I convinced three coworkers to try Gloomhaven. “It’s like D&D but with a board!” I said.
The rules teach took an hour and fifteen minutes. I could see their souls leaving their bodies. One asked if we could “just play Monopoly instead.”
We didn’t finish. We played Codenames instead. But I’m wondering — is Gloomhaven just fundamentally not a first hobby game?
The setup alone is a 45-minute ordeal. Teaching Gloomhaven to non-gamers is like teaching calculus before someone has learned addition.
This is why gateway games exist! Ticket to Ride -> Azul -> Everdell -> maybe Scythe -> THEN consider Gloomhaven.
My first game was Twilight Imperium and I turned out fine. (I didn't turn out fine. I own 200 games now.)
The trick is to play the first scenario with pre-built hands and just explain things as they come up. Context teaches better than explanation.
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