Dominion: Dark Age Review

Hey there! I recently had the chance to play Dominion: Dark Age, and I wanted to share my thoughts with you. You know, when it comes to board games, finding the perfect one can be a real challenge. But let me tell you, Dominion: Dark Age is a game that truly stands out from the rest.

Now, let’s talk about why this game is so special. First of all, the artwork is absolutely stunning. The illustrations on the cards transport you to a dark and mysterious world. Every card has its own unique design, which adds an extra layer of excitement to the game.

But it’s not just the artwork that makes Dominion: Dark Age amazing. The gameplay itself is incredibly engaging. In this deck-building game, you start with a small deck of cards and gradually add more powerful cards to your deck as the game progresses. The goal is to build the most efficient deck possible, so you can earn victory points and ultimately win the game.

What sets Dominion: Dark Age apart from other deck-building games is the concept of trashing. In this game, you have the ability to get rid of cards from your deck that you no longer want. This adds a strategic element to the game, as you have to carefully consider which cards to trash and when. It’s a small detail, but it makes a big difference in how the game plays out.

Another aspect of Dominion: Dark Age that I love is the variety of card combinations. With over 500 cards to choose from, every game is different. You never know what kind of combination you’ll come up with, which keeps the game fresh and interesting every time you play.

And if you’re worried about learning the rules, don’t be. Dominion: Dark Age comes with a comprehensive rulebook that explains everything you need to know. The rules are easy to understand, so you’ll be up and playing in no time.

In conclusion, Dominion: Dark Age is a must-have game for any board game enthusiast. The stunning artwork, engaging gameplay, and endless card combinations make it a truly unique and exciting experience. So, if you’re looking for a game that will keep you entertained for hours on end, I highly recommend giving Dominion: Dark Age a try.

Hey there! So, let’s talk about Dominion: Dark Ages and the exciting new “shelter” card type it introduces. You’ll find these cards – Hovel, Necropolis, and Overgrown Estate – in the game. And get this, you have the option to replace the three Estates in your starting deck with one of each of these shelters. Trust me, it’s a smart move you should definitely consider.

Now, I know these shelters don’t score you any victory points. However, they do come with some nifty benefits for your deck. For example, Hovel can be trashed from your hand whenever you buy a victory card. And get this, it not only triggers off Duchy and Province, but also other cool cards like Great Hall and Nobles. So, it’s pretty versatile!

Next up, we have Necropolis. This bad boy adds two Actions to your deck. And let me tell you, action adders tend to disappear pretty quickly, so you’ll want to snap this one up before it’s gone!

Finally, we have Overgrown Estate. When you trash this card, it gives you an extra card. Pretty neat, huh? So, as you can see, these shelters definitely bring a lot to the table!

The Ruins

In Dominion: Dark Ages, there’s a new type of card called “ruins”. They may not sound appealing at first, but let me tell you, they can have a big impact.

Ruins cards are a bit different from your regular cards. They’re all action cards, but they come with some downsides.

Take the Abandoned Mine, for example. It gives you an extra dollar, which is nice. But here’s the catch – it also uses up your action for the turn.

Then you have the Ruined Village. It gives you an extra action, which can be really useful. But other than that, it doesn’t do much.

Now, you might be wondering why anyone would want to buy these ruins cards. Well, most of the time, you wouldn’t. They’re usually not worth the cost.

But here’s the thing – ruins cards serve two important purposes in the game.

First, they can be used as “offensive” cards. You can force your opponents to add ruins cards to their decks using attacks. It’s a sneaky move, but it can mess with their strategy.

Secondly, ruins cards can be seen as a trade-off. Sometimes, in order to gain powerful supply cards, you have to accept the drawback of adding ruins cards to your deck. It’s a calculated risk, but it can pay off in the long run.

So, while ruins cards may not be the most glamorous cards in the game, they definitely have their place. They add an extra layer of strategy and make each game of Dominion: Dark Ages a unique and challenging experience.

So, let’s talk about some cool cards in this game called Dominion. One card I wanna mention is Marauder. It’s an action-attack card that gives you a treasure card from the set. But here’s the twist – it also forces other players to gain a ruins card.

Now, let’s move on to another card called Death Cart. This one is pretty sweet because it’s an action card that gives you +$5. And get this, it only costs $4! But wait, there’s a catch. When you gain the Death Cart, you also have to grab two ruins cards.

These ruins cards are a big deal in the first preset game I wanna share with you today -it’s called “Cursecatchers”.

The Knights

Hey there! I’ve got something exciting to share with you today. Dark Ages, the latest addition to the game, brings us an awesome new element: the Knights. These unique cards are a game-changer, giving a powerful boost to Cornucopia utility cards. Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, there’s a catch.

Before we dive into it, I want you to know that the Knights won’t be featured in the preset games we’re discussing today. But don’t worry, we’ll definitely talk about them in the future. Now, let’s jump into our first preset game: “cursecatchers”.

I’m sure you’ve played “the Curse game” before. It usually involves a lineup of defensive cards to protect you from those dreaded Witches, Young Witches, and Sea Hags in the early rounds. It’s time for a fresh twist on this classic setup. Are you ready?

The issue with the Curse game, you see, is that there weren’t enough good cards for trashing in Dominion as a whole. Sure, there were powerful options like Chapel, but they didn’t provide any other benefits. And to make matters worse, everyone rushes to get the Moats right away, making the game too predictable and uninteresting. Plus, too many of the supply piles are dedicated to defense, which throws off the balance.

But Dark Ages comes to the rescue by addressing these problems in three important ways. First, it introduces better trashing cards, giving players more options to clean up their decks. Second, it adds the ruins cards, which adds to the overall theme and makes the game more cohesive. And finally, these changes open up the endgame to more strategic decisions, making it more exciting and engaging.

• Let’s start with the core cards: We have Copper, Silver, Gold, Estate, Duchy, and Province. These are the foundation of your deck and the cards you’ll be using most frequently.
• And as for the starting cards: You’ll begin the game with Hovel, Necropolis, and Overgrown Estate. These cards set the stage for your initial moves.
• Supply piles: Ruins stack (Dark Ages), Spoils (Dark Ages), Bane card: Herbalist [2] (Alchemy); Ambassador [3] (Seaside), Death Cart [4] (Dark Ages), Junk Dealer [5] (Dark Ages), Marauder [4] (Dark Ages), Market Square [3] (Dark Ages), Saboteur [5] (Intrigue), Squire [2] (Dark Ages), Torturer [5] (Intrigue), Trader [4] (Hinterlands); Young Witch [4] (Cornucopia).
• 5th player add: Fortress [4] (Dark Ages). 6th player add: Jester [5] (Cornucopia).

Let me tell you something important – Death Cart is way cooler than it seems. People often buy Provinces like crazy using Death Cart, and it gets even better because it trashes its own Ruins penalty. And guess what? It becomes super effective when there are Curses and the pesky opposing Ruins that need to be trashed.

Out of all the cards in Dark Ages that have a shot at becoming dominant, tier-1 powers like Moat, King’s Court, and Peddler, Death Cart takes the cake.

Similar to previous games loaded with curses, “Cursecatchers” is heavy on attacks, boasting a total of five available for purchase (six if you’re playing with six people).

But don’t worry, there’s no Moat! Instead, Dark Ages offers great defense with Market Square and Trader from the Hinterlands expansion. Both of these cards provide solid protection, whether used on your turn or your opponent’s.

Even seemingly harmless cards like Junk Dealer will always come in handy. And don’t sleep on the two-cost Squire from Dark Ages. It starts off by giving you Silver or useful abilities, and if the opportunity arises, can be upgraded all the way to Torturer or Jester.

When playing the late game, things get even more interesting because of how Market Square and Saboteur interact. And if you throw Fortress into the mix in a game with at least five players, it becomes even more exciting.

Saboteur has the power to snatch Duchies and Provinces right out of a player’s deck. But fear not! If you’re prepared with Market Squares, you’ll find yourself with plenty of currency once this happens a few times.

Now, it’s up to you to decide what to do on your turn. Will you use your late-game currency to replace lost Duchies and Provinces? Or is it time to round out your purchasing by buying as many estates as your Market Squares (and Squires) can support? The choice is yours to make.

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The Game: “The Copper Economy”

Hey there! I’ve got another preset game for you to try out. This one is called “The Copper Economy” and it’s pretty fascinating. What caught my attention is that Dark Ages, just like Hinterlands, offers multiple cards for this specific grouping.

Hinterlands did a great job by providing five out of the ten supply cards, making the game more enjoyable. Now, with Dark Ages, there are even more cards that complement this grouping perfectly.

Get ready to have your mind blown because “The Copper Economy” flips Dominion’s usual strategy upside down. Usually, we all know that Copper cards are pretty much useless. You’re better off trashing them or upgrading them as soon as possible, right? Well, not in this game! Copper is actually a valuable asset here.

When it comes to playing Dominion, there is a strategy that revolves around using Copper cards. However, this strategy can be risky and relies heavily on defensive cards like Only Beggar.

If you’re looking to develop this Copper strategy, there are a few key cards that are essential. These include Copper, Silver, Gold, Estate, Duchy, and Province. In some cases, Platinum and Colony cards may be included, but it’s best to leave them out to keep the game balanced.

When starting a game with this strategy, you’ll need to have a few specific cards in your deck. These include Hovel, Necropolis, and Overgrown Estate. These cards will help you build the foundation for your Copper-centered strategy.

Remember, playing with a Copper strategy can be a bit unpredictable and vulnerable, but if you enjoy the challenge and excitement, then this may be the perfect approach for you. Just be sure to keep these tips in mind as you play!

• Supply piles: In the Dark Ages expansion, you can find the Beggar for 2 coins, the Cache for 5 coins in the Hinterlands expansion, the Coppersmith for 4 coins in the Masquerade expansion, the Count for 5 coins in the Dark Ages expansion, the Counting House for 5 coins in the Prosperity expansion, the Hamlet for 2 coins in the Cornucopia expansion, the Noble Brigand for 4 coins in the Hinterlands expansion, the Storeroom for 3 coins in the Dark Ages expansion, the Thief for 4 coins in the Dominion expansion, and the Wandering Minstrel for 4 coins in the Dark Ages expansion.
• Adding a 5th player: If you want to play with a 5th player, you can add the Cutpurse card from the Seaside expansion for 3 coins. If you want to add a 6th player, you can also include the Inn card from the Hinterlands expansion for 5 coins.

The “money” combo in “The Copper Economy” is using the Coppersmith card and the Counting House card. These two cards work together to generate a lot of money. To enhance this combo, you can use action cards like Hamlet, Inn, Necropolis, and Wandering Minstrel, as they help you get rid of more Copper cards by discarding them.

If you find that you don’t have enough Counting House cards early in the game, you can still play outside the Copper theme. Just make sure to get some Beggars, Storerooms, and Thieves, as they will divert the attention of other players away from your strategy.

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Welcome to the “Victory Road” Game!

I’m excited to introduce you to a brand new preset game called “Victory Road.” This game is part of the Dark Ages expansion set and brings a fresh twist to the gameplay. It takes advantage of the new Shelters and other cards that can be trashed for extra benefits. Additionally, the Intrigue expansion introduces multi-type cards that combine utility and victory points for added strategy.

In this game, you’ll find that the cost of cards tends to be on the higher side. However, don’t worry! There are still plenty of opportunities to achieve victory. The primary focus of this game is optimizing your purchases to gain an edge.

• Key Cards: Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Estate, Duchy, Province, and Colony cards.
• Starting Cards: Hovel, Necropolis, and Overgrown Estate.
• Supply piles: Crossroads [2] (Hinterlands), Feodum [4] (Dark Ages), Great Hall [3] (Intrigue), Harem [6] (Intrigue), Nobles [6] (Intrigue), Silk Road [4] (Hinterlands), Trade Route [3] (Prosperity), Treasury [5] (Seaside), Urchin/Mercenary [3] (Dark Ages), Vagrant [2] (Dark Ages).
• 5th player add: Tunnel [3] (Hinterlands). 6th player add: Farmland [6] (Hinterlands).

So here’s the thing, we’ve got “Victory Road.” It’s a game where you have to make a strategic choice. You’re given these utility cards, which are really useful because they benefit from having victory cards. But then you’ve also got these multi-type cards in the supply. They’re victory cards, but they also do some pretty cool stuff. The catch is, they’re a bit pricey for what they do. So, while you’ve got these tempting multi-type cards, the question is: Do you focus on them and their versatility, or do you ignore them and use the utility cards to build a “vanilla” victory deck with slightly higher point values per card?

When it comes to Dominion, there are three important supply piles that you should consider: Crossroads, Treasury, and Trade Route. These piles offer a great advantage, especially Trade Route, which can be paired with any other cards you choose. It’s like having the best of both worlds.

But let’s not forget about Dominion: Dark Ages. Unlike the Alchemy expansion, which had cards that only worked well together, Dark Ages introduces shelters, ruins, Knights, and powerful cards like Death Cart, Marauder, and Market Square. These cards fit in perfectly with cards from other expansions, giving you a wide range of possibilities.