Obsession Visitors in the Palace Gardens of Sanssouci
Create beautiful gardens with special features as visitors travel down the paths to admire the sights in Sanssouci.
I’ve only seen Sanssouci mentioned here and there, and very rarely in the context of a solo game. There was a good chance I would never pick up a copy… Yet during a local board game swap earlier this year, I spotted an unpunched copy for $10 USD. No way was I passing that up! At last, I had a chance to bring this to my table and do some royal gardening!
Disclaimer
I had some fun with a crossover of upgraded Meeple Source meeples featured later in this post! These are excellent, but to be fully transparent, I received a free set of these courtesy of the publisher of Obsession, which they’re designed for. And I know technically staff aren’t the equivalent of noblemen… But I think it was worth it, as you’ll see!
Game Overview
Game Name: Sanssouci
Publication Year: 2013
Designer: Michael Kiesling
Artists: Julien Delval and Harald Lieske
Publisher: Ravensburger
Solo Mode: Unofficial Solo Variant
Nobles line up to travel down each column, which has a specific type of feature. Cards provide the basis for the tile choices as the garden takes shape and visitors make their way further into the regions around the palace. Just 18 tiles may be built, though, and decisions are often tough!
First Play
September 23, 2022
Complexity
2
Latest Play
July 25, 2024
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
10
Play Time
15 Minutes
High Score
93
Game Area
24" x 16"
Low Score
51
The Little Details
As I punched the tiles, I was amazed by the quality! That would be 3 mm punchboard, courtesy of my digital caliper.
Even better, though, were the subtle differences in each type. Shown here are 2 maze tiles. So awesome! And I could even trace a path through each one. Fun!
I loved the artwork right away, although I should note that this is the original and older version. A newer edition has been released in some areas, but with new artwork.
Maybe this has an older feel to it, yet I’m glad I found this one! Almost feels like this copy was meant for me.
A Rather Poor Visit
The rules were straightforward, but my strategy? I missed the overall goal and had a pretty terrible outing my first time! Those nobles were all over the place… Near the top.
At the end of each turn, a noble may move down its column through connected tiles. Each row has a point value, which gets progressively higher near the bottom.
Tile placements are very important, as these provide the paths. Completed rows and columns are worth a lot!
Despite this rather embarrassing bit of gardening where I destroyed or killed everything, I quickly reset to try again.
Finding the Paths
Much better! I managed to complete a few columns and bring most of the nobles very close to the last row.
Gardener tiles were simply flipped tiles for choosing features in filled spaces. These helped create paths and fill in areas, although nobles couldn’t stand on those tiles.
I was quickly seeing all the fun little strategies! More gardener tiles were great, but not in the final row.
My score jumped to a more respectable level. Yet I was certain something was missing. The meeples were pretty nice, but I had something else in mind… Staff, assemble!
A Derbyshire Outing
Oh, perfect! I grabbed some upgraded Obsession meeples to act as other sorts of nobles. They might have been staff, but I figured this was their vacation or something.
Normally, I’m not one to upgrade a lot of components, yet the faces and attire really brought these to life!
I also matched them up accordingly. The cook examined the herb gardens, while the footman took care to work on his footwork down many flights of stairs. Careful, sir!
This is also the reason why I may do more crossovers with high quality components… Always good to have fun!
The Genius with Simple Repetition and Variety
Each turn saw the exact same sequence of choosing a tile based on playing 1 of 2 cards. This is the definition of repetitive gameplay, yet that can be a major strength in lighter games. Being able to understand the sequence and then try it out with various choices is a key factor in my enjoyment of these types of games. And this one nailed it!
I didn’t have to choose from multiple actions. Instead, it was all about which tile to pick. Yet what grabbed me was the interaction with the meeples and finding paths for them to explore. Completing rows and columns added another incentive, but I wasn’t stuck with doing the exact same thing over and over. Variable cards and tiles provided new ideas.
Heavier games can suffer when repetitive gameplay sequences take over. Yet I’ve found that a certain degree of repetition in the right games can almost be meditative. There isn’t a need to analyze every possible move, so the focus remains on simpler choices. Labeling a lighter game “simple” or “repetitive” isn’t necessarily a negative thing!
Varied Tile Choices
Each turn saw me choose a tile from this area, based on 2 cards I had. Some gave me choices between specific colors, and others defined a single feature to pick up.
In reality, each turn usually only gave me up to 4 choices. Not overwhelming, and surpringly deep!
The solo variant was also simple to use: I rolled 1d10 at the end of each turn, removed the tile that corresponded to that space, and refilled. Easy, and with more variety.
Some tiles I wanted disappeared, though, so there was a little pressure to quickly pick up what I needed.
Ready to Explore
The included meeples had nothing wrong with them, yet I had a blast with these characters! There were little stories I could picture as they all set out on their day off…
Tasked with viewing the statues, I could almost hear the valet grumbling over the artistic style. And the butler noted the dimensions of the pavilions for hosting duties.
I found myself narrating quick snippets as I moved each one. Nothing grand or even notworthy: Just simple fun!
As the Calico Critters always show up, perhaps it’s time I try some other component crossovers in the future!
An Exciting Outing
What a difference they made! My victory points were much more impressive, and I managed to move nearly half of the visitors into the lowest row. Very nice!
The only one who was left in the dust was the hall boy. Clearly, he was just splashing about in the fountains. Ha!
Despite the quick play time and seemingly simple choices, I thought there was a good amount of depth. I enjoyed each turn, and never felt like things were boring.
I kept on playing, enjoying the thrill of completing rows and columns… And getting those meeples moving!
Not-So-Simple Choices
Each card was unique, for a total of 18 cards to be used. With the features, I sometimes found myself locked into a single choice… Unless the die roll removed it for me.
There was only 1 wild card in the deck, but feature cards could turn into wilds. For instance, if the fountain in the upper left was gone, the fountain card would be a wild!
Unpredictable rolls still allowed me to partially plan ahead, as there was usually a solid backup plan.
These were’t complex decisions, but as a tile-laying game, this was exactly what I hoped for… Possibly even more!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1-4
Solo Mode: Unofficial Solo Variant
Outcome: 51, 70, 93, 92 (2 Wins and 2 Losses)
Definite improvement! In my final play, I had a single staff member left behind… I imagined she just got lost exploring the topiaries. Ha ha! Perhaps I scored pretty well, yet I don’t feel like I’ve mastered this one at all. With such a quick play time, the decisions all felt like I was making progress and trying out new paths. This one is right up my alley! Absolutely thrilled to have come across this copy. I loved the experience, and plan to play more!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
6
+ Pros (Positives)
- Each tile features slightly different artwork, even for the same features, which makes the garden feel alive.
- There are almost always a choice between good options, and finding the best strategy per play is a lot of fun.
- Play time moves very quickly with a simple die roll to manage between turns for discarding and replacing tiles.
- Even with the same cards and tiles used with each play, many different paths exist with the high variability.
- All of the iconography is easy to see and understand, and it utilizes a combination of colors and clear symbols.
- Moving the meeples takes some careful planning with the path connections and decision of how far to travel.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The multiple stacks for draw piles is rather cumbersome, and it’s much easier to have a central draw pile or bag.
- Although every board is a little different, this doesn’t necessarily do anything other than shuffle around artwork.
- Most turns feature multiple choices, but some bad luck with the cards and tiles can lead to limited options.
- It’s not overly complex, yet the special rules with the gardener tiles can take a little extra time to internalize.
Victory Conditions
Score 90+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 50%
Goals and Milestones
Complete at least 2 columns.
Score at least 90 points.
Complete at least 2 rows.
Score at least 100 points.
Continue the Conversation
What do you like about Sanssouci? Do you have any solo games in your collection that you accidentally stumbled across? I often gravitate towards lighter games with nature themes and tile-laying… So this one was pefect to play! It might be older and a little hard to find, but it has a lot of elements to love. The staff will be back to visit again!
0 Comments