Game: Gloom: Unhappy Homes

Thread: Re: Is anyone else's Unhappy Homes set all messed up?

mttbstrd666 — 2008-06-26T23:31:51+00:00

Thanks. I'll try that.

Thread: Re: Is anyone else's Unhappy Homes set all messed up?

chuckimus — 2008-06-26T12:00:52+00:00

I had a problem some time ago with major scuffs right out of the packs on the base game. I sent an email to info@atlas-games.com and they corrected the problem within about 2 weeks.

I would suggest checking their website to ensure that email address is still a good one and then forward them an email explaining the condition of the cards.

Thread: Is anyone else's Unhappy Homes set all messed up?

mttbstrd666 — 2008-06-26T11:36:20+00:00

I love the Gloom game and I thought this expansion definitely added something to the gameplay but I was wondering if anyone else got a set that the printing is way off on the cards? It makes them harder to read and it is just annoying since I payed money for the set.

Thread: Re: Longer playing time?

Monad — 2008-01-11T03:09:37+00:00

I hope I'm not yelled at for necroing an old thread, but a good way of shortening a game of Gloom is for everyone to just start out with one less character.

Image

Apparatus — 2007-07-07T01:38:11+00:00

Unhappy Homes (2nd Edition)

Thread: Re: Review

dbc- — 2007-06-01T07:40:09+00:00

Andalusi wrote:
The card quality is still an issue. The cards have the exact same problems as the original game. They are slippery and hard to pick up. Also, the writing is a bit hard to read at times (especially the treachery/dagger icon!).

There is a new print run out now. The quality is as good as the new edition of the base game.

Thread: Re: Review

Andalusi — 2006-09-24T10:48:39+00:00

Thanks for the kind words!

As for the cards: there's a fair amount of new positive modifier cards, but my recollection is that negative modifiers still vastly outnumber them. Also, some of the Mystery cards give positive modifiers.

Thread: Re: Review

szabes — 2006-09-07T22:13:45+00:00

Nice Review.

Are there more positive modifier cards? I have played the original 3 times and found it lacking in that area.

Thread: Review

Andalusi — 2006-08-05T05:39:48+00:00

This expansion set adds a new family, Residences and Mystery cards. Also included are brand new Untimely Deaths, Modifiers, and Special Events. The new family is mostly useful if you want to add a fifth player to the game, but my wife and I love the flavor text and added variety as well.

The Residences and Mystery cards are probably the main reason to pick this up. Each family has its own Residence, which can receive Mystery cards that can provide special abilities and Pathos points. I must confess that so far, my wife and I haven't found them to make a significant impact on the gameplay. But some of the abilities have a lot of potential (e.g., one Mystery card can be played once at any time to negate a Special Event), and if nothing else, it's one more way to screw around with your opponent's Pathos points.

The other compelling reason for buying Unhappy Homes is the plethora of new cards. I haven't played enough times to be jaded with the original cards, mind you, but I think it will be an even longer time coming what with the many new cleverly evil afflictions Unhappy Homes provides.

The card quality is still an issue. The cards have the exact same problems as the original game. They are slippery and hard to pick up. Also, the writing is a bit hard to read at times (especially the treachery/dagger icon!).

Still, I remain enamored of the transparent stacking mechanism. Since Magic onwards, I've always hated having to stick modifying cards behind and slightly raised, or crossed over, or precariously on the side of the card to be modified.

Overall, this is an enjoyable expansion, but you probably need to either really love the game or need an injection of new cards to justify the $15.00 price tag.

Thread: Re: Longer playing time?

beri — 2006-04-13T17:43:13+00:00

Maybe every time the draw deck is exhausted, or every 10 rounds or so, every player's highest-scoring (that is, happiest) family member is deported to Tijuana or discovers their true parentage, or something. Either kill them permanently, or remove them from the game without counting their score, or however seems to work.

Thread: Re: Longer playing time?

cerulean — 2006-04-13T17:03:30+00:00

Huh, my group routinely plays Give Me The Brain, with anywhere from 3 to 7 players, and we rarely have a game run longer than 30 minutes. It's one of the fastest card games we play. On the other hand, Gloom's running time is just as drawn out for us as Munchkin. Maybe we're just to stabby....

Thanks for the forced endgame suggestion. Whether it is the point at which the draw pile is exhausted, or some other arbitrary point, just ending the game and tallying scores is a simple way to cap a session that has overstayed its welcome (and maybe quash whatever Analysis Paralysis that might creep in).

Thread: Re: Longer playing time?

Gecko23 — 2006-04-13T15:22:20+00:00

Not with this particular title so far, but I've seen it happen with others. (I'll never play 'Give me the Brain' again because of exactly this issue.)

The problem is that the 'take that' bit isn't a part of the overall goal - killing off your family, emptying your hand, etc. So if everyone is having fun tormenting everyone else, then no-one is actually trying to end the round.

You could always add a house rule to end a round when the draw deck is exhausted or some such if the play time is a problem.

Thread: Longer playing time?

cerulean — 2006-04-13T11:57:24+00:00

My group recently played two games of Gloom using the Unhappy Homes expansion. The first game was with 4 players, and it took an hour. Our next game, with 5 players, took over an hour and a half! Both games were sort-of thrown; one player just decided to trigger the end of the game without a definite idea of who would win. None of us expected this Take That card game to take so long. Has anyone else been having the same experiences?

Thread: Review

sandoze — 2006-01-15T02:55:25+00:00

My daughter picked this upgrade up one day at the Boulder mall. She really enjoys the base game for its story telling and player interaction (and most girls torture their dolls either openly or secretly).

Unhappy Homes adds a new family (thus a new player) to the mix, new story icons (daggers, some squiggly symbol-?-, and a magnifying glass), and best of all, a Home card that plays along with your family.

These Home cards have corresponding blue Mystery cards that may be drawn and played on them, thus adding more ‘life’ to your family story, effects, and modifiers. The effects they can grant your family may be long term such as Play an Untimely Death card after playing a card with a Heart story icon. They may be immediate such as removing an Untimely Death card from a family member. Mysteries often require that certain story requirements are met and/or a number of family members have passed on before they may be played. This creates more of a ‘resource gathering’ aspect of the game and are sometimes difficult to get into play.

I should mention, the dagger icon shown in the text of some of the Mystery cards are almost impossible to distinguish. I had to take a triple take when I first encountered them.

The game is still as chaotic as ever. More cards such as extra Untimely Death and modifiers are added that seem, dare I say, to create even more chaos, and some effects seem down right vicious.

The quality of the cards was a nightmare that you may have heard from other reviews or posts. This is quite possibly a deal killer with some people. The cards were stuck together leaving lamination on the front of many (,many) cards. This made the text hard to read in some spots but nothing that’s going to make me deal with the post office.

I would highly recommend this expansion for *anyone* who already owns Gloom and enjoys playing it (or has no choice because their kids love it).

Thread: Re: How many people in the Unhappy Home?

Phlegm — 2005-11-06T19:50:57+00:00

Thanks Drew.

I'm missing Belladonna.

Now we gt to check out Atlas' customer service. Always a thrill with these small game companies.

I'll report the results.

Thread: Re: How many people in the Unhappy Home?

drewholmes — 2005-11-06T19:32:21+00:00

I got five in mine. You should have:
Belladonna
Rosseau
Marie Delacroix
Simon Simone
James De Winter

Hope this helps!

Thread: How many people in the Unhappy Home?

Phlegm — 2005-11-06T13:59:48+00:00

I only got 4 characters in the Unhappy Homes Expansion. Should there be 5 or do you play with 4 when you play with a 5th player?

Image

Wren — 2005-08-24T12:49:34+00:00

A few mystery cards, which are played onto the new residence cards.

Image

Wren — 2005-08-24T12:49:34+00:00

The new residence cards, one for each of the families from the original Gloom, and one for the new family.

Image

Wren — 2005-08-24T12:49:34+00:00

The new family, the 'artistes of Le Canard Noir'.

Image

Wren — 2005-08-24T12:49:34+00:00

Back of box.

Image

gnoccarello — 2005-05-19T12:27:46+00:00