Obsession Strategy: Guest Synergy, Servants & Courtship Timing
Editorial analysis: Obsession works best when your estate, guest deck and servant capacity develop together. Buying a strong room you cannot staff or populate is delayed value.
Buy Improvements your current guests can use
Before purchasing a tile, check its guest count, servant requirement and prestige level. An expensive high-VP activity can remain idle if your hand cannot legally host it.
Manage servant recovery as an action schedule
Hosting two servant-heavy activities in consecutive turns may be impossible. Sequence light-service activities or Pass turns so key servant types return when needed.
Reputation unlocks your deck
Prestige guests and estate tiles are useless while above your Reputation. Raise it steadily so high-value cards become playable rather than clogging the active hand.
Courtship themes create temporary market value
An Improvement in the current Theme category can contribute normal estate value and help win the Fairchild contest. Pay a premium only when the Courtship swing is meaningful.
Objectives should overlap naturally
Prioritize Objectives that reward the guests, tile categories or estate structure your engine already wants. Chasing an isolated Objective can cost more than its printed VP.
Late game: convert money and reputation into score
There are fewer turns for new engine pieces to repay. Buy Improvements with direct VP, finish Objectives and improve Reputation when those gains exceed one final activity’s rewards.