Victory Snatched from the Jaws of Defeat

Today, Family Game Night featured a round of Courtier between my wife and me.

Courtier board
Picture from http://www.wired.com/2013/02/courtier/

Courtier is a card/board game of influence peddling in the Renaissance-like city of Tempest. Players play cards to put down tokens on the various members of court (on the board). By gaining influence in the court, you can fulfill petitions, which earn victory points.

I thought I was doing well because I had completed a few high-point petitions. When the game was over, we counted up our victory points. Sure enough, I had a sizable lead - 42 vs. 23 points.

But wait, there was more. Due to controlling the artists (the Culture area of the court), Elizabeth had racked up 7 VPs that I had not noticed. She also had another 3 from a card she had played during the game. Finally, she controlled the Senate at the end of the game, which gave her another 10 points.

If you're doing the math, you'll know that the final tally was 42 vs. 23+20 = 43. She edged me out by a point! ARGGGH!

Anyway, congratulations to my wife for a surprising but well-deserved victory.