Obsession: The Howard Family Cook vs. the Warleggan Lambs

Guide a family’s standing in Derbyshire by expanding a country estate, hiring staff, and managing a social circle in Obsession.
Back to my favorite game! Obsession has remained my top game for years, and it never disappoints. After an expansion arrived, I was reminded of how much content I still had left to explore. The past few weeks also saw me get a little overwhelmed with solo games in general, and this was a fantastic way to return to a hobby I absolutely love!
Game Overview
Game Name: Obsession
Publication Year: 2018
Designer: Dan Hallagan
Artist: Dan Hallagan
Publisher: Kayenta Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Through the seasons, a family’s standing slowly increases. Earning a match with a Fairchild heir is the goal, yet there are many strategies to make it in Victorian society. Every part of the household must be managed, down to the swift dismissal of American heiresses!
First Play
January 25, 2019
Complexity
3
Latest Play
December 21, 2024
Expansions
4
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
96
Play Time
50 Minutes
High Score
219
Game Area
24" x 28"
Low Score
82
A Story of Service
During my last visit to Derbyshire, it was all about taking on the Warleggan solo family. And so I continued on with the battle, which was quickly turning into a war.
My first attempt was littered with every type of service possible… I had to rearrange my organizer just to fit all of these related tiles! The staff members were quite happy.
Could a pair of monuments do it for me? Absolutely not. This was just not enough to draw the attention of society.
At least I had some fun with the Lionheart Suite, which offers a surprise with the top card of the prestige guests!
Warleggan-Gladstone
Well, after extensive (fictional) research, I determined that there was a rather nasty secret about this solo family.
Somewhere along the way, the Warleggan family shared a family tree with the Gladstone family. You know that solo opponent I absolutely despise? This is clearly a relation!
The scores might not point to a particularly difficult solo opponent, yet the base score is a pretty tall hill to climb.
I employed all sorts of strategies and threw everything I could at the Warleggans. Derbyshire always favored them… And it’s due to Gladstone tampering, naturally. Ha!
Receiving Visitors
As the Howard family cook whipped up another delicious meal, she alerted me to activity in the drawing room. Visitors? At this hour?! I hurried over to see who arrived.
A-ha! Calico Critters! With me feeling a little burned out lately, I never found the energy to bring them to my table.
At last! I found this pair of lambs inspecting the solo die, since the Warleggan family always seemed to snap up the tiles I needed most. Now certified to be fair.
I couldn’t even pull ahead with maximum reputation and all manner of staff members. Onward I fought…
Funded by Americans
Maybe it was my luck with the card decks, but there was one type of casual guest that would not leave the Howard family alone… American heiresses! Oh, the horror!
However, I used this to my advantage when reputation was already extremely low. Quick cash infusions helped to fund some very attractive country estate monuments.
Did it make a difference? Of course not. The Warleggan clan spread rumors about my association with new money.
Well, it was technically true, but this is Derbyshire. Are we to always speak the truth in drawing rooms?! Ha ha!
Getting Back to the Fun of Solo Games
Earlier this month, I suddenly hit a brick wall when it came to enjoying board games. It all felt overwhelming, and it seemed like there was so much effort being put into learning new titles. I stopped playing or doing anything with the hobby for a few weeks. That was a definite case of getting burned out, and it can happen at any time. No problem!
But when I wanted to start playing again, I hesitated. How was I supposed to pick a game? Was I going to feel burned out immediately? Then, a simple idea struck me… Just play my favorites. That’s how this one came to my table, and I barely had to look through the rules. It was all about capturing the joy of having fun, and I found it again!
A good check for how I’m feeling about the hobby is the appearance of Calico Critters. You may have noticed they disappeared for a bit, and it was simply too much effort for me to play games and stage scenes. But as you’ll see in this post, those scenes are a big part of what makes this so fun for me. Prepare to see them a little more regularly.
If you’re struggling, know that this is a hobby that doesn’t cry for constant attention. You can take a break. You can stop playing. This has happened to me every now and then over the years, and taking time away is the best way to rekindle my love for solo games. And rediscovering my favorites is making me excited to learn something new… In moderation!
Embarrassed Staff
Don’t look away! If you peer at these faces closely, you’ll see some questionable gazes off in the distance. No one wanted to make eye contact with me and my losing ways.
Ha! As annoying as it was to not have everything go well for me, I was laughing the entire time and yelling at the Warleggan family after every die roll. Fun times!
I think I also played incorrectly in the past, forgetting about the reputation increase from the cook’s presence.
She was much happier with me this time around, although I caught her melting into the background. Like butter.
What’s On the Menu?!
Speaking of the cook, a few Calico Critters took a moment to strike up a conversation with her regarding a lovely new renovated kitchen. This gourmet tasting was excellent!
But there were some stares and un-baa-lievable looks. It sounded like this gourmet tasting featured roast lamb.
“When I was invited to dinner, I didn’t realize I was going to be the main course!” It was a valid guest concern. Ha!
I believe a compromise was reached, although who knows what was going on elsewhere. Lamb-flavored ice cream may not have been the right solution…
Every Which Way
Still determined to make the Howard family succeed against the Warleggans, I managed to pick up a bunch of victory point cards from additional prestige guests.
Objective cards all worked together for once, too, and I was pretty pleased with this assortment. Go for the win!
Alas, it still wasn’t enough for a victory. The Fairchilds were far more impressed with my efforts, but that base score was a hard bar to reach. Thanks, Warleggans.
It was still fun to use the stocked lake for an exciting outing, as I hadn’t seen that tile in the longest time!
Cascading Problems
Maybe part of the issue revolved around the social circle. Anne Hawkins was the most lucrative American heiress out there, and I used this to the advantage of the Howards.
That wine cellar was installed courtesy of a conversation! However, things quickly took a downward spiral.
Miss Elizabeth Perkins hovered around Americans, purely to pick up secrets. She found out about this arrangement, and shared it with Miss Florence Oliver. Oh, dear!
It was impossible to drop these degenerates from the social circle, and they were just the worst. The worst!
Servant Bonus?
Excuse me. Pardon me? What is this?! After all the trouble with the American heiresses and troubling gossip about what the Howards’ cook actually cooked, I found this.
A couple of Calico Critters hastily tried to make it look like they were bolstering the coffers of the Howards, but I definitely caught them pulling those coins out of the box!
It seemed to be the effect of American heiresses and the new money principle of just picking it up wherever…
These lambs said they saw “servant bonus” as a monetary bonus. Yeah, sure. American heiresses in training.
Lamb Betrayal
Remember those adorable visitors who inspected my solo die? Well, I kept wondering what was going on with the sheer number of American heiresses who never quit.
As it happened, the deck had been tampered with. These cute visitors were unmasked as Warleggan agents. Oh, the absolutely audacity! And to draw the poorest heiress? Ugh!
The Gladstones were definitely behind all of this. Mark my words: Derbyshire will yet hear of this atrocity in time!
In conclusion, I lost every time and the Howard family might not invite me back… Not even for a hardboiled egg!
Session Overview
Play Number: 93-96
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: 199-251, 180-238, 213-230, 208-247 (4 Losses)
I put forth my best efforts again, but not even winning every courtship phase could turn into a victory! Definitely planning to come back for more, though. This continues to be my favorite game, full of stories and laughter!
%
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)
- There is a great deal of variety with the building tiles and guests, allowing each play to feel like its own story.
- With many solo families, finding the ones that are the most difficult to beat is a very fun and personal experience.
- Narratives often emerge with little effort as the turns progress and the Fairchilds react during courtship.
- Play time maintains a great deal of engagement and planning, as winning is not something to stumble into.
- Artwork may feel a bit limited overall, but the theme comes through amazingly well with a little imagination.
- Managing all aspects of the family can be complex with lots of interconnected pieces, yet it’s quite satisfying.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Some objectives work together and others are too different to pursue, leading to some slightly imbalanced scoring.
- The expansion servants feature a fair number of nuanced rules that aren’t always easy to memorize.
- Monuments are sometimes snapped up by the solo opponent too quickly with the original base game solo mode.
- A lot of the rules are spread out in multiple booklets, which can add a little work in flipping around the pages.
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
What has been the most memorable part of Obsession for you lately? Are there any solo families you’re battling? I simply love this game, and losing over and over only makes me enjoy the challenge of each solo opponent. Now I might have a contender for my new nemesis after disliking the Gladstones so much… This remains my favorite solo game!
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