Marrying Mr. Darcy

Today Kage decided we would finally break out a game he had gotten for me on kickstarter long ago. I, like many others, absolutely love Pride and Prejudice, and I would definitely consider it one of, if not my most favourite classic book of all time. Hector didn’t know what to think about this one, since it is so different than our norm. Given the subject matter, and the alright but not spectacular artwork, I wasn’t sure what to expect about this card game where you become a character and then try to win a proposal from another, but it is glorious.

You start by rolling a die to see which player gets to pick their character first. Having rolled a six, naturally I picked Lizzy Bennet (fun fact: my first dog was named Lizzy after this character). Kage picked Jane from a random shuffle, having not read the book and not being as invested in this game as I was. Naturally, I went in with the plan that I MUST get Darcy. The character cards used to gain points, however, are quite random. While this might bother some, given the game dynamics it actually worked out really well and was a fun game overall.

Once you have your playable character and three character cards you then get to pull an event card. The event cards can be anything from rolling a dice at a party, a scandal, to relatives leaving you money. The event cards dictate both draws of character cards and your ability to play character cards. Each character had a list on the back of the points they will get from each suitor, and each suitor has a list of requirements of the character in order for them to propose. Whether or not you get the appropriate cards for reputation, beauty, friendliness, and wit is entirely up to the draw of the character cards, but regardless was quite fun. Many events cause a neighbor to lose cards, but it wasn’t actually that annoying.

The game played very quickly but it was extremely enjoyable, and we were smiling and laughing most of the game, even when we had scandals to deal with. In the end, though neither of us got the character we’d wanted to marry, but the entire experience was awesome, and we both believe it will quickly become a favourite filler. It will perhaps be more fun with more people as well, since there will be more event cards in between that will change the game. I suspect this game will stay with us forever, and I quite love it.

Kage’s Notes: Although the theme of this game is a little weird, I found it to be very fun. Even though I am not particularly familiar with the source material, having not read any of the relevant literature since highschool, the theme was easy enough to understand, especially to anyone who has seen Downton Abbey or similar shows.

I will say it is very random, with some swingy events and dice rolls throughout, however each individual event has only a small impact on the game, so even a bad dice roll or card draw tries to do you in, it’s only a small part of the game. I was also not as enamored as Amanda with the components. Although the art is solid and an excellent style, the cards of of middling quality and have a high gloss finish that makes them a nightmare to shuffle. Overall though, a superb, if quirky, gateway and filler game with an atypical theme that may appeal to some gamers and non-gamers alike.

The Teal Dear

Game: Marrying Mr. Darcy
Designer: Erika Svanoe
Price: $28 USD
Players: 2-6
2 player Scaling: Awesome
Playtime: 10 – 15 Minutes per player
Estimated Lifespan: Forever, good gateway game
Average Play Frequency: Hopefully monthly
Complexity: 2
Components: 3.5
Bang for Buck: 3.5
Value for Time: 5
Fun Factor: 4.5
Overall: 4.5