From the publisher’s rulebook

Who goes first in Gloom?

Whoever has had the worst day goes first.

Official tie-break or fallback

If everyone has had an equally miserable day, the owner of the game takes the first turn.

Rule details

Play continues clockwise. A turn allows two plays, followed by drawing back up to the current draw limit, normally five cards.

The rulebook does not define a scoring system for comparing players’ days.

Source & edition

Gloom: Atlas Games rulesAtlas Games · Setup: Draw a Starting Hand; Game Play; For Beginners; credits · Checked 2026-09-23
PDF page 1 PDF page 2

All 3 Atlas Games starting rules

Image: © Atlas Games and any cover-art licensors or artists (precise ownership not stated on product page) · Atlas Games

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<blockquote class="whogoesfirst-rule" cite="https://whogoesfirst.fun/games/gloom-atlas-en-second-edition/">
  <p><strong>Who goes first in Gloom?</strong> Whoever has had the worst day goes first.</p>
  <p>Source: <a href="https://whogoesfirst.fun/games/gloom-atlas-en-second-edition/">Official starting rule on Who Goes First?</a> (Atlas English second-edition rules, ©2004–2014)</p>
</blockquote>

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