Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs

To set up Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs, first select a scenario from the scenario book. Then, assemble the map tiles as indicated by the scenario, placing any specified terrain features, doors, and objective tokens. Each player chooses a character and sets up their character board, drawing their starting hand of ability cards. Monster standees are placed according to the scenario, and their corresponding monster ability cards and stat sheets are prepared. Finally, place any necessary tokens like damage, status effects, or element tokens within reach.

The primary objective in Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs is to complete the specific goals outlined in the chosen scenario. These objectives often involve defeating all monsters in certain rooms, reaching a particular location on the map, interacting with specific tokens, or protecting certain characters or objects. Players must work cooperatively to achieve these goals before their characters become exhausted or the scenario's special loss conditions are met.

A round in Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs consists of several phases. First, players secretly choose two ability cards from their hand to play, selecting one for its top action and the other for its bottom action. They also choose one of these cards to determine their initiative for the round. Next, initiative order is revealed, and characters and monsters act in ascending order of initiative. When a character acts, they perform the top action of one chosen card and the bottom action of the other, in any order. After all characters and monsters have acted, players discard or lose played cards, manage elements, and draw back up to their hand limit.

Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs does not feature a traditional scoring system. Instead, the game is a cooperative experience where success is measured by the completion of the chosen scenario's objectives. If the players successfully meet all scenario objectives, they win. If all characters become exhausted, or if a specific scenario loss condition is met, the players lose. Progress is tracked through the campaign, unlocking new scenarios and character abilities rather than accumulating points.

The game concludes when one of two conditions is met: either the players successfully complete all the objectives of the current scenario, resulting in a victory, or all player characters become exhausted, or a specific scenario-loss condition is triggered, leading to a defeat. Upon victory, players gain experience, gold, and potentially unlock new items or scenarios, advancing their campaign. If defeated, players may choose to retry the scenario or return to Gloomhaven to rest and prepare for another attempt.