The best dominion extensions
The best dominion extensions
After hundreds of Dominion games and your fifth consecutive win using Gardens, you may begin to wonder, "Is there more?". The answer is a resounding yes.
Dominion has one of the largest game extension libraries to date and has even more work to do. From Tolkien-esque adventures , empire building, alchemical giants and even werewolves, Dominion has literally something for everyone. Today we are looking for the best extensions of lordship out there.
Our best selections for the best Dominion extensions
The best new mechanics
The best contestant
Best overall
With so much information, it’s hard to figure out where to start. But no fear. We are here to help you! Here we will cover each extension, how it is, what major changes to the rules are and what we think about it. We played countless games and spent many hours coming to the end of each extension.
1. Dominion: Dark Ages
topic
Dark eyelids came; perhaps historically inaccurate, but they came anyway. Dominion: Dark Ages thematizes the theme by presenting the misery and hardships that average people felt in this vaguely medieval era. Cards are played hard on this topic and give a rustic look to the farmers under your rule.
Overall feeling
To enhance the gloomy atmosphere, Dark Ages intensifies the scattering and attacking of cards to a whole new level.
In the basic game of Dominion, the showdown was over, but not here. The card debris removal mechanic has been upgraded and given a huge boost. Most added cards have the ability to spin cards in some way or give you a bonus when you discard a card on your turn, which is good because you will pick up a lot of Ruin cards and unwanted cards. way.
There are also a lot of new offensive cards on board this time, and a lot of layouts don’t give you a reaction in defense. Fortunately, if you take the Ruin or the Curse, you will have many opportunities to destroy them.
If you can't and don't attack in Dark Ages, you will fall behind very quickly.
Major changes to the rules
There are several types of cards that you will not recognize from the Core of the Dominion game , other players will be able to pick up and go right from the start.
Shelters
Shelters are the first type of card you will use in the Dark Ages extension. They replace the Estates in your starting board and each player starts with 3 Shelters (1 of each type) instead of the Estates in the starting hand. They are all equally disturbing. An action card that doesn’t do anything but give you another action is very extreme and redundant (see what I did there?). Luckily, you’ll be scattering a lot of cards in Dark Ages and they probably won’t stay on your deck for long.
Ruins
Ruins are the next fun addition. They come to your deck with attacks from other players like Curses. Unlike Curses, however, they don’t take points. They fill the deck with useless cards that prevent you from drawing the ones you really need.
Knights are the latest new type of card to which special rules are associated. When you play a game where knights are in stock, you have to take all the knights (Sirs & Dames), mix them up and put them all together in one stock. Each knight has their own special text with cards and each has a completely different ability, and if that was not enough, each knight can be any of the three main types of cards (action, victory or attack). They are all incredibly useful and fun to play with.
Upgradeable cards were first introduced at Dark Ages. With upgradeable cards, you can take a bad little “Urchin” off the street, and then you can play him once and upgrade him into a seasoned mercenary. With these types of cards, you can buy the initial version of the "Urchin" card, and then, after playing from your hand, you have the option to move the "Urchin" card and add a "Mercenary" card instead. This mechanic is also used in several other extensions, but to my knowledge it started here.
Plen
Prey is a new kind of treasure. You get the Spoils card every time you play certain attack cards that represent the wealth you just looted from some bad shepherd (You monster!). They act as a $ 3 disposable treasury. When you play the Spoils card for its value, it returns to the content supply and removes it from the deck. It’s an easy way to make quick money, but it won’t last forever, so spend it wisely or keep attacking until you get more.
it lasts forever, so spend it wisely or keep attacking until you have more.
Presets
Dark Parade: Armory, Band of Misfits, Catacombs, Cultist, Forager, Fortress, Knights, Market Square, Procession, Hunting Grounds
Playing Chess with Death: Bandit Camp, Graverobber, Junk Dealer, Mystic, Pillage, Pats, Sage, Scavenger, Storeroom, Vagrant
Final thoughts on the dark ages
Dark Ages is my favorite extension on the list. I love trash and trying to rationalize my deck, the mechanics that have always been a fun Strategy for me. He also has my personal favorite card, Rats. I’ve played this card so many times and it’s so embarrassing that Kendra’s mom doesn’t really want to play any games that have rats. That's a wonderful map.
- This is an extension to Dominion and not a standalone game
- Includes 500 cards
- Adds depth and complexity
2. Lordship: Prosperity
topic
Money makes the world go round! In the Prosperity extension, you will have so much money that you will have to hire an employee to accompany all your employees. Life is hard.
Overall feeling
Prosperity brings exactly what the title promises, boundless prosperity. With all this newly acquired wealth, it would seem foolish to spend only $ 2 on $ 10 to $ 15. Fortunately, Prosperity adds a ton of new cards at a higher cost and more value. It features more expensive treasure tickets (Platinum) and victory tickets (Colony), so you’re sure to find something to spend all the money that burns a hole in your pocket.
Major changes to the rules
When setting up the base game, you’ll immediately notice two new additions: Colonies and Platinum.
Colony: Anyone who thought only provinces win matches is rudely waking up. The colonies are worth 10 winning points, which makes them change tremendously. But be careful, the game is over when the provinces are gone, so watch out for them.
Platinum: This is your upgraded treasure map. Its value is $ 5 and the purchase costs $ 9. If you manage to pick up Platinum at an early stage of the game, your purchasing power will quickly start to grow as the game continues and all these new expensive cards will be easily available.
Prosperity also includes two sets of tokens: Victory tokens, which are numbered and worthy of winning points printed on the page, and Treasure tokens, which can be stored between rounds and spent in later turns.
Each player will also have their own play mat, the sole purpose of which is to place their chips on top to follow them. If you play with multiple extensions, it may be easier to leave them aside.
Presets
Beginners: Bank, Counting House, Expand, Goons, Monument, Rabble, Royal Seal, Venture, Watchtower, Worker Village
Friendly interactive: Bishop, town, smuggling, forging, pantry, peddler, royal seal, trade route, vault, workers' village
Great Acts: City, Expand, Grand Market, King's Court, Loan, Mint, Quarry, Rabble, Talisman, Vault
Ultimate thoughts on prosperity
Prosperity adds some very interesting combinations and a lot of space to arrange your own house rules. It’s also fun to combine this special extension with others. Added platinum and colonies can create some very interesting games.
My favorite card in this extension is Counting House. With Counting House, you can view the entirety of your discarded pile and put all your Copper into use. This, when used properly, can get out of hand very quickly. I had turns where I played enough copper to be able to buy 2 provinces in one plant.
If you like crazy money on your board, then prosperity is definitely for you.
- Dominion adds 25 new royal cards and 2 new basic ...
- The central theme is wealth, there are treasures with abilities, ...
- 4. Addition to the game Dominion
# 3. Dominion: Adventures
Overall feeling
The motif of the map here is amazing. You can also run Lord of the Rings soundtrack and put on your LARP gear while playing this extension. Adventures are where card upgrades really shine. You will have several different cards that give you the option to throw the card in the trash and pull out the upgraded version when using it. In a few turns, you can watch your little new fighter grow up and become a champion. Honestly, a wizard and hobbit map would not be in place in this extension, but there is a bridge troll.
Major changes to the rules
Adventure is a complex job, and changes in the game reflect that. This extension comes with a number of additional pieces that are hard to keep track of.
Taverna Mats
Every good adventure starts at the inn and every player will get their own inn rug. Similar to carpets in Seaside, they only come for certain cards and each card can do something different. This is usually a place to store a card that you can recall for later use.
Good
Players will also have several types of chips associated with certain cards. The card will have different effects depending on which side of the token is facing up (heads or tails).
Card upgrades
Card upgrades are a very interesting part of this extension. There are two sets of cards that can be upgraded: Page and Peasants.
Peasant upgrades tell a rather interesting story in the upgrade process.
Farmers> Soldiers> Runaway> Pupil> Teacher
Our upgraded farmer is drafted into the army, leaves, finds solace in a convent, and eventually acquires wisdom and becomes a teacher.
Page> Treasure Hunter> Warrior> Hero> Champion
Each upgradeable card works differently and it may not always be in your best interest to upgrade the cards. Some cards will be attacks and some actions. The final form of the page is a duration card that protects you from all attacks, so having at least one on board is a big advantage.
Event tickets
If this is one of your first extensions, this may also be your experience with event tickets. Event tickets are placed near stock buyers. There is only one ticket and if you pay the cost and use the purchase, you can use the text of the event card. It can be anything from getting winning points, cards or some attacks on other players.
Presets
Gentle introduction: Camping, amulet, distant lands, prison, double, giant, rent, port, racer, catcher, treasury
Expert introduction: Mission, plan, caravan guard, coin, haunted forest, lost city, magpie, peasant, unusual, swamp, transformation, Wine Merchant
Last thoughts on adventures
Adventures are one of my favorite extensions. Upgradeable cards are extremely useful and incredibly fun to play. I tend to just work on upgrading the maps and ignore the strategy because I think they’re so cool.
The only problem I have with this extension is that there are so many moving parts with it that it seems to me that all together it is sometimes huge or difficult to keep track of. The chips in particular took me a minute to figure out what it was, because they just don’t seem to be distinct enough to quickly tell the difference.
- Age: 13+
- Number of players: 2-6
- Play time: 30 minutes
4. Dominance: Renaissance
Dominion Renaissance is here! With the 12th expansion of the Dominion in Rio Grande, some fresh blood is coming to the deck builder and I just have to say good things about it!
topic
The empire was built, the werewolves were driven out and immediately forgotten, and the kingdom flourished. The Renaissance was a time of new ideas, experimentation and an explosion of cultural exchange.
Overall feeling
Renaissance is a solid extension and is one of the best Rio Grande has released. There are some recurring rules that veterans in the game will immediately recognize (durations), and they have simplified and refined some concepts of previous games. All in all, it creates a very enjoyable experience as it gives players a piece of what they originally fell in love with and adds some very exciting rules and cards. is beginner friendly while still adding a lot of depth to experienced players.
Major changes to the rules
The coin system, which has been used in several extensions, has been expanded and streamlined. Renaissance now has another game board with two sections; cash registers and villagers.
Cash registers
Cash registers work just like in other games, now they are just named and have a board. Each coin in the cash register can be removed to add the extra money you can spend on this plant. By adding coins to the cash register, players can actually save money by turning money over for their big purchases.
The villagers
The villagers work in a similar way, but instead of money, every villager removed from the village committee work is an additional measure.
It’s similar to the system used in previous extensions, but it has a specific name it calls, and the boards make it easier to track and help explain the game to beginners.
Artifacts
Artifacts are a new type of map in the Renaissance. Once certain actions / conditions / are met, players will be prompted to take control of the artifact. The artifact sits in front of that player and gives a bonus until the other player meets the conditions and takes it away from him.
Each of them gets a different bonus and can be brutal.
Some examples of this:
Legend: At the beginning of each turn, he gives the control player +1 money.
Label: Gives the control player a +1 card in the draw phase.
Treasure chest: Give the supervising player +1 GOLD (HOLY SMOKE!) At the beginning of the purchase phase
As you can see, you will want to try something.
projects
The last important addition to the renaissance are the Projects. These are similar to Adventure event tickets, but can only be purchased once and then you receive a bonus. The projects lie on the side of the delivery pile and can be purchased just like any other card. When you buy players, place a color-coded cube on the project to indicate which players were fighting for what. Bonuses can change the game.
The fleet must be my favorite project. At the time of purchase, anyone who has purchased Fleet will receive an additional turnaround at the end of the game. So when the last province is taken or when the third pile is emptied, everyone who has a fleet will basically get one last chance to cash in to gather and increase their end result.
Presets
Overture:
Projects: Fair
Cards: Acting group, experiment, flag bearer, hiding place, improvement, inventor, footmen, old witch, seer, treasurer
Prelude:
Projects: Citadel, Star Map
Cards: Border Guard, cargo ship, ducat, mountain village, priest, recruiter, sculptor, silk merchant, swashbuckler, villain
Last thoughts on the renaissance
Renaissance is a great extension and if you love Dominion as much as we do, you will often see your table. Each extension has a few cards that do similar things, but Renaissance manages to take them and process them, so I don’t think I’ve seen it all before. I really like the depth that the projects add, and the Coffer / Villager system works wonders when arranging a board. A renaissance is a must and in my 5 favorite extensions.
- For 2-4 players
- He has 300 cards, with 25 new royal ones.
- There are tokens with which you can save coins and promotions for later, ...
5. Dominion: By the Sea
topic
“Damn torpedoes! Full speed ahead! It's time to put your feet up and expand your Dominion to the seas. As with all major Dominion extensions, these also fall under a certain theme and Seaside (as you can imagine) is nautically themed. You'll have access to pirate ships, hidden islands and the security of your port.
Overall feeling
This is the player’s first introduction to duration cards and introduces non-card elements such as coins and play mats. Overall, there are a lot of new changes, but nothing ever seems real in this extension. All the cards seem to work together and from the preset map layout it’s pretty easy to see how everything is supposed to work.
Rio Grande Games pushes the nautical theme heavily in this expansion, so fans of pirates and swashbuckling will appreciate the thematic license that's been taken here.
Major changes to the rules
Seaside introduces some new mechanics to your Dominion game. Many cards will have small mats associated with their use, allowing you to hold cards on your carpet (instead of on your board) or monitor their effects throughout the game.
The Native Village and Island card lays cards on carpets that prevent unwanted cards from spinning, freeing up your hands for more useful cards.
A pirate ship allows you to place a coin token on the carpet, which changes the efficiency of future played pirate ships.
Tickets with duration
What goes around, comes around. Duration cards (marked in orange) will remain in play when you play them for the first time and will activate a new effect on the next turn. This makes planning the deck and future steps even more important.
For example, Haven allows you to draw an extra card the first time you play and gain a +1 campaign. Then you have to take the card out of your hand and hide it under the Haven card and it cannot be used in this move. At the next turn, you take a hidden card and it goes in your hand.
With a card like this, a card that won’t help you on that move can make a big difference if you have it next time.
Tokens and coins
Two types of chips are added with Seaside, Embargo and Coin chips. Embargo tokens are used by several cards to track different uses and are written on individual cards as needed. The coin tokens are the same, but instead of being used for tracking, they are used for extra treasure that you can store from turn to turn and thus create wealth in hopes of making a later big purchase.
Presets
High seas: Bazaar, trailer, Embargo, Explorer , Haven, island, vantage point, pirate ship, smugglers, port
Buried Treasure: Ambassador, Cutpurse, Fishing Village, Lighthouse, Outpost, Pearl Diver, Tactician, Treasure Map, Warehouse, Harbor
Shipwrecks: Ghost Ship, Merchant Ship, Native Village, Navigator, Pearl Diver, Salvager, Sea Hag, Smugglers, Treasury, Warehouse
Final thoughts at sea
Seaside is a great extension that introduces quite a few new items for just one box. Being a former sailor, I find myself a bit biased, but it’s a fantastic game. Island and Native village add a lot of new strategies to the game, but personally I’ve never been too successful with them. I am always defeated. I experienced great success with the pirate ship. Nothing is quite as good as an opponent’s gold.
- For 2-4 players
- The game lasts about 30 minutes
- This is an extension - you need Dominion or Dominion Intrigue in ...
6. Dominion: Empires
topic
It is time to expand into a mighty empire. Your enemies have been defeated and only your empire is left with all the struggles associated with it; such as taxes, government debt, and whose turn it is to cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the 100th mega-March in the kingdom.
Overall feeling
Empires in great expansion. It adds more elements that don’t seem out of place to me again and unlike Adventures, I never felt overwhelmed by the new rules. It has a decent amount of offensive cards, but it also adds some new interesting winning cards and some very powerful cards that can only be purchased with the new special rules.
Major changes to the rules
Empires introduces several new elements, and one of the most fascinating is the idea of debt (too fast!)
Debt tokens
With copper debt tokens, players can buy certain cards with the copper symbol without actually having to pay for the treasure. The player then cannot buy anything else until he uses the treasure to repay the accumulated coins. I actually enjoy debt cards, so I usually have a big pile of them.
Divided supply cards
Distributed supply cards are also a new feature we see in this extension. With split cards, there will be two separate cards on one stack.
For example, we will use Catapult and Rocks. To set them up, take all the Catapult cards and place them on top of the Rocks cards. You will not be able to buy any rock cards until you have purchased all the Catapult cards first. This adds some mid-game strategies that come into play and can drastically change your choices.
There is another special pile on board Split, the Castles. The castle deck is similar to the Knights of the Adventure, but they are not stacked in random order. They are placed at the top with the cheapest (Humble Castle) and when you go down the supply pile, they are more expensive, but also more profitable, as close to the bottom as possible.
New event cards
New events are also emerging here that represent something new that is happening in your empire. You play events by paying the cost of the treasure on the card and using one of the revolving purchases. Then simply follow the text on the card. Event tickets remain on the table and each player can continue to buy them (unless otherwise stated on the card). Probably my favorite event is “Salting the Earth”. It is useful as a field control card and is also a creepy concept (Google “salts the earth”).
Milestones are another new set of cards that appear in Empires. They’re similar to Events because they sit by the side, but players can’t buy them. Milestones change or increase at the end of the game to score and can drastically affect the outcome of the game.
For example, a Fountain card gives a player 15 extra points if they have at least 10 copper batteries on board, or The Wall, which deducts 1 point for each card above 15 in your deck.
Presets
Basic introduction: Tower, Wedding, Castles, Carriage race, City district, Engineer, Farmer's market,
Forum, Legionnaire, patrician / emporium, victim, villa
Advanced presentation: Arena, Arc de Triomphe, Archive, Capital, Catapult / Rocks, Crown,
Witch, Gladiator / Happiness, Caretaker, King Blacksmith, Settlers / Lively Village, Temple
Final Thoughts on Empires
I really enjoyed Empires. It matches really well with Adventures and combined is extremely fun to play. I really enjoyed upgrading the mechanics of Adventures and Empires seems like a natural advancement from there. If you are considering an order, I would personally go to Adventures first and then to Empires. I think they go very well together.
- For 2-4 players
- 30 minute playing time
- This is an extension - you need Dominion to use it
# 7. Dominion: Guilds
topic
Guilds were invented to promote prosperity and train a particular trade. They created their own societies and rules to maintain good relations with the guild, and if they were lucky enough to ever anger the guild, they would never find a job. Dominion Guilds works very similarly by adding new action cards that deal with the artisan, and some ugly attack cards if you catch your artisans suddenly.
Overall feeling
Guilds offers quite a few new strategies, while maintaining rules very similar to the basic Dominion game. If you are looking for your first expansion, guilds will feel very natural. There aren't too many additional rules and all the cards work well not only with the Dominion core of the game but also with most other extensions.
Major changes to the rules
Coins are used to expand guilds and represent money that can be saved or spent on further turns. There are also several cards that can change the first two turns of the game. For example, if you play with Baker, then each player starts the game with a coin token. You can get an extra token if you manage to get lucky and get your hand on all the copper suitcases on your first move. This will basically bring you an extra $ 2 for the first two turns that are crucial to the game, which makes it really very interesting.
Presets
Arts and crafts: Stonecutter, consultant, baker, traveler, trade guild / laboratory,
Cellar, workshop, festival, usurer
Clean Life: Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker, Doctor , Soothsayer / Militia, Thief,
Money, Gardens, Village
Lily gilding: Plaza, masterpiece, candle maker, tax collector, messenger / library, transformation,
Adventurer, market, chancellor
Last thoughts on guilds
It’s a bit goofy, but my favorite set of cards in this extension is Butcher, Baker, and Candle Maker. I always try to play with them and smile like an idiot behind the idrom. Usually something is thrown at me.
The Guilds extension is very impressive for a small box extension. There are a lot of fun elements that add a ton of depth to the game. This is a great choice if you are looking for the next logical step from the Dominion core game . The value is even better considering that the Rio Grande Games have started to combine Guilds & Cornucopia extensions, giving you an even bigger kick for your box.
- For 2-4 players
- 30 minute playing time
- Expansion: needs Dominion to play
8. Lordship: Horn of Plenty
topic
It’s time to celebrate and surplus. Happiness is coming and it is time to celebrate the riches of your kingdom. The horn of plenty establishes your dominion at the end of a good harvest, and the time of abundance, card rules and new cards (prizes) fit the theme well.
Overall feeling
In Cornucopia, you will burn around the board. Quite a few cards require you to constantly discard the cards from the deck until you find a particular card. This pushes the theme of surplus and allows you to build your decks with the thought of constantly rejecting cards.
Major changes to the rules
The biggest change you’ll notice are the prize cards. Some cards will allow you to perform an action and if the right conditions are met, you will have the opportunity to draw 1 out of 5 special prize cards.
Reward cards
- A bag of gold
- Diadem
- Companions
- Princess
- Trusting Steed
There are only 5 prizes in the entire game, with each type having only one, and they all have amazing abilities. Prizes are probably some of the strongest cards in any Dominion extension and are also quite difficult to get.
A tournament is a card that gives you one way to win a prize. Once you play the tournament, you can reveal the province from your own hand. Otherwise, you can reject the province for one of the desired prizes.
Presets for the horn of plenty and dominance
Hunting prize: Harvest, horn of plenty, hunting party, menagerie, tournament, cellar,
Festival, Milica, Moneylender, Smithy
Bad names: Fortune teller, Hamlet, Horn of Plenty, Jester, Remake, Adventurer, Bureaucrat,
Laboratory, spy, capital
Jester's workshop: fairground, Agriculture Village, Horse merchants, Salad, Young witch,
Holiday, laboratory, market, transformation, workshop; Bane: Chancellor
Last thoughts on the horn horn
I really enjoyed the horn horn. The prize cards are absolutely fantastic and it seems that Kendra and I always compete to see who will get our favorite card (Trusty Steed). They seem completely overpowering, but with just 1 copy of any prize in the game, it’s definitely worth a try to get it as soon as possible.
I don’t usually like small box extensions, but Guilds and Cornucopia are my favorites of the three, and the Rio Grande Games (thankfully) both started packing together.
- For 2-4 players
- 30 minute playing time
- Expansion: needs Dominion to play
9. Dominion: Hinterland
topic
The countries are bigger than you once thought. Once you manage your empire, it’s time to branch out and look ahead. The hinterlands are the last unexplored areas of your lordship and are just asking to be conquered.
Overall feeling
The hinterland theme focuses on trading and exploring foreign trade routes outside your ruler’s usual domain. According to the theme of the trade route, many cards allow you to obtain additional cards for various reasons, either when you buy a new one or when you play a certain action card. You can get multiple cards in one go, even if you only bought one purchase.
Major changes to the rules
Hinterlands has very simple game mechanics that make it easy to jump into the game. With small rugs, chips or coins, there is nothing that is basically a normal Dominion game. The complexity of this special extension is in the text of the card. Each card has rules that allow you to get more cards from your actions. Opportunities for combinations are great, as they intertwine quite well not only within this extension, but also in combination with others.
Presets
Introduction: Cache, intersections, development, merchant, Jack of all trades, margrave, Nomad camp, oasis, spice merchant, stables
Fair Trade: Border Village, Cartographer, Development, Duchess, Agricultural Land, Ill-Gotten Profits,
Noble Brigade, Silk Road, Stables, Merchant
Deals: Border village, cache, duchess, crazy gold, merchant, highway, Nomad camp, scheme, spice merchant, merchant
Gambiti: Cartographer, Crossroads, Embassy, Inn, Jack of All Trades, Mandarin, Nomad Camp, Oasis, Oracle, Tunnel
Final thoughts on the hinterland
The expansion of the hinterland is great. Thematically, it is very casual. Standing side by side next to Dark Ages or Prosperity, it looks very “vanilla”. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the taste of vanilla. All the cards work well and there’s no real awful card that would make you want to hit your head against the table, but there’s also no big “Ah-ha!” moments with this enlargement.
With our expansion of the Hinterland, we had a lot of shows and we had a great time with it. We also tried it with other extensions and since we bought it, we haven’t played the game just in the Hinterland. Personally, I enjoy it, but I think it’s best to mix it up with one more themed sound extension. What it lacks in the dark is replaced by technically sound cards.
- 6. Extension of the original Dominion game
- Adds depth and complexity
# 10. Dominion: Nocturne
topic
Fear the night! Vampires and werewolves are coming to your Dominion. In fact, they’re already here and it’s still a better love story than Twilight.
Overall feeling
Nocturne adds some very themed elements that are perfect for a spooky evening. If it’s Halloween or if someone in your group of games already has a nightmare Christmas tattoo you’ll feel right at home.
Major changes to the rules
Due to the changes in the rules in Nocturne, the expansion is really great. It represents a whole new phase called the Night Phase.
Night phase
Night comes after your campaign and you buy stages and you can play any number of night cards in your hand. Here you can use all your creepy reptiles to truly destroy your game.
Event tickets
Nocturne also adds some new events, but names them Boons, Hexes and States according to the theme. They play basically like any other event and the states (when they play on you) stay in front of you a few turns and change their turn by adding a few extra coins or canceling the whole buying phase and preventing you from getting any cards, which turn.
Presets
Darkness: Blessed village, shoemaker, den of sin, faithful dog, fool, monastery, night watchman, shepherd, torturer, tragic hero
Midnight: Conclave, Crypt, Cursed Village, Devil's Workshop, Druid (Swamp Gift, Flame Gift, Wind Gift), Exorcist, Leprechaun, Pooka, Raider, Secret Cave
Final thoughts on Nocturne
Dominion extensions usually follow a certain theme, and with Nocturn they were called to 11. Everything has been changed to fit the theme, and it’s pretty fun. I really enjoyed all the horror themed cards and Halloween is one of Kendra’s favorite seasons.
Given this, I don’t think it matches the second extension. Personally, I like to play Nocturne alone or with Dark Ages. I usually get stuck when it comes to two extensions with drastic changes to the rules that fight for attention. As a standalone extension, I love Nocturne immensely. I don’t like to confuse it with too many other extensions that are hard for rules.
- 11. extension to the Dominion
- 500 cards, 33 new Kingdom cards.
- For 2-6 players
# 11. Dominion: Alchemy
topic
It’s time to touch the forbidden arts. Turn the straw into gold, or turn your servants into gold. Alchemy is meant to change the laws of exchange and not everything is equal.
Overall feeling
Alchemy is a small expansion. It feels as if it's a little under half the size of one of the big box expansions. As you can imagine, it uses the lore of alchemical mythology . Turning lead into gold, transmutation, and the coveted Philosopher's Stone.
Major changes to the rules
The only major change to the rule is the introduction of beverages as a treasure trove. Some cards have a small blue power icon and can only be purchased using a power card. Drinks are added to a pile of treasures and cost $ 4 to purchase. They work like any other treasure.
Presets for alchemy and dominion
Forbidden Arts: Apprentice, Acquaintance, Estate, University, Bandit, Basement, World Room, Gardens, Laboratory, Capital
Beverage mixers: Alchemist, pharmacy, golem, herbalist, transmut, cellar, festival, militia, poacher, coin
Chemistry lesson: Alchemist, Golem, Philosopher's Stone, University, Bureaucrat, Market, Trench, Transformation, Vasal, Witch
Last thoughts on alchemy
As a standalone extension, Alchemy adds some interesting elements, but it never stops on its own. The potions add a bit of a touch to the game and can really change strategy, but no other extension uses it, so it seems to limit the combinations that can be done with expansion.
The cards you get offer some variety. Transmute is probably the best case where you can move some cards to the trash and “convert” them to other cards. It is an interesting concept, but compared to everything else, I would rank it lower among my enlargement priorities.
- This is an extension to Dominion and not a standalone game
- 30 minute playing time
- 150 new maps
13. Dominion: Intrigue
topic
A dark shadow has fallen over the court in your Dominion. Poisoners and conspiracies lurk in every shadow. Trust is rare and you never know if your friends are enemies or enemies are super enemies.
Overall feeling
Dominion Intrigue is very similar to the basic game of Dominion with a themed inclination towards royal court intrigues and conspiracies and there is a reason for that. Dominion Intrigue is not really an extension in the traditional sense. It’s a standalone game as it comes with all the basic cards, but it seems like an extension. (Note: The second edition of the game is an extension.)
Major changes to the rules
There is only one major rule change from Core Dominion and Intrigue. Intrigue presents several cards with variable effects.
The pawn shop, for example, gives players the option to choose 2 different bonuses from the following.
Card +1
+1 action
+1 Purchase
+1 treasure
Intrigue introduces another new game mechanics. Winning tickets are no longer just for points. Intrigue introduces winning cards that, in addition to things, actually make points and offer points at the end of the game.
At the end of the game, the Harem card is worth 2 points, and you can play for 2 treasures during the game.
The Great Hall card gives a +1 campaign and a +1 card, and at the same time is worth 1 victory point at the end of the game.
It changes when players start buying winning cards and count as part of the end-of-game supply.
Presets
Victory Dance: Bridge, Duke, Great Hall, Harem, Ironworks, Masquerade, Nobles, Pawn Stars, Scout, Upgrade
Secret schemes: Conspirator, Harem, Ironworks, Pawnshop, Saboteur, Shanty Town, Steward, Swindler, Trading Post, Tribute
Best wishes: Copper, Yard, Masquerade, Scout, Shanty Town, Steward, Torturer, Trading Post, Upgrade, Wishing Well
Last thoughts on intrigue
Dominion Intrigue (first edition) is technically not an extension. It is a standalone version of the game that comes with all the basic cards (copper, province, etc.). As said, it is more of an alternative starting point to the world of the Dominion. The second edition was published with a lot of explanations and rationalization.
Personally, I didn’t like the cards as much as the basic Dominion game. They’re not bad and offer some interesting combinations, but I keep comparing myself to Core whenever I play, and for me it just doesn’t hold up as a standalone and I personally don’t think it offers enough to be a really cool extension.
- The second edition contains updated cards, artwork and simplified rules
- For 2-4 players
- 30 minute playing time
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