[Izulde]

The Fenced Paddock and Retiring Room, because they're Prestige 1 tiles, both go to the PR 1 Market Reserve. Note: any Service tiles go in the Service Reserves created after the first courtship. Replacing them are the Gabled Conservatory and... the Sculpture Garden Monument.

Round 11 - National Holiday - Season 3 - Round 1
With the excitement of the National Holiday, the Smythes were able to host a family musical recital in the Music Room. Anne Smythe was the soloist who found an appreciative audience in Count Dimitry Kostantinov and Baronet Sir Allan Fulford, and rumors began to spread of a Russian-English marriage.

8 Reputation ticks altogether from the Event, the Admirer Bonus, and Fulford - leaping us from 3.2 to 4.5! 100 pounds is nowhere close to enough for the Monument, and the draws? Well...

Pauper Alexander Pinder, Esq.: -1 VP, 1 Casual Draw, -100 pounds, No Service Needed
Gossip Beatrice Wilton - 1 VP, 1 Casual Draw, -1 Reputation attack on another player, No Service Needed
Lady Elinor Palmer - 3 Prestige, 1 Casual Draw, 1 Prestige Draw

In the solo mode, the Gossip attack is useless, so basically she'd be invited to make up numbers and get a casual guest draw.

And of course the Orange family buys the Monument. That's a devastating 10 VP pickup. State Room comes in.

Round 12 - Season 3 - Round 2
Pass

The Great Hall leaves the market, replaced by the Breakfast Room.

Round 13 - Season 3 - Round 3 - Builders' Holiday
Count Dimitry Kostantinov and Baronet Sir Allan Fulford formed an unlikely friendship and headed to the Wessex estate together as soon as they could, joining already present Lady Elinor Palmer in a delicious and merry conversation in the drawing room where visitors were being received. It proved a very fruitful what we would today call networking session indeed.

Reputation jumps again, from 4.5 to 5.5. We also draw the following:

Cad Baronet Sir Bentley Churchill: -3 VP, 300 pounds, -2 Reputation
Terrance Whitlow: 100 pounds, No Service Needede
Countess Louise Pembroke - 3 prestige, 1 Reputation, 1 Prestige Draw
Dowager Countess Alice Holt - 5 prestige, 500 pounds

An overall nice draw, though Sir Bentley might be banished soon.

The English Garden is added to the estate, replaced by the South Lawn, which is snapped up immediately and replaced by the French Garden.

Round 14 - Season 3 - Round 4
A constitutional in the just acquired English Garden was the highlight for Viscountess Katherine, attended as she was by new acquaintances Countess Louise Pembroke and Dowager Countess Alice Holt. It was a refreshing bit of novelty, made even more cheering with the news that the Dowager had seen to it that Sir Bentley Churchill would never darken the Wessex doorstep.

Furthermore, the Dowager saw that the new garden had some especially prize blooms she wanted for her own, and so after some haggling, she bought the ones she wanted for the princely sum of 500 pounds. This was spent right away to have a Gabled Conservatory built.

Guest Draws
Lady Elizabeth Hastings - 3 Prestige, 300 pounds
Lady Alexandra Suffolk - 5 Prestige, 3 Reputation, Prestige Draw

Our reputation ticks up just enough to move to 6.1.

The French Garden goes off market, bought by the Dowager Countess to put her new trophy blooms in. The replacements are the Heritage Guest Room and the Hillside Kennels.

Courtship Round 3
Win: Prestige (17-8), Estate (11-8)
Tie: Sporting (5-5)
Loss: Essentials (3-12), Service(2-4)

This time, the Fairchilds were searching for Prestige, and there was simply no contest. Elizabeth Fairchild joined the ranks of the Smythes' guest list for the season.

5 VP draw, too!

Out goes the 1 VP for Essentials Objective

Round 16 - Season 4 - Round 1 - Village Fair
The remaining family members spent several weeks just sitting out on the West Terrace, enjoying the view and collecting 300 pounds.

Guest Draw
Adventuress Miss Elizabeth Jones: -2 VP, Prestige Draw, -2 Reputation
Viscountess Caroline Abernathy: 2 Reputation

What an absolute shithouse draw.

The Breakfast Room is purchased, leaving room for the Cabinet of Curiosities.

Round 17 - Season 4 - Round 2
One of the most illustrious picnics in Derbyshire memory was held on the Wessex estate at this time. A roster of the guest list:

Miss Elizabeth Fairchild
Lady Alexandra Suffolk
Lady Elizabeth Hastings
Captain Reginald Barrow
Terrance Whitlow, Esq.

The glittering party was in agreement that Margaret Stowell had no business in their society, and though Elizabeth joked that the obscenely wealthy American heiress Anne Hawkins should be invited among their number, the idea was quickly dismissed rather than taken seriously.

Investment opportunities gave the Smythes the money to continue building the luxury of Wessex with a State Room. This in turn was replaced by a Great Hall in the market, the Cabinet of Curiosities bought out with a Green Room replacing that.

Sum Guest Draws
Albert Plantagenet: 3 Prestige, 3 Reputation
Regina Washburn: 3 Prestige, 1 Reputation, 1 Prestige Draw

Round 18 - Season 4 - Round 3 - Objectives Round
Objectives Drawn
2 Valets + 2 Ladies' Maids: 5 VP
Domestic Group - Gabled Conservatory and either North or Main Library: 12 VP

Wow, okay. So there's a path for me to get to the Main Library. I was originally planning on passing this turn, but I have to take the guaranteed 12 VP.

A late ambition changed the Smythes' plans for a restful period. Though their staff was stretched to their utmost, with the Butler pressed into serving the arrogant Albert Plantagenet, the family still managed to host a bizarre tennis match between the latter and Miss Beatrice Wilton, since the status-hungry woman cared not to be served herself - only to have the pleasure of being able to tell everyone she played a match against an actual member of the House of Plantagenet. They were oddly a match in their values, though Albert considered Miss Wilton beneath him and not truly worthy of his attentions.

Still, the event caused the House of Wessex to have enough money to realize their late-stage dream of adding a library to their conservatory. It was the crowning achievement and a symbol of just how high the Smythes had climbed.

The Flower Room came in place of the Main Library; the Heritage Guest Room gone for the Breakfast Room

Round 19 - Season 3 - Round 4
Although the family hoped to hire more servants as their final move of the year, the Butler was unavailable, so Regina Washburn and Elizabeth Jones played tennis, raising a little money and introducing the Symthes to two prestigious guests they wished they'd gotten to know much earlier.

This proved exciting news, as it gave the Wessex estate the funds to purchase a Barn, drawing them level in Service with the Orange.

(Market skipped because it doesn't matter)

Final Courtship Round
The Fairchilds' last declared interest was Sporting.

Orange Tabulation
Service: 4
Estate: 15
Prestige: 10
Sporting: 9
Total: 38 courtship points

Wessex Tabulation
Service: 4
Estate: 14
Prestige: 22
Sporting: 5
Total: 45 courtship points

Miss Elizabeth Fairchild has accepted the hand of Robert Smythe!

Orange Final Score Tabulation:
Base: 147
Courtship VP: 10
Monument VP: 10
[b]Final Tally: 167 points[/u]

Wessex Final Score Tabulation:
Improvements VP: 48
Gentry VP: 41
Subtotal: 89 points

Objective/Milestone VP: 32
[b]Subtotal/b]: 121 points

Reputation VP: 28
Subtotal: 149 points

Service VP (2 per servant): 14
Subtotal: 163 points

Wealth (1 VP per 200 pounds): 0
Subtotal: 163 points

Courtship/VP Points: 10
Final Tally: 173 points

Wessex Wins By 6 Points!

Comparing this to the previous game's win:
York won primarily through Reputation and Estate Improvements, with Wealth the deciding factor.

Wessex won primarily through Estate Improvements, Gentry VP, and Objectives, with winning the final Courtship the deciding factor.

One of the best parts about this game is the different pathways you can take to victory. I played much better this game - beating an Intermediate opponent after barely beating a Beginner opponent last time (both with the Challenge mode).

I imagine things get even more interesting with the Upstairs/Downstairs expansion, which I haven't yet cracked and won't until I'm back in town. No more games this go-round, though. I wasted a packing day playing and sleeping.