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Cthulhu Gloom
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Purchase options and add-ons
Age Range (Description) | All |
Number of Players | 4 |
Brand | Atlas Games |
Theme | Game |
Material | Plastic |
About this item
- For 2-4 players
- Takes about an hour to play
- The first player to meet a Story card's conditions - e.g., drawing the attention of The King in Yellow or heeding The Call of Cthulhu - claims the card and gains its benefits (or drawbacks)
- Transformation cards mutate a character for the remainder of the game, no matter which modifiers might come its way later
Additional Details
Frequently bought together
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Product information
Product Dimensions | 5.2 x 3.8 x 1 inches |
---|---|
Item Weight | 2.2 pounds |
ASIN | 1589781244 |
Item model number | AG1330 |
Manufacturer recommended age | 15 - 15 years |
Best Sellers Rank | #246,490 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games) #8,056 in Board Games (Toys & Games) |
Customer Reviews |
4.7 out of 5 stars |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Release date | July 26, 2011 |
Manufacturer | Flat River Group |
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Product Description
Product Description
From Dunwich to Innsmouth, from the halls of Miskatonic University to the Charles Dexter Ward at Arkham Asylum, trouble is in the air. The stars are almost right, and terrors from beyond space and time are beginning to break through. When Cthulhu rises, we're all doomed -- but whose downfall will be the most entertaining?In Cthulhu Gloom, you control a group of Lovecraftian protagonists and guide them down a path of horror and madness to an untimely death, while keeping your opponents happy, healthy, and annoyingly alive. While your characters Gibber With Ghouls and Learn Loathsome Lore to earn negative points, you'll encourage your opponents to be Analyzed by Alienists and to Just Forget About the Fungus to pile on positive points. When one group finally falls prey to the interdimensional doom that awaits us all, the player whose characters have suffered the most wins. Cthulhu Gloom is printed on transparent plastic cards. Multiple Modifier cards can be played on top of the same Character card; since the cards are transparent, elements from previously played Modifier cards either show through or are obscured by those played above them. You can immediately and easily see the point value of every character, no matter how many Modifiers they have piled on. Cthulhu Gloom is a stand-alone card game that's also fully compatible with Gloom and its expansions. It introduces Story cards and Transformation cards. One or more Story cards can be placed face up on the table at the start of the game; the first player to meet the conditions of a card -- drawing the attention of The King in Yellow or heeding The Call of Cthulhu, for example -- can claim it and gain the benefits it lists. Transformation cards have ongoing effects that remain with a character throughout his life, along with a picture that replaces the character's original art with something hideous and slimy; when you've Felt Rather Fishy or been Minced by Mi-Go, the squamous results aren't easily forgotten!
From the Manufacturer
From Dunwich to Innsmouth from the halls of Miskatonic University to the Charles Dexter Ward at Arkham Asylum trouble is in the air. The stars are almost right and terrors from beyond space and time are beginning to break through. When Cthulhu rises we're all doomed - but whose downfall will be the most entertaining? In Cthulhu Gloom you control a group of Lovecraftian protagonists and guide them down a path of horror and madness to an untimely death - while keeping your opponents happy healthy and annoyingly alive. When one group finally falls prey to the interdimensional doom that awaits us all the player whose characters have suffered the most wins. Fully compatible with Gloom and its expansions Cthulhu Gloom features new Story and Transformation cards that introduce new mechanics and actions to the game.
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Safety Information
Not for Children under 3 yrs old
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the fun, quality, ease of use, and novel aspects of the tabletop game. They mention that it's a fun spin-off to regular Gloom, the cards are built to last and very nicely designed. That said, some are mixed on the card format.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the game to be fun. They mention that it's a spin-off to regular Gloom, with some funky cards. The game adds a great new dimension and fun to the original. Some customers also like the clear card format and the good game play. Overall, customers are happy with the quality and the stand-alone game.
"...Will boring people tolerate this super fun game?Yes. You will be surprised by the creative sides of your non-heavy-gamer friends...." Read more
"This is a wonderfully fun card game to play with creative friends!We love all of the Gloom decks we have had the chance to play with...." Read more
"...These are fun, but the real enjoyment comes from the main aspects of play - so, if you like Gloom and you like Lovecraft, you'll like this!..." Read more
"This is such a fun and unique game. Easy to learn and play. Definitely recommend it for yourself or as a gift." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the quality of the game. They mention that the cards are built to last, have nice graphics, and the flavor text on the cards is great. The clear plastic cards are a great feature of the product, and they are spill proof. Overall, customers are happy with the product's quality and the game play.
"...a complicated board, and there are so many intriguing words and cunning drawings, you just can't help but want to be a good sport...." Read more
"...The art is great, the game itself will give you hours and hours of play." Read more
"...The artwork and the layout of the cards is very nice, the cards themselves are sturdy plastic so they will resist bending...." Read more
"...The cards are built to last and very nicely designed...." Read more
Customers find the game easy to use and recommend it for its ease of learning and play.
"Can I play this game with different types of people? Is it easy to teach/learn?..." Read more
"This is such a fun and unique game. Easy to learn and play. Definitely recommend it for yourself or as a gift." Read more
"...The rules of the game are fairly simple to understand, and once you begin playing you catch on quite quickly...." Read more
"The game mechanics are delightfully simple, and the art on the cards and flavor text are very evocative...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the novel. They mention that it is an enjoyable and novel experience, with a new and exciting story being told. The clear card format also makes the story telling more in depth.
"...because no matter how many times I play it I feel like a new and exciting story is told...." Read more
"...It is enjoyable and novel as a result of the clear card format. The art is interesting and the flavor text on teh cards is great...." Read more
"...It certainly makes the story telling more in depth." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the text of the game. They mention the delightfully crazy text that accompanies each card, and the flavor text on the cards is great.
"...The texts give a great springboard to the players who want to create a twisted, usually goofy, fun storyline for their families full of..." Read more
"...The art is interesting and the flavor text on teh cards is great. I recommend...." Read more
"...are delightfully simple, and the art on the cards and flavor text are very evocative...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the card format of the game. Some appreciate the clear card format and the transparency of the cards, while others complain about the printing issues and the cards not overlapping properly.
"...The game is also well-constructed. Each card is printed on transparent plastic, and I've seen no wear in a few months of playing...." Read more
"...My only complaint is there was a printing issue with our cards and they don't overlap properly and some cards are cut off at the bottom, otherwise I..." Read more
"...I like the transparency of the cards. The plastic makes it difficult to keep them from sliding though. Great 2 player game!" Read more
"...Bought it as a early B-day present, and when we opened it had printing mistakes...." Read more
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Gloom is not a hard game to pick up and play, but it has a lot of shifting elements to keep track of, so it becomes quite intricate. I believe this poses as much or as little a problem as you choose to make of it. Some players are going to be better at keeping track of the layers of effects, both cancelled and persistent under stacks of cards. Others are going to feel like they are constantly losing track of what's going on, even within their own family. My feeling is: live in the moment, build a story, toy with your opponents, and if a few things slip through the cracks, so much the better. It is the world of H.P. Lovecraft, after all. Some chaos, deception, and mislaid fragments are only fitting.
Sometimes it's confusing what the card wants you to do. It's best to have a relaxed attitude about this, too. The longer you play, the less confused you will feel. But in the beginning, don't get too hung up on playing flawlessly.
Do you have to have to know who H.P. Lovecraft is to play this game?
No. Here's how it is. If you don't know anything about H.P. Lovecraft, not only will you not get the jokes, but some words will be complete gobbledegook. For instance, say you played the card "Said 'Hastur' Thrice" or "Matriculated at Miskatonic." What story would you make up about Hastur or Miskatonic, if you had no idea of their Lovecraftian significance? Well, all kinds of things, really. If you have a high enough vocabulary to make some logical inferences*, the stories you come up with are going to be even more amusing than those of the H.P. Lovecraft fans, who might feel enslaved by a duty to be 'correct.' If your knowledge of Lovecraft lore is very good, every card will make you grin, and it will be easier to invent stories than when playing regular Gloom, because you get to build upon a framework of stories that already exists. And the completely inappropriate improvised yarns of the non-Lovecraftian gamers, will make you giggle even more. So, it's actually quite a lot of fun to play with a mix of people. Which, is presumably the way everyone plays, as I'm sure the percentage of the population who only hangs out with others who worship Cthulhu is pretty rare.
*If you don't have sufficient vocabulary to infer or invent an appropriate meaning for the gobbledegook words, you will end up making up some pretty silly sounding story contributions. But you're still going to be able to master gameplay, so it will be fine.
Will boring people tolerate this super fun game?
Yes. You will be surprised by the creative sides of your non-heavy-gamer friends. There's something about this game that makes people feel like they are on a fun adventure, loosening them up and inspiring them to be experimental. It's a deck of cards, versus a complicated board, and there are so many intriguing words and cunning drawings, you just can't help but want to be a good sport. Maybe give them a beer, if necessary.
We love all of the Gloom decks we have had the chance to play with. Cthulhu Gloom seems to be the favorite (though it is difficult to say for sure since we play our games with all the cards mixed together). I also own the Gloom basic set and the newest, Unpleasant Dreams deck (Unwelcome Guests is on the way).
While the basic Gloom set presents several cards that can be used as purely beneficial or detrimental for players, we have found that the Cthulhu Gloom double deck focuses much more on a feeling of helplessness. This is accomplished by balancing most of the cards' beneficial traits with other traits that could very easily serve as a hindrance as well. For instance, a card might offer a large boon in points, but reduces the number of cards the player can draw each round. There are many other balances as well. Not to mention the delightfully crazy text that accompanies each card. The texts give a great springboard to the players who want to create a twisted, usually goofy, fun storyline for their families full of oddities.
I feel that this is perfectly in line with H. P. Lovecraft's literature. In most of Lovecraft's tales, the reader is subjected to horrors that cannot be overcome by mere mortal humans. The best one can hope for is a temporary escape from doom. This is exactly how the Cthulhu Gloom deck feels. In our games, we are constantly taking a few moments to weigh our decisions. Frequently, our players will suddenly state "I don't really want to play any of these cards!" Of course, these statements are accompanied by huge grins and the feeling of "darned if you do, darned if you don't."
The last thing I would like to assure potential purchasers of is that you do not have to know the first thing about H. P. Lovecraft to enjoy playing this game. In our group, I am the only one who has read much of his works. Granted, the in-jokes and allusions to Lovecraftian writings make this game a lot more fun if you already know Lovecraft's work. However, the bizarre, seemingly unintelligible things these cards present serve to be all that more fascinating to players who do not know of Lovecraft's writings. In fact, every time I play this game, someone else states that they are dying to read his stories. (No pun intended) :)
Enjoy this card game! It is weird and not super-easy to learn at first, but it is a blast once you catch on and start playing.
If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, congratulations! This game is for you!
Cthulu Gloom plays almost identically to its base game, Gloom. In each, you're given a family of characters and tasked with the goal of making them as miserable as possible before, eventually, killing them off. To do so, players use Modifier Cards that add or subtract points from each character - for instance, a character can be Menaced by Mice, reducing their total point value. You want to get your characters to the lowest point value you can (i.e. make them as miserable as possible) before playing a death cards to kill them off. At the same time, you want to try to make other players' characters as happy as possible. You do this by giving them positive modifiers whenever you have them. The first player to kill off all of his/her characters ends the game, but the win goes to the player with the lowest score.
Cthulu Gloom also adds Story Cards (additional goals to fulfill for extra benefits) and Transformation Cards (lasting effects and new character art). These are fun, but the real enjoyment comes from the main aspects of play - so, if you like Gloom and you like Lovecraft, you'll like this! You can combine it with the base game, but we like to keep ours as a separate stand alone. It's good either way.
The game is also well-constructed. Each card is printed on transparent plastic, and I've seen no wear in a few months of playing.
And, while it sounds macabre . . . well, it is. But it's also a lot of silly fun!
Top reviews from other countries
Las cartas son de plástico transparente y liso, así que puede ser una odisea mezclarlas sin que salgan volando con cualquier brisa, y se puede volver a jugar 2 o 3 veces más sin que se repitan las tiradas (evidentemente, entre más jugadores mejor).
With the added bonus of a Cthulhu setting.
I haven't had a chance to make a video of what's in the pack yet, but if you look at my review of the Original Gloom Card Game , you'll have a fair idea, because this game is very similar.
You can learn the rules in under a minute, and it's great fun to play. Players start with a family/team of five cards, and the object is to ensure that your own team endure the worst horrors (thereby gaining the lowest scores) and then meet an untimely and unnatural end while thoroughly miserable.
Conversely, you'll try to make sure your opponents family members die as happy and untraumatised as possible.
The game mechanics, while very simple, are a stroke of genius - and are the reason the cards are printed on transparent plastic. And there are enough 'event' cards and twists to keep the game interesting.
If you've never heard of HP Lovecraft (er, WHY are you reading this?), then many of the Dire Events will make no sense to you, and you might be better off with the original Gloom.
But if you have a passing acquaintance with the Lovecraft Mythos, you'll feel right at home! Great fun!
Jeder Spieler erhält Charaktere einer bestimmten Familie oder Gruppe, die mit dem Chtulhu-Mythos zusammenhängen oder in einer von Lovecrafts Geschichten erwähnt werden. Ziel ist es nun, am Ende die meisten Wahnsinnigen in seiner Charaktergruppe zu haben. Das erreicht man, indem man z.B. Mitspielern sabottiert und nette "Ereigniskarten" wie ein spontanes Treffen der großen Liebe oder anderes einem fremden Charakter "unterjubelt". Hierdurch wird es ihrem Charakter erst einmal besser gehen und der Wahnsinn weicht.... Gleichzeitig versucht man die eigenen Charaktere - ganz Lovecraft - ins Unglück zu stürzen oder mit dem Mythos in Kontakt zu bringen.
Das Spiel ist im Ganzen noch etwas komplizierter und durchaus strategisch angelegt, macht aber viel Spaß (sofern man dem Makaberen etwas abgewinnen kann). Die Karten sind aus bedrucktem durchsichtigem Plastik, was einerseits sehr wertig und stabil ist und andererseits Sinn macht, da man so bei jeder neuen Karte, die man auf einen eigenen oder fremden Charakter legt, immer noch den aktuellen Stand erkennen kann.
Voraussetzung für Spielspaß:
1. sollte man einigermaßen Englisch können
2. sollte man Mythos-Fan sein, da man so die vielen kleinen Details besser würdigen kann.
Ein weiterer Pluspunkt: Sollte - wie leider bei uns - eine Karte fehlen, kann man problemlos über den Verlag eine neue bekommen. Wir waren überrascht wie nett und unkompliziert der Kontakt war..der schnellstmöglich nachgesendeten Karte lag sogar noch ein kleiner persönlicher Gruß bei.