
- BGG rank
- BGG #12,324
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Gloomier: A Night at Hemlock Hall
- 2–5 players
- 45–60 min
- 2022

2017
Rules assistance for Gloom in Space
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Gloom in Space is a board game released in 2017 for 2–5 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Keith Baker and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Storytelling.
Description from the publisher: Space is the worst — empty, black, airless, awash in radiation, and dotted with immense clods of flaming plasma that make everything within millions of miles too hot to support life. If your living room were like space, you'd never ever go there. In Gloom in Space, you make your rag-tag band or star-faring heroes miserable, then kill them. Sci-fi archetypes like the Smuggler, Captain, Doctor, and Dark Lord fight their fathers, meddle with monoliths, get caught in compactors, and wind up getting nuked from orbit. Eventually, enough Untimely Deaths come to pass that the game ends. And then? The most miserable crew wins. Gloom in Space is a standalone game that's also compatible with all existing Gloom core games and expansions.
Gloom in Space supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Gloom in Space is 60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Gloom in Space for ages 13 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Gloom in Space has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Gloom in Space belongs to these categories: Card Game, Humor, and Horror. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Storytelling. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Gloom in Space are: Keith Baker. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Gloom in Space as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.