Dominion Review

Intro

Donald X. Vaccarino changed board gaming forever when he released Dominion in 2008. This medieval-themed card game introduced the world to deck-building, a mechanism so elegant and addictive that it spawned an entire genre. Everyone starts with the same humble collection of cards, then buys better ones throughout the game to create their own custom deck.

Dominion works brilliantly with 2-4 players and typically wraps up in about 30 minutes. With a solid 7.6 rating across gaming communities, it strikes that sweet spot between accessible and strategic. The rules are straightforward enough that most people grasp them quickly, but the decisions run deep enough to keep seasoned gamers engaged. You're not dealing with brain-burning complexity here, but you'll definitely need to think ahead.

The accolades speak volumes. Dominion swept major gaming awards in 2009, including the prestigious Spiel des Jahres and multiple Golden Geek awards. It's been inducted into gaming halls of fame and continues to attract new players more than fifteen years after release.

How It Plays

Every player begins with an identical starter deck: seven Copper coins and three Estate cards worth victory points. You shuffle these together, draw five cards, and you're ready to go. The table displays ten different types of Kingdom cards that everyone can purchase, plus basic Treasure, Victory, and Curse cards.

Each turn follows a simple rhythm: Action, Buy, Clean-up. You play Action cards from your hand (if you have any), spend money to buy new cards, then discard everything and draw a fresh hand of five. Here's the key insight: newly purchased cards go into your discard pile, not your hand. You'll only see them again after you've cycled through your entire deck.

This creates fascinating tension. Expensive cards are powerful, but they also clutter your deck if you're not careful. Victory point cards are essential for winning, but they're dead weight during play since they don't do anything. The art lies in timing your purchases and balancing your deck's composition.

The game ends when either the Province cards (worth 6 victory points each) run out, or any three supply piles are exhausted. Then everyone counts up their victory points, and the highest total wins. Simple concept, endless possibilities.

Highlights

The variable setup keeps Dominion fresh game after game. With 25 different Kingdom card types in the base set, you'll use only 10 per game. That creates hundreds of possible combinations, each feeling like a different puzzle to solve. Some games reward big money strategies, others favor complex Action chains, and many demand something in between.

Dominion's engine-building aspect is pure satisfaction. You start with a sputtering economy that barely generates enough money to buy anything decent. But as you add Villages, Markets, and other synergistic cards, your turns become more powerful and efficient. When everything clicks and you're drawing tons of cards and generating massive amounts of money, it feels fantastic.

The game scales beautifully across player counts. Two-player games are tight duels where you can often predict what your opponent is doing. With three or four players, the supply piles drain faster and you need to adapt on the fly. More players also means more "take that" opportunities with Attack cards that hand out Curses or force opponents to discard.

Despite its strategic depth, Dominion remains remarkably approachable. New players can jump in with basic buy-money-buy-victory strategies and still have fun while learning. The turn structure is intuitive, and since everyone's building their deck from the same available cards, it never feels unfair or lopsided.

Criticisms

The biggest complaint about Dominion is the limited interaction between players. Most of the time, you're focused on optimizing your own deck with minimal direct engagement with opponents. Attack cards provide some interaction, but many Kingdom setups don't include them. If you love games where you're constantly messing with other players, Dominion might feel too solitary.

Some players find the theme practically nonexistent. Yes, you're supposedly building a kingdom, but it never feels like more than abstract optimization. The medieval artwork is pleasant enough, but the cards could just as easily represent space stations or pizza toppings without changing the gameplay. If strong theming matters to you, look elsewhere.

The analysis paralysis problem is real, especially with certain Kingdom combinations. When multiple complex Action cards are available, some players will spend ages calculating the optimal sequence of plays and purchases. This can drag a normally quick game into a lengthy affair, particularly if your group includes heavy thinkers.

Conclusion

Dominion belongs in every serious board gamer's collection, period. If you enjoy strategic card games, deck customization, or engine-building mechanics, this is essential. It's perfect for couples looking for a great two-player game, families with teenagers, and gaming groups that want something engaging but not overwhelming.

The learning curve is gentle, but the strategic ceiling is high enough to reward hundreds of plays. With numerous expansions available, you can keep adding variety for years. Even if deck-building isn't usually your thing, Dominion's elegant design and historical significance make it worth experiencing. This is the game that created a genre, and it's still one of the best examples of what that genre can achieve.