326
Puzzles and Challenges / What's missing?
« on: May 18, 2012, 02:55:55 pm »
Cache
Duchy
Nobles
Stash
Wharf
Witch
Vault
And... go!
Duchy
Nobles
Stash
Wharf
Witch
Vault
And... go!
Show Posts
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327
Puzzles and Challenges / Challenge: maximize score against AI using only base set
« on: May 18, 2012, 01:31:34 pm »
So I've been playing Dominion for the iPad every once in a while; it's not great, but it's still Dominion. To make it fun, I tried to maximize my score against the AI. What Kingdom would you choose to give yourself the highest possible score? Obviously your score will depend on what the opponent decides to do, but assume that he's following a pretty crappy strategy of mostly BM with a few random actions thrown it; being smart enough to pick up points when he can. Also, he is likely to end the game if he can, even if he's behind.
My score:
111 points
My Kingdom:
Celler
Village
Smithy
Workshop
Throne Room
Gardens
Market
Laboratory
Festival
Witch (to slow the AI down; he usually won't go for Witch, or if he does not until it's way too late)
In my best game; I managed to get 101 cards in my deck; with 7 of the Gardens (AI bought 1). A few Provinces, Duchies, and Estates brought it up to 111).
Is there a strategy/Kingdom that would work better than that?
My score:
111 points
My Kingdom:
Celler
Village
Smithy
Workshop
Throne Room
Gardens
Market
Laboratory
Festival
Witch (to slow the AI down; he usually won't go for Witch, or if he does not until it's way too late)
In my best game; I managed to get 101 cards in my deck; with 7 of the Gardens (AI bought 1). A few Provinces, Duchies, and Estates brought it up to 111).
Is there a strategy/Kingdom that would work better than that?
328
Game Reports / My best ever last-ditch effort comeback (With Horn of Plenty)
« on: May 17, 2012, 06:40:39 pm »
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201205/17/game-20120517-153259-e30768bf.html
So I started out this game thinking that I'd go for the Remake-City combo that's worked for me in the past; figured the HoP would help me empty piles even faster. When my opponent buys a Province on turn 7, I realize that my method is going to be way too slow. After he buys his 5th Province while I still have nothing at all, I figure I should just resign. The only thing stopping me was that even though I was getting killed, I was still having fun playing my HoPs every turn to gain a bunch of stuff.
So then he has 6 Provinces to my 2 Islands. And then it happens. Turn 18, I draw most of my deck and play 9 Horn of Plenty's worth $8 each, gaining the last 2 Provinces and 7 Duchies, with enough money to buy the last Duchy. Winning 42 to 36.
So I started out this game thinking that I'd go for the Remake-City combo that's worked for me in the past; figured the HoP would help me empty piles even faster. When my opponent buys a Province on turn 7, I realize that my method is going to be way too slow. After he buys his 5th Province while I still have nothing at all, I figure I should just resign. The only thing stopping me was that even though I was getting killed, I was still having fun playing my HoPs every turn to gain a bunch of stuff.
So then he has 6 Provinces to my 2 Islands. And then it happens. Turn 18, I draw most of my deck and play 9 Horn of Plenty's worth $8 each, gaining the last 2 Provinces and 7 Duchies, with enough money to buy the last Duchy. Winning 42 to 36.
329
Dominion General Discussion / How do you play Woodcutter / Gardens?
« on: May 11, 2012, 04:30:57 pm »
So I was playing around with the iOS Dominion app; and I came across a Woodcutter / Gardens setup against 1 AI. I went Woodcutter / Gardens, and got destroyed. I managed to end the game with 8 Gardens worth 3 (maybe 4?) each, but he already had 6 Provinces and some Duchies (I think just going mostly BM, I don't really remember).
But I realized I didn't know what I was doing. With Workshop / Gardens, you can Workshop Workshops and empty out Workshop, Gardens, and Estates pretty quickly. I've read that Woodcutter / Gardens is powerful too, but what's the tactics? Is Woodcutter the 3rd pile you should try to empty? Having a deck full of Woodcutters isn't nearly as good as a deck full of Workshops; because you can't guarantee to get a Gardens every hand.
But I realized I didn't know what I was doing. With Workshop / Gardens, you can Workshop Workshops and empty out Workshop, Gardens, and Estates pretty quickly. I've read that Woodcutter / Gardens is powerful too, but what's the tactics? Is Woodcutter the 3rd pile you should try to empty? Having a deck full of Woodcutters isn't nearly as good as a deck full of Workshops; because you can't guarantee to get a Gardens every hand.
330
Goko Dominion Online / Asynchronous play
« on: May 08, 2012, 03:47:43 pm »
So this BGG thread about the official app turned eventually to discussion on asynchronous play. Curious what the opinions of people around here are.
I for one would most likely never consider playing Dominion asynchronously, and I was quite surprised to hear so many people at BGG complaining that a web interface would not allow for asynchronous play. Dominion is a fast game. On Isotropic, you can play a game in 5 minutes, easy. If it's a slow board, it might take 15 minutes. To take a game that's that fast and expand it out over a long period of time doesn't seem fun at all.
I think the main thing for me is that most individual turns of Dominion aren't fun. I don't get any personal enjoyment out of clicking "+$3" followed by "Silver." Even later in the game, the very act of clicking "+$8" followed by "Province" isn't in itself fun. The fun in Dominion comes from stringing all these turns together; to build up a deck and then get to play it. If you took 1 turn every few minutes, which could end up being every few hours depending on your opponent, I can't imagine enjoying that. Of course, some turns are different; sometimes if you have a Scrying Pool / Grand Market / King's Court thing going, an individual turn can be awesome. But that's not the norm.
And then there's the issue of reactions. That fun turn I just talked about with SP + GM + KC? Not quite so fun if your opponent happens to have a Moat in hand, and you have to wait who knows how long each time you play a Scrying Pool. That one turn alone could easily take a whole day if your opponent is just checking in every once in a while.
I for one would most likely never consider playing Dominion asynchronously, and I was quite surprised to hear so many people at BGG complaining that a web interface would not allow for asynchronous play. Dominion is a fast game. On Isotropic, you can play a game in 5 minutes, easy. If it's a slow board, it might take 15 minutes. To take a game that's that fast and expand it out over a long period of time doesn't seem fun at all.
I think the main thing for me is that most individual turns of Dominion aren't fun. I don't get any personal enjoyment out of clicking "+$3" followed by "Silver." Even later in the game, the very act of clicking "+$8" followed by "Province" isn't in itself fun. The fun in Dominion comes from stringing all these turns together; to build up a deck and then get to play it. If you took 1 turn every few minutes, which could end up being every few hours depending on your opponent, I can't imagine enjoying that. Of course, some turns are different; sometimes if you have a Scrying Pool / Grand Market / King's Court thing going, an individual turn can be awesome. But that's not the norm.
And then there's the issue of reactions. That fun turn I just talked about with SP + GM + KC? Not quite so fun if your opponent happens to have a Moat in hand, and you have to wait who knows how long each time you play a Scrying Pool. That one turn alone could easily take a whole day if your opponent is just checking in every once in a while.
331
Solo Challenges / No Treasure
« on: May 04, 2012, 11:09:15 am »
This is going to be a more informal challenge; because I don't plan on doing a bunch and tracking points, etc. But hopefully people will still be interested in trying it out because it sounds like fun (to me at least. 
)
1. End the game with 8 Provinces in your deck.
2. After turns 1 and 2, you may not play a Treasure card.
3. You must not have any Treasure in your deck at the end of the game.
Do this in as few turns as possible.
And since I just now realized that all the solutions for "No Buys Allowed" work here as well, we'll go ahead and throw on one more stipulation:
4. You cannot gain any cards other than by buying them.
Feel free to post your answers and thoughts here, since this is an informal puzzle.
)1. End the game with 8 Provinces in your deck.
2. After turns 1 and 2, you may not play a Treasure card.
3. You must not have any Treasure in your deck at the end of the game.
Do this in as few turns as possible.
And since I just now realized that all the solutions for "No Buys Allowed" work here as well, we'll go ahead and throw on one more stipulation:
4. You cannot gain any cards other than by buying them.
Feel free to post your answers and thoughts here, since this is an informal puzzle.
332
Solo Challenges / My opinion / discussion on bonus points
« on: May 03, 2012, 02:16:58 pm »
I think that the bonus points in the solo challenges don't make a lot of sense. This was discussed somewhat in the "no buys allowed" challenge, but working to earn the bonus point seems to always be at odds with winning the challenge itself. Whatever the requirements are for the bonus point, it seems to always be something that will force longer games. This forces any player to basically decide if they want to do the challenge without the bonus point, and have a chance at first place; or do the challenge with the bonus point, and get that point(s) instead of the other ones.
I think this can easily be solved by just considering them different challenges. Make 2 challenges; make them at the same time if you want. Score them separately, etc. After all, a restriction of "no King's Courts" or "you must use this Kingdom" really does make it into a different challenge; with different strategies, etc.
Just my opinion.
I think this can easily be solved by just considering them different challenges. Make 2 challenges; make them at the same time if you want. Score them separately, etc. After all, a restriction of "no King's Courts" or "you must use this Kingdom" really does make it into a different challenge; with different strategies, etc.
Just my opinion.
333
Dominion General Discussion / How many (meaningful) possible Kingdoms are there?
« on: April 30, 2012, 11:10:55 am »
So, with all the sets that are out there now; the possible number of different games you could play is insanely huge. Even if you don't count different Black Market setups. But, many of these games are so similar to each other that they may as well be the same. After all, it's rare (if ever) that all 10 Kingdom cards matter.
So, about how many different games of Dominion are there? I mean, if you have Ironworks, Chapel, and Garden present; there's probably only a few different configurations that matter for the rest of the cards; the majority of the Kingdom will be ignored by decent players.
Obviously it's subjective, and matters how specific you choose to be with your categories. But what do you guys think? What are some high-level categories; and how many different meaningful Kingdoms in each category?
So, about how many different games of Dominion are there? I mean, if you have Ironworks, Chapel, and Garden present; there's probably only a few different configurations that matter for the rest of the cards; the majority of the Kingdom will be ignored by decent players.
Obviously it's subjective, and matters how specific you choose to be with your categories. But what do you guys think? What are some high-level categories; and how many different meaningful Kingdoms in each category?
334
Game Reports / Unstoppable Moat Stack??
« on: April 27, 2012, 11:24:24 pm »
In which my opponent plays Moat 36 times in 17 turns to crush me.
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201204/27/game-20120427-201900-5fe0dee0.html
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201204/27/game-20120427-201900-5fe0dee0.html
335
Dominion General Discussion / Great responses / counters
« on: April 23, 2012, 03:07:50 pm »
Inspired by the last post in this thread, I realized that an ever more epic version would be:
Opponent plays King's Court, Torturer (with Curses still left to take).
You discard your entire hand.
On your turn, you pick up the Minion you had set aside with Haven; draw 4 new cards.
So, what other awesome responses to otherwise powerful moves are out there? Obviously, a similar, but not quite as epic, move would be to take all the Curses in hand and then Forge/Chapel them away.
Opponent plays King's Court, Torturer (with Curses still left to take).
You discard your entire hand.
On your turn, you pick up the Minion you had set aside with Haven; draw 4 new cards.
So, what other awesome responses to otherwise powerful moves are out there? Obviously, a similar, but not quite as epic, move would be to take all the Curses in hand and then Forge/Chapel them away.
336
Dominion General Discussion / Major Dominion slump
« on: April 23, 2012, 09:41:33 am »
A week ago I was a level 36 on Isotropic; in the top 100 of all online Dominion players. The last 10 days, I'm 51-57-2. Dropped to level 31. I attributed my first bad day to just bad luck, but since then I've been noticeably outplayed. I've completely overlooked things such as Tactician/Vault, Inn/Tunnel. I've lost to a player who opened Great Hall!
Has this happened to anyone else? Is there a solution? Do I need a break from Dominion, or do I need to keep trying even harder to break out of it?
*Edit* Forgot to include one anecdote... the last game I won, I was absolutely sure that I was losing; by a whole lot. I ended the game on piles just to get it over with; because I thought I had no chance... and ended up barely winning. Just shows how poorly I was doing at paying attention to what had been happening with the game.
Another similar one; I thought for sure I was winning by a bunch, because my opponent had had some bad luck and had resorted to just buying estates most turns, while I was picking up some Provinces and Duches. He bought the last Estate to win... turns out he had been buying a bunch of Silk Roads, that I hadn't even noticed!!
Has this happened to anyone else? Is there a solution? Do I need a break from Dominion, or do I need to keep trying even harder to break out of it?
*Edit* Forgot to include one anecdote... the last game I won, I was absolutely sure that I was losing; by a whole lot. I ended the game on piles just to get it over with; because I thought I had no chance... and ended up barely winning. Just shows how poorly I was doing at paying attention to what had been happening with the game.
Another similar one; I thought for sure I was winning by a bunch, because my opponent had had some bad luck and had resorted to just buying estates most turns, while I was picking up some Provinces and Duches. He bought the last Estate to win... turns out he had been buying a bunch of Silk Roads, that I hadn't even noticed!!
337
Dominion General Discussion / When do you want a cantrip
« on: April 20, 2012, 10:44:42 am »
Ok, so hypothetical card.
Cantrip
Action - $1
+1 Card
+1 Action
Forget about the price and possible balance issues; I'm just interested in the pros and cons of having random cantrips in your deck (like Pearl Diver, Spy, or Hamlet, if you never end up using their extra abilities). Ignoring all trash-for-benefit type stuff; since the cost of the card isn't important here.
Here's what I can think of:
Times you want them:
Conspirator
Peddler
Gardens
Fairgrounds
Harvest
Menagerie
Vineyards
Throne Room
King's Court
Times you don't want them:
Terminal Draw
Opponent's Tournaments (less likely to have Province in your hand on their turn)
Moat (If opponent has attacks)
Secret Chamber (If opponent has attacks)
Tunnel in your deck, Pirate Ship/Thief/Noble Brigand/Tribute/Discard attacks in opponent's deck
Horse Traders (If opponent has attacks)
Fool's Gold (Less likely to get to use the trash-for-Gold)
Hunting Party
So, what interactions have I missed? Are there any other general things about the generic cantrip that aren't other-card specific?
Cantrip
Action - $1
+1 Card
+1 Action
Forget about the price and possible balance issues; I'm just interested in the pros and cons of having random cantrips in your deck (like Pearl Diver, Spy, or Hamlet, if you never end up using their extra abilities). Ignoring all trash-for-benefit type stuff; since the cost of the card isn't important here.
Here's what I can think of:
Times you want them:
Conspirator
Peddler
Gardens
Fairgrounds
Harvest
Menagerie
Vineyards
Throne Room
King's Court
Times you don't want them:
Terminal Draw
Opponent's Tournaments (less likely to have Province in your hand on their turn)
Moat (If opponent has attacks)
Secret Chamber (If opponent has attacks)
Tunnel in your deck, Pirate Ship/Thief/Noble Brigand/Tribute/Discard attacks in opponent's deck
Horse Traders (If opponent has attacks)
Fool's Gold (Less likely to get to use the trash-for-Gold)
Hunting Party
So, what interactions have I missed? Are there any other general things about the generic cantrip that aren't other-card specific?
338
Game Reports / They say Torturer is one of the cards that you don't want from the Black Market
« on: April 19, 2012, 07:19:15 pm »
But perhaps this counts as an exception:
— GendoIkari's turn 15 —
GendoIkari plays a Lookout.
... getting +1 action.
... drawing 3 cards.
... trashing a Copper.
... discarding a Gold.
... putting a card back on the deck.
GendoIkari plays a Governor.
... getting +1 action.
... (GendoIkari reshuffles.)
... drawing 3 cards.
... Stealth Tomato draws 1 card.
GendoIkari plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Governor.
... putting the Governor into the hand.
GendoIkari plays a Black Market.
... getting +$2.
... drawing a King's Court, a Lighthouse, and a Nomad Camp from the Black Market deck.
... playing 2 Golds and a Silver.
... GendoIkari buys a King's Court.
... returning a Lighthouse and a Nomad Camp to the bottom of the Black Market deck.
GendoIkari plays a Governor.
... getting +1 action.
... gaining a Gold.
... Stealth Tomato gains a Silver.
GendoIkari plays a Black Market.
... getting +$2.
... drawing a Cache, a Torturer, and an Upgrade from the Black Market deck.
... GendoIkari buys a Torturer.
... returning a Cache and an Upgrade to the bottom of the Black Market deck.
(GendoIkari draws: a Platinum, a Farming Village, a Governor, a Silver, and a Jester.)
Ok, so to be fair, I never actually got to play KC + Torturer.
— GendoIkari's turn 15 —
GendoIkari plays a Lookout.
... getting +1 action.
... drawing 3 cards.
... trashing a Copper.
... discarding a Gold.
... putting a card back on the deck.
GendoIkari plays a Governor.
... getting +1 action.
... (GendoIkari reshuffles.)
... drawing 3 cards.
... Stealth Tomato draws 1 card.
GendoIkari plays a Farming Village.
... getting +2 actions.
... revealing a Governor.
... putting the Governor into the hand.
GendoIkari plays a Black Market.
... getting +$2.
... drawing a King's Court, a Lighthouse, and a Nomad Camp from the Black Market deck.
... playing 2 Golds and a Silver.
... GendoIkari buys a King's Court.
... returning a Lighthouse and a Nomad Camp to the bottom of the Black Market deck.
GendoIkari plays a Governor.
... getting +1 action.
... gaining a Gold.
... Stealth Tomato gains a Silver.
GendoIkari plays a Black Market.
... getting +$2.
... drawing a Cache, a Torturer, and an Upgrade from the Black Market deck.
... GendoIkari buys a Torturer.
... returning a Cache and an Upgrade to the bottom of the Black Market deck.
(GendoIkari draws: a Platinum, a Farming Village, a Governor, a Silver, and a Jester.)
Ok, so to be fair, I never actually got to play KC + Torturer.
339
Help! / How could I have known to ignore Scrying Pool?
« on: April 18, 2012, 02:31:30 pm »
http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120417-192010-e473b499.html
There was a time that I thought Scrying Pool was only worth it if you had + buys and actions that give money (or Villages with strong Terminals). Then I learned that Scrying Pool is just fine at getting to a place where you can easily buy 1 Province per turn. With Mountebank and Secret Chamber around, this seemed like one of those times.
But apparently I was wrong, as my opponent got to 6 Provinces easily. Obviously, it was the Hunting Parties that did it for him. So should you always ignore Scrying Pool in the face of Hunting Parties? Did I make any playing playing mistakes, or was it as simple as "avoid the Scrying Pool because HP is too fast"?
There was a time that I thought Scrying Pool was only worth it if you had + buys and actions that give money (or Villages with strong Terminals). Then I learned that Scrying Pool is just fine at getting to a place where you can easily buy 1 Province per turn. With Mountebank and Secret Chamber around, this seemed like one of those times.
But apparently I was wrong, as my opponent got to 6 Provinces easily. Obviously, it was the Hunting Parties that did it for him. So should you always ignore Scrying Pool in the face of Hunting Parties? Did I make any playing playing mistakes, or was it as simple as "avoid the Scrying Pool because HP is too fast"?
340
Dominion General Discussion / Math request: Nomad Camp
« on: April 17, 2012, 12:00:01 pm »
If you have $4 in your opening hand, and buy a Nomad Camp, what are the odds that you will have $5 on turn 2?
341
Game Reports / How do you even begin? (Insanely powerful board)
« on: April 16, 2012, 11:10:23 pm »
Ok, just had this come up against a high-level opponent:
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201204/16/game-20120416-200551-8aba3d56.html
So many possible directions to go! Took forever just to figure out how to use my opening $4! We both ignored Alchemist, would it have been too slow here?
I think my Tactician was definitely key here, but I was definitely worried when he got both Trusty Steed and Followers so quickly.
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201204/16/game-20120416-200551-8aba3d56.html
So many possible directions to go! Took forever just to figure out how to use my opening $4! We both ignored Alchemist, would it have been too slow here?
I think my Tactician was definitely key here, but I was definitely worried when he got both Trusty Steed and Followers so quickly.
342
Game Reports / Best tie ever
« on: April 15, 2012, 02:02:27 am »
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201204/14/game-20120414-225228-b1d42f5e.html
Man this was nuts. Scrying Pool board with lots of support. He took a huge early lead because of picking up Spice Merchant before Potion, and moving on to Horn of Plenty. He made 2 errors that saved me, in my opinion... Pulling a 3-Province turn too soon, and not picking up Jester. Thanks to Scrying Pool, my single Jester gave him 8 Curses!
I screwed up and trashed my economy... Had to start buying Slvers just so I could do something. Bit his deck was so bogged down by this point. Thanks to point counter, I knew that I needed 11 points to win on my last turn. $1 away from picking up 2 Duchies (plus a Province from HoP); I knew I would have a decent chance of winning if I ust waited 1 more turn... But I decided it wasn't worth the risk that he would have an $8 turn, so I took the draw by getting 10 points. (Province, Duchy, Estate, and Cursing him).
Man this was nuts. Scrying Pool board with lots of support. He took a huge early lead because of picking up Spice Merchant before Potion, and moving on to Horn of Plenty. He made 2 errors that saved me, in my opinion... Pulling a 3-Province turn too soon, and not picking up Jester. Thanks to Scrying Pool, my single Jester gave him 8 Curses!
I screwed up and trashed my economy... Had to start buying Slvers just so I could do something. Bit his deck was so bogged down by this point. Thanks to point counter, I knew that I needed 11 points to win on my last turn. $1 away from picking up 2 Duchies (plus a Province from HoP); I knew I would have a decent chance of winning if I ust waited 1 more turn... But I decided it wasn't worth the risk that he would have an $8 turn, so I took the draw by getting 10 points. (Province, Duchy, Estate, and Cursing him).
343
Dominion General Discussion / Dominion with all cards available
« on: April 11, 2012, 02:09:21 pm »
Not quite sure if this belongs in general, variants, or puzzles, but whatever.
A long time ago, back when only the base set existed, I played a game where we put out all 25 Kingdom Cards (we were also playing with 6 people). It wasn't a whole lot of fun, but anyway...
If you were playing Dominion where you laid out every single Kingdom card in existence, instead of just 10, what would the dominant strategy be? My guess is that you'd want to open Chapel/Quarry, then pick up as many Goons, Watchtower, and Fishing Village as you can. Likely, whoever gets the most Goons would win. What else would you try? Would cursing attacks be worth it, if Curses could be so easily drawn and trashed?
Black Market would certainly lose a lot of its value, though you could still pull off double-Tactician tricks with it.
A long time ago, back when only the base set existed, I played a game where we put out all 25 Kingdom Cards (we were also playing with 6 people). It wasn't a whole lot of fun, but anyway...
If you were playing Dominion where you laid out every single Kingdom card in existence, instead of just 10, what would the dominant strategy be? My guess is that you'd want to open Chapel/Quarry, then pick up as many Goons, Watchtower, and Fishing Village as you can. Likely, whoever gets the most Goons would win. What else would you try? Would cursing attacks be worth it, if Curses could be so easily drawn and trashed?
Black Market would certainly lose a lot of its value, though you could still pull off double-Tactician tricks with it.
344
Dominion Isotropic / Bug report: Scheme, Alchemist
« on: April 10, 2012, 09:35:50 am »
Played a crazy game yesterday with Scheme and Alchemist (and Possession). Because of Possession, I didn't want to put cards back on top of my deck during cleanup.
At the start of cleanup, it would ask me to pick a card to put back on top (from Scheme; this is correct). Then, it asked me what card to clean up next. I would choose Potion, because I didn't want to put Alchemists back. Then, it asked me what card to clean up next again; I would choose Alchemist, and it asked me if I wanted to put Alchemist back on top. Even though I didn't have any Potions in play anymore.
So there's both a bug and a confusing behavior here. First off, why ask me about clean-up order here? The only time it does that is when you have multiple choices (like Herbalist/Alchemist, or Scheme/Alchemist I guess). But if I chose "none" from Scheme, or chose a card and then cleaned up that card first, there's no longer any significant interaction; no reason to ask me which card to clean up next. Scheme was out of the picture by this point. Then the actual bug that it would ask me if I wanted to put Alchemist on top of my deck even though I had already cleaned up my Potion.
Note that I never said "yes" to that question, so I'm not sure if it actually would have let me put Alchemist on top or not.
At the start of cleanup, it would ask me to pick a card to put back on top (from Scheme; this is correct). Then, it asked me what card to clean up next. I would choose Potion, because I didn't want to put Alchemists back. Then, it asked me what card to clean up next again; I would choose Alchemist, and it asked me if I wanted to put Alchemist back on top. Even though I didn't have any Potions in play anymore.
So there's both a bug and a confusing behavior here. First off, why ask me about clean-up order here? The only time it does that is when you have multiple choices (like Herbalist/Alchemist, or Scheme/Alchemist I guess). But if I chose "none" from Scheme, or chose a card and then cleaned up that card first, there's no longer any significant interaction; no reason to ask me which card to clean up next. Scheme was out of the picture by this point. Then the actual bug that it would ask me if I wanted to put Alchemist on top of my deck even though I had already cleaned up my Potion.
Note that I never said "yes" to that question, so I'm not sure if it actually would have let me put Alchemist on top or not.
345
Help! / Does Trader really beat Vault here?
« on: April 05, 2012, 06:21:45 pm »
http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120403-160301-09aaaee4.html
I'm really confused as to how I didn't just lose, but lost bad here. If it had been close I wouldn't be asking. It's a pretty much boring BM Colony board. He bought a Colony on turns 14, 16, and 17. Was he just really lucky? I figured that a bunch of Silvers from Trader would be less useful in a Colony game. I know I probably made a mistake by buying a Trader later, but I don't think that alone made much of a difference.
I'm really confused as to how I didn't just lose, but lost bad here. If it had been close I wouldn't be asking. It's a pretty much boring BM Colony board. He bought a Colony on turns 14, 16, and 17. Was he just really lucky? I figured that a bunch of Silvers from Trader would be less useful in a Colony game. I know I probably made a mistake by buying a Trader later, but I don't think that alone made much of a difference.
346
Puzzles and Challenges / Fastest solitary game
« on: March 29, 2012, 12:49:18 pm »
Challenge: end the game in as few turns as possible, in a solitaire game. You don't have to have any points or anything. No conditions. Bonus for a strategy that can work quickly consistently instead of with just great shuffle luck.
I was playing around with this last night and kept getting stuck. Here's what I came up with so far, although I'm sure that it's far from optimal.
We all know than in Puzzle #1, you can have all 8 Provinces by the end of your 5th turn. But that requires perfect shuffle luck. Nevertheless, one of my first thoughts was that following that puzzle's strategy would still lead to a fast game without perfect shuffle luck. It doesn't.
So I also tried various things with Governor, because everyone knows that that leads to fast games. Nothing doing.
The best I came up with was this: Open Bridge / Fishing Village. Buy Council Rooms, Throne Rooms, King's Courts, and more Bridges and Fishing Villages. This allowed me to pull a mega-turn on turn 10 and end it (with all the Colonies, Provinces, and Duchies!)
I was playing around with this last night and kept getting stuck. Here's what I came up with so far, although I'm sure that it's far from optimal.
We all know than in Puzzle #1, you can have all 8 Provinces by the end of your 5th turn. But that requires perfect shuffle luck. Nevertheless, one of my first thoughts was that following that puzzle's strategy would still lead to a fast game without perfect shuffle luck. It doesn't.
So I also tried various things with Governor, because everyone knows that that leads to fast games. Nothing doing.
The best I came up with was this: Open Bridge / Fishing Village. Buy Council Rooms, Throne Rooms, King's Courts, and more Bridges and Fishing Villages. This allowed me to pull a mega-turn on turn 10 and end it (with all the Colonies, Provinces, and Duchies!)
347
Game Reports / Dominion Groundhog Day
« on: March 27, 2012, 06:07:30 pm »
I found myself caught in an endless loop at the start of this game yesterday:
http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120326-212936-253ccc85.html
--- GendoIkari's turn 2 ---
GendoIkari plays 5 Coppers.
GendoIkari buys a Royal Seal.
(GendoIkari reshuffles.)
(GendoIkari draws: a Royal Seal, an Estate, and 3 Coppers.)
--- GendoIkari's turn 3 ---
GendoIkari plays a Royal Seal and 3 Coppers.
GendoIkari buys a Royal Seal.
... putting the Royal Seal on top of the deck.
(GendoIkari draws: a Royal Seal, an Estate, and 3 Coppers.)
--- GendoIkari's turn 4 ---
GendoIkari plays a Royal Seal and 3 Coppers.
GendoIkari buys a Royal Seal.
... putting the Royal Seal on top of the deck.
(GendoIkari reshuffles.)
(GendoIkari draws: a Royal Seal, an Estate, and 3 Coppers.)
--- GendoIkari's turn 5 ---
GendoIkari plays a Royal Seal and 3 Coppers.
GendoIkari buys a Royal Seal.
... putting the Royal Seal on top of the deck.
(GendoIkari draws: 2 Royal Seals, an Estate, and 2 Coppers.)
http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20120326-212936-253ccc85.html
--- GendoIkari's turn 2 ---
GendoIkari plays 5 Coppers.
GendoIkari buys a Royal Seal.
(GendoIkari reshuffles.)
(GendoIkari draws: a Royal Seal, an Estate, and 3 Coppers.)
--- GendoIkari's turn 3 ---
GendoIkari plays a Royal Seal and 3 Coppers.
GendoIkari buys a Royal Seal.
... putting the Royal Seal on top of the deck.
(GendoIkari draws: a Royal Seal, an Estate, and 3 Coppers.)
--- GendoIkari's turn 4 ---
GendoIkari plays a Royal Seal and 3 Coppers.
GendoIkari buys a Royal Seal.
... putting the Royal Seal on top of the deck.
(GendoIkari reshuffles.)
(GendoIkari draws: a Royal Seal, an Estate, and 3 Coppers.)
--- GendoIkari's turn 5 ---
GendoIkari plays a Royal Seal and 3 Coppers.
GendoIkari buys a Royal Seal.
... putting the Royal Seal on top of the deck.
(GendoIkari draws: 2 Royal Seals, an Estate, and 2 Coppers.)
348
Dominion Isotropic / List of things that make playing on Isotropic different than real life
« on: March 27, 2012, 05:59:22 pm »
So Isotropic implements basically every rule correctly, but there are certain things that it can't quite avoid:
As was just pointed out in another thread:
You can't hide the fact that you are overspending. You either play all your treasures at once, and your opponent knows how much you can spend, or you play them one at a time, and your opponent knows that you're up to something.
If you have a reaction in your hand, you cannot hide this fact by choosing not to reveal the reaction. Your opponent sees "waiting for reactions." This could matter especially with Minion... if I play Minion, and my opponent has a Moat but doesn't reveal it, I may be less likely to discard the hand.
You can't see the top card of the discard piles.
What else am I missing? Is Stash implemented so that it gives all the same information to your opponent that it would in real life?
As was just pointed out in another thread:
You can't hide the fact that you are overspending. You either play all your treasures at once, and your opponent knows how much you can spend, or you play them one at a time, and your opponent knows that you're up to something.
If you have a reaction in your hand, you cannot hide this fact by choosing not to reveal the reaction. Your opponent sees "waiting for reactions." This could matter especially with Minion... if I play Minion, and my opponent has a Moat but doesn't reveal it, I may be less likely to discard the hand.
You can't see the top card of the discard piles.
What else am I missing? Is Stash implemented so that it gives all the same information to your opponent that it would in real life?
349
Dominion General Discussion / Opening Silver/$3
« on: March 27, 2012, 05:28:04 pm »
There's a great deal of boards where I'd rather open Silver/$3 instead of Silver/$4. When this happens, I am always sure to purchase the Silver first, whether I open $4 or $3. My thinking is that this gives less away about my strategy, so my opponent can't respond with his first buy (or his second buy if he went first). Does everyone do this? Or am I way overthinking it? Do you think there's an actual advantage to doing this? One could probably argue that buying a Silver also gives my opponent information just like buying a Masquerade does.
350
Dominion General Discussion / The list of Donald's fake cards
« on: March 20, 2012, 11:01:06 am »
Been reading old BGG Dominion threads (for the lulz), and found a few amusing fake sample cards Donald references:
I don't have a quote, but I know he has also referenced "Throw-in-a-Silver," a card that you could reveal when you gain a card to also gain a Silver.
So, these are awesome and amusing. Anybody else remember/can find fake sample cards that Donald has used? I especially love the names.
Quote
Consider a card that was an Unsilversmith. "Silver produces $1 less this turn." With some bonus to make you actually play it.
Quote
Say there was a card, Card Explosion, reading "this turn, all other action cards also say '+1 Card.'
Quote
And another card, Count Your Blessings, that said "+$1 per action in play that says '+1 Card' on it."
Quote
What if a treasure makes a variable amount of money? Say you roll a die and it's worth that much.
I don't have a quote, but I know he has also referenced "Throw-in-a-Silver," a card that you could reveal when you gain a card to also gain a Silver.
Advisor's Pal: Action - Duration, $5
Now and at the start of your next turn, +1 Card and +$1.
----------
When you choose this card, gain a Gold.
Strict Peddler: Action, $4
+1 Card
+1 Action
+$1
This turn, optional abilities are mandatory.
Quote
Persuasive Procurer - Action, $5
+$2
In your buy phase this turn, the other players reveal their hands, and you can buy cards from them.
Quote
Band of Nitwits: Action, $5
Play this as if it were any joke card Donald X. has posted in the forums costing less than it that you choose. This is that card until it leaves play or becomes too confusing.
So, these are awesome and amusing. Anybody else remember/can find fake sample cards that Donald has used? I especially love the names.