Each player chooses a protagonist to play for the entire game.

I'll choose Elizabeth Bennet as my protagonist.

Then I guess I'll choose Charlotte Lucas.

If you're not sure which one to choose, shuffle them and draw one randomly.

Protagonists enter play off stage. This is the area of the table directly in front of a player. When cards are part of the current scene, they are on stage, in the center of the table. Any protagonists that aren't chosen get put back in the box.

We'll put the rest of the cards down as the draw stack, and we'll leave a space next to it for discarding later on.

Each player draws a hand of 5 cards from the draw stack.

My starting hand is Mr. Bennet, Rev. Collins, Troubling Him, A Visit to Longbourn, and Time Passes.

And I've got Cooler Heads Prevail, Mrs. Bennet, A Trivial Scheme, Collins' Affections, and A Pleasant Walk.

Of course, if this weren't a demonstration game, we wouldn't tell anybody what cards we drew!

On your turn you do three things: play as many cards as you want, then discard any that you don't want, then draw until you have 5 cards. Let's see what Elizabeth plays...

I'll play Mr. Bennet and Rev. Collins.

Mr. Bennet is a supporter and Rev. Collins is a suitor. Like protagonists, these are played off stage.

Then I'll discard Time Passes and A Visit to Longbourn, since they aren't too useful to me yet.

That leaves me with only one card in my hand, so I'll draw 4 cards. Looks like I get Opportunity, Such Embarrassment, A Delightful Wedding, and Proposal of Marriage.

Now it's Charlotte's turn.

I'll play Mrs. Bennet off-stage.

I'd like to get Collins to notice Charlotte, but I can't play his Affections until they're both on stage.

Why not?

Because that's what the card says: "Played on a protagonist when she and Collins are on stage."

I'll play A Pleasant Walk.

A Pleasant Walk is a scene. When you play a scene, move everyone off stage and dismiss the old scene to the discard stack. Next we find out who's attending the scene. Anyone attending moves on stage.

Who attends this scene?

A Pleasant Walk says "Any suitors and protagonists may attend." So I'll have Charlotte attend.

And I think I'll have both Elizabeth and Collins attend.

They move Charlotte, Elizabeth, and Collins on stage.

And now I can play Collins' Affections on Charlotte. One step closer to marriage!

Collins' Affections is a modifier, played on a protagonist. Modifiers "stick" to the card they're played on, staying with that card. Put a modifier under the card it modifies, with the title showing so everyone can see which modifier it is.

I'll discard A Trivial Scheme, leaving me with one card, so I'll draw 4 cards: Mr. Darcy, A Large Fortune, Unexpected Visitor, and Foolishness Noted.

It's Elizabeth's turn again.

None of my cards look like they're useful right now, so I'll discard them all.

Drawing 5 cards, I get Darcy's Affections and Intolerable Pride — but then we're out of cards in the draw stack.

When you run out of cards in the draw stack, take the cards from the discard stack and shuffle them, flip them over, and they're the new draw stack.

I still need 3 more cards, so I keep drawing. The next 3 cards are A Visit to Longbourn, A Trivial Scheme, and Opportunity.

I'll play Mr. Darcy – off-stage, of course. Then I'll play Unexpected Visitor.

Unexpected Visitor is an incident, an action that happens immediately. It doesn't matter where you put the card, just show it to everyone and do what it says, then put it on the discard stack.

What does Unexpected Visitor do?

It says "Choose someone you have and move them on stage."

Who are you going to choose?

The only people I have who aren't on stage are Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Darcy. I'll choose Mrs. Bennet.

This moves Mrs. Bennet on stage, and Unexpected Visitor goes to the discard stack.

Now I can play A Large Fortune on Mr. Darcy!

Why couldn't you play it before?

Because it says "Played on someone wealthy, if you have a supporter on stage." Mrs. Bennet is a supporter I have, and now she's on stage.

I'll discard Foolishness Noted and draw 4 cards. They're Troubling Him, Such Embarrassment, Proposal of Marriage, and Time Passes.

Let's change the scene. I'm playing A Visit to Longbourn.

The old scene is dismissed to the discard stack and everyone moves off stage.

Who attends this scene?

It says "Everyone who lives at Longbourn attends. In addition, each player may choose one person they have to attend."

Checking my cards, it looks like Mrs. Bennet is the only one I have who lives at Longbourn, so she has to attend. I'll choose Mr. Darcy as my extra one to send.

And I've got Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet who have to attend.

Next I'll play A Trivial Scheme.

What does that do?

It says "If you have someone clever, choose a player, look at their hand and take a card from it, replacing it with a card from your hand."

She looks at Charlotte's hand and decides to take Time Passes, replacing it with Intolerable Pride.

Next I'll play Darcy's Affections on Elizabeth.

No, you won't! I'm playing Cooler Heads Prevail to thwart that!

Cooler Heads Prevail is a reaction. Reactions can be played at any time, reacting to some other event happening.

What does Cooler Heads Prevail do?

It says "Thwart a modifier being played," such as Darcy's Affections, "if you have someone sensible on stage." such as Mr. Darcy himself.

Darcy's Affections is thwarted, which means it never goes into effect, and it goes straight to the discard stack.

Then I guess there's nothing else for me to do this turn. I'll keep the cards I have and draw 3 more: A Delightful Wedding is first, then we're out of cards, so I shuffle the discard stack in and draw two more: Unexpected Visitor, and A Pleasant Walk.

I'll play Troubling Him and draw two more cards: A Trivial Scheme and Cooler Heads Prevail.

Now I'll play Such Embarrassment.

Such Embarrassment is a development, a card that changes the game and stays in play. Charlotte plays it in her off-stage area.

What does Such Embarrassment do?

It's a -1 to all Bennets.

Oh no! I'd better get rid of that card as soon as I can!

Now I'll play Proposal of Marriage on Charlotte. Looks like she's going to marry Collins.

I'm discarding Intolerable Pride and A Trivial Scheme.

I'd like that card! I'll play Opportunity to take A Trivial Scheme.

What does Opportunity do?

It's a reaction. It says "As a reaction to a card going into the discard stack, take that card into your hand." So I'm playing it and taking A Trivial Scheme into my hand.

Now I only have one card, so I'll draw 4: Foolishness Noted, Darcy's Affections, (shuffle the discard stack into the draw stack), Troubling Him, and Opportunity.

Such Embarrassment is a problem for me, so I'll play Time Passes and dismiss it.

Next I'll play A Trivial Scheme again.

Elizabeth looks at Charlotte's hand, taking Cooler Heads Prevail, replacing it with A Pleasant Walk.

I'll discard A Delightful Wedding, since I can't use that yet.

Then I'll play Opportunity to take it!

With only two cards left in my hand, I'll draw 3: Intolerable Pride, (shuffle), Time Passes, and Opportunity.

I'll play A Delightful Wedding.

What does that do?

It says that I choose a "suitor and the protagonist with his Affections and Proposal." Charlotte, my own protagonist, has Collins' Affections and a Proposal, so I'll choose her and Mr. Collins. Then it says "They attend and she collects points." How many points do I collect?

Let's see... How many points is Charlotte worth?

Just one, and she doesn't have any modifiers that change her value.

And how many points is Collins worth?

Also just one.

So that's 1 for your protagonist, 1 for the suitor she's marrying, and 3 bonus points for going out first. Looks like you collect 5 points!

Now Charlotte and Mr. Collins leave the game. Charlotte's player can keep playing, but she can't gain or lose points.

Play continues until all protagonists are married, or they run out of suitors. In this demonstration game, there's only one suitor left, so Elizabeth will end up marrying Mr. Darcy.