The deck building card game Dominion has been a long-time staple of the game night table for many years.
That’s in no small part due to the variation available with the game’s expansions, which ensure that no two Dominion games are quite the same. The exciting new kingdom cards and interesting new mechanics that each expansion box introduces can often shake up the foundations of the game, and sometimes open up different ways to win beyond getting the most provinces. Let’s take a look at some of the best Dominion expansions for new and returning players alike, in suggested purchasing order.
1. Dominion: Intrigue (2nd Edition)
The Intrigue expansion opens up more choices when playing actions, and isn’t too much of a departure from the base game. It’s a great pick for beginning to expand your Dominion collection, and isn’t any more difficult than the base game. Many of the kingdom cards here will allow you to select which of their functions you’re going to use each time you play them, while others are blended victory and action cards. Masquerade is my personal favorite action from the box; it forces everyone at the table to pass a card to the player on their left.
2. Dominion: Prosperity (2nd Edition)
Prosperity introduces colonies and platinums, both of which increase the scale of Dominion by allowing you to build more powerful decks. Platinums are treasure cards with five buying power, while colonies give players ten victory points. Cards like the quarry and the bank also allow you to buy more on your turn, while additions like expand and king’s court will open up huge, action-packed turns.
3. Dominion: Renaissance
If you’re looking for a Dominion experience that’s reasonably similar to the core game but brings in a few more mechanics than Intrigue, then I’d highly recommend Renaissance. This box introduces villagers and coffers, which essentially function as reserve actions and coins that you can bank for later turns. Renaissance also includes project cards, which are one-time buys that let you do more on future turns with discounts on actions, more coins, or more trashing power.
4. Dominion: Hinterlands (2nd Edition)
Hinterlands is easy to understand yet difficult to master, which makes it one of the best Dominion expansions. It includes a wide selection of interesting reaction cards, such as the tunnel and trail, that function best when you’re discarding them during your action phase. Many of the cards also trigger when you buy them, not just play them. Other actions, such as the crossroads and the inn, make it easy to filter through your deck without trashing, which allows you to pick up more victory cards in the middle of the game without penalty.
5. Dominion: Seaside (2nd Edition)
The best part of the Dominion Seaside expansion is undoubtedly its orange duration cards, which provide lingering effects that shake up your next turn. The outpost is an interesting addition to the game because it essentially allows you to take another turn. The tactician is also incredibly powerful, allowing players to start their next turn with ten cards in hand. The island mechanic, which lets you to remove cards from your deck without trashing them, also makes for an exciting game.
6. Dominion: Adventures
If you’re looking for a Dominion expansion that introduces a ton of new mechanics, then you’ll definitely want to consider the Adventures box. You’ll get a set of traveler cards, which are essentially upgradable actions. You’ll also get to tinker with reserve actions, which you can set aside for future use and recall when needed. The expansion also includes a big set of event cards that allow you to spend your money on an event rather than on a new card.
7. Dominion: Empires
Dominion’s Empires expansion is the biggest, most grandiose version of the game, and functions best with the platinums and colonies from the Prosperity expansion. If you don’t have Prosperity, you can also pick these cards up in the smaller Dominion base cards box, though it doesn’t include any actions. Cards in the Empires expansion like forum and city Quarter give incredible draw, but often require you to take debt tokens. Treasures like ‘crown’ and ‘fortune’ can literally double your money in a given turn. If you’re a fan of building large-scale engines, then Empires is best expansion for you.
8. Dominion: Dark Ages
On the other side of the scale from Empires is the Dark Ages expansion, which sits players down in a small-scale game of ruthless attacks and trashing. Instead of estates, players start the game with shelters, which they should try to trash as soon as possible. If you’re playing with cards like the marauder, your deck will be full of ruins, which are useless actions that you’ll also need to get rid of if you want to dig your way out of the muck toward a province. It’s a high difficulty expansion, and best for those who enjoy more in-depth strategy games.
9. Dominion: Nocturne
The Nocturne expansion introduces the night phase, which takes place after your buy phase and allows you to use ‘night’ cards without spending actions. Examples include the monastery, the crypt, and the vampire, all of which have thematically appropriate effects. Boons and hexes are also a neat addition to the game. In my experience, it’s more difficult to mix the cards in this box with those from other expansions, but what’s here still makes for a fun, spooky game night.
10. Dominion: Rising Sun
Dominion Rising Sun is the newest expansion for the game, and arguably one of the best. It introduces shadow cards, prophecies, omens, and on-play debt, all of which combine for a fun yet challenging experience. Just like Dark Ages, it’s definitely best for those who have a firm grasp of the game and have already played some of the earlier expansions. Duration cards from Seaside, events from Adventures, and debt from Empires all return in this box.
Published: Sep 6, 2024 03:21 pm