Dominion Second Edition – Blast from the Past
In the year 2026 I played my first game of Dominion and in doing so, came to understand exactly how many modern games have cribbed so heavily, and not always in the best ways, from designer Donald X. Vaccarino’s mechanism-birthing masterwork. Dune: Imperium, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Mage Knight, Shards of Infinity, Core Worlds, Undaunted, Star Realms – some of the most highly acclaimed board and/or card games of the 20th century owe a debt to Dominion. Few have remained as streamlined as Dominion however, which is considered a ‘pure deckbuilder’ these days as opposed to the more popular ‘hybrid’ style seen in Tyrants of the Underdark or Great Western Trail. Many designers have at one point or another tried their hand at putting together a deckbuilding game, but none have yet to achieve the ongoing ubiquity and continued development of Dominion, with its 17th expansion, Arcana, due out soon from publisher Rio Grande Games.
You’ve most likely played a deckbuilder at some point, so ubiquitous is the mechanism in both physical and digital forms; Slay the Spire, Balatro, Monster Train and Marvel: Midnight Suns are just a handful of examples. In simple terms, players start with a deck of basic cards and through purchase or other forms of acquisition, add cards that will ideally improve its performance. However, adding too many cards or failing to give purpose to the deck will result in a clogged-up hand and a useless pile of dross. There are three distinct phases to a player turn in Dominion; the Action phase, where an ‘Action’ type card can be played, the Buy phase, where a single card can be purchased and finally the Clean-up, where every card in play and in-hand gets discarded and a new hand of five is drawn. Of course, some cards give additional actions, card buys or draws and nastier effects that other players will either defend against or simply add to their own deck in retaliation. An addictive “Race to build the best deck” loop is a basic summary of how Dominion functions, but the framework around which a single play is built impacts this considerably. Seven ‘mandatory’ stacks (Copper, Silver, Gold, Estate, Duchy, Province, Curse) give players their purchasing power and end-game scoring, while another ten card sets must be chosen from the 26 ‘Kingdom Card’ piles in the Second Edition base box. Start adding expansions like Intrigue or the most recent, Rising Sun, and that number eventually explodes to over 400 options, the result of 18 years of ongoing success.
It’s from selected sets of Kingdom Cards that the many flavours of Dominion emerge and the idea of what constitutes a ‘good deck’ begins to warp and shift dependent upon the chosen mix. The rulebook gives six ‘set’ recommendations for the base game, while a separate deck of 26 ‘Randomiser’ cards can bring a bit of chaotic energy to the kitchen table by tossing balance and synergy out of the window. Unlike the ‘market row’ style adopted by the majority of its contemporaries, Dominion’s generosity to players opens up the decision space across an entire play – rarely can a strategy hinge on a singular card purchase, but rather the result of many card purchases. Ten is a high enough number that it can lull players into a false sense of security as well, right up until an opponent decides they’re buying the last two or three in a sweep.
Where Dominion may fall down for some in the mid 2020’s is the theme and artwork, both of which feel very ‘of their time’, as well as lengthy playtime at higher counts. Much like Magic: The Gathering being stuck with bodgy brown card-back artwork for all eternity, Dominion can’t simply update its entire aesthetic without alienating millions of players worldwide who have kept the game alive through expansion purchases, update packs and replacing their worn-out Base cards. For larger groups Dominion can become bogged down by extended player turns due to ‘combotastic’ synergies which allow a large number of Actions to be strung together alongside Buys and other effects. Whilst not something especially noticeable in the base set, it felt like Rising Sun was practically built around this idea. Because the length of each game is decided between the cards available in the market and how quickly players can exploit certain combinations, Dominion often shines brightest at two or three players, especially when everyone is experienced and trustworthy. In this scenario, turns can be blasted through rapidly emphasising the ‘race’ aspect of the game, the wait between turns offset by planning around your cards in hand, which can on occasion change if another player hits you with an Attack card and makes you dump a few of them.
Dominion hits its 20th anniversary in 2028, making it a dinosaur in boardgame terms and well past retirement age without some sort of ultra-deluxe revision. And yet, the variability provided by 16 expansions ensures it can stay fresh even when played hundreds of times (or over a million when taking into BGG’s recorded play stats). Even dabbling with Intrigue Second Edition, an updated version of Dominions first expansion from 2009, changes the shape of the game, let alone Rising Sun, 2024’s expansion release that juices the Action economy so heavily your opponent’s turns can feel glacial in their pace. Suffice to say, after digging into the most straightforward version of the game, there’s an expansion out there catering to whichever particular aspect each player enjoys the most. Ensuring each set is interchangeable reflects both Rio Grande Game’s commitment to the existing player base and the staggering size of said base, a decision that is not one every publisher would have considered, especially after all this time.
Marathoning games of Dominion: Second Edition has been a treat, so straightforward is it that my Primary school aged children have picked it up and more importantly, asked more than once to play it again. I’d always assumed Dominion to have passed me by, a relic that designers like Reiner Stockahusen and Wolfgang Warsch obviously improved through Orleans and Quacks of Quedlinburg, replacing cards with tokens and a bag. Or Paul Dennan and Martin Wallace, who worked its core mechanism into area control and worker placement. Even the master himself, Reiner Knizia, cribbed heavily from Dominion with his excellent Quest for El Dorado, taking both the static market stacks and the race element, albeit far more literally as players race across the map using their deck to overcome obstacles. It goes without saying that Vaccarino’s contribution to game design sits alongside greats like Garfield, Tresham, Sackson and Knizia. Deckbuilding has become but one of many mechanisms in the thick, soupy mixture that is modern game design. Like jamming out to John Mayer and then hearing Stevie Ray Vaughan lay down Texas Flood, experiencing Dominion has only given me a greater appreciation for deckbuilding, its lineage and why I’m so drawn to it. If it’s a gap in your gaming experiences, seek to fill it as soon as possible.
Dominion Second Edition was reviewed using retail products kindly supplied by publisher Rio Grande Games.
