Dominion
$34.99
Dominion at a Glance
| Game Type Medieval Theme. Card Game, Deck Building, Take That, Variable Setup | Play Time 30 mins | Skill/Complexity (2.5 - 5) Light - Medium |
| Age 13+ | Publisher(s) Rio Grande Games | Published 2008 |
| Categories Strategy | Players 2 - 4 | Cost $34.99 |
| Related Games Like Dominion - Top Picks | Our Rating 9.4/10 |
You are a monarch looking to grow your kingdom. Hungry for more land, better buildings and, of course, increased wealth. From humble beginnings, you will buy and use minions, buildings and communities to further your quest to create a dominion – all while competing against other monarchs on the same mission.
About – Description
First published in 2008 by Rio Grande Games and now on its second edition (2016), Dominion, a 2009 Spiel des Jahres Winner is still going strong today, thanks to those expansions.
Dominion, a 2 – 4 player game is often cited as the original deck-building game. As a monarch competing to own the biggest kingdom, you collect resources, building your deck one card at a time. With a new hand to work with each turn, you’ll purchase minions, property, and locations, each with properties to help you progress – and to hinder the growth of your rivals!
The aim of the game is to have the most victory points in your deck when the game ends – which can happen very suddenly!
It plays out in around 30 minutes (this varies though) and has an age recommendation of ages 13 and up.
Who is Dominion Best Suited for?
While the game is officially targeted at 13+ years, it is fairly simple to pick up and could be a good addition to any family gaming collection. You don’t need to have played board or card games extensively to grasp the concept of Dominion, and it is a great way to introduce new players to deck-building mechanics.
Skill – Complexity (Low-Medium)
Dominion is easy to pick up – once you get to grips with the keywords used, it’s easy to pick up any expansion or deck and know instantly how the cards work. What takes longer, is learning how to use the cards together to create epic combos!
Gameplay – How it plays
Some of the game mechanics might be confusing at first for new players – the idea of discarding your hand and drawing again at the end of every turn certainly takes some getting used to. But, as the deck grows and cards begin to filter through to generate more income and victory points, it doesn’t take long for the pace to pick up and for the competition to get real.
When setting up each game, you can decide to use the suggested cards or randomize which cards are in play. As you grow your collection with the many expansions available, the assortments presented to you get more exciting – and complex.
Sorting the cards for the first time can be time-consuming, but the box is designed to keep the decks separate, making future set up much easier.
Play begins with the youngest player ( or choose your own method to pick a starting player) and each player starts with a set number of treasure and victory cards. These are shuffled and a hand of five cards is drawn. These are used to buy new cards which are immediately put into the discard pile. After the end of the turn, the remaining cards in hand are discarded and a new hand of five cards is drawn. This means that newly acquired cards can take a few turns to make it into the player’s hand – especially as your deck starts to get bigger and bigger.
The game ends when one of two conditions is met; either the last Province (worth 6 Victory Points) is bought, or if three supply piles are emptied. Unlike many other games, play ends immediately when this happens. It is important to note who started and finished the game as, in the event of a draw, the player who has taken the fewest turns, wins.
The length of each game can vary, as the differing cards and resources mean games move at different tempos and it could be easier or harder to gain money and victory points.
The number of expansions and varieties of resources means Dominion has high replay value. Whether you choose to play the same set until you’ve got the strategy nailed, or if you change decks every game for more variety, this is a game that will not be left on the shelf long enough to gather dust.
Versions & Editions
Dominion has three base sets, 10 large expansions and three small expansions. Each has a new theme, such as Dark Ages, Adventures and Intrigue, and each brings a new dimension to the game.
Dominion.games is the official online multiplayer version of Dominion – it is free to play the base game, but there is a subscription service available which gives access to all expansions. Only one player needs to have the subscription to start a game using expansion with friends.
Likes & Dislikes
- One of the original deck building games
- A must have for board game collectors
- Plenty of replay value
- Lots of interesting resources to get to know
- Easy to pick up and understand
- Each expansion has its own box, so you could soon find yourself short on space.
- There are a lot of cards to sort and put away at the end of each game
- If you choose to sleeve your cards, put aside a few hours to do so. The base game alone has 500 cards!
Final Thoughts
Dominion is a staple in any board game collection and it’s up to you how many expansions you own and how big your dominion empire becomes. It’s a good game to collect with friends, if you have a regular gaming group, as you can share cost, space needed and the experience of learning the intricacies of each new collection.
