[Izulde]

To present a more coherent start (without taking the time to do images because my phone is dead and charging):

House Wessex
Bitter rivals of the Ponsonby, the Smythe family of the estate of Wessex recently sold a strip of land to fund the building of a Tennis Court, and let it be known they will be competing with a distant, cadet branch of the Orange family for the hand of a Fairchild.

The Private Ambitions (Objectives)
1. Have a large domestic staff (1 VP for each of Lady's Maid, Valet, Footman)
2. Boast a prestigious wing (10 VP if having both Smoking Room + Drawing Room)
3. Have extensive essentials (1 VP for each Essential Improvement - including both hybrid tiles and monuments)
4. Possess an Underbutler

Clearly the Smythes longed to surpass the superb service standards set by the Waters of House York, as much of their fixations focused on the staff and the essential requirements for comfortable living.

Gameplay Note: You have to pick which improvement tile you want to start with as the Wessex bonus before drawing Objectives. Otherwise I would have picked the Breakfast Room instead, as that'd go to the Essentials bonus.

Also, the Big Game Trophy Room, the Sculpture Garden, and the Imported Marble Floor will be the three Monuments to potentially draw. Hopefully all three monuments don't show up at the same time like last game.

Close Friends of the Family
1. Honorable Charlotte Woods (2 Reputation Points)
2. Miss Caroline West (100 pounds)

There was a running joke around Derbyshire that the Smythes only liked women with the initials CW to be part of their most intimate circle, though Charlotte was praised for her grace as the only daughter of the Viscount of Dronfield, and Caroline was one of the shrewdest businesswomen in the region.

Initial Market (Prestige Tiles - 1, 2, and 3)
1. Butler's Pantry (Enables Hiring of Underbutler, +100 pounds) - Service
2. Riding Stables (Sporting, -200 pounds)
3. Retiring Room (Prestige, - 200 pounds)
4. Flower Room (2 prestige, Estate)
5. Smoking Room (2 prestige, Prestige)
6. Hillside Kennels (3 prestige, Sporting)

Go for the easy 5 VP Objective points with the Underbutler or get the Smoking Room and hope the Drawing Room, well... draws?

Is there a pathway to get the Smoking Room? ...Yes, yes there is. So that's what we'll do.

Story Mode
Hearing that the materials and labor to convert one of the rooms on the estate to a smoking chamber, Viscount John Smythe, his heir Robert Smythe, and Caroline West bowled on the green while they discussed ways in which the funds might be raised. They hit upon a solution to scrape together just enough money, and the Smoking Room was purchased.

Viscount John: 200 pounds
Caroline: 100 pounds
Robert: 100 pounds *or* reputation point increase (100 pounds taken)
Bowling activity: 300 pounds
Gain: 700 pounds - precisely enough to purchase the Smoking Room.

The Long Room appeared on the market and was snatched up immediately, replaced by a Flower Room.

Round 2 - Season 1
Having partially succeeded in one ambition, the Smythes sent the Butler out to hire another Footman and another Lady's Maid. The Hillside Kennels were purchased elsewhere.

Note: When you hire servants, they go in the Expended Service and rotate with the hiring person.

Quiet turn - We were without a Footman or a Lady's Maid, and the 2 Prestige rooms were blocked off because our Reputation level is still 1. That meant either the Private Study for Village Fair planning or Servant Hiring. The latter seemed like the smarter play.

Servants' Quarters is the replacement draw.

Round 3 - Season 1
Viscountess Katherine invites Charlotte Wood for a game of whist, and the social acceptability of having the daughter of a Viscount for a pleasant, reputable game significantly elevates the Smythes' profile. What wasn't made public: their discussion of how the open market saw everything gobbled up and made new. The Hon. Wood also told the Viscountess about two people she knew, and Katherine decided Captain Reginald Barrow was a man worth knowing.

3 reputation ticks for the game, 2 reputation ticks for hosting the other CW makes 5 ticks and we jump from 1.1 to 2.1, opening up the Smoking Room and Tennis Court for use.

Obviously I used the draw 2, keep 1 ability on the Viscountess:
Captain Reginal Barrow: 1 Casual Guest, 100 pounds
Adventuress Miss Anne Fairbourne: -2 VP, 1 Casual Guest, -1 Reputation tick, No Service required

Easiest decision ever.

On the Market Refresh, one of the tiles drawn is the Tennis Court, which we already have. There's no rules on what to do if you draw a tile the SP has already constructed, so I've house ruled in that situation, the tile is removed from the game as it's otherwise a dead tile. Also, on Market Refreshes, [b]tiles are placed in sequential Tile Serial Number - lowest in the first position)

After the refresh:
1. Drawing Room (3 Prestige, Prestige)
2. South Library (4 Prestige, Essentials)
3. Music Room (4 Prestige, Prestige)
4. West Terrace (+100 pounds, 5 Prestige, Estate)
5. Great Hall (+200 pounds, 6 Prestige, Essentials)
6. Lionheart Suite (+200 pounds, 6 Prestige, Prestige)

We couldn't have asked for a more favorable draw. The Drawing Room in the 300 pound slot?! Talk about incredible luck! That instantly determines our next turn.

Round 4 - Season 1 - Village Fair
You might be wondering why I didn't prepare for the Village Fair like I have in my other games. Because that 300 pounds and 2 Reputation ticks comes at a cost - the 3 Victory Points on the initial Private Study side. In this game, that means we'd go from a tie in Essentials on the first courtship to a loss. That frankly wasn't worth it.

Captain Reginald Barrow and Anne Smythe played a game of tennis on the lawn, talking of Barrow's heroics in India, where he defended a fort an entire day with just 8 men. This somehow led to talk of disreputable people they each confessed to knowing someone polite society would in no way approve of.

This was the real cost of the Smythes rapidly realizing one of their most critical dreams... having a Smoking Room and a Drawing Room.

Woof. So my two Casual Guest Draws?

Pauper Miss Margaret Stowell: (-2 VP, 2 reputation ticks, -200 pounds, No service needed)
American heiress Joanna Gamble: (-3 VP, -2 reputation ticks, 400 pounds)

Absolutely devastating.

The Lionheart Suite goes out, duplicate Music Room drawn and stacked on top of the original, and then the Retiring Room comes in.

Courtship
Wins: Sporting (5-4); Prestige (5-(-2))
Ties: Essentials (3-3)
Losses: Service (1-3); Estate ((-2)-2)

The Fairchilds announced that season they were looking for the most beautifully appointed Estate, and the Orange Family drew their attention, since the Smythes of Wessex had done absolutely nothing to improve the grounds.

...And of course the AI draws a 5 VP. Ugh.

Round 6 - Season 2 Round 1
Captain Reginald Barrow and Anne Smythe decided it would be the height of hilarity to invite the Disreputables they knew to play one another in a tennis match. Both Margaret Stowell and Joanna Gamble gleefully accepted, and Anne won her bet on Joanna.

After Miss Stowell was paid for her travel expenses, the Smythes netted 600 pounds to add to their 100 in reserve. Those 600 were immediately spent to completely refurbish the West Terrace.

Out goes the Cricket Field. The two replacements are the Riding Stables (x2) and the Croquet Lawn.

Round 7 - Season 2 Round 2 - Objectives Draw
Drawn Objectives:
1. Prestige - 1 VP for each Prestige Tile (including Hybrid and Monuments)
2. Reputation - 7 VP for Max Reputation

That second one would have been aces in my last game. Here, we're still stuck on 2.1 after the upcoming refresh.

This was a quiet period for the Smythes, as they prepared for more activity. They gave some consideration to building the North Library but passed on it, and the materials for it were bought out immediately after.

Round 8 - Season 2 Round 3
We have a major Reputation problem. Still stuck on 2.1. There's a couple ways to improve it - none of which are whizbang options. All have their drawbacks. Finally we settle on...

Robert Smythe and Captain Reginald Barrow passed a pleasant evening in the smoking room, enjoying cigars, port, and philosophical conversation. The captain mentioned a certain moody young man he knew whom he thought might enjoy the Wessex estate's prestige.

3 reputation ticks for the event, 1 reputation tick for the heir (a rare time I don't take the 100 pounds) and the Casual Guest Draw?

Baronet Sir Allan Fulford - 2 Reputation ticks, 100 pounds

A Music Room was added with some of the available family funds. Simultaneously, the materials for both Riding Stables were bought up, a English Garden entering the open market.

Round 9 - Season 2 Round 4 - Village Fair
Viscountess Katherine and her dearest friend Charlotte Wood met again, this time for afternoon tea. This time the topic of hot gossip was the Russian Count Dimitry Kostantinov of St. Petersburg. The good gentleman had spent the last 10 years in London society, and was particularly fond of the hunting in Derbyshire. "He's someone worth knowing," Charlotte remarked.

Later that week, Joanna Gamble left to return to America without ever receiving an invite, and the Croquet Lawns went off-market after the Smythes at last purchased a Brushing Room, which would give their footmen the ability to act as valets. Entering the market in replacement were the North Dining Room and Main Library.

Prestige Guest Draw (Afternoon Tea Event)
Count Dimitry: 1 casual guest, 1 prestige guest, 3 Prestige

We *finally* tick over to Reputation Level 3. Finally.

Second Courtship Round
Win: Prestige (11-5); Sporting (5-3)
Ties: Essentials (3-3); Estate (5-5)
Loss: Service (2-3)

And of course it's Service and another 5 VP draw for the opponent. Courtship has been kicking my ass these last couple games.

Max reputation objective gets tossed. We're at 3.2. No way we get there by the end of the game.