The Lowdown on Dominion Dark Ages Additional Rules

Hey there! If you’re a fan of Dominion Dark Ages, I’ve got some extra rules that you’re gonna love. These rules add a whole new dimension to the game and amp up the excitement. So, let’s dive in and explore what these additional rules are all about!

Shelters Instead of Starting Estates

When starting a game of Dominion Dark Ages, forget about those boring old Estates. We’re all about the Shelters here! Instead of starting with 3 Estates, each player gets a , , and . These cool new cards make for a more challenging and strategic early game.

Heirlooms to Spice Things Up

Prepare yourself for some serious treasure hunting! Dominion Dark Ages introduces the concept of Heirloom cards. These special cards are tied to specific Kingdom cards and can be gained in various ways. They add a touch of unpredictability and a dash of treasure to your Dominion games.

Upgrading Estates to Coppers? Yes, Please!

Who needs Estates when you can upgrade them to Coppers? Dominion Dark Ages lets you renovate your starting Estates into shiny new Coppers. It’s like giving your decks a serious boost of economic power right from the get-go. Get ready to turn those Estates into Copper mines!

Knights on a Quest

The Dark Ages expansion also introduces the mighty Knights! These valiant warriors not only have their own special abilities but also allow you to perform a variety of actions called Quests. Completing these Quests will earn you shiny rewards that can turn the tide of the game in your favor.

Ruins, Ruins Everywhere

In Dominion Dark Ages, the world is a post-apocalyptic wasteland filled with Ruins. These spooky cards can mess with your opponents’ decks, causing all sorts of chaos. They may not be the prettiest cards in your collection, but trust me, they pack a punch!

Strategy Is King

With all these new rules, Dominion Dark Ages offers endless strategic possibilities. From utilizing Heirlooms to mastering the art of Quests, there’s always a new path to victory waiting to be discovered. So, gather your friends, set up the game, and embark on a thrilling journey through the Dark Ages!

In Dark Ages, there are three special cards called Shelters – Hovel, Necropolis, and Overgrown Estate. These cards replace the regular starting Estates in certain games, as explained in the setup. Shelters don’t have their own pile, so they cannot be purchased. And if you’re familiar with the Ambassador card from the Seaside expansion, it cannot send a Shelter card anywhere.

Card Piles

Dark Ages also introduces two piles of cards with different varieties: the Ruins pile, which contains five different Ruins cards, and the Knights pile, which has ten different Knights cards. Before each game, these piles need to be shuffled, as described in the setup.

During gameplay, players can only buy, gain, or choose the card that is on top of these piles. They are not allowed to look through the entire pile, but they can look at the top card. If a card is face down, players can turn it over at any time.

If you bring back a card to one of these piles using Ambassador (from Seaside), flip over the top card and place the returned card on top, face-up. Ruins cards with different names, and Knights with different names, are considered as distinct cards for cards that care about this.

For instance, if Tribute (from Intrigue) reveals two different Ruins cards, it grants +4 Actions. When Contraband (from Prosperity) is played, you can choose a Ruins or Knight, but that only prevents that specific Ruins or Knight from being purchased. However, an Embargo token (from Seaside) placed on the Ruins or Knight pile will affect any cards bought from it.

Ruins

Hey there! Did you know that players have the option to buy Ruins, even if they usually don’t want to? These cards are known as Actions and can be played during the Action phase. They count as Actions for anything that pertains to Action cards, like Procession. The Ruins pile is also part of the Supply when it’s being used. And if the pile is empty, well, that brings us closer to the normal end of the game. Pretty cool, huh?

Cards

When you try to get specific cards from the Supply, you won’t get a Ruins or Knight unless it’s the top one.

For instance, if you use Talisman (from Prosperity) to buy a Ruined Market, you’ll only gain another Ruined Market if it’s the top Ruins card. If you use Ambassador (from Seaside) to return Sir Martin to the Supply, the next player will get Sir Martin, but the player after that won’t get a card because the next Knight won’t be Sir Martin.

Card Abilities

Many cards in Dark Ages have abilities that trigger “when you trash” that card. These abilities work regardless of whose turn it is. The player that the “when you trash this” ability applies to is the player who owned that card, no matter whose card was used to trash it.

Right after you throw a card away, it can do something special. This happens as you’re using an Action card. Let’s say you play Graverobber and use it to throw away a Cultist. First, you draw three more cards because you threw away the Cultist. Then, you keep going with Graverobber and get a new card that costs up to the same amount as the Cultist.

Have you ever had cards in your deck that disappear without being thrown away? It can happen in certain situations, like when they’re returned to the supply or passed to another player. It’s a bit puzzling, isn’t it?

Now, when multiple cards are trashed simultaneously, things get even more intriguing. Take Count, for example. You trash all the cards together, and then you get to decide the order in which the effects of trashing them occur. But here’s the thing: a “when you trash” ability doesn’t actually trash the cards itself. You’ll need another card to do the trashing and trigger the ability.

Did you know that there are six special cards in the Dark Ages expansion of the game? These cards, called Spoils, Madman, Mercenary, Hovel, Necropolis, and Overgrown Estate, are a bit different than the others. They are never part of the normal supply of cards that you can buy. Instead, they have their own special role in the game.

Although you can’t buy or gain these cards like you can with other cards, you still need to keep them handy during the game. They can’t be returned to the supply, even if you have a card like Armory that lets you gain cards. These cards are unique and can’t be obtained through normal means.

If a card or effect causes one of these special cards to be trashed, it will end up in the trash pile. This means that these special cards can still be removed from the game, just like any other card. However, if one of these special cards is trashed, it won’t count towards the end condition of the game. So if all the other piles are empty, but there are still cards like Hovel or Overgrown Estate in the trash, the game won’t end.

It’s important to remember that these special cards don’t follow the same rules as the other cards. They have their own unique properties and interactions with other cards. So when you’re playing with the Dark Ages expansion, make sure to take these special cards into account and adjust your strategy accordingly.