#293: Obsession and a Short Topic Extravaganza

Hey now Cabalists! Today the gang dives into some of the great games they've been playing including Sunrise Lane, Vale of Eternity, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Sanctum, Harrow County and go deep with a feature review of Obsession by Dan Hallagan. Then after Tony T gives us one whopper of a tabletop gaming news segment, the Founders go through a series of listener submitted questions including when do mistakes become cheating and how to get better at eurogames.

Timecodes

  • Obsession Review 00:59:38

  • News with Tony T 01:33:45

  • Short Topic Extravaganza 02:44:04

Opening Banter and Reviews

Feature Review: Obsession

You are the head of a respected but troubled family estate in mid-19th century Victorian England. After several lean decades, family fortunes are looking up! Your goal is to improve your estate so as to be in better standing with the truly influential families in Derbyshire. Obsession is a game of 16 to 20 turns in which players build a deck of Victorian gentry (British social upper class), renovate their estate by acquiring building tiles from a centralized builders' market, and manipulate an extensive service staff of butlers, housekeepers, underbutlers, maids, valets, and footmen utilizing a novel worker placement mechanic. Successfully hosting prestigious social activities such as Fox Hunts, Music Recitals, Billiards, Political Debates, and Grand Balls increases a player's wealth, reputation, and connections among the elite. Each turn, players choose a building tile representing a room or outdoor space in and around their 19th century British country house. The tile chosen dictates the event that can be hosted and the guests to be invited. Players must carefully plan, however, to have the proper staff available to service the event and support guests as needed. The reward for success is new investment opportunities, permitting further renovation of the estate (acquisition of more valuable/powerful building tiles), an increase in reputation in the county, an expanding circle of influential acquaintances, and a larger and highly-trained domestic staff. Throughout the game, a competitive courtship for the hand of the most eligible young gentleman and lady in the county presents specific renovation and reputation objectives. The player who best meets these objectives while accumulating victory points will win the hand of the wealthy love interest and the game.

Designed by Dan Hallagan

Published by Kayenta Games

BoardGameGeek.com Entry

Gaming News by Tony T

Community Info

Crowd Funded Projects

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The Secret Cabal is so pleased to be sponsored by the great Restoration Games! The name says it all, Restoration Games is dedicated to bring back to market games that all of us loved from decades past. The games we grew up with and have been missing from the world. Justin and Rob believe that "Every Game Deserves Another Turn"! Please take some time to check out their website at RestorationGames.com.

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#72: Our Favorite Characters and Character Idiocracies