Gloomhaven's sticker system is the most controversial element for players who are accustomed to games with no permanent components. Writing on cards, applying stickers to the campaign board, permanently destroying city and road event cards — all of these feel irreversible in ways that some players find uncomfortable.

The discomfort is intentional. Permanence creates stakes that no temporary mechanic can replicate. Stickering a city with a specific enhancement because your party fought to earn that improvement creates attachment to the campaign world. Destroying a city event card because your party's choices led to that outcome makes those choices feel real.

For groups hesitant to engage with the permanent elements: commit fully and early. The hesitation to write on cards in the first session creates artificial distance from the game's best feature. The scenario log, the stickered map, the written-on party sheet — these are artifacts of your specific campaign and are irreplaceable records of what your group experienced.