From the publisher’s rulebook

Who goes first in Gloomhaven?

Cephalofair Second Edition English rulebook

There is no fixed first player. Each round, characters and monsters act in initiative order, and whoever revealed the lowest initiative value goes first.

Read the publisher’s rulebook

Rule details

At the start of each round, each character secretly picks two ability cards and marks one as the initiative card; the initiative value on that card sets their position.

A character who declares a long rest acts on initiative 99.

Initiative order is recalculated every round, so the first actor can change each round.

Official tie-break or fallback

If characters tie, compare the initiative values of their second played cards; if still tied, the party decides. A character acts before a monster set with the same initiative. In all other ties, the party decides.

Source & edition

Gloomhaven — Rulebook (Second Edition)Cephalofair Games · Page 16, Playing a Scenario and 1. Card Selection; page 17, 2. Ordering of Initiative and Resolving Ties; credits on page 72 · Checked 2026-09-25

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