Objective of the Game

Welcome, esteemed head of a Victorian British family estate! After some rather lean decades, fortune is finally smiling upon you. Your grand objective in **Obsession** is to restore your neglected country estate, mend your family's tarnished reputation, and, most importantly, improve the marriage prospects of your eligible children. The ultimate goal? To form a strong attachment with the incredibly wealthy and influential **Fairchild family**. Every successful action you take to elevate your standing among Derbyshire's social elite will earn you **Victory Points (VP)**. These VPs come from various sources: a beautiful estate, strong social connections, an impeccable reputation, a well-trained domestic staff, private family achievements, successful courtship of a Fairchild, and, of course, wealth. So, polish your silver, train your staff, and get ready to mingle – your family's future depends on it!

Preparation (Setup)

Alright, gather 'round, everyone! Let's get our estates in order. Here’s how to set up your game of **Obsession**:

1. First Player: Randomly choose a **first player** and give them the purple **1st player pawn**.
2. Player Boards: Starting to the left of the first player and moving clockwise, each player chooses a **Family Player Board**. (The first player gets the last choice, naturally!)
   • Family Bonus: **Family Ponsonby** starts with £300. Place these coins near their board.
3. Reputation Wheel Counters: Each family receives four two-sided **reputation wheel counters**. Place the chit with the number '1' face up on your board and keep the others nearby.
   • Family Bonus: **Family Cavendish** starts on position 4 of the **reputation wheel**.
4. Reputation Wheel Marker: Place a **reputation wheel marker** on position 1 of your **reputation wheel**.
5. Starting Servants: Each family gets 5 starting **servant meeples**: the blue **Butler**, red **Housekeeper**, green **Valet**, purple **Lady's Maid**, and white **Footman**. Place them in the **Available Service** area on your player board.
   • Family Bonus: **Family York** begins with an extra **Footman**.
6. Country Estate Organiser: Place a **Country Estate Organiser** near your player board.
7. Starting Improvement Tiles: Each family starts with the same 5 **Improvement Tiles**, identifiable by a building icon on one side. Place them with the building icon visible.
8. Family Cards: Locate your family's four **family members** (husband, wife, heir, daughter). These are your first **Gentry Cards**.
   • Family Bonus: **Family Asquith** begins with a fifth family member, a **Dowager Countess aunt**.
9. Starter Guest Cards: The 15 **Starter Guests** have a crown icon. Randomly deal two **Starter Guests** to each player. Combine these with your four **family cards** to form your starting **Gentry Deck**.
10. Objective Cards: Each player is dealt five **Objective Cards**. Keep them all for now.

Now for the central play area:

11. Supply Board: Place the **supply board** in the center of the playing area.
12. Servants for Hire: Populate the **Servants for Hire** box on the supply board based on player count:
    • 2 Players: 2 **Underbutlers**, 4 **Footmen**, 2 **Valets**, 2 **Lady's Maids**
    • 3 Players: 2 **Underbutlers**, 6 **Footmen**, 3 **Valets**, 3 **Lady's Maids**
    • 4 Players: 2 **Underbutlers**, 8 **Footmen**, 4 **Valets**, 4 **Lady's Maids**
    • Important: **Underbutlers** are only hired when a **Butler's Pantry service tile** is purchased.
13. Remaining Objective Cards: Place the remaining **Objective Cards** on the supply board.
14. Coins: Place the £100 and £500 coins on the supply board to form the bank.
15. Casual Guests: Combine the remaining **Starter Guests** with the 35 regular **Casual Guests**, shuffle thoroughly, and place them on the supply board.
16. Prestige Guests: Shuffle the 25 **Prestige Guests** and place them on the supply board.
17. Improvement Tiles: Place all **Improvement Tiles** (except monuments) into the purple tile bag. Add monument tiles based on player count:
    • 2 Players: **Sculpture Garden** + 2 other monument tiles of choice
    • 3 Players: **Sculpture Garden** + 3 other monument tiles of choice
    • 4 Players: 5 monument tiles of choice
18. Round Track: Place the **round track** near the supply board with the white pawn on the 1st square. Use the 16-round side for Standard Play. Shuffle the **Victory Point Cards** and place them on the round track.
19. Theme Cards & Reminder Tiles: Shuffle the **Theme Cards** and place them on the round track. Place **Reminder Tiles** equal to the number of players nearby. Place the **Charles and Elizabeth Fairchild cards** near the round track.
20. Builders' Market: Draw six qualifying **Improvement Tiles** (Prestige Rating 1, 2, or 3, plus **Brushing Room**, **Barn**, **Butler's Pantry**, and **Servants' Quarters** service tiles). Place them in ascending **Tile Sorting Number (TSN)** order, left to right, in the **Builders' Market**. Stack duplicates.

Phew! That's quite a setup, but now your magnificent estate is ready for action!

The Turn of Play

A standard turn in **Obsession** is an elegant dance of managing your staff, hosting events, and making strategic purchases. Here's how it unfolds:

1. Rotate Service: (Skip on Turn 1)
   • Move servants from your **Servants' Quarters** to **Available Service**. They are now ready to work!
   • Move servants from your **Expended Service** area to the **Servants' Quarters** to rest. They'll be back next turn.
2. Check Round Track, Monuments, and Servants' Hall:
   • Look at the **Round Track** space for any special events (like a **Village Fair** or **National Holiday**) and follow their instructions.
   • If you own **Monuments**, immediately gain reputation equal to the number of **Monuments** in your organiser.
   • If you own the **Servants' Hall**, you may deploy an available servant to gossip, reducing another player's reputation by one and increasing yours by one. The gossiping servant goes to **Expended Service**.
3. Host Activity:
   • Choose an **Improvement Tile** from your **Country Estate Organiser** to host an activity. Place it on the 'Activity' square of your player board.
   • Critical Rule 1: Your current family **reputation** (the largest number on your player board) must be greater than or equal to the **Prestige Rating** (largest number) on the chosen **Improvement Tile**.
   • Critical Rule 2: The servant indicated by the icon on the tile must be in your **Available Service** box.
   • Announce your activity to everyone!
   • Special Activity: You can also choose to use the **Butler's Room** tile to hire two servants from the supply (Valets, Lady's Maids, or Footmen) or recruit one from another player. No gentry cards are played for this activity. Hired/recruited servants go to **Expended Service**.
4. Invite Guests:
   • Your **Gentry Cards** are your potential guests. The **Improvement Tile** you're using dictates the type and number of guests you *must* invite (e.g., Gentry, Family, Gentlemen, Ladies, or a specific type).
   • Select cards from your **Active Hand** that meet these requirements.
   • Critical Rule 1: Your family **reputation** must be greater than or equal to the **Prestige Rating** (top left number) on each **Gentry Card** you invite. (Family and Fairchilds can attend any activity, treating their prestige rating as 1).
   • Critical Rule 2: You must have the servant indicated by the icon on each **Gentry Card** in your **Available Service** box.
   • Place the chosen **Gentry Cards** below your player board.
5. Provide Service:
   • Take the matching servants from your **Available Service** and place them on the **Improvement Tile** and **Gentry Cards** you're using.
   • Critical Rule: All service is mandatory. If a servant isn't available, that activity or guest cannot be used.
   • Special Servants:
     • The **Housekeeper** can stand in for a **Lady's Maid**.
     • The **Underbutler** (if you have one from the **Butler's Pantry** tile) can stand in for any male servant (Butler, Valet, Footman).
     • A **Footman** can stand in for a **Valet** if you have the **Brushing Room** service tile.
6. Enjoy Favours: Hosting an activity brings delightful benefits! Favours are mandatory, except for dismissal.
   • Pounds (£): Total all pounds listed on your **Improvement Tile** and **Gentry Cards** and take that amount from the bank. (If inviting a pauper, pay their cost to the bank now).
   • Reputation (🦁): Total all reputation symbols and add this to your family's reputation on the **reputation wheel**. Move clockwise, flipping your **reputation wheel counter** when you pass from 5 to 1.
   • Invitations/Dismissals (⚜/🚫):
     • Draw new **Casual** or **Prestige Guests** as indicated and add them to your **Active Hand**.
     • If you have a 'dismiss guest' favour (found on most Estate tiles and your family's lady), you may optionally dismiss any guest (not family) from your active hand or discard pile.
   • Unusual Favours: Some elite guests grant a **Victory Point Card** (choose between a favour or end-game VPs) or allow you to **Gossip** (reduce another player's reputation).
7. Buy from the Builders' Market:
   • You may purchase one **Improvement Tile** from the **Builders' Market** (or the reserve, if active) using your accumulated pounds. You don't have to buy if you prefer to save.
   • You cannot purchase duplicate **Improvement Tiles**.
   • Pay the cost shown on the market space, plus any modifier on the tile itself.
   • Place the new tile in the correct column of your **Country Estate Organiser**, face-up. If it's a **Servants' Hall** or **Monument**, take a **Reminder Tile**.
   • Slide remaining tiles to the left and draw a new tile from the bag to fill the rightmost spot. Stack duplicates.
   • You can purchase any tile you can afford, even if its **Prestige Rating** is above your current reputation.
   • Builders' Holiday: On specific rounds, you can purchase as many tiles as you can afford!
8. Clear Player Board:
   • Move all servants who participated in the activity to the **Expended Service** box.
   • Return the **Improvement Tile** to your **Country Estate Organiser**. If it was the first time you used it, flip it to its rose-backed side. (Hybrid tiles flip back and forth).
   • Place all **Gentry Cards** who attended the activity into your **discard pile**, face-up.

Your turn is now complete! The next player in clockwise order takes their turn. The **1st player pawn** is passed counter-clockwise after each season.

Passing

If you choose to **Pass** instead of hosting an activity, you still check the **Round Track** for special events, but you do not perform any other steps of a standard turn.

End of Game and Scoring

The game of **Obsession** unfolds over four seasons. In a standard game, each season consists of three rounds of activities, culminating in a **Courtship Round**. The game ends after the final **Courtship Round** of the fourth season (Round 16 in Standard Play, Round 20 in Extended Play).

During a **Courtship Round** (marked by a Victorian couple icon on the **Round Track**):

• A **Theme Card** is revealed at the start of each season, indicating the interests of Charles and Elizabeth Fairchild.
• Players pursue activities throughout the season that align with this theme.
• At the end of the season, **Courtship** is evaluated. The most successful player(s) are rewarded with favours and potentially a visit from a Fairchild for the next season.
• No activities of any type occur during a **Courtship Round**; only the courtship is evaluated.

Once the final round is complete, it's time for the grand tally! Players use the scoring pad to total their **Victory Points** from seven categories:

1. Appealing Country Estate: Points from your **Improvement Tiles**.
2. Best Social Connections: Points from your **Gentry Cards**.
3. Superior Reputation: Points based on your final **reputation level**.
4. Large and Well-Trained Domestic Staff: Points from your servants.
5. Private Family Achievements: Points from your completed **Objective Cards**.
6. Successful Courtship of a Fairchild: Points from any Fairchild visits.
7. Wealth: Points from your remaining pounds.

The player with the most **Victory Points** is declared the winner, having successfully restored their family's standing and secured a bright future!

Tips for Winning

To truly shine in Derbyshire society, keep these pointers in mind:

1. Don't Ignore Courtship, But Don't Obsess: While courting a Fairchild is a primary goal, it typically accounts for less than 15% of total VPs. If the courtship isn't going your way, don't chase it to your detriment! Focus on other strengths like building your estate, inviting prestigious guests, or completing your **Objective Cards**. Become a "Warleggan" – build, cultivate friends, hoard money, and you can still win!
2. Strategic Servant Management is Key: Your servants are the lifeblood of your estate. Efficiently rotating them (Step 1 of your turn) ensures you always have the right help available. Remember the special abilities of the **Housekeeper**, **Underbutler**, and **Footman** (with the **Brushing Room**) to cover for absent staff. Acquiring service tiles like the **Butler's Pantry** early can significantly boost your staffing flexibility.
3. Adapt to the Fairchilds' Interests: At the start of each season, a **Theme Card** reveals what the Fairchild siblings are interested in. Use this knowledge to guide your **Improvement Tile** purchases and the activities you host. Developing your estate in line with their preferences will earn you valuable favours and bring you closer to securing that coveted Fairchild attachment.