Donald X. Vaccarino’s Dominion is, to date, my favorite tabletop game of all time. I should note, of course, that I consider video games and traditional games two different mediums, and that the intent of one is not the intent of the other. However, even if they were the same medium, Dominion would get the edge over Earthbound, which is not something I ever saw coming since I love that game so much. I know this game in and out. I’m not the best player in the world, but I think I’m in the top 1%. There are players more obsessed than me, and that is saying something because I have played at least one game daily since I first discovered Dominion in the summer of 2011. The fanbase of this game is very dedicated: in the few years it’s been out, hundreds of strategy articles have been posted, tournaments have been formed, gameplay videos have been recorded. What is it about this card game that keeps us coming back?
Dominion is a game based around deck building. As a former Pokémon Trading Card Game and Yu-Gi-Oh! player, I was familiar with the idea going in. Players start with a few basic cards, usually Coppers and Estates, then purchase more powerful cards, eventually building a deck that can be used to buy Victory cards. Naturally, the player with the most Victory points wins in the end. In a neat twist, the Victory cards are in most cases “dead.” Gaining them increases your score, but also makes it harder to buy more. It is this concept and its delicate balance that initially makes Dominion an interesting game: You are trying to build a better deck (“Kingdom”) than your opponent, but you have to be careful in your purchase order and timing to do so. While the game has attacks and ways to screw with your opponent, the ultimate goal is to be the person who played the best, not the one who “killed” his enemy or depleted his resources.
What truly sets Dominion apart is the sheer amount of variety offered. In each game, you have ten “Kingdom” cards to choose from that are randomized from whatever pool of cards you play with, which has increased with each expansion to the game, only one of which has not come out yet. As of now, there are 205 possible Kingdom cards, and I don’t even want to do the math to determine how many possible games that means. Needless to say, you are unlikely to play the same Kingdom twice when playing random sets, and even if you did you may never notice because it’s entirely possible to approach each set of 10 in a different way either through using a new strategy or reacting to an opponent’s play.
Kingdom cards can be Actions, Treasures, or Victory cards. One exciting aspect of Dominion is that the cards are usually combo-friendly and interact with other cards in unique ways. For instance, a Hamlet can be used to discard a Tunnel, gaining you Gold for later. However, a Hamlet can also be used to gain extra actions per turn, allowing you to play long strings of Action cards, and can further be used to increase your buying power in a complicated deck. These Action cards serve a variety of purposes that I can’t hope to summarize well in a single review, and yet the game is written so simply that most any player can grasp the idea right away. Like the US Constitution, what makes it work so well over time is that the rules are vague–cards aren't hard-written for interaction with specific others, and instead can interact with any other card by default. Simplicity proves to be crucial to Dominion’s success.
As a player continues to improve at Dominion, he’ll pick up on some core strategies. There’s “trashing” early cards to make a deck composed of only the good stuff. Then, the “Big Money” strategy, or only buying Treasure and Victory cards, which outpaces inexperienced players who buy cards at random. And then there’s the “Engine,” a deck with a solid concept, meticulously designed and put in to action. A good Dominion player knows how and when to go for each type of strategy, and learning to see patterns and combinations becomes easier with each game. Eventually, this leads to that coveted end goal of a well-designed game: players of different skill levels will have an entirely different experience with each board. This further increases the variety in games played. I have watched two high level players duel on a seemingly simple board, keeping track of who bought what, aware of the end game condition and the steps they must take to come out on top at all times. It’s a far cry from the earlier days of just buying random cards while joking around with your friends, and one of my favorite things about Dominion is that both types of play are possible and fun.
The game can be played with 2-6 players depending on the expansions purchased, though really only 2-4 are interesting. 3 and 4-player games tend to be more ‘casual’ while 2-player games tend to be battles of wits. I prefer the latter, but hey, I’m the guy who’s played it 5,000 times.
One thing board game enthusiasts often complain about is Dominion’s lack of a ‘theme.’ What they mean is, they like to role play when playing certain tabletop games with their friends, really getting in to the characters or situation going on, and Dominion isn't good for that. It’s an understandable criticism, but I don’t think it’s very important to the game–Dominion is a relatively fast game that is all about its core mechanics. The theme is just an excuse for art, which is for the most part pretty good. If you don’t care so much about pretending you’re a king buying stuff for your kingdom and just want to play with cool cards that have somewhat abstract concepts, you won’t care either.
This is a game I see myself playing for a good, long time. I’m not bored of it now and I can’t conceive of a time when I will be. If you ever liked playing collectible card games but hated… collecting the cards, this game’s for you. If you like a flexible game you have to think about, but not too hard (unless you want to), this game’s for you. If you want to play a game with me, geez, hit me up and I’ll play you because, man, I love Dominion.
10
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