Obsession: Characters Expansion

I held off rating this expansion until it was officially released, but I've played it extensively during playtesting. This expansion is great in that it handles catastrophically bad luck (getting the worst objectives, getting no prestige-inviting guests, getting a ton of negative VP guests) and actually helps you out of these situations. From a rules standpoint, it only adds a little bit more complexity to the base game, making it a good choice for people who aren't ready for Upstairs/Downstairs. I've played with and without U/D and while I think it shines most with it, I do like that the approachability makes it possible to play either way. Also, this expansion really makes pass turns a challenging decision - suddenly, passes are very powerful actions, forcing you to really debate what the best use of the pass action will be as opposed to defaulting to getting money or a refresh in the base game and nearly always hiring servants in U/D. The choices are much harder in Characters. The alternate family cards are very fun and add a lot more 'character' to your family by giving you a special family member. Adds more interesting choice to the opening draft. I haven't yet played the final version of the co-op, so I'll save my opinions on that for later.