Obsession Fun: Two Doors Down to Put the Tudors Down
Settle into the Derbyshire lifestyle of great manors, lifelong friendships, and the worst rival families with Obsession.
If you give me a little time to myself, you’ll know there’s a problem if Obsession doesn’t fly into the spotlight! My recent forays into new games have taught me a lot, yet my favorites are always welcome at my table. This was going to be interesting as I entered the final territory of the penultimate solo opponent in extended play mode. Onward!
Game Overview
Game Name: Obsession
Publication Year: 2018
Designer: Dan Hallagan
Artist: Dan Hallagan
Publisher: Kayenta Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
There is something so very soothing about setting this up! In a nutshell, you manage a family’s country estate and social circle in order to gain the most victory points. There are events to host, staff to consider, terrible guests to dismiss, and a challenge that often comes with humor.
First Play
January 25, 2019
Complexity
3
Latest Play
August 6, 2024
Expansions
4
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
92
Play Time
50 Minutes
High Score
219
Game Area
24" x 28"
Low Score
82
Onto Extended Play
Several solo opponents have used the extended play side of the board, though it’s been a little while! You may recall all of those incessant families who took ages to defeat. Ha!
This mode of play extends the game by 1 round each season and spaces out the special events differently.
It isn’t just about playing longer, though. More victory points may be earned, yet it’s important to focus on higher-value guests and building tiles.
The Tudor family got a single glance from me before I was on my way, merrily planning out my fantastic victory!
Essentially a Victory
Using the extended play side actually doesn’t affect the total time needed to play by a lot. I flew right on through!
The York family had a somewhat impressive country estate, yet it was a real struggle to get anything going. I know the Tudors tampered with the builders’ market.
Despite many setbacks, I had some synergies going on with objective cards and was in the running for most of the categories. In fact, I needed anything but prestige.
The Fairchilds stopped by a couple of times and I was quite proud of the family’s standing. Farewell, Tudors!
Troublesome Tudors
Excuse me? Somehow, Charles and Elizabeth Fairchild decided that they were in the mood for prestige at the end of the season. And my Lionheart Suite was… No good.
Do you know how much I lost by? 5 points! Any other theme card would have been fine and resulted in victory.
If you don’t think the solo opponents can do any tampering, I implore you to see what they can do. Simpy ghastly families who are like incessant unlucky rolls!
Well. With that, I simply couldn’t give up. I played again. And again. Oh, and a few more times. Never surrender!
Alluring Monuments
Then, I had a rather spectacular series of events occur. It all started with an American heiress. She destroyed the family’s reputation but set them up for all the riches.
You’re seeing it correctly: I managed to pull together 4 monuments! Never mind the long gallery in the estate section… It stretched on and needed to look nice. Ha ha!
Interestingly, this might have been one of the first times I could simply trade in reputation for the money I needed.
The sporting section was pretty small, yet the guests were all surprisingly useful. Even the Americans, if I dare say.
Staff Celebrations
What a fantastic group of staff members! More on why I had so many later on, yet they helped host plenty of events. Some guests required 2 staff each… So much work!
I still play with the old rules where staff may only be gained through the butler’s room, and not during a pass action. More difficult, yet I’m used to the limitations.
This might also explain why I like the York family so much: They begin with 1 extra footman, who is invaluable.
Sharp eyes might also spot the maximum reputation level in the background. Plenty of victory points there, too!
Prestige vs. Prestige
Going by the numbers above, you’ll likely notice how 2 prestige theme cards put the Tudors in the best position.
That was their category with a staggering 23 points in the final season. Doubled, and that gave them 48 points just to start comparing who would win the hand of the Fairchild.
Pardon me, though. Note that the Yorks lived on the dangerous side and decided to try to beat the Tudors at their own game of prestige. Did I do it all wrong?
Not at all. The York family had a jaw-dropping 29 points in the prestige theme category. Not today, Tudors!
Maximizing Points
So many victory point cards! Many came from attracting the Fairchilds, yet an unending stream of quality prestige guests bolstered these even more than expected.
My objective cards were very modest, yet there’s still something to be said about completing the “small” ones. All in all, they yielded 19 victory points. Very nice!
Usually, I wait until the final scoring before considering if I have a chance at the victory. No sense looking foolish.
Yet with this play, I thought I might end up with my best score yet. All the pieces fit together, and it was glorious!
I’d Like to Thank…
My final pile of guest cards was immense! There were so many who played a role in this wonderful experience.
Anne Hawkins is arguably the best of the worst: If her reputation penalty can be mitigated, she can be one of the best casual guests out there. So much money to collect!
She stopped by twice, while my prestige guests offered victory point cards, more money, and additional prestige guests to build up the social circle in the right direction.
Casual guests are best avoided as early as possible. There can be some truly terrible people in the mix!
Session Overview
Play Number: 62-67
Expansion: Obsession: Wessex Expansion
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Extended Play with Closed Courtship
Outcome: 1 Win and 5 Losses
This play was simply amazing: 213 to 183! The Tudors were never heard from again, and Elizabeth Fairchild moved in promptly. Who wouldn’t want to?! I was quite proud of this outing. Just a single solo opponent to go and I’ll be ready to add in some more expansion and promo content. Can’t wait to reach that milestone!
%
90 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)
- Play time flies by, even with the extended mode, and typically lasts under 40 minutes even when going slowly.
- There are many different paths to earn victory points so that bad draws can be worked around in clever ways.
- Each family plays a little differently, while each solo opponent affects the difficulty level and building choices.
- Although there are wonderful expansions to explore, the base game provides a solid and full game experience.
- Flavor text on the guest cards and the overall atmosphere foster a mixture of pleasant humor and competition.
- The sequence of play is easy to follow, while a large number of building tiles and guests provide a lot of variety.
– Cons (Negatives)
- A certain amount of bad luck can spoil some seasons or even entire plays, though this is relatively rare.
- The guests feel repetitive after playing many times in a row, although this happens around the 50-60 play mark.
- It’s very minor, but the second edition rulebook has the scoring rules inside the back cover so it has to stay open.
- Some of the early rounds have a definite order to them in terms of the best events to host and get started.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 60%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 200 points.
Win at least 1 game against each base game family.
Win at least 1 game against each Wessex family.
Score at least 220 points.
Win at least 1 game against each Up, Downstairs family.
Continue the Conversation
How have you fared against the various solo opponents in Obsession? Have any turned into rivals along the way? I’ve had a few struggles, yet it’s been simply wonderful to find ways to win. This remains my favorite game and won’t be going anywhere. Ever. It all meshes so well, and where else can I jokingly complain about an American heiress?! Ha!
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