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« on: April 27, 2013, 07:27:58 pm »
It's been a while since I've played Dominion, I'll admit.
First was the New Year's Resolution to leave f.DS. Though it wasn't an easy decision, it was the right one. However, as a result, Dominion was out of sight, and thus out of mind. I didn't even know Isotropic was shutting down until just a handful of days beforehand. I never gave the site its proper farewell.
What with being a couple thousand miles away from my friends and family in DC that I usually play Dominion with in-person, I have not played with physical cards too often while at college. The one partner I had, dondon, happened to graduate early. Though I was certainly happy for him - graduating early with one of the toughest degrees to obtain at the school - I couldn't help but be bittersweet that I no longer had someone to play with...
Until last night, that is. A few of my friends had showed interest in learning the game, so I introduced Dominion to a friend of mine last night. After I taught him the mechanics of the game, we played one round where I coached him on some strategy as we played. With a kingdom featuring Moat, Tunnel, Oasis, Village, Smithy, Throne Room, Milita, Market, Festival, and Mine, he quickly caught on. It wasn't long before he recognized some of the subtleties of the game like playing a Village before a Festival if they are the only actions in hand or playing an Oasis after drawing cards if it means there's a better chance of pairing a Tunnel with it.
Words can't explain the joy I felt watching him draw all but two cards in his deck, begging the question, "What happens if there's nothing left for me to draw?"
Of course, I didn't let him win (I'm not THAT nice!), but he certainly put up a fight and is hooked. At his request, I will not offer him more strategy heading forward (BMU and trashing are still unknown to him), but I suspect it won't be long until I consider him a worthy opponent.
I had been afraid for the past couple of weeks that without Isotropic, the Dominion-stage of my life was coming to a close. Last night reminded me that all it takes is a bright-minded, eager-to-learn friend to change that. It may not have been the same as playing one-on-one's with dondon (and getting my butt handed to me), but it was equally as fun.
Go teach a friend Dominion. His mastering of the game will be a gift that keeps giving back.