Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion Review – All of the Strategy None of the Shelf Space

Since about two weeks ago, I’ve completed 5 of the 25 missions in Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. While I haven’t finished the campaign, I’ve wrapped up all the tutorial missions. The training wheels are off, and I’ve now seen much of what the game has to offer.

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion feels like an attempt to condense Dungeons & Dragons into a strategic board game that tactical gamers can sink their teeth into. Expect to encounter familiar concepts like initiative, advantage and disadvantage, difficult terrain, and more.

And then there’s the story: a plot you’ve likely heard a thousand times. You’re part of a band of mercenaries on a mission to track down a missing blacksmith. Along the way, you’ll brawl with local pests and cultists for scraps of information, only to uncover that nothing is as it seems.

How to play

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion packs 25 scenarios into its box, though its branching paths mean you’ll probably finish around 15 in a single playthrough. Each scenario has a unique objective, and while you won’t always be “punching bad guys,” rest assured – there’s plenty of bad-guy punching to go around.

Before the action kicks off, you’ll choose a class, each equipped with a miniature, a custom ability card deck, and unique upgrade options as you level up.

Within a scenario, players start of each round, simultaneously selecting two cards from their decks. Each card has two abilities: one on the top half and another on the bottom, along with an initiative value that determines turn order. You’ll pick one of these cards to set your initiative.

After everyone’s chosen their cards, characters (both players and enemies) take turns in initiative order. On your turn, you’ll activate the top ability of one card and the bottom ability of the other, discarding both afterward. Didn’t use an ability on a card? Too bad – it doesn’t trigger, so planning ahead is key.

As you progress through the scenario, attacking foes and completing objectives, you’ll eventually need to rest to recover your spent cards.

Resting, however, comes at a cost: you’ll permanently lose one card for the rest of the scenario. If you exhaust your deck to the point that you can’t complete a turn, your character is removed from play.

If your entire party exhausts, it’s game over.

Survive, though, and the spoils are sweet: experience to level up, pick up gear from the local merchant, and encounter town events to shake up the story.

More than a lick of paint

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is the streamlined, beginner-friendly sibling of the original Gloomhaven. It takes the sprawling rules, epic setting, and engaging story of its predecessor and packages them into something more affordable, approachable, and shelf-space-friendly.

It’s an ideal introduction to what many call the 3rd best board game of all time (at the time of this writing).

The game fully embraces its role as an entry point to the series. The first five scenarios double as a tutorial, breaking down Gloomhaven‘s complexities into digestible pieces. This step-by-step approach welcomes newcomers without overwhelming them – though by the end of the tutorial, you’ll still find there’s plenty to strategize and manage.

Setup is another area where Jaws of the Lion shines. The Scenario Book replaces the modular tile system, so instead of assembling a map like a jigsaw puzzle, you just flip to the right page and start playing. Combined with component trays and character boxes, it’s a breeze to get on the table compared to its big-box predecessor.

Once you’re playing, Gloomhaven‘s reputation for tight card-driven combat and strategic depth quickly becomes apparent. Each round, you select two cards but can only use one action from each. This creates constant tension, as every choice feels like a trade-off.

The inclusion of one-time use cards ramps up the stakes even further. Deciding when to play these powerful abilities without prematurely depleting your deck is a challenge that’s as rewarding as it is agonising. (Full disclosure: as someone who hoards RPG potions “just in case,” I’m particularly prone to over-thinking this.)

This decision-making ties directly to the game’s central clock: your deck. Run out of cards, and your character is done. This natural attrition forces careful planning, especially with one-time abilities, as mismanagement can hasten defeat.

By blending streamlined mechanics with the same rich, strategic gameplay that made its predecessor famous, Jaws of the Lion isn’t just a great introduction to Gloomhaven – it’s a standout game in its own right.

Diverse roles and deep decisions

The four classes in Jaws of the Lion each have a distinct role to play, making them feel unique and essential to the team. I played as Boomer Johnson, a Demolitionist who excels in melee combat and blowing up rocks to create new paths.

There’s also, the Red Guard, a tank focused on shielding and soaking up damage. The Voidwarden manipulates positioning and heals, while Hatchet dishes out absurd damage and gleefully steals all the loot.

These unique approaches to the game, as well as complex abilities push Jaws of the Lion toward the Spirit Island approach to cooperative game design. Each class has so much to consider that it’s impossible to micromanage everyone’s turns.

This elegantly prevents quarter-backing – where one player dominates the game by dictating everyone else’s actions – while keeping every player engaged with their own character’s decisions.

That’s not to say cooperation is absent – it just operates on a broader, more strategic level.

And that’s a relief, because while helping your team achieve the scenario objective, you’ll often be juggling personal goals.

Many of your ability cards offer bonus experience points for pulling off specific actions, like attacking enemies against a wall, or taking X amount of damage. These encourage you to take risks or pursue individual plays.

On top of that, every scenario begins with a secret personal objective. Completing three of these unlocks permanent buffs for your character for the campaign, making them well worth the effort – even when they push you into situations that conflict with the team’s goals.

Even without these extra challenges, Jaws of the Lion’s card play alone is some of the best I’ve encountered. But with them your decisions are so multifaceted that even with the same scenario, no two players are likely to approach it the same way.

Adding to this depth is the game’s rewarding sense of progression. Without spoiling too much, there’s a wealth of customisation options available as you level up your character. Each class has a defined role, but you can tailor your character’s abilities to suit your personal playstyle, making every campaign feel uniquely yours.

The story, the magic, and the joy of streamlining

When we played Jaws of the Lion, we used the Forteller app, which (for a small fee) adds professional voice acting to narrate the game’s story beats. This feature elevated the experience far beyond what we’d have managed with one of us stumbling through the booklet.

Especially since everything sounds less epic when delivered in my Australian accent.

That said, even with Forteller’s polished narration, the story hasn’t fully captured my imagination yet. There are standout moments – dry humor that gets a chuckle and some genuinely squirm-inducing body horror with accompanying sound effects. But the overarching narrative treads familiar fantasy ground, keeping things moving but without the unique spark that could make it unforgettable.

Another thing to note: this game gets busy. Between traps, enemies, objectives, and player actions, the board often feels packed with things to manage. Juggling all of this while ensuring the mechanics stay smooth can get overwhelming – especially once magic enters the picture in Scenario 4.

Speaking of magic, it’s been underwhelming so far. The few available spells don’t add much to the gameplay, and the extra bookkeeping feels like more hassle than it’s worth at this stage. Maybe it becomes more impactful later as the characters become more powerful, but for now, it feels tacked on rather than essential.

Despite these minor issues, I finally understand why Gloomhaven fans proudly haul around its massive box. The gameplay in Jaws of the Lion is phenomenal, and this streamlined version makes it so much more approachable.

Sadly, my gaming group’s schedule means this campaign is on hold for the foreseeable future. But even if we don’t get to finish it, the five or six hours we’ve already played have been an absolute blast. Some of the best board gaming I’ve played all year.