The Warleggan War in Obsession and 100 Lifetime Solo Plays
Bring a family to the top of Derbyshire society by restoring a country estate, gaining reputation, and managing guests in Obsession.
About time I returned to playing my favorite solo game for many years running! Obsession is such a wonderful time with the way the mechanics and theme work together. I was about to hit 100 lifetime plays, and there was an ongoing struggle against the terrible Warleggan solo family. Armed with staff members, a few pounds, and a stiff upper lip… Off to battle!
Game Overview
Game Name: Obsession
Publication Year: 2018
Designer: Dan Hallagan
Artist: Dan Hallagan
Publisher: Kayenta Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Gameplay is all about managing a British family’s standing in society. Rooms are built or restored, events are hosted by helpful servants, and a social circle of revolving guests must be curated carefully. Watch out for the American heiresses! It may take ages to defeat a nemesis family, yet it’s so fun!
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
Warleggan on Repeat
A-ha, my favorite current nemesis! My last plays have pitted the Howard family against this awful nightmare of Derbyshire society, otherwise known as the Warleggans.
It might sound repetitive to constantly play with the same combination, but I love it! There’s a real sense of fighting hard to find the best moves, and the ire… Oh, the ire!
Rarely do I get so emotionally angered by a solo opponent, yet it comes across in the most hilarious ways every time!
Who can forget the Gladstones? And the Poldarks? Just the absolute worst families Derbyshire has ever seen. EVER. Ha!
Is This Not Amazing?
Oh, my goodness. This was my final tableau in what I thought was a pretty amazing outing. The staff was the best, with the Howard family cook always on the move.
Look at that imported marble floor! Due to the fact that it’s obvious I didn’t win, I’m fairly certain some events involved asking guests to get on the floor to look at the details.
Ugh, those Warleggans! It came down to the theme cards, of course, and the Fairchilds never visited the Howards.
I likely made a few social blunders of my own, yet I had to blame it all on the nightmare family of Derbyshire.
The Right Expression
You and me both, Count Dmitry. His stare and very upset appearance was directed at the theme cards, much as my own glaring eyes were. What in the world, Fairchild heirs?
I put a lot of effort into the prestige and sporting categories of the Howard’s country estate. Simply ignored.
The service category can sometimes be a trap, as the abilities are helpful, but the victory points are minimal.
And the social circle! I was quite pleased with this group, yet just like Count Dmitry indicated, it was a disappointment. Easy enough to reset for another Derbyshire showdown!
Riding in Style
That’s more like it! Since she was always so valuable to about half of the hosted events, I called for an honorary mode of transportation for the Howard family cook.
Naturally, this was a popcorn tricycle, operated by a fantastically costumed Calico Critter! Her paws may not have reached the pedals, but she had it under control.
Expert parking, too: She paused on a rematch event on a sporting tile, and admiring the view on the west terrace.
Perfection! I won’t get too far ahead of myself, but apparently, Derbyshire appreciates popcorn tricycles.
Don’t Forget About the Other Content…
As I brought this back to my table, I again want to stress that it’s my favorite solo game and has been for years. And yet I totally forgot about all of the content I haven’t even tried yet! There’s a main expansion, along with a bunch of promotional tiles and guests. Well, that should keep me occupied for many, many more plays when I get there eventually!
That’s not a negative, by the way: This is one of the games in my collection that was always a fantastic experience with just the base game content. I still think that’s the case. Although I’ve added in more expansion content over time, I got dozens and dozens of plays out of the base game before I felt the need to start including more. Slow and steady over here.
I have that same sort of philosophy with a lot of my solo games. Usually, I try out the base game for a bit until I want to add any expansions. There are exceptions, especially when an expansion is required to add a solo mode. It’s not required to stick with a base game for any stretch of time, but I’m pretty sure I stuck with it for about 50 to 60 plays here. Whoa!
A Lucky Draw
I slowed down my turns a little bit, for it was clear that it would take a bit of scheming to defeat the Warleggan family.
Restoring the Lionheart suite early on seemed like an odd choice with the Howard family’s reputation so low, but no matter: The national holiday was quickly approaching!
An unknown guest appeared in the drive, and it was none other than Lady Alexandra Suffolk. Her deluxe rest resulted in doubling all of her favors… Which was amazing. Wow!
This was the moment when it all turned around for the Howard family. But I still credit the popcorn tricycle.
The Proper Tableau
There we go! I didn’t manage to invite the Fairchilds during every season with their eclectic tastes, but a focus on estate and prestige categories added a ton of victory points.
New staff made it easy to host more events, especially with the underbutler. Yet it wasn’t my most impressive country estate renovation of all time… Which was fine with me!
I saved up money here and there, trying to ensure that the Howards ended up with very impressive improvements.
Yeah, that sculpture garden was amazing, but so was the cabinet of curiosities! Take that, you annoying Warleggans.
Guest Memories
There were countless guests this time around, mostly owing to the fact that prestige guests kept connecting the Howard family to even more prestige guests. That’s quite correct!
Charles Fairchild finally showed up during the last season, which was amazing. There were hats, fancy dresses, and some excellent mustaches to appreciate at the last events.
However, can guests be ghosts? Notice Carol Pendergast here… A scandalous American heiress, but a nice one!
She’s shown up in almost every recent play. Out for revenge against the Warleggan family? Or just here for the parties?!
Kicked to the Curb
That’s right: I won! It was still uncomfortably close, yet I ended up with my best score yet and had a wonderful time during the outing. Such a sense of accomplishment!
My popcorn tricycle driver scared off the Warleggan family, or possibly kicked the card away from Alderley Hall. Ha!
It was at this time that I moved onto the Tottenham family, and had the worst plays… Far too embarrassing to share!
Yet I’ll return to share more about another ongoing social battle. Incidentally, I also reached 100 lifetime solo plays with this session. Absolutely love everything in this game!
Session Overview
Play Number: 97-106
Expansion 1: Obsession: Upstairs, Downstairs
Expansion 2: Obsession: Wessex Expansion
Accessory: Meeple Source Characters
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Extended Play with Closed Courtship
Outcome: 1 Win & 9 Losses
Such a challenge! Yet it’s what makes the game so great for me. Also, take a moment to admire this stack of guests from my lone victory. Pretty amazing! I’ll have to find a way to defeat the Tottenhams next… One day, I’ll get there!
%
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 play creates interesting situations that have short-term and long-term effects, making every choice meaningful.
- There is a great deal of variety with the improvement tiles and guests, allowing different strategies to emerge.
- Although artwork is minimal, the theme is very strong and it’s fun to imagine what each tile or event looks like.
- Play time moves at a good pace, with many plays often lasting under an hour while offering a satisfying experience.
- Solo opponent families vary in difficulty levels, and some create ongoing storylines to become memorable nemeses.
- Managing all of the moving parts feels thematic and creates a wonderful, interconnected set of game mechanics.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Some degree of luck is involved with some of the highest scores, although there are many ways to score well.
- Prestige guests are some of the best ones available, yet these can sometimes feel a bit unbalanced with the variety.
- Understanding how to use the expansion servants takes some time, and there are a handful of new rules to remember.
- Frustration can seep into many plays with closed courtship and hidden theme cards, but it’s relatively quick to reset.
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
What is your favorite aspect of Obsession? Is there an expansion you particularly enjoy, or a family that stands out? I seem to have accumulated many enemies in Derbyshire over the years… Ha ha! This remains my favorite solo game, despite my very low win rate against the more difficult solo families. Nothing comes close to the joy I get from it… Still tops my list!
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