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1

Dominion General Discussion / Re: Running out of steam

« on: November 17, 2011, 11:26:24 am »

1. When I lose games badly, it's typically because there is a lack of trash. I have yet to figure out the intrecacies of Remodel-like decks. Typically, though, the advice of "buy more treasure than you think you need" is fairly solid. I've been burned too many times to count on attempting an engine that can consume my starting deck (I fail at Cellar and Warehouse).

2. I've also lost a ton of games to Alchemist. Typically, an Alchemist deck can't get it's engine going until the 3rd or 4th shuffle. Use this time wisely! If there are strong potion cards (Scrying Pool, Familiar), it's a good idea to attmept to split the Alchemist. If Alchemist is the only good potion card out, look for strategies that move faster. You're opponent is wasting time with that Potion, use the time wisely.

3. I never buy Gold when running Minion-heavy decks simply because I never want to stop my Minion train just because I have a Gold in hand. Minion and Action Chaining is the best buy when running heavy Minion decks. Attempt to stay away from terminals, even when there are sources of +2 actions. It's never a good thing to see Minion/Terminal/Junk/Junk/Junk. (This advice subject to change after my next Minion game).

4. Personally, I won't buy a Prov until I have at least 1 but usually 2 golds. With an Engine, I won't buy provs until I run my engine twice. To me, it sounds like you are greening too early. Try waiting until your opponent buys their first Prov before you buy yours. Let them set the pace for the game. Not sound advice, but something I've done in the past.

2

Dominion General Discussion / Re: Help! I've become too good!

« on: November 16, 2011, 01:46:07 pm »

Sorry to preach here, but I JUST completed a game with my wife, where on turn 7, it was obvious to me I was going to win, based on what I was doing and how she was reacting to it. I pointed out to her that I was rushing a key card. I explained that some rush tactics have to be countered by simply  buying a few of the card the opponent is rushing. That failing to do that, will almost ensure I win.

I have attempted to talk strategy with her. The typical response I have gotten in the past was "If you are already ahead, just stop buying/playing those cards". The premise being I don't HAVE to draw my deck every round and I don't HAVE to play that attack every round.

This is a combined issue of me playing like a jerk (last game I beat her with a Goons/KC/Quarry, netted 120 points on ~turn14), emotions turning end-game tactics discussions into arguments and lastly the lack of pre-game and mid-game tactical discussions. On the first point, I don't always play the strongest strategy, though there are times I can't pass it up (Goons/KC/Quarry, who wouldn't want to play that?). I do, however, always play to win.

I'm going to try talking about strategies before and during the game more, to at least let her know what I'm doing. That's the best piece of advice I gathered from that thread. In fact, I think ChaosRed was the one to suggest it in that thread, too. Also, I will go back to choosing less dominant strategies and getting them to work (YAY Coppersmith/Counting House).

I agree, ChaosRed, that handicapping myself by changing my starting hand or hers is not the way to go. That would get real ugly real fast.

3

Dominion General Discussion / Help! I've become too good!

« on: November 16, 2011, 10:59:54 am »

Ok, so not exactly. Only rank 7 on Iso (can't seem to get past 10 ).

Long story short, I've played about 200 games more than my girlfriend. She's not the worst player in our group, but I consistently beat her in 2 player games. She has no interest in becoming anything more than a casual player. I, on the other hand, am quite cutthroat and have an extremely difficult time not being so.

I'm stuck on the concept of "If I can't beat BM, then why play?" when choosing strategies.

What can I do to make the game more competitive between us? Is there a good way to "play down" in Dominion, without it being obvious? And, how can I help my gf become better, without coming off as an asshole? ("Are you sure you want to buy that?" doesn't work too well with anyone. They bought, obviously they wanted it.)

4

Dominion General Discussion / Re: How long does it take to plan your deck?

« on: October 12, 2011, 08:41:19 am »

I typically go through a quick mental checklist, roughly in this order of importance:

• Any important attacks?
• Any cards that give +2 Actions?
• Any +Buys?
• Any trashing options?
• Any easy ways to draw cards?

I once read an article about Magic the Gathering that was about understanding the "meta-game". It suggested going through a checklist of items and categorizing the cards. I've been attempting to get something similar for Dominion, but didn't know what questions to ask. This seems like the perfect place to start!

One of my biggest issues in Dominion is understanding the board. I take the time to go over each card in my head, but usually its not enough. I can't count the number of Iso games I've lost because I didn't realize it was a colony game until turn 10. "What can I do with this board?" is not a specific enough question to quickly get a strategy going.

To the OP, it usually takes me up to a minute on Iso and up to 10 minutes playing physically. I'm the slowest person in my group, though, and typically get scolded for it.

5

Dominion General Discussion / Re: veto strategy

« on: October 07, 2011, 11:14:00 am »

My 2 cents, though I haven't read every post carefully:

I play strictly Veto mode, and it's actually been bothering me lately. I always seem to veto Possession, King's Court, Throne Room and Swindler. The first three simply because I don't enjoy that type of Dominion game, and Swindler because I had a game where my only Prov got Swindled 3 times. I frequently Veto other attack cards in multiplayer simply because of their power.

Here's my problem: If everyone is going to Veto specific cards, what is the point in even including them in the random selection (only really counts for physical cards)? As such, I've been a bit more careful about what I veto and why.

My home group used to arbitrarily choose cards, and we had a lot of games that weren't very fun. The few cards Veto adds to the Kingdom allows for a slightly more diverse set of cards. Having everyone get a say in the game reduces grumbling. Also, it's hilarious to watch the faces of people when you take away that one card you know they always win with!

In conclusion, Veto mode is AMAZING for physical multiplayer, especially if you play with the same group frequently.

6

Dominion General Discussion / Re: Hinterlands release

« on: October 07, 2011, 08:40:06 am »

Donald X stated that he'd reveal some of the cards before Essen. As Essen is < 15 days away, is there any news on a sneak peak? I just got into Dominion this summer, so I'm not sure how close to release Donald X has revealed cards in the past.

7

Dominion General Discussion / The Decline of My Dominion Skills

« on: September 29, 2011, 10:37:52 am »

So far, I've played well over 200 games between 2-player Iso and 2-6 player AFK. When first learning the cards, I was a horrible player. After discovering Iso and this site, however, my game increased tremendously. Now, however, it seems that I am making very similar mistakes to those I made when first learning to play.

I seem to be stuck in a rut. Usually, I don't pick up on the best strategy on the board until about turn 10. It's at this time I realize that I'm going to lose the game since my strategy was invalid due to the rest of the kingdom (i.e. Gardens strategy with no +Buy and only 1 non-terminal action).

Here's my council room profile for everyone to laugh at some of my mistakes, but moreso maybe be able to provide me with an insight to why my game is deteriorating.

8

Dominion General Discussion / Re: Storage Solution for Dominion

« on: September 28, 2011, 12:53:25 pm »

This is the storage solution I'll be going with. Found it literally an hour after posting this thread. The only thing I don't like is those are all boxes. Opening and closing 10 boxes for every game seems like a lot of work!

This solution is made for Eurogame Card Sleeves and there is a box for EVERY dominion card released by RGG. Files to be found on BGG.

9

Dominion Articles / Re: Advanced Dominion: How to Get Played

« on: September 28, 2011, 12:24:25 pm »

"Tempo" in MTG is how many cards your drawing and how many spells you are casting a turn. In comparison, Dominion "Tempo" would be the speed you are getting to VP buys. The standard "Tempo" of a BM deck is 4 Provs by Turn 17.

Tempo should not be related to Cycling, as a BM deck will cycle a lot less than a Village Idiot deck, but the BM deck will always win.

Proper cycling can, however, increase tempo by ensuring that your important cards get played more often. However, this is simply to, as stated above, increase the frequency of VP buys. With this in mind, I stand by tempo in Dominion is the speed at which you will acquire VP (odd wording that may not include Mega Turn strategies).

@rinkworks, doing nothing is sometimes good for the tempo. One bad buy can prevent you from drawing your entire deck.

10

Dominion General Discussion / Storage Solution for Dominion

« on: September 27, 2011, 12:35:28 pm »

I am now the proud owner of a complete, sleeved set of Dominion cards. All I need now is a box to put them all in. I've spent hours pouring over the BGG forums, files and images and haven't found a solution that will fit everything into one elegant looking box. The majority of elegant looking solutions seem to only cover a portion of the released expanions, or contain no room for Hinterlands.

What I am looking for is a solution that will be cheap, effective, easy to set and clean up, and be mostly self contained. So far, I'm leaning towards the tuck box idea. Though, I'm still unsure how I'm going to put them all into 1 box. The Amazon Big Box just doesn't seem strong enough to hold the weight.

What are your current or future solutions to hold Dominion and its expansions (At least Hinterlands incl)?

11

Dominion Isotropic / Re: Decline of civility on isotropic?

« on: September 20, 2011, 11:52:42 am »

I haven't had the above experiences on Iso. Though, there are times were I am the above guy (Sab my only province 3 times in a row, and I'm not too happy, lol).

One thing I have noticed, though, is the lack of humanity on Isotropic. Over the last 10 games I've played, over half the people didn't say a single word. And then when the game is over, they immediately return to the lobby. What is the point of playing dominion if I'm not allowed to talk about the game that just happened?!?

The biggest reason I play dominion online is to improve my skills for multiplayer on my home set. I enjoy being beat by high-lvl opponents, especially when they explain what happened during the game. Instead, I keep getting Automatched with people who don't have personalities. It's like I'm playing an AI.

12

Dominion Isotropic / Re: Can anyone not log into isotropic right now?

« on: August 19, 2011, 10:21:28 am »

I'm getting a "Verification Error" every time I try to log in through credentials and the Tumbl monster when using "Play without logging in".

(Off-topic - WOOT! First post)