide which faction will ultimately control Gloomhaven’s future.

“Why would I want to ally with Demons, again?” Fair question.

Let’s be real for a second: the factions in the first edition of Gloomhaven were pretty black and white. The Military were gleaming defenders of the walls, and the Merchants and Demons were Capital-B Bad-Guys.

With the new campaign’s focus on the power struggle within Gloomhaven, though, we have more time to get to know each faction—the good and the bad. As you strengthen your relationship with one faction, you’ll hear more about their side of the story—but the other two factions will also show up from time to time to warn you about your new allies’ dark side as well. For example:

No! 

If you don’t feel like getting embroiled in political intrigue, that’s cool. Working with the factions grants you special bonuses that might make your life easier, but you can complete the main campaign without ever dirtying your hands with Gloomhaven’s internal struggles.

And if you change your mind later, you can even return to resolve the conflict between the factions once your ultimate goal is complete. Gloomhaven’s problems don’t go away just because you saved the world.

Almost. You will have a long time to explore your options for alliances. Each faction grants your party benefits as they grow to trust you more. A mercenary with friends tends to live longer, and you can make nice with everyone... For a while.

But there are many heads, and only one “crown”. Ultimately the goal of each faction is to secure control of Gloomhaven, and eventually it will be up to you to tip the balance of power in one direction or another. When that happens, some paths will close forever, and others will open.  (Don’t worry about accidentally making the choice before you’re ready; your allies will warn you before you reach the point of no return.)

For the city of Gloomhaven? A lot. For the rest of the world? We’ll have to wait and see.

Although almost half of the main campaign addresses the turmoil within the city, there’s more going on in Casskia (and in Gloomhaven itself) than the struggle for power. The mercenaries will travel all over the wilds that surround Gloomhaven, and many of those places don’t know or care what’s happening behind Gloomhaven’s walls.

But once one faction succeeds in seizing power, you’ll see some permanent changes to your campaign, both mechanically and within the narrative. You’ll learn things about the world that become clear only in the aftermath of war, and you’ll find that your allies reserve their greatest rewards for only their most trusted friends. Eagle-eyed backers may have noticed there are three new envelopes included in Second Edition—one labeled for each faction. Wonder what that could be…

The mercenaries’ main objective lies beyond the politics in Gloomhaven, but making friends is never a bad thing—and if you help your allies achieve their ambitions, they will help you out in turn as you approach your own final trials.

This isn’t the only change to the narrative in Gloomhaven: Second Edition. There’s much more to learn about the true nature of your enemies, all-new events, and plenty of discoveries for your scrappy group of mercenaries.

But those who loved the original campaign narrative don’t need to worry; all your favorite characters are back, but better, deeper, and with more to offer the story as your adventure goes on. Our goal when re-working the narrative was to use a scalpel, not a sledgehammer—we wanted to preserve the spirit and tone that made the world of Gloomhaven so immersive in the first place. So even though this still resulted in significant changes in some places, others were left mostly untouched.

And, of course, the main campaign is only half of the content in the box. Dozens of other scenarios sprawl across the map (including several never-before-seen), unconnected to the main plot but offering no less opportunity for adventure (and treasure!).

At the end of the day, we understand that some Gloomhaven fans are interested mostly in the second edition because of the re-balanced classes or the expertly updated minis. But for those fans who want to sink their teeth into a fresh campaign story, who love to play not just on the map tiles but in the world around them, we think the updated narrative in Gloomhaven: Second Edition will let you look on Gloomhaven with new eyes as you journey through the wilds of Casskia.

                               

Marvelous! I think that's enough info for one day, so I'll leave you there. Have a great day!