Description

In Dominion, each player starts with an identical, very small deck of cards. In the center of the table is a selection of other cards the players can "buy" as they can afford them. Through their selection of cards to buy, and how they play their hands as they draw them, the players construct their deck on the fly, striving for the most efficient path to the precious victory points by game end. You are a monarch, like your parents before you, a ruler of a small pleasant kingdom of rivers and evergreens. Unlike your parents, however, you have hopes and dreams! You want a bigger and more pleasant kingdom, with more rivers and a wider variety of trees. You want a Dominion! In all directions lie fiefs, freeholds, and feodums. All are small bits of land, controlled by petty lords and verging on anarchy. You will bring civilization to these people, uniting them under your banner. But wait! It must be something in the air; several other monarchs have had the exact same idea. You must race to get as much of the unclaimed land as possible, fending them off along the way. To do this you will hire minions, construct buildings, spruce up your castle, and fill the coffers of your treasury. Your parents wouldn

Customer Reviews

 High Tech Designer Card Game - Jul 21, 2010

Dominion is a designer card game that simply fun, fun, fun! I had to read the instructions about x3 to get it but, that is the sign of a good game to me! It is full of tactics and strategy and a fast paced game. If you are a gamer and into quality games, get this for your game collection.

 Fun, easy to learn, quick to pick up and play - Jul 20, 2010

Everyone I've introduced to this game has asked to play it again within a few days. The game is just that fun and addicting.

The game is card based, and there are 10 stacks of "action cards" per game. However, the box contains many more than 10 sets of action cards, meaning that the game can be different every time you play it. The strategy that worked on your first game might not work on the next game. I love that for every game I have to carefully analyze the action cards to determine what strategy I need to use.

It takes maybe 30 minutes to learn the game enough that you can play without additional coaching, but the game has depth - there are lots of strategies and substrategies that you can explore and employ. The game is very easy to set up (couple of minutes, max) after you get everything unpacked. It seems about as durable as a deck of standard playing cards, which somewhat concerns me, but I'm not willing to put all the cards into sleeves.

I only have 2 minor complaints - the first is that most of the games tend to be significantly longer than the stated 30 mins. After playing with a single partner every night for 8 or 9 nights (in other words, we both had a pretty good handle on the game), a standard game would still last 45+ minutes. The other complaint is that the age range (8+) is a little optimistic. I played with some pretty smart 10 year olds, and they really struggled. I'm thinking more like 12+.

If you love board games, you can't go wrong with this one.

 Good Strategy for a Short Duration - Jul 19, 2010

First off, we like this game a lot. That being said, I'll get the cons out of the way.

For one, the game requires a lot of shuffling. Not that shuffling in and of itself is a bad thing, but I worry about the cards deteriorating over time. Deck protectors are available, but those make the piles slippery and tilty and I just don't like them. I'm pretty much resigned to the cards looking like crap after a few years (like our battered version of Quests). The four player limit is a bit inhibiting, but the enjoyability of the game is to blame (at a party or gathering, it's hard to find people who DON'T want to play. Everybody wants in). Also, there can be games which are lame due to which decks are randomly selected (if you know the rules already, this makes sense), but this brings me right around to the pros.

The main pro is that this game is fast. It actually speeds up with more players (if they know what they're doing). If you're not doing well, or the decks on hand are lame or don't work well together, no worries. In 20 minutes you'll be playing another game! I like that. For a while I've been on a big pitch for complex and longer games (rail games, Catan, etc.). Dominion offers a similar degree of strategy and planning, but without the epicly long time commitment, which makes it tons easier to get folks to play, (If you don't think duration makes a difference in playability, think about the response you got last time you asked people if they were down for a round of Monopoly). Learning curve is high, but after battling through one game, most folks get it.

All told, I recommend this to folks who like card based games, but also strategy fans. You'll enjoy it.

 Best New Card Game since Magic! - Jul 14, 2010

I've been playing Dominion for a little over a year now on a fairly regular basis because it's just a fantastic game! It's simple to learn the rules, easy to play, games are fast once you get the hang of it, and there is virtually endless variety - literally endless variety when you buy one or two of the expansions. It's a game for all ages and you can employ simple or very complex strategies towards a victory. Excellent game for thinkers and great educational game for learning basic deck-building and financial strategy. There is also a good selection of expansions available, with more coming over the next couple years, and good aftermarket support for products that help to organize and speed-up the setup and break-down of the game. Quite simply this is the best new card game since Magic: The Gathering came out over 15 years ago, without the annoying cost and collector bent!

 In love - Jul 06, 2010

Dominion is an amazing game. My boyfriend and I play all the time, and introduce it to everyone we can. Now our siblings and friends are hooked too. We recently purchased Dominion Intrigue which can be played as stand alone or used as an expansion with first release Dominion. We tried it as a stand alone and it was okay. We like it better as an expansion. We also bought Seaside (an expansion only) but have not integrated it into our playing yet.

All in all, original plain ol' Dominion is awesome. Get this game!!!

 Dominion - Jul 04, 2010

This game is a lot of fun to play. First time you play it give yourself time. After you have played it a few times it starts to pick up pace! Am glad that we bought it!

 Great Game! - Jul 02, 2010

We are so glad we ordered the Dominion game. My family loves it and plays it all the time. Great game to play with your old kids.

 Fun, with Great Replay Value - Jul 01, 2010

I won't go into all the details of game play as many reviewers have, but I will tell you that this is a very fun game. I have played between 20 and 30 times and I am still trying to figure out the best strategy for victory. The way the game is designed so that only 10 of the 25 kingdom/action cards are used for each game gives it almost endless replay value. There are over 3 million possible card combinations.

I have mainly played this as a two player game with my wife, and it plays extremely well. With two players there are certain strategies that seem to work well, but just don't fly when there are 3 of 4 players in the game. So, the number of players broadens the depth of this game.

Overall, it is one of my favorite games, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to broaden their board game horizon.

 Dominion - Jun 23, 2010

Dominion is a great family game that moves quickly and is easy to learn. Players build their own deck of cards that help them accumulate treasure (money) that will buy estates (land points to win). Each game is different based on the types of cards used. Our family also enjoys Settlers and Carcassonne. Dominion has a similar feel. You'll have fun.

 Great card game - Jun 22, 2010

I played this game for the first time at my brother in law's and loved it. I just got it for my 31st birthday and have played it several times with my wife and friends. The best part of this game is the infinite combinations that come with the game. No need for expansions since this has enough variation to last for a long time.

 Best strategic card game - Jun 14, 2010

This is simply the best strategic card game I've ever played. There is incredible replay value as there are literally thousands of permutations of gameplay. My children, ages 9 and 7, as well as my wife all love Dominion, and will play it 2 or 3 times in a row. The game is almost all strategy, with a small amount of luck thrown in. Well worth the $$.

 Great game - May 18, 2010

I really enjoy this game, as do everyone I've introduced it two. So far the cards have help out ok, but I think sleeves are a good idea.

 Great for gamers of all stripes! - May 06, 2010

My boyfriend bought me all three sets of Dominion for Christmas, and I was overjoyed. Most women would have preferred jewelry, but I'm not most women thankfully!

I've taken this game to a few game groups and introduced it to non-gamers as well and it's been positively received all around. One of the downsides of playing "Euro" style games is the lengthy introduction to some games. This can often entail a 1-2 hour review of the rules and game play before you even begin.

Not this game, even with my weak skills in that area I was able to teach this in around 15 minutes. No more nine hour runs of Twilight Imperium for me thanks.

With the expansions there's virtually no limit to the variety of games you can create, and the strategies for different styles of game play are endless as well. I have almost two hundred board games now in my collection (small amongst my friends), and the true test of a game is its replay value after the first couple of runs. This one won't be collecting dust anytime soon.

 Unique Game - Apr 22, 2010

This is a unique game that the whole family enjoys playing. It has 25 sets of cards in which you play with a group of 10. That gives you many combinations to keep the game fresh, new and fun each time you play. Our family really enjoys playing and you never know who is going to win.

 Dominion: Millions of Games in a Box - Apr 19, 2010

What a great game! With solid gameplay and a short learning curve (one or two test games and you should be good to go), Dominion offers thousands (millions? billions?) of combinations of cards to keep every game different from the one before. Less chance-oriented than Settlers of Catan, players experience aspects of resource management, economics, player interference, strategy, and collectible card games in the course of a single round of Dominion. It also holds educational possibilities, using the cards to teach kids about aspects of medieval life while the game teaches creative, strategic approaches to problem-solving and resource management. I even play over my lunch hour with a couple guys from work- play time for three players runs just about an hour.

Make space for it on your game shelf.

 Great game even for casual vs. experienced gamers - Apr 16, 2010

This is one of the best Euro games available.

Each time you play Dominion you use ten available stacks of "action" cards to build your "deck." Each turn you draw from your deck a new hand of five cards then use and discard them. The actions provide different ways to collect "coins" and do other things. Coins are used to buy victory points. Collect the most VP's to win. Play is fast, even for the timid, so no one is left for long without something to do.

Each game you can choose ten different action cards from the 25 included and thus have tremendous variety for re-playability. [Expansion sets provide even more.] A game lasts 20 to 40 minutes and Dominion is addictive so several hours can fly by while playing.

In any game some of the the ten action cards available will be better choices than others, yet they all look attractive. A player who spends five minutes figuring out the game will not always win but will consistently do better than someone who doesn't do that analysis. The basics to tell beginners: "Maximize over the entire length of a game the average number of coins in your hand each turn. Avoid red herrings."

The non-analyst will still have great fun playing Dominion over and over with the colorful and interesting cards, enjoying the success of gaining new cards on each turn. [A hallmark of Euro games is that no one is "out" before the end of the game.]

For the more serious gamer there are many potential strategies that might succeed. Devising and trying them all can keep your interest for hundreds of games.

It has been said that the original game grows stale after 200 plays. Your purchase gives you 100 hours of fun for two to four people. Then you buy an expansion to provide another 25 actions to choose from: Dominion Intrigue [This "expansion" also allows you to add two more players and is a stand alone game for four.], Rio Grande Games Dominion: Seaside, Dominion: Alchemy. [Even more are promised by the designer.] Cheaper than going out to a movie and much more involvement for your brain.

Rick

 Excellent Game - Apr 16, 2010

Dominion is an excellent game. A nice mix of luck and strategy that can be fun for any kind of person. The random starting cards provides infinite replay and the quick action makes for a high paced and engaging game. This is definitely a favorite of me and my friends.

 Great game - Mar 18, 2010

Great game that you can play over and over and it doesn't get old. The game varies slightly each time you play depending on the cards you choose to play with so it has endless possibilities. We love it!

 Dominion Review - Mar 11, 2010

This is a very enjoyable game. I bought it as a gift for my husband and he really enjoys playing it.

 Best game of the year, but gets old quickly - Mar 04, 2010

This is an excellent math toy for kids. Having to add up all the actions, gold and draws can really help with developing a good strategic mind and addition skills will certainly be increased. Unfortunately, the game ends up getting formulaic and all of the games end up with a race for 4 or 5 of the cards out there as one strategy generally trumps all others when certain cards are present. I have only seen two or three games where 1st and 2nd tried a different approach to winning. After about a hundred plays, I can usually see the "right" cards after they are dealt out. I still play because I have yet to see the same combination of decks, so until I reach that point, this will get weekly play.

 Very Enjoyable Card Game - Feb 24, 2010

This game features some very creative mechanics that make it a hit. There are other reviews out there on gameplay so I will just skip over that. The game is simply a bunch of cards and the object of the game is build up your "Dominion" (which is your deck of cards), there are number of victory point cards and those are the cards that are going to count at the end of the game. The thing that is interesting about this game is that while victory points are necessary to win the game, during the game they are absolutely useless because you cannot play them during the action phase and they cannot be used to purchase anything during the buy phase. This makes the game much more strategic in your planning on when to buy victory point cards, and what type to buy (They range in worth, 1 point, 3 points, and 6 points). So there is some balancing in making sure that you do not flood your deck to early with victory point cards. And there is another element in the fact that you get to build your own deck which is sweet. You spend the whole buying different cards that you hope will make some great combinations in order to buy the most expensive victory point cards. I really like this game because of the deck building mechanic. This game is also played pretty quickly, especially with people who know how to play. I also like the fact that there are so many different action cards and that makes for great re-playability. I recommend this game to everyone. I have showed this game to so many people, most of whom said that this game was way to "nerdy" for them to play, but once they played one game they really found themselves enjoying this game.

 A perfect balance of game elements for families (as well as gamers) - Feb 14, 2010

Like others, I was skeptical of this game - and from the name and the general category, I thought it was an empire-building strategy game like Risk, Settlers of Cataan, etc., which are not to my taste.

But it's not. What it is, is a near-perfect combination of game-playing elements. It's got:

- Luck
- Strategy (what do I want to do long-term in this game?)
- Tactics (what do I want to do with this hand?)
- Re-playability (you can't always use the same strategy; each game's different)
- Accessible to kids (6- and 7-year-olds who can read and add to 10 pick it up in minutes)
- Challenging and engaging for adults (we've been playing daily for weeks and are still debating the finer points)
- A lot of "business" to do with the cards - constantly drawing new cards keeps hands and minds busy
- Good duration - 30-60 minutes per game, usually
- Enjoyable even if you lose

It's true that there's a lot of reshuffling, and that can be slow, mainly for kids - for adults, you're usually doing it while the other person is playing, so it's not a big deal.

And it's also true that it's "four-person solitaire" in a sense; but that's not how it feels while playing, because you're competing for the same resources. If anything, I find it preferable to games where there are possibilities of teaming up or psyching out your opponents - especially when the players' ages range widely.

The re-playability and wide age range makes this one of the only games I can think of that is truly "fun for the whole family," as the slogan goes, and not just for one session but over and over.

 Fun for 2-5 - Feb 10, 2010

I got this game after playing it a few times with some friends I was visiting. So I bought a copy to play back in my city with some local friends. When I invited my local friends to play, a few were interested, others not-so-much. But let me tell you, after even a few games, the not-so-much players were really enjoying themselves. I love that the strategy changes from game to game. I will definitely be picking up Intrigue (which is a stand-alone expansion) and probably Seaside (which needs money and victory cards) soon. Both of which add a lot more variety (and more players).

 Great game with easy but unique dynamics every time - Feb 10, 2010

The game has won numerous awards, and remains in high esteem at Board Game Geek for very good reason. The dynamic is extremely simple. Each turn you:

1) buy a card
2) perform an action
3) discard your cards and draw more (from the pile you are building as you buy)

The cards are quite varied, but most play on the basic theme of giving you an extra buy or an extra action. By chaining these cards together you can quickly buy and act more on each turn, which lets you buy more "victory point cards" that are scored for ultimate victory.

What's especially cool is that the game comes with various "recipes" for the 25 different types of cards that you play with, so a game can be setup as fast-paced, or money heavy, or action-packed (or roll your own), making the game as different or similar as you like it.

It has quickly become my 9yr daughter's(!) favorite game.

 Fun Game - Feb 10, 2010

I really like Magic: the Gathering, but my wife would never play that with me. The deck-building is good in dominion, but it's still really accessible.