Obsession + Upstairs Downstairs Expansion - Playthrough & Review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ส.ค. 2024
- Subscribe for weekly videos!
Support us on Patreon! - / bypgames
This is “Obsession + The Upstairs, Downstairs Expansion" a board game designed by Dan Hallagan, and published by Kayenta Games in 2018. This video includes a rules overview.
JUMP:
00:00 - Rules Overview
12:02 - Explanation of Variants
14:11 - Playthrough Start - Season 1
32:34 - Season 2
50:49 - Season 3
01:08:40 - Season 4
01:31:22 - End Game Scoring
01:36:16 - Review
BGG Link: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2...
Full Disclosure: A review copy of the game was provided by the publisher.
For more board game playthroughs and reviews, please subscribe!
For board gaming reviews, follow us on instagram - @beforeyouplay
Instagram: @beforeyouplay
Twitter: @beforeyouplay_
Facebook: beforeyouplay
Email: beforeyouplaygames@gmail.com - เกม
![[ไฮไลต์] แบดมินตันหญิง ไท่ ซือ หยิง vs เมย์ รัชนก อินทนนท์ รอบแบ่งกลุ่ม | โอลิมปิก 2024](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LUCG0H5qkpQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Have you played this one? What are your thoughts?
It's in my 10x10 - once the Upstairs Downstairs expansion is employed there is no turning back! It's essential!
@David Kodeski Totally! I don't think we will ever play the base without the expansions and variants. So glad you like this one too David!! 😀
What a surprise! So happy you covered this one with the expansions. Love that board game!
love this game so so much! I enjoy playing it solo and also introducing it to friends :) the thematic elements are so much fun 🤓💗
My wife and I love this one. We have the expansion but haven't added in the new workers yet. Probably next play. This video might be a sign to hit it up soon.
Thanks both! Just got this and I have watched all the YT videos on it. Yours is by far the most watchable, informed and enjoyable. Thanks!
Just FYI: around the 1:21:00 mark Monique spends reputation for money but forgets to flip the tile from a 6 to a 5, she then spends reputation again and goes from 6 to 5 - but it should've been a 4 here.
Came here to say that.
I just saw that too.
So glad you both enjoyed this so much. We’re on the same page in our household - we even use the Queen variant, but prefer closed courtship to keep the end of each season more intriguing. It’s moved into my top 5 games now after 7 plays. And Dan is one of the most gracious and helpful designers I’ve communicated with. A+
Yeah it's absolutely amazing! We've played it a handful of times and nothing feels stale or "same-y". We keep getting better with each play and the fun continues to build. Everyone speaks so highly of Dan and we completely agree. Love his passion for his baby!
I also prefer the closed courtship variant - everyone is still in the running when the theme card is revealed.
This is my favorite video that you have both filmed. I decided to watch since I just pre-ordered it here from Kayenta. Excellent job and I loved your energy..excitement..stress. You both were such a joy to watch.
You guys totally did this game justice! Thanks for the playthrough. You two are my fav for how genuine you are!
Thanks Madie!!
One of my favorite games! So glad you two enjoyed it so much. Dan really is great and was the best customer service we experienced in the industry. The mechanics of the game are really great but I love the narrative you're telling with the events that you're hosting and the guests that come calling. So good.
What a splendid Playthrough! You achieve a perfect ratio of relaxed banter and educative explanation; truly worthy your audience's Obsession.
You two came across my #1 game of all time! So glad you gave it the time to show everyone! There are so many ways to play, and it's a great balance of theme and mechanics.
We were very pleasantly surprised by this one! It's fantastic!
This was such a fantastic playthrough! I've been playing the base game and just ordered all the other expansions. I was surprised at how quickly and easily the theme drew me in. Can't say enough good things about Dan Hallagan (designer), such a lovely person.
Nice! One of your finest and most entertaining playthroughs. Thank you - with a big smile. Craig
Loved the review/debrief on this one! You were both so punchy, invested, energetic, and at ease. Great job 🤓
Secret: We filmed this one very very late at night. The game just jazzes us up lol
You guys are always such a joy to watch. Thanks for all the thoughtful expression on the game - my copy should be showing up this week and I'm so stoked for it.
Aww thank you so much! Really hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!
Hello and thanks for another fine video, and congrats Naveen on the 1 point win. I REALLY enjoy this game, i just got it late last year and have not integrated the Upstairs/Downstairs expansion yet. The video highlights the extra elements it brings to the table and looking forward to getting it back on the table "all in". Peace and health!
Loved the gameplay :)
It was so cute the congratulations + high five after reveling the scores, it's so nice to see this healthy approach to competition ❤
I got this game recently and I just love it! It's quickly becoming a favorite. I also just love the extra detail that went into the production with the beautiful and functional boxes for storing everything. The solo mode is excellent as well!
I love it when you guys come up with a game I have been wanting to see! Can't wait to get stuck into this playthrough.
Haha that's awesome!! So glad you were interested in this one! No spoilers ;-)
WOW, I was waiting for this one!! So happy you guys covered it! You guys are my favourite!
Yay, so glad you found our video! You have the coolest profile pic!!!
I have watched so many reviews of this game and it kept catching my eye after hearing how good it is but after watching your playthrough I finally ordered it. I could tell how much you both enjoyed it. Ordered it with all the expansions and promo tiles. Can't wait for it to arrive this week :-) Thanks for your great videos.
Recently purchased the game and your play through helped to learn the rules. Congrats to Naveen on the win! 🙂
So happy to see this game get some recognition. It's fantastic! Loved the first edition, love the second edition and expansions even more! Great channel. You guys are very pleasant to watch.
Couldn't agree more! Thank you for the compliments :-)
what an awesomely unexpected review! i've had my eye on this for a while!
We just borrowed this from a friend yesterday and have it setup on the table for 2p. As always, getting through the rulebook will be a snap thanks to your tutorial! So...thanks!
I was so hoping that you already played that one. Somehow you never disappoint. You're one of the best and entertaining channels to learn a game while also having fun watching you!
Thanks for the amazing playthrough guys. Keep it going!
I just played my second solo of Obsession - and I absolutely love it! I am so engaged in the theme and the actions. And the designer is passionate and kind. I don't have the Upstairs Downstairs but hopefully soon when the new batch comes in! Thanks for doing these playthroughs - I enjoy them so much. Hoping to meet you at Strategicon someday! (I'm also local)
Love your channel and this video format. Especially for us as a couple it is so helpful to see those playthroughs (and reviews) to get a feeling if a game plays well at 2p. Keep up making those great authentic videos and conveying the joy of our favourite hobby! Viele Grüße from Germany
Vielen dank! Ich kann es kaum erwarten, nach Deutschland zurückzukehren. :-)
@@BeforeYouPlay Wow, I did not expect an answer in German =D
Könnt ihr Deutsch oder war hier Google Translate am Werk? ;) Anyway, I hope you can realize this plan soon (we are all looking forward to travelling again) and wish you all the best. Macht bitte weiter so und viel Spaß mit der Uwe Rosenberg Serie!!
This looks great, love the theme. Went all in on it and bought everything since I saw it came back in stock. Your playthroughs are very helpful!
I just have to say that I LOVE when I'm looking for a game teach and I find it on your channel!!
I've been binging on your playthroughs, I did the Lacerda series and then the Pfister series, and a couple more, they have all been great, but watch you play Obsession was fantastic, congrats to Naveen on the 1 point victory.
I'm OBSESSED with Obsession!! So excited to see you two play this one!!
Us too, it's such a brilliant design!
One of my favorite games from last year. It's a beast of a game with just the base game, but throwing in the expansion really kicks it in another gear. Thanks for highlighting this excellent game!!
After playing with the expansion I don't think we would ever go back if it was just Monique and I playing. Such a great game!
I first watched this video 2-3 years ago and wasn't too impressed by the gameplay but since then the game has gained a high reputation so I eventually bought the game and now watching this video for a second time. This game is a huge lot more fun than I thought it would be! I really appreciated the thought that has gone into designing this game.
This quickly become my #1 game! I absolutely love this game - everything about it is amazing!
It plays so well, and we are having a blast playing it!
Haha I was waiting for you to make the Bridgerton link! Wow, this seems like a game we'll seriously consider adding to our shelf that we had definitely glossed over before. Thanks!
Haha, we are 6 episodes deep! Hope you get to try this one out. :-)
Thank you for a playthrough with the expansion that is not solo. Awesome quality content!
Our pleasure!
Great playthrough guys, needed the refresher so I can start playing this on Baord Game Arena!
Pride and prejudice is my all time favourite movie , I love period dramas , so this game was a no brainier for me and it’s absolutely amazing!! I’m from the uk and the designer is so nice too! This was a lovely play through also :-)
Nice to see the explanations for the expansions. I think you're the only playthrough that does that. Surprised, however, you didn't use the designer approved guest card market. It helps with having some choice of guests in the early game.
I literally just bought this and played through it solo for the first time! It’s SO much fun!!
Hey Andrew, that's awesome! Hope you get to try in multiplayer someday! :-)
yaay Naveen! lol I have been waiting for this game to come out in Spain for soooo long and it’s coming for xmas! can’t wait
AWSOME video!!! I love your content. I bought this game because of you and I'm obsessed hahah. I find you very entertaining, clear and sweet. Keep up the great work :). Would love to hear you thoughs on the Wessex extension ?
Great video! Obsession has been one of our obsessions since the KS was delivered last year. It was fun watching Naveen sweat out the final score. Love that kind of passion. We are going to have to try the hall boy variant. I hate to say it because we love the game so much but the rulebook is a mess. It's not a difficult game to learn but I would suggest this video before the rulebook.
You two make this game look fun... a little role play and thematic fun goes a long way! Your banter is hilarious! "That is NOT what courtship is about." and later "But look at his beard! Impressive!" and again later "Another really impressive beard." XD Great show, you guys. So much fun...
“I’m going to go to the main gazebo for some afternoon tea”
“Solid”
LOL I don’t know why, but that cracked me up. I just imagined some Victorian Era gentleman saying, “Solid” like that. Sorry...I’ll leave now.
I just finished the video and Naveen was killing it today with the subtlety.
“At higher player counts is more competition for the courtship phase”
“Like in real life” 😂.
LOL that's hilarious!! Things just randomly come out of Naveen's mouth haha
Happy to see you tackle this lovely gem of a game. There is absolutely no reason to hire servants outside of passing when you are playing with the new passing rules from the expansion. This is even explicitly stated in the Upstairs, Downstairs rulebook. One of the fuzzy things in the game. A new mechansim that replaces an older one without actually replacing it, really. So, yeah, the rules allow for doing a thing in a suboptimal way but softly suggest not doing it that way. Ah, well. Love the game in spite of its little weird wrinkles. Wrinkles can be very charming.
Been waiting 4 this one. Gr8 game! Dan is awesome.
He certainly has a lot of passion for his baby, and it really shows with this game. We were extremely impressed with this game!!
Seeing you trying to explain us British was just hilarious 😂 😂
Also great playthrough!
Thank you, Monique and Naveen. You sold me on this game. I ordered the game and all expansions from Kayenta direct.
Hey that’s awesome!! We really love this one. It’s been a little while since our last play, but man do I want to get it out and played again!
Got this recommended a bunch when I asked for great solo games and you guys made it look even more fun. Now to figure out where the heck I can buy a copy!
Wow. All the tv shows and culture associated with this game have never even made me think for a second it could be interesting. I was watching your top games of all time and when you were speaking about the theme of the game it made me chuckle and I figured I would give your playthrough a watch and I'm glad I did. For some reason this game looks very interesting.
It's a game that's been on my radar for quite some time because I have a friend who is obsessed with the Victorian era, so I know that she would love this game. The only problems is the availability and the price. However, after watching your playthrough it looks like it might be something I bite the bullet to buy. Those decisions look really meaty, as you said, towards wondering if you can manage to play the tiles and cards that you really want to play. Thanks for showing off this game with the expansions!
I had watched a solo play, but didn't really feel this game. I thought it was the lack of artwork on all the tiles. But the way you played it made it so much more thematic and it really seems to work so nicely.
Year of Naveen! Summer of George!
Great playthrough as always.
Gotta leave on a high note!
Monique did not flip to 5 at 1:21:09 when she spent down so she has 1 less prestige. When spending down again, she would have gone down to 4 at 1:22:04. She should have ended up at 6 at 1:22:23. She would have been at 4 at 1:28:25 after refreshing servants. She should have gone up to 5 at 1:28:42. This resulted in her having a 5 at the end of the game, resulting in 6 less total points giving her 151 total for the game. So Naveen won 158-151.
I have been a backer (and player) since the original campaign. I think this is a great yet hidden kickstarter gem.
I was curious why so many people is so obsessed about that game ;) Thanks for that video! I have my answer now :)
Haha, glad you enjoyed it! :-)
Great video! I discovered your channel recently and it has quickly become one of my favorites. I’ve been watching 2-3 of your playthroughs per day!
One small note, at 1:21:00 I think Monique should have gone down another prestige level.
Hi Cody, thank you so much for supporting us! So glad you found the channel. You're totally right, she went back on the dial but didn't flip the reputation token!
It’s a game that’s on my list but put off by the rule book being a novel. Not entirely hooked by the theme but it’s more unique than lots of other games.
It would nice if you draw more on mechanics to see how everything flows and fits into the theme. I do like that you explain how mechanisms work and functionality of tiles and cards. Let us know what you don’t like more in these reviews. Lovely clear production and respectful couple.
Love this playthrough. Two comments: 1: you didn’t really lean into the role playing vibe with reading the flavor text on the guests. I think it adds a lot to the game. 2: I think if Monique had taken one more reputation hit for an extra £100 it would have been a tie. However, Naveen still would have won because the first tiebreaker is the person who has a Fairchild card. Still SUPER tight. Really fun.
That last turn American Heiress, ouch! This is why you hire a head housemaid to help you screen your guests. Drawing causals late game is more of a penalty than a favour, unlesss you have the pink girl who points.
Great play through, as always, thank you so much!
I love the description of the theme, especially as a UK person: “It’s like speed dating, but... long.” Isn’t long speed dating just dating? 🤣
By the way, Whist is a trick-taking card game. 🙂
Great thematic game! Great designer who gives extraordinary service.
Absolutely! Dan was fantastic to work with on this project!!
I love this game and Dan is such a great guy and willing to help anybody out. The expansions are great also. Great solo version also.
Dan was fantastic to work with! His passion for his game was apparent after our very first communication. Glad you enjoy the game too!
I really enjoy your guys content. Given the condition the world is in two player playthroughs is unfortunately the flavor of the times. Keep em coming.
Thank you for checking out our videos, we're glad you enjoy them! We have quite a few more coming out soon ;-)
Great video! Love your content...watched this as my copy is en route. Watch Downton Abbey if you really want to get into the theme and you’ll probably start naming your servants in game!!! Can’t wait to have my Mr Carson hire Mr Bates!
Yeah, we've been hearing it's a great show for years. I think this game just motivated us to put it in the top 2-3 shows to watch.
I have been lucky to get a copy in Europe recently, and unfortunately I have a boyfriend that kinda cares about theme :p
It's why it has been so hard to get hem to play Rococo but I know he will like the mechanics because it's just such an interesting mix of mechanics. Fortunately Obsession has a great solo mode and I have been playing and trying out different modules so I can teach him the best version of the game. Your playthrough has really helped me, set-up, mistakes i made, best modules. I see why the designer recommended this setup to you. It's a bit of a weird beast, for you guys it may feel different because you play a lot of prototypes but this doens't feel like a "boardgame" to me. This is a passion project that has so many nooks and crannies because the designer wants to make it as appealing as possible. It isn't polished and it takes effort to get into (even if the game itself) isn't that hard. It's been really fun to play and I hope I can convey what I love about this game tomorrow because he has agreed to play it with me, yeaah :p :D
1:41:08
Naveen: “what did the candle signify?”
Monique: “…. What?”
Hahahahaha this made me lol.
Great playthrough as always 👍🏼
Looks amazing!
It is!
Don't forget... You have to plan ahead....to capitalize on the special events. Time your event in a way that the servants and gentry maximize the event through the exact right tile. When it all comes together it feels so wonderful! The useful man is probably my favorite expansion meeple. I like how you both maximized the cooks! Man...think I am going to pull this out right now. Have you guys played the co-op mode or the estate mode?
Remember the "reminder" chit. You keep it where you place the event you're hosting to remind you to take any reputation you gain each turn. Dan, maybe in next xpansion you need a remember your reminder chit!
LOL I totally couldn't remember what the "reminder" token was for!!! ;-)
Nice cheers do more of this type of game play
Amazing game. The gentry cards are so thematically appropriate and the interplay of reputation and money is fantastic. The tension in deciding what tile to use and which guests makes each choice really juicy. Top ten game for me.
Amen to all of the above! You nailed it, we were definitely unprepared for just how DAMN GOOD this game was going to be!
This is funny but I got this game because my wife like Downton Abbey but I was resistant. And then I watched the show which turned out to be addictive hot trash like a telenovela. I couldn’t stop watching and I wanted to play this game after every episode. So good! Btw I just got glen more 2 after watching your review ... waiting impatiently for it to arrive.
Just ordered this. Hope it’s great
Thanks for the video. Fantastic, as usual. It's a shame that Obsession is not available anywhere (in Europe). Looking for this game for a while :-(
Have you guys tried the extended version? I've seen online debates between standard game length and the extended side and would be curious which you find more compelling. Thanks for putting this up! We're getting Obsession tomorrow and I can't wait to play :)
Super helpful video! I would have loved to see more of a discussion of the Upstairs Downstairs expansion. I know you guys both said it feels like an essential part of the game. But the total cost after shipping will be about $45, is it worth that? It feels like a really steep price for what you get. More "is it worth the price?" discussion would be really appreciated in future videos!
Really enjoyed this playthrough! The game says "Victorian" on the box but it gives me wicked regency-era vibes.
Thanks for checking out the video! Have you played this one?
@@BeforeYouPlay Not yet, but it looks great
Totally agree - the box cover also says "Pride and Intrigue and Prejudice," which is an obvious Jane Austen reference pointing to the Regency era and not Victorian.
I'm getting a wingspan vibe with this game.
Just got the game, looking forward to playing it
Oh Awesome! We're both so excited for you to try it out. ENJOY!!
Wow you guys did an amazing job as usual. I have been surprised how many don’t know about this theme lol I love it! Have you watched Downton Abby? It’s a must see! It’s basically this game in a movie :)
Thank you so much Shannon! We haven't seen Downtown Abby but people have recommended it. We will definitely have to check it out now. After playing this game and learning about the courting season, it had us pretty intrigued!
i would love this game! maybe in the future
Hope you eventually get to try it out!
Waiting for this game to be delivered!!!
Would really love to play this.
European release seems to be in September... Maybe my mother in law has to send it from Canada :-D
Whist is a old trick taking game from 18th century.
🖖
Never heard of it!
Just got my own copy today! Can’t wait to give it a try. May I ask- what was the reasoning behind playing with the expansions and variants you chose? Is this just the way you have found you prefer the game after playing it a ton? Would you recommend throwing in Upstairs, Downstairs immediately for experienced gamers?
Quick clarifying question - at 1:21:05, should your rep have reduced to 5 since you went down to get coins? So your end of turn rep should only be 6?
Update/question - I noticed reputation at the end doesn’t matter. Couldn’t you spend all of it for $$ and get 1vp per $200?
Glad you are giving Obsession more attention. This game needs more copies out there because I’m sure it’ll get more fans as people play it. It’s a real gem.
My wife’s favorite game mode is the extended game, all the expansions in there, all promo cards, no promo tiles (yet), Dickens variant. We don’t play with the Queen Victoria variant like, you mostly because we forget to shift the tiles. I wonder if that variant makes the Useful Man less useful as it looks like you both didn’t grab as many sporting tiles as I usually see. Sporting tiles are very important to get your economy engine going unless you luck into an early American heiress (they are also -1 VP unless flipped).
1:40:00 There is no deluxe version, but the earlier printing (1st edition) did not have those tuck boxes. Dan has an explanation on how to store them on his channel and there are posts on BGG.
1:42:40 I heard at 4 players the game has a lot of downtime. I haven’t had a chance to play at that count due to COVID. I also haven’t played the mode that enables 5-6 players.
1:51:00 Being able to take the butler room action changes the value of some of the VP cards as they are easier to attain. I bet you can find the corresponding one from the expansion and put it it. I’ve never tried since I don’t want to mix my card sets.
Came here because of VidIQ live stream, this video has been mentioned :) This is a great review also!
Awesome! What livestream was it? Wasn't aware lol.
@@BeforeYouPlay It's this one: th-cam.com/video/LB-hjwYwsxE/w-d-xo.html it's still ongoing :D
I don't recall seeing you use the Head Housemaid to screen guests. That mitigates the luck when drawing guests.
Great game, someone sold me their KS for a very reasonable price. Sadly the Upstairs Downstairs isn't available in Europe yet, but as soon as it is, it will join the rest of the collection. Top ho! Old boy, frightfully decent chukka.
Hopefully it will be there soon. Once we played with it I don't think we will be going back to just the base game (although still a FANTASTIC game).
Seeing the playthroughs this is true, I'm hoping it will be soon.
Unfortunately, I haven't played it and it seems to not be available in retail (at least not in Europe :( ). I wish I knew about it when they had it on kickstarter - you seem to really enjoy it and based on your gameplay I am pretty sure I would too! It would be an instabuy, if only I could find it in my FLGS... I will keep my eyes open for it. Awesome playthrough and review, as always :)
Soon to be restocked in Europe! I can't wait!
@@lisamarin8836 i managed to snatch a copy at my FLGS couple of months ago and the game is really fun 👌 strongly recommend, even for solo players!
At 1:17:46 did Naveen deduct that reputation correctly? I think he should have gone down from 6 to 4 since he went back 10 spots.
welp. You all sold me on this one.
A theme we would have NEVER thought we would like, but man it's really good!
I play most of my Euro's with my teenage kids, would they be bored or would they enjoy it if they enjoy the other eurogames in our collection? Thanks for the video
Hmm super hard to tell, we absolutely fell in love with this game and will certainly be keeping it in our collection for a very long time. Check out the playthrough for a little bit to get the feel. Of course it's hard to see the dilemmas and decisions we have to make with the cards we in our hands... If you have any other questions feel free to email us. Sometimes comment responses get lost in the shuffle. :-)
I just spent 4 hours watching your playthroughs of Septima and Obsession. I am trying to decide which to buy. I only have budget for one, not both. So quick question. If you could only play one, which would it be? No pressure of course. LOL.
I own the 1st edition plus the Wessex expansion, but I haven't got it to the table yet (Stupid pandemic!)
Is there anywhere you can buy this game currently? I can’t find a copy and it looks so good!!
Hi I believe you can get the game directly from the publisher.
After watching this I now have it on back order with 2 expansions thank you both. I may be able to get my wife into gaming with this one.
Hi Sean, sorry we missed this comment. So glad you pulled the trigger, it is quickly rising to the top of our lists as a favorite!
Great video, as usual. But where does one buy this game? Is it going to be in retail stores sometimes soon?
Thank you!! The game was released in 2018. The link below is the direct shop of the publisher/designer:
kayenta-games.myshopify.com/
@@BeforeYouPlay Thank you!