The world of Dominion is about to get a whole lot darker and more sinister in Dominion: Intrigue, the first standalone expansion to the hit card game that took the world by storm. Mingle with shady conspirators, torturers, and swindlers. Meet up with your contacts in the chamber of secrets or the shanty town. Make sure everyone knows who’s in charge here. As they say, the nice guys finish last. And the race for Dominion is about to get dirty!
Dominion: Intrigue is a standalone expansion for the award-winning Dominion card game that took the gaming world by storm in 2008. As a standalone expansion, it can be played alongside the base game, but it can also be played on its own. . This review focuses on the Dominion: Intrigue expansion. If you want to know more about how the base game plays, read our Dominion review.
As its name implies, Dominion: Intrigue’s theme is all about shady dealings and mysterious agents using covert tactics to help you gain control. A lot of the cards in this set support that theme, actively manipulating your opponents’ hands and decks and forcing them to fold valuable cards. A new type of card is also introduced: cards that act as victory cards and as treasure or action cards.
There are a number of dangerous-sounding cards in the set, with names like Swindler, Minion, Saboteur, and Torturer. They also have dangerous abilities to match. The spoiler can force opponents to discard an expensive card and replace it with something cheaper. For the same cost as a Silver, the Swindler allows you to swap a card from your opponent’s decks with another card of your choice, as well as providing you with 2 coins. The Torturer forces opponents to either discard 2 cards or draw a curse card, as well as allowing you to draw 3 cards! These action-attack cards are just a few examples of the cards that will make life really difficult for your opponents. Some people have complained that Dominion is like a solitaire game where you only focus on your own deck. Well, obviously there will be a lot more interaction in this expansion.
There is also a new card type that was introduced in this expansion, or more accurately, a new combination of card types. There are now cards that are a combination of a victory card and an action or treasure card. Previously, players were (rightly) hesitant to buy victory cards early, as drawing too many would mean you couldn’t play or buy anything. These new cards solve that problem. The Great Hall gives you an extra card and action plus a victory point, while the Harem gives you 2 coins and 2 victory points. These cards are a bit more expensive than comparable cards, but that’s the price you pay for flexibility!
There are many other interesting cards in the set, including the Duke, which is worth more victory points the more ducats you have. There is also the Coppersmith that doubles the value of the coppers, and the Bridge that makes each card cost 1 less. There’s also the Wishing Well that rewards you if you can correctly guess the top card of your deck, and the Masquerade card that makes players deal cards to each other. Lots of fun for everyone!
It’s great to see Dominion grow with expansions like this, adding new themes and mechanics to an already strong core game. The idea of the theme is really nice as it allows players to act out their quest for dominance, either through open warfare or through subterfuge and stealth. There are also more themed expansions on the way; As of mid-2010, the Seaside and Alchemy expansions are available, and the Prosperity expansion is just around the corner.
As a stand-alone expansion set with so many game-changing new cards, Dominion: Intrigue is amazing for both beginners and experienced players alike. You don’t need the base game to play it, but mixing the cards here with the main cards gives you a lot more variations of the game and opens up some very interesting strategies. And last but not least, this expansion allows up to 6 players to play!
Complexity: 2.5/5.0
Playing time: 30 to 45 minutes
Number of players: 2 to 6 players
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