When I first saw Gloom years ago it never appealed to me, but as age and general misery now follow me around, I thought I’d give it a go. When I opened the pack I was shocked to find transparent cards, which is (honestly) the first time I had ever touched such things, but it makes the game look really cool (No; you can’t see what your opponents got).
The games basic goal is to make your five member family, of which there are four to choose, as miserable as they can be and then kill them. Each negative, or positive, pathos point builds up, but only counts when your family member dies. The family with the lowest pathos amount when the game, finally, ends wins. Living members don’t count, so its important that yours are dead first, as when a total family member is dead, the game is over.
This game is currently designed for between two & four players, and due to the number of varying methods of winning, each game is unique. What makes this game more interesting is the storytelling aspect, which creates a new dimension with Gloom. Rather than just playing a card, each one has a differing title, and no two cards are the same. So one minute your madly in love and the next you’ve been mauled by a creature, this is done with the idea of creating a story. You can either play it as a standard game, or create an interesting and funny story as you go along.
It is a simple game, so far each time I have played it no game has taken more than thirty minutes from start to finish. However with four expansions for Gloom alone (one of which I own) and a Cthulhu version with a single expansion, there are plenty of extras to make this game last longer, both in individual game length, and shelf life.
A great little game, especially around the halloween time of year, or for those who want something different and a little grizzly.