Dominion

2-4

Players

Minutes

13+

Age

2008

Published

Designer Donald X. Vaccarino
Publisher Rio Grande Games , 999 Games , Albi , Bard Centrum Gier , Conclave Editora
Illustration Matthias Catrein , Julien Delval , Tomasz Jedruszek , Ryan Laukat , Harald Lieske , Michael Menzel

Track your results with Playnexi

Add this game to your collection and track sessions, scores, and statistics.

Start for free

What to Expect

You play as a monarch building your personal deck during the game by buying cards from a shared supply and integrating them into your deck. The back-of-box flavor frames it as expanding a small kingdom through minions, buildings and treasury management. The selectable kingdom cards change each game, offering a lot of variety; Dominion also has digital implementations.

Who Is This Game For?

For hobbyists and fans of deck-building: Dominion requires thinking in deck synergies and hand management. With an average playtime of about 30 minutes it's suited for multiple short sessions per game night. Experience with card games helps but is not strictly necessary.

How It Works

Core mechanic is Deck, Bag, and Pool Building: players start with a small identical deck and expand it by buying cards from an open supply (Variable Set-up). Hand Management and Delayed Purchase elements shape choices each turn. Take That interactions can influence opponents. The game is not a collectible card game, but builds and plays similarly to one.

Deck, Bag, and Pool Building Delayed Purchase Hand Management Open Drafting Take That Variable Set-up

What Makes It Special

Designed by Donald X. Vaccarino, Dominion was the first deck-building game and inspired a genre. It won the Origins Awards Best Traditional Card Game (2008) and a Meeples Choice Award (2008), and received the Deutscher Spiele Preis Best Family/Adult Game (2009). The variable kingdom selection ensures high replayability.

Awards

Nominated
2009

2009 Deutscher Spiele Preis Best Family/Adult Game — Winner
2008 Meeples Choice Award — Winner
2008 Origins Awards Best Traditional Card Game — Winner

Also Available As

Dominion: Second Edition 2016

All editions are grouped on this page — ratings, awards, and statistics apply to all equally.

Pro

Inventor of the deck-building genre (Donald X. Vaccarino).
High replayability through variable kingdom setup.
Short playtime (~30 minutes) allows multiple rounds.
Multiple digital implementations available (Steam, App Stores).

Contra

Not playable solo (2–4 players).
Requires learning deck-building and hand-management concepts.
Theme is more flavor than deep simulation.

Setting & Atmosphäre

You rule a small, pleasant kingdom and expand it by acquiring cards representing lands, minions and buildings. The medieval card-game atmosphere is primarily thematic framing for the mechanics.

Tipp für Einsteiger

Focus on simple deck synergies and avoid too many different card types; use short plays to explore different kingdom sets.

Häufige Fragen

Can I play this solo?

No. Dominion is designed for 2–4 players.

How long does a game really take?

Listed playtime is about 30 minutes; explanation time or unfamiliar kingdom combinations can extend that.

What prior experience do I need?

Basic card game experience helps; Dominion is a hobby/enthusiast-level deck-building game focusing on hand management.

How does this compare to similar games?

Dominion is the original deck-building reference point; its variable kingdom card selection sets it apart from fixed-card games.

Is this suitable for families?

With a minimum age of 13 it suits families with older children or experienced players better than very young families.

What mechanic makes it special?

Deck, Bag, and Pool Building (deck-building) is the central mechanic, supported by Hand Management and Variable Set-up.

Fazit

Dominion is recommended if you want to learn deck-building or play quick, strategic card games. Note the 13+ age recommendation and that it requires at least two players.