Gloom is a game about making your family members as miserable as possible before they die, while lifting their opponents' spirits. When your family members are serial killers, crazed circus folk, and demonically possessed sociopaths, misery comes easy.
Gloom is full of ridiculous yet tragic circumstances. Exactly how did Lord Slogar, the brain in a box, end up Shunned by Society and Devoured by Weasels? Players are encouraged to narrate their tragic family histories, although the use of live weasels is strongly discouraged.