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November 2, 2009

Appeal of "Gloom" is clear

Cards modify one another without an exercise in mathematics

By Rick Teverbaugh, Herald Bulletin Sports Editor

It is hard to see exactly what makes the card game "Gloom" especially unique.

It is hard to see because it’s transparent. The cards in "Gloom" have a transparent quality that makes it easy for one card to modify another without it causing an exercise in mathematics. This can occasionally make the cards a bit more difficult than normal to shuffle.

"Over the production cycle of 'Gloom,' Atlas Games has worked with a number of different printers,” said the game’s designer Keith Baker. "Each printing has been an improvement over the one before. The current print run is durable and more legible than the ones that have come before. The cards can be very slippery when they are fresh out of the box, but after a deck has been used a few times, this becomes less of an issue."

True to its name, the theme and object of "Gloom" is not terribly uplifting but some appropriate for the Halloween season. Each player takes one of four families and the family members. The idea is to bring on as much hardship and misery upon that family as possible and then ultimately relieving them of that turmoil and sending them to hopefully a better place.

The game can be played in about an hour. Despite the rather unusual tone of this game, it has proven to be a hit and given rise to expansions for this expandable but not collectible game.

"'Gloom' is one of Atlas Games' three all-time best sellers, along with 'Once Upon a Time' and 'Lunch Money,'” said Michelle Newphew, who is production coordinator, among many other things for Atlas Games.

Each expansion for the game adds something to the gameplay.

"Each 'Gloom' expansion adds a new family, a new game mechanic, and a new mix of tragedies and triumphs,” said Baker.” The first expansion is Unhappy Homes. This adds locations and mysteries to the set. Each family has a location associated with it. Mysteries are special modifiers that can only be played onto locations, and only when certain conditions have been met. The next expansion is Unwelcome Guests. This adds the concept of guests: uncontrolled characters that move from family to family. Some are useful, like the black cat who brings bad luck to your family; others are troublesome, like that meddling kid who always shows up to investigate those untimely deaths. The third expansion is Unfortunate Expeditions. At any given time, one expedition is in play, and this adds a new rule that affects all players.”

There is a bright side to the game, well, sort of. There are cards representing good things that happen. So you play then on your foe’s family to decrease their misery and push that player’s team further away from winning.

There is still more "Gloom" to come.

“We just came out with the Unfortunate Expeditions expansion this summer, and we have ideas for expanding the line with more expansions and related projects, but haven't announced our next step yet,” said Nephew. “Keep an eye on atlas-games.com for more info.”

"Gloom" has 110 cards and sells for $24.95. Each of the three expansions adds 55 more cards and sells for $14.95.

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