Game Overview

Game Name: Obsession
Publication Year: 2018
Designer: Dan Hallagan
Artist: Dan Hallagan
Publisher: Kayenta Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game

The Cavendish staff never needs an introduction. They’ve been there for every loss. Whist in the front parlour, bowls on the bowling green, and the ill-fated attempts to please the gentry have all been witnessed. But whatever to do with the Gladstones as the clear Derbyshire darlings?

Derbyshire Darlings

Oh, yes. There was simply no stopping the Gladstones from firmly planting themselves in the county. Every little thing they did was a monumental achievement.

Last season’s simple garden party? Why, it was featured in some of London’s most prestigious papers and labeled the fete of the century! All due to some cucumber sandwiches.

Take me for instance. Lady Tara Cavendish. Delighted to meet you. I’ve lived in Derbyshire all my life.

I recall the years of my youth when our family name meant something, and the Gladstones were nothing.

In the Olden Days

How I remember the old country estate as it was back then. Falling apart, assuredly, but so hopeful.

Mama and Papa had their sights set on Alderley Hall, along with every other respectable family in the county. It was up for the taking with the return of the Fairchild heirs.

I was young and filled with all sorts of dreams then. That spring was to be the beginning of my life. Or doom?

Indeed, those years were the crux of my current existence. They were happy times, marred by the shadow of an odious family. Now then, if I can just recall how it began…

Bowling for Money

Ah, yes. Major William Hawes set things in motion, whether he liked it or not. Mama orchestrated a thrilling weekend of entertainment for him, punctuated by bowls.

For his part, he was most innocent in the societal games. I still have respect for the Hawes family and don’t intend to drag them through the mud with the horrid Gladstones.

A little game of bowls grew in proportion as the county admired my family for hosting a respected explorer.

I kept to the library and my favorite bench beneath the old oaks, never knowing what had been set in motion.

Games, Not Games

Goodness, my old portrait! The reflection I see now is aged almost beyond recognition, though the eyes are still as sharp as ever. The Gladstones stole the spark, though.

As I was saying, the gears were already turning as I led the conversation with Lady Ann. I was enthralled with her adventures in France. What a thrilling sort of life!

Alas, my own travels were to rarely take me beyond the borders of Derbyshire. I was becoming rooted in the place.

Our lady’s maid, Eunice, kept close watch over the proceedings. She was always so loyal to Mama, not me.

The Good Butler

On the other hand, I had a friend in Pebbles, the butler. His name was such a lark, yet his serious demeanor never once wavered. I do believe he was born at the manor.

My childhood was spent with uncertain money and many rooms shuttered away. To see the staff growing again gave me great pleasure. To see the parties and gowns again!

Pebbles brought me into his confidence, though. The new footman and lady’s maid were more than just staff.

Both had worked for the Gladstones and a dangerous war was underway. “Mark my words,” was all Pebbles warned.

A Fairchild Tea Party

Still very much a child, I recall the day when a Fairchild called upon us. Miss Elizabeth seemed to be more trouble than she was worth, what with all of the preparations.

Mama ordered the best china from the attic. Foolishly, I was hurt by my brother being offered the patterns destined for my wedding day. What of me, Lady Tara?

I pouted for much of the day, only catching a glimpse of the exquisite lady from my vantage point inside.

The former Gladstone lady’s maid, Julia, was only too glad to pounce on my apparent hurt. “What if?” she hazarded.

Internal Strife

You see, as the seasons changed and the dangerous game of societal politics was managed by my parents, there was another undercurrent within the household.

My dear friend, Miss Penelope Atwood, was too kind. I should have warned her away, though I knew not what my role was to be in this Cavendish-Gladstone rivalry.

Eunice tried to protect her, but it was Julia who attended her during her summer visit. “Gladstone,” she whispered.

Our letters grew cold and uneven after that, dwindling down to annual pleasantries. I hear she died just last year.

A Pound for a Pound

Papa and I never talked about anything that could be called business, but I recall the spot on the back stairs where I could put my ear to the wall behind his study.

I learned much about the Gladstones. They were much worse off than we were, with an estate ready to flounder in a matter of months. Desperation was taking hold.

That desperation trickled down to every family. Money was the name of the game, and Papa played best.

Another game of bowls marked the highlight of a small visit that was to open up the manor’s east wing entirely.

Desperate for Money

Although it was simply a matter of survival, the Gladstone family was convinced Papa was cheating them out of money. It was a preposterous idea, but there it was.

We spent months out of the spotlight. My time was dotted with new lessons, particularly in the French language, as I dreamed of a traveling life and luxuries. It was not to be.

Papa found himself in the odd position of suddenly needing money. He knew the Gladstones were behind it.

And so again, we watched the bowling green play host to some of the county’s richest. The Gladstones seethed.

More Tea?

Despite our very private problems, we were in good standing with the rest of Derbyshire. So good, in fact, that Charles Fairchild himself announced a formal visit.

To see Mama! I thought it most humorous at the time to see her bustling about, choosing my attire, setting my hair in place, and acting almost like a lady’s maid.

Yet her attention to detail was her gift to me, for if I could impress Charles, my life would be on course.

But no one knew of Julia’s talks with me that turned me against him months before. Alas, what might have been.

Forward to Despair

In those days, a young woman had no power over her eventual spouse. At the time, I was still filled with my own dreams and never paid any attention to my role.

Yet in hosting an abysmal tea with the Fairchild heir, he wrote me off his list. I was one among dozens, even hundreds, of eligible ladies. Julia had succeeded.

I still look back at the pitiful events after my fateful tea. Mama slipped into a daze, barely awake for more bowls.

Even our guests looked at us differently. I thought it was the recognition of my freedom. It would be my prison.

The National Holiday

Papa was taken ill from the stress and ordered to rest at the coast. Mama was all but gone, only able to mumble while she roamed about the bowling green.

An anonymous letter arrived for me. I was struck down by the truth of Julia’s motivations and her healthy monthly sum sent by the Gladstones. I had fallen into her trap.

I took it upon myself to call upon the most respectable ladies in our circle to attend a holiday recital.

The work I put into that pianoforte piece! It was a joyful event, though I feared all was for naught.

Pebbles vs. Plantagenet

There was still time at the end of that season to take the Gladstones down. Pebbles was right there beside me as I took control of the Cavendish family, then and there.

Our exceptional Lionheart Suite was at last open. I can still see it now and feel the heat from the house’s best hearth.

It all went wrong when an invitation accidentally found its way to Albert Plantagenet… Worst of the bachelors.

He offered little beyond conversations of himself. Pebbles consoled me after every meal as I wept bitter tears over the Gladstones. Only they could have sent him to us.

Into Oblivion

I watched it all happen during those early years. No. I tell a lie. I was the willing participant in the treachery waged against my family. Cavendish. We’re all but gone now.

My brother went on to marry a pleasant young woman. But the failing estate was too much for them. They still live under the same roof, far from the other’s company.

What of me, now old and infirm? I told of how I had the power to turn down Charles Fairchild, greatest of them all.

The Gladstones were not content with simply securing Alderley Hall for themselves. Oh, no. I was in the middle.

Plan’s End

My home is a respectable one. New Oaks boasts all the amenities a Derbyshire country estate should. I even have Pebbles’ niece and nephew in my employ.

Look closer, though, and you’ll see that this estate bears a despised name. Timothy Gladstone. I was married off to the youngest son, set to inherit nothing and live simply.

Timothy isn’t a bad man. He was caught up in the same tangle of deceit. No one expected him to ever be anyone.

I’ve lived the last 57 years tied to those fateful days and the dangerous musings of a lady’s maid. What if…

What is the Objective?

The Gladstones have been all I could think about! But then as I was teaching the game to a new group, my husband interrupted me. “Wait, you pick up 2 objective cards.”

Oh. My. Goodness. For the longest time, I’ve been playing incorrectly! On the objective card space, I’ve only picked up 1 card and allowed myself to score up to 2 objectives.

A-ha! Not that it would have made a difference in every case, but I had a few plays that were very close.

I still blame the Gladstones. My rulebook was clearly tampered with. Temporarily. With invisible ink. Shh…

Session Overview

Play Number: 51-58
Expansion: Obsession: Wessex Expansion
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Standard Play with Closed Courtship
Outcome: 1 Win and 10 Losses

This is what victory over the Gladstones looks like! And it wasn’t merely a slight victory. I ran them right over with an avalanche of victory points and fantastic prestige guests. I WON! And it wasn’t just the objective cards, which were only worth 9 total points. I finally managed to pull everything together. Take that, Gladstone!

Affordability

Price & Value

10

Functionality

Challenges & Mechanics

10

Originality

Design & Theme

10

Quality

Components & Rules

10