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The famed Jaws of the Lion are known around Gloomhaven for their mishmash of wisecrack brawlers that would gladly make sacrifices to protect its streets - for the right price. Join the team on their perilous quest below the city as they unravel the mystery of some very peculiar murders.
Why a smaller Gloomhaven?
Whilst if is certainly a smaller and cheaper game than Gloomhaven, it should not be misunderstood as a small game in general. This standalone set comes with a story spanning 25 unique scenarios that can differ from the choices that you make in game, four new characters each with their own skill set and proficiencies that can be levelled up to unlock better abilities, many different types of monster, a map board that is changed with stickers as you progress through the campaign, and so much more Gloomhaven in general. Jaws of the Lion serves as an introduction to newer Gloomhaven players with a more manageable set up, play and teardown time - and in a significantly smaller (and lighter!) box. However the learn to play guide included is certainly the most learner friendly inclusion in Jaws, supplying scenarios which build on the rules as you play and includes references and reminders to rules that may be easy to forget when playing. This is used in conjunction with tutorial cards, easy to interpret cards used as the players action that include bubbles of text to further explain you how certain special effects may work and what certain symbols mean. The maps themselves are also a lot more user friendly, in the form of a scenario book, including on a page spread the map and any rules, objectives and story that are unique to the scenario. This makes the set up and tear down element of the game so much quicker compared to that of the piecing what feels like hundreds of miniature tiles together in the original game.
Is this game just for beginners?
The long and short of it is no! After the five introductory scenarios, the game plays just like the rest in the franchise, allowing you to use your Jaws of the Lion characters in other Gloomhaven titles and having events occur in between scenarios, such as some flavour text about the group's time around the city followed by decisions made by players that can determine outcomes, or shopping for items that can be unlocked after completing levels. This set seems to be great for anybody getting back into Gloomhaven or perhaps want to get others interested in the game.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Jaws of the Lion is identical to Gloomhaven, where each player places a pair of cards denoting their action and plays in order of whoever's card has the highest initiative. As is similar in other Gloomhaven games, Jaws of the Lion is most fun when played with 3-4 players as the rule set is designed so that every player can combo off of one another and strategically use their numbers to position themselves in the most beneficial ways possible (e.g. attacker at the front, healer behind them and long range at the back). This is naturally harder to do with smaller player counts as not all roles can be fulfilled so the wrong combination of characters can lead to a very hard time. The game does combat this by reducing the number of enemies and their power for less players and it is still extremely fun, however nothing is quite like butchering hordes of enemies as a complete team!
Components
Saying this game had a lot of components is an understatement! In fact the first thing you are greeted with is a separate sheet underlining how to pop out and organise all of the cardboard tokens in the game. Granted, this half an hour investment makes for an efficient setup time. These tokens include, conditions, traps, coins and every enemy you will encounter. The only models in this game are the four playable characters in the game, which are all well detailed and diverse sculpts. Along with these come a scenario book and a companion guide, as well as a learn to play book and a glossary guide. The set also features hundreds of cards varying from character decks to shop items. You are certainly getting your moneys worth of stuff here.
Final thoughts
In conclusion Jaws of the Lion cannot be beaten in terms of an introduction to the Gloomhaven setting and heavier RPGs in general, being a must have in my collection for certain!
