Jane Austen's Matchmaker: Chapter Two (2017)

About this game

Description from the designer: In Matchmaker, you take characters under your wing and try to find them suitable partners. Some characters want to fall in hopelessly in love but others are more pragmatic - or just plain mercenary! You'll discover your characters’ motives with the roll of a dice. Each character has a preference which makes them more likely to prefer a particular ‘trait’ - Charm, Virtue, Rank or Fortune. Making a suitable match – for example marrying one of your gold-diggers to a rich suitor – will earn you more prestige. The player who earns the most prestige wins the game. You can gain even more prestige by earning the approval of patrons. Mrs Norris only approves of people with a good fortune whereas Lady Bertram is more impressed by charm. In addition to making matches, you can invite characters to prestigious residences to boost your prestige still further. Make sure you invite the right sort of guest, they don't approve of riffraff at Mansfield Park! The original Matchmaker card game was intended for social play (3 or more players) but I received many requests for a 2-player variant. Jane Austen's Matchmaker: Chapter 2 was designed with this in mind. Whether you play head to head or with up to three other players, you must assess each proposal and your chances of coming out on top, before you accept or decline.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 4.
• Rules load. At 2.0/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 12 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.