Gloom 2.0 To Press!

I've just sent Gloom 2nd Edition to press, along with revised editions of Unhappy Homes, Unfortunate Expeditions, and Unwelcome Guests. Woot!

For all you Gloomies out there, here's a list of what you can expect to see in the new versions:

NEW FEATURES

• New packaging (telescoping box for the core set, larger footprint on the tuckboxes for the expansions by doing them as 2 half-decks side-by-side)
• Timing icons from Cthulhu Gloom and Unquiet Dead are now incorporated throughout.
• Rules cards and icon reminder cards are included in each set for easy reference.
  
• The cardlist and effect text have been polished for a better play experience (complex cards like Body Thief and cards with delayed effects have been removed, for example).
• Three Modifiers have been turned into Transformations in Unwelcome Guests
• Residences and Mysteries have been reworked so that you no longer end up with unusable cards in your hand
• All the Story icons and a few family icons have been redrawn by Todd Remick
• Core Gloom now uses the discard rule from Cthulhu Gloom
• Horror icons have been removed, to save them for Cthulhu Gloom
• Death cards now have a central art piece, as per Cthulhu Gloom, and blank Story icon at top right. Characters no longer flip upon death.
• Event cards now have a center illo and a blank icon in the top right spot, to give them the same silhouette as a Death card.
• Guests now have reminder text in the family icon spot, as Cthulhu Gloom does.
• Backwards compatibility is maintained

RULES CHANGES

• The beginning more clearly states the objective of the game.
• The opening text is streamlined. It also presents the idea that you're competing to prove who has it worst... you're not simply tormenting your family, you're explaining how you've had it harder than the others.
• Pulled out the detailed descriptions of each family for space.
• Removed the term "Pathos Points", replacing it with "Self-Worth Points" to avoid unnecessary proliferation of game terms.
• Mechanical changes -- timing icons, symbols on Event cards, and the new Discard rule -- have been accounted for.
• Beyond that, it's generally streamlined in line with Cthulhu Gloom.