Who Wants a Dominion?

Oooo, oooo, pick me! Pick me! I want a dominion! I do! I really, really do! And trust me, once you've played this game, you will, too.

So. Dominion. The #6 ranked game at boardgamegeek, and one of the fastest-growing "board" games in popularity (it's actually a card-based game, but plays like a board game). This game is absolutely brilliant, and everyone we've introduced it to has loved it as well. Keep reading if you want to get in on the action.

Players: 2-4
Type: Competitive, deck-building card game
Time: 30 minutes
Ages: 10+
Company: Rio Grande Games
Website: http://www.riograndegames.com/games.html?id=278

Quick Summary: Dominion is a "deck-building" card game, meaning the aim of the game is to gain points by collecting and adding various cards to your hand and "building" up your deck. Here, you are a monarch trying to collect as many victory point cards as possible before the end of this quick game, expanding your control and dominion over the land, people... and the other monarchs. However, you're never quite sure who (or what) will turn up to help you on your next turn, so you better make sure you have enough subjects -- and in a variety of trades if you want to come out as the most powerful ruler.


Ok, I know I probably say this a lot... but this is one of my new favorite games. REALLY one of my favorites. As in, I'd probably never say no to playing it. When we first got it, I asked to play it so much that after a while, Josh actually wouldn't play it. And that says something!

There are a few things that make me love this game so much:

1. It's super quick! The first game (or if you're playing with a bunch of people who haven't played before) will take about an hour, but after you've played it once, it's definitely a 30-minute game. I even played a speed round with a friend where we were done in about 14 minutes! So, this is a great game to play if you only have a short amount of time, while you're waiting for the rest of the people to show up for the game night, or as a tournament type game, where you play a "Best Out of __" scenario.
   
2. It has INCREDIBLE replay value. This might not mean much now (just keep reading and you'll find out what I mean), but there are 25 "Kingdom cards" included, and you only use 10 for each game round. This means that you can change the combination of Kingdom cards used each game, which completely changes the game play and your strategy. It's FANTASTIC. Seriously.

So, the rules for Dominion are pretty easy. Each turn, you draw 5 cards from your deck. With those 5 cards, you have three things you can do. First, you have an "Action", where you can play a Kingdom card. Next you have a "Buy", where you can use your Treasure cards to buy another card to add to your deck. Finally you "Discard", which means you put your entire hand into your discard pile. So, there's a definite "use it or lose it" aspect to this game, and each turn is different because you never know what cards you'll pick up. Let's break it down a little bit.

ACTION: This is the first thing you do each turn. When you draw your 5 cards, you will likely draw a Kingdom card. If you draw more than one, you choose which one you want to play, and use it as your Action. Each Kingdom card has advantages for you, and sometimes disadvantages for the other players. This is a chance for you to "get ahead" a bit, and work to build your dominion. Some Kingdom cards, such as the Militia, give you extra money (+2), and then make other players discard from 5 cards in their hand down to 3. Other cards, such as the Moat, protect you from cards such as the Militia (you could show it and keep your 5 cards), and then let you draw extra cards (in this case, 2). Others still might give you a chance to draw extra cards AND gain extra actions (such as the Village card). Like I said, these cards have distinct advantages for you, and help give you an extra little boost before your Buy.


BUY: Now, once you've done your Action, played one or more Kingdom cards (depending on which card you play), and resolved it, you get to do a Buy. This means that you take the amount of Treasure cards you have in your hand (shown below), total them and any money bonuses you may have gotten from your Kingdom card(s), and with the amount, get to a buy a card up to that value. This is where your strategy really comes into play. You can buy Kingdom cards, Treasure cards, OR victory points (or sometimes a combination of those). So here's where you can really choose what your deck will look like. Will you buy victory points all the time? Buy larger amounts of money? Get lots of Kingdom cards for a bigger variety of actions? Important choices happen at this stage.

DISCARD: This one's easy. At the end of your Action and Buy, ALL the cards you used in your turn - Kingdom cards (for your Action), Treasure cards (for your Buy), and any unused cards (such as victory point cards or extra Kingdom cards) are discarded. Now, what's important to remember here is that you get to KEEP YOUR DISCARDED CARDS. They aren't gone. Hence, the "deck-building" part. You're continually adding to and growing your deck. There are only a few things that happen in the game that can cause you to lose/"Trash" a card, so for the most part, once you have a card, it's yours for the rest of the game. Also, once your deck runs out, you simply shuffle your discard pile, flip it over, and it becomes your deck.

Now, one quick warning. It might seem if the point of the game is to collect victory points, that buying Kingdom cards and Treasure is silly... but let me just point out that victory points in hand don't actually do anything. They're basically dead weight. You need to collect them, but the more you have, the more often they'll show up in your hand when you draw your 5 cards, and that means you'll have fewer options for your Action and Buy. Just saying.

All in all, this game is simply fabulous. I haven't found one thing I dislike about it. As I mentioned earlier, it's different every time you play it, because you only play with 10 Kingdom card piles each time, and there are 25 total. This means you can play three games right in a row, change the Kingdom cards you use, and each game will be COMPLETELY different. Not to mention that there's a second version out, Dominion: Intrigue, which is a stand-alone game, but allows you to play with up to 6 players OR to combine with Dominion and play with up to 8 people. There's also going to be an expansion coming out this fall called Dominion: Seaside.

I don't think I need to say it, but just in case... I highly, highly, highly recommend this game. It retails for about $45 in stores, but if you look online, you can find it in the $28-$32 range. It's a fun game, fairly straightforward to learn, is quick, and is different each time you play it. If those aren't good reasons to check it out, I don't know what else will convince you. So, just go play it, and good luck in your quest to build your dominion and rise above the rest!