Gloomhaven vs Frosthaven vs Jaws of the Lion: Start Here

Gloomhaven vs Frosthaven is a comparison between two of the biggest boxes in the hobby, and anyone asking it should add a third name: Jaws of the Lion. All three are Isaac Childres’ tactical campaign games, published by Cephalofair, with the same core system of card-driven combat and a story that unfolds over dozens of sessions. They differ in size, price, difficulty, and how kindly they treat a new player.

The short answer is that almost everyone should start with Jaws of the Lion. The rest of this article explains why, when the bigger boxes are the right call, and what you are committing to with each.

How does the Gloomhaven system work?

All three games share the same engine, so one explanation covers them.

Each player controls a mercenary with a hand of ability cards. On your turn you choose two cards; one card’s top half and the other’s bottom half become your actions, usually an attack and a move, though cards do many other things. Each card also carries an initiative number, and the card you lead with sets when you act relative to the monsters, who act on their own cards drawn each round.

Used cards go to a discard pile, and you can rest to get them back, but each rest permanently loses one card. Your hand shrinks over the scenario. Run out of cards and your character is exhausted. The result is a timer: you have a limited number of turns to complete the scenario’s objective before you simply cannot continue. Monsters are run by the game, not a player, which is why the whole thing is cooperative.

Between scenarios you buy items, gain experience, level up, pick new cards, work toward a personal quest, and eventually retire your character and open an envelope with a new one inside. That retirement cycle is the long-term hook.

Gloomhaven vs Frosthaven vs Jaws of the Lion: the side-by-side

Specs are from the publisher’s product pages for Jaws of the Lion, Gloomhaven 2nd edition, and Frosthaven; prices as listed in October 2026 and subject to change. Playtimes are publisher ranges; experienced groups report the low end and new groups the high end.

Why does Jaws of the Lion win for beginners?

Three reasons.

It teaches itself. Jaws of the Lion ships with a learn-to-play booklet that introduces rules one scenario at a time. The first scenario uses a fraction of the system. By the fifth, you are playing the full game and never read a rulebook cover to cover. Gloomhaven and Frosthaven hand you a thick rulebook and expect you to read it.

It is small. Scenarios are printed directly in a spiral-bound book instead of built from map tiles. Setup takes minutes instead of a quarter of an hour. The box fits on a shelf. The price is a third of Gloomhaven’s.

It is finishable. Twenty-five scenarios is a real campaign a regular group can complete in a few months. Gloomhaven’s hundred-plus scenarios is a year or more of weekly play, and many groups never finish. There is a particular satisfaction in reaching the end of a story, and Jaws of the Lion delivers it.

The cost is variety. Four characters, no retirement cycle to speak of, and a shorter story. Every one of those four characters is well designed, and the campaign is well paced, but if you fall in love with the system, you will want more.

When is the full Gloomhaven the right first buy?

When you already know you want the long version and you have the group to support it.

Gloomhaven’s second edition, released in May 2025, revised scenarios, classes, and other systems based on years of player feedback while keeping the setting. It has the largest roster of the three, eighteen classes with twelve of them locked behind retirement, and the retirement envelope is one of the best surprises in the hobby. The campaign is long and mostly linear with branches, and the city of Gloomhaven itself grows in small ways as you play.

Buy it first if you have a group of three or four who already play heavy games weekly and have finished a campaign game before. Otherwise buy Jaws of the Lion, finish it, and then decide. Characters and rules carry over conceptually, and the weight jump is smaller once the core system is second nature.

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When is Frosthaven the right first buy?

Almost never, and that is not an insult to the game.

Frosthaven is the deepest and most ambitious of the three. On top of the scenario combat, you manage an outpost: building structures, gathering resources, surviving winters, and making decisions between scenarios that change the campaign. Seventeen new characters, about 138 scenarios, puzzles woven into the campaign, and a story that responds to what your group does.

It is also the most demanding. Scenarios run longer, the outpost phase adds half an hour between them, and the box is enormous. It assumes you already understand the combat system and layers more on top. For a group that has finished Gloomhaven or Jaws of the Lion and wants the biggest version, it is the obvious next step. For a group that has never played, it is a lot of money to spend on something that may sit on a shelf.

If you are drawn to it for the theme, buy it second. It will still be there.

Which one works best solo and at two?

All three play solo and at two, and the system handles both well because monsters are automated. At one or two players you control two characters each, or play two-handed, which adds a little bookkeeping. Many of the hobby’s most devoted Gloomhaven players are solo players who run the whole campaign alone, and the solo games guide owes them a nod.

Jaws of the Lion is the easiest solo on-ramp because the setup is light. Frosthaven is the most rewarding and most demanding.

What are you committing to?

Be honest with your group before buying any of these. A campaign game needs the same people at the table for months. If your group’s attendance is irregular, the campaign stalls, and a stalled Gloomhaven box is an expensive piece of furniture.

A practical test: has this group finished a long campaign before, or played the same game weekly for three months? If yes, any of the three works. If no, Jaws of the Lion is the only one of the three you should risk, and it is also a fair test of whether the group has the habit.

Verdict: which Haven should you start with?

Buy Jaws of the Lion if:

• You have never played the system. This is nearly everyone.
• You want a campaign you can actually finish.
• You want to spend under a hundred dollars to find out whether you love it.
• Your shelf space or table space is limited.

Buy Gloomhaven if:

• Your group has finished a campaign game before and plays weekly.
• You want the biggest character roster and the retirement cycle.
• You know you want a year-long story and have the people for it.

Buy Frosthaven if:

• You have already finished Gloomhaven or Jaws of the Lion and want more.
• Your group enjoys management and building between fights, not just the fights.
• You have a big table, a big shelf, and a regular night.

Do not buy Gloomhaven and Frosthaven together as a first purchase. They are not two halves of one thing. They are two years of gaming. Start with the small box, play through it, and let the group decide what it wants next.

FAQ

Is Jaws of the Lion the same game as Gloomhaven?

Same core system, smaller scope. Jaws of the Lion is a 25-scenario prequel with four characters and a built-in tutorial. Gloomhaven is the full campaign with over a hundred scenarios and eighteen characters.

Do I need Gloomhaven to play Frosthaven?

No. Frosthaven is a standalone game. It assumes some familiarity with the system but includes everything needed to play.

Can you play Gloomhaven solo?

Yes. All three games support solo play by controlling two characters. Monsters are run by the game, so nothing is lost without other players.

How long does it take to finish Gloomhaven?

The publisher lists 101 scenarios at one to two hours each, so a group that plays weekly and finishes most of the campaign is looking at a year or more. Jaws of the Lion’s 25 scenarios, five of them a built-in tutorial, take a few months at one session a week.

One table, one night a week

The game is the reason. The people are the point. A campaign game is a standing appointment with the same people for months, which is the most valuable thing a board game can give you. For new short pieces on building that habit, with news from the Indianapolis lounge as it opens, subscribe to The Ludarium newsletter.

Sources

• Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, Cephalofair: https://cephalofair.com/products/gloomhaven-jaws-of-the-lion
• Gloomhaven 2nd Edition, Cephalofair: https://cephalofair.com/products/gloomhaven-board-game-2nd-edition
• Frosthaven, Cephalofair: https://cephalofair.com/products/frosthaven-bundles
• Gloomhaven, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloomhaven