Gladstone: An Obsession Rivalry of the Year
Travel to the idyllic British county of Derbyshire for a taste of old-fashioned intrigue and social challenges with Obsession.
There was to be a grand fanfare around this entry, for it was originally scheduled to be posted on the 1-year anniversary of the blog this week! Alas, Obsession had other plans for me… Let me just say that the Gladstone family is the worst thing to come out of Derbyshire. EVER! I continued my battle against this diabolical enemy. Was I to finally triumph?
Game Overview
Game Name:ย Obsession
Publication Year:ย 2018
Designer:ย Dan Hallagan
Artist:ย Dan Hallagan
Publisher:ย Kayenta Games
Solo Mode:ย Included in the Base Game
It’s no secret that this continues to be my favorite game. The solo mode involves taking the helm of a family to manage their country estate and social circle. Activities range from simply admiring a new horse to attending grand celebrations. All with a rival family lurking nearby!
First Play
January 25, 2019
Complexity
3
Latest Play
October 15, 2025
Expansions
6
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
106
Play Time
50 Minutes
High Score
248
Game Area
24" x 28"
Low Score
82
The Heart of the Estate
Long have I battled it out as the Cavendish family against the Gladstones. The staff puts up with all of my horrendous decisions! Only the occasional topple, too.
These meeples have the least amount of personality as compared to the flavor text on the cards. At the same time, mine usually come to life in different ways.
Cedric, occasionally the name of the butler, finds rare comfort in the hiring of new servants. So much training!
I enjoy the rare face-down moment when someone falls over… Just another tiresome guest in the garden. Ha ha!
Derbyshire’s Worst
There they are. The Gladstones, by the numbers. And in a very dark shadow, because that’s thematic and not like I didn’t check my lighting at this moment. THEMATIC!
The challenge of pulling ahead in multiple categories is always tricky with this one. It isn’t a case of just deciding, either: The builders’ market can be very finicky, indeed.
My rivalry here is about as extreme as can be. I glare at this card every courtship round. Gladstone! Ugh.
As much as I dislike losing, I find this a strength. Where else can you form a personal hatred for a card?! Ha ha!
Into the Garden Maze
The main way to earn a continuous reputation and a lot of victory points is through a monument. These tiles are rare and usually quite expensive, such as the garden maze.
By sheer luck and proper planning with the guests, I added this gorgeous addition to the Cavendish estate. Ha! That was sure to defeat the Gladstone family.
In fact, 2 courtship rounds focused on the estate tiles and I was certain this would be a guaranteed victory.
Alas, I saw some problems with the social circle. No one was that impressed with the Cavendishes. Oh, dear.
Maximum Reputation
My endless plays would have to continue on… Even with the highest reputation level and so many bonuses, I was still so far from toppling the Gladstone legacy.
Technically there isn’t an ongoing campaign that sweeps over generations. I’ve made an exception. The Cavendish vs. Gladstone feud has been around for centuries!
It’s almost comical how poorly I play, but I assure you that my scores are a product of the horrid Gladstones.
There are definite paths forward. I simply need a little more luck and the celebratory day will be amazing!
Session Overview
Play Number:ย 39-42
Expansion:ย Obsession: Wessex Expansion
Solo Mode:ย Included in the Base Game
Play Details:ย Standard Play with Closed Courtship
Outcome:ย 4 Losses
Alright, Gladstones. On the final turn, I had to take a chance and pick up 3 casual guests. Do you see what I was dealt?! Guaranteed tampering right here. Anne Hawkins can be rather excellent early on, yet this slew of terrible acquaintances merely resulted in -6 victory points. You know who was behind this. GLADSTONE! The audacity.
%
100 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
10
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
10
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
10
+ Pros (Positives)
- Each family plays a little differently, although the starting bonuses all even out over time in a clever way.
- Little bits of humor can be found in the flavor text so a play can be as serious or comical as desired.
- The challenges of improving a country estate and expanding the family’s social circle are fun and excellent.
- Even with a limited amount of artwork on the tiles, the theme and other elements help bring everything to life.
- Play time often flies by with meaningful decisions and minimal downtime, particularly for the solo opponent.
- Fancy cardboard boxes provide amazing storage and help keep all of the components organized in the main box.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Some luck is often necessary to put together the perfect strategy, yet the challenge is using what’s available.
- The base game guest decks are quite large, but the individuals will sometimes feel repetitive after many plays.
- Although the sequence of play is easy, there are a few small bonuses that can be easy to overlook at times.
- About the only underwhelming component is the tracker for reputation, which seems a little simple for the game.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 60%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 200 points.
Score at least 240 points.
Win at least 1 game against each base game family.
Score at least 280 points.
Win at least 1 game against each Up, Downstairs family.
Continue the Conversation
How many solo opponents have you played through in Obsession? Is there any family that stands out as a rival, or am I just a terrible player? Ha ha! I can never explain everything that I love about this game, yet it’s as close to perfect as any of my games. It’s a joy to play, even when I’m dealing with the insufferable Gladstone family! One day, Gladstone…
Nice session report, Jessica! Just getting my feet wet now! The beginning AI families and one intermediate in standard mode for me so far in victories. I haven’t lost yet, but my last match was closest yet!
I just have Wessex as an add-on. I assume the other families you have listed come with Upstairs, Downstairs?
Thank you, Derek! I remember the days when I was beating the solo opponent families with incredible score differentials. My, how the tables have turned on me. Ha ha!
I can’t find a handy list at the moment, but it does appear that the families are split up between different expansions. I almost wonder if that’s why I can’t beat the Gladstones… The new rules and staff members aren’t in play, and those are known to increase scores. But no! I will continue the good fight and find a way to succeed. I keep getting close every now and then, so it’s possible. Onward with the battle!
Looking at your other ratings for Obession, I see you’ve come full circle (Reusability and Variability). ๐
This is your highest ranking so far and the fact that it’s still so high after so many plays speaks for the game.
What really intrigues me is the setup time of 5 minutes.
If it were not such a table hog, that would be nice. ๐
It’s been interesting to see how well this has held up! My quick setup time might also be due to the way I store a lot of the components in a separate plastic container, but it’s so easy to reset that I often play many times in a row. Those Gladstones!
Curious about it being labeled a table hog, though. It usually takes up roughly 24″ x 28″ for me, which I consider to be fairly reasonable. Then again, I’m using a giant dining table with both leaves added… Probably not a good point of reference. Ha ha!
Well, my table it 28″ deep and I have about 28″ width (a bit more if I move stuff like flowers), so it definitely would hog my table. ๐
My gaming area is so small, that I build a little foldable mini-shelf with only one level, that I can put on top of the table, so I have a bit of extra space. But in reallity it has not helped much. ๐
Ah, that makes sense! I fully support saying the Gladstones put the “hog” in table hog, by the way. Ha ha! Love the idea of a foldable mini-shelf. I have one of those raised playing areas arriving at some point. In other words, a table for my table! Curious to see if that gives me more space or just awkwardly moves stuff around.
Nowadays, board games should start coming with their own small table extensions to help us all. Ha!
Delightful, as always! The Gladstones come from the Obsession box and are played on the standard play side of the round track. I should have named them the Warleggans! Stick with it, I came here hoping you had vanquished them at last.
Thank you, Dan! The term “vanquished” will have to make an appearance when I am triumphant. One would think at this point I have no idea how to play the game… I really do! Ha ha! The Gladstones are just the thorn in my side right now. When I finally win, you better believe there will be some grand fanfare around these parts!