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[BBL]

It has been a while since I saw this topic occurring, so in the light of Empires and the Second Edition Cards, I feel it is time again, to discuss our favorite Dominion Expansions.

I start with my personal list, sorted from bottom (least great) to top (amazing). As with all of these lists, it is highly subjective and based on personal taste. So do not feel bad, if you think, I mistreated your favorite expansion, but write your own list, and point out what you think is awesome about it.

So, here’s my take (quite long, but we have a lot of expansions by now ):

11. Alchemy

Not much to say about it which has not been said before. It is a shame though. I really liked the Potion Concept and the Art is definitely in the upper third of Dominion.  But the cards kill it for me – weak (Transmute, Philosopher’s Stone), annoying (Scrying Pool, Familiar, Possession), bland (University, Herbalist) or wheel-spinning (Alchemist, Golem, Scrying Pool & Familiar again). And there is Apprentice & Vineyard, which are pretty cool, but do not save the expansion. Clearly bottom of the list

10. Empires

I really have not warmed up to this expansion yet. What I played in the ShuffleIT Beta confirmed my thoughts when I first saw the cards: Complicated, overpowered and occasionally boring. I can see the appeal in bending the rules of Dominion, as far as possible.  But while in theory Landmarks sounded great, in practice they make the game far too unpredictable for non-expert players. I think there is a reason why strategic discussions in this forum died down – with Landmarks being present, it is near impossible to provide general advice anymore that is not contradicted by at least 1 landmark. Since they are handled like events in the ShIT implementation, they also show up far too often for my taste. (Compare this to Colonies or Shelters!)

Then there is the Power Creep. I know, it does not really matter in Dominion, but it just feels so uninspired: +6 Card, double your money, +3 Action Village, $2 Silver, $6 Money, trash as many cards as you like, 500 ways to earn VP, return to your action phase, Cantrip Warehouse, Action/ Treasure Throne Room, … -- this reminds me of one of those fan mods, that give you all the super weapons in the first 5 minutes of play. The whacky art (imo partially worse than the Seaside art) makes it even LOOK like a fan expansion. And then there are a couple of cards that sit on the uncomfortable spot between being potentially helpful, but not really so much (Settlers, Farmer’s Market, Chariot Race, Wild Hunt, Castles, etc.).

Not a fan, though I can see the appeal for super expert players. Number 10.

9. Seaside

One more vote against the trend, but I never quite liked Seaside. The Duration mechanic is awesome, but I feel Adventures explores its full potential way better. Then you have a few dud cards and two of the nastiest attacks in Dominion (Sea Hag and Ghost Ship). There are definitely nice cards (Ambassador, Fishing Village, Lookout, Tactician, Salvager, Wharf), but when setting up a kingdom for a board game night recently, I realized how narrow the space for interesting kingdoms is with Seaside only. Maybe my views are also shaped negatively by grinding through the MF campaign with Seaside, under constant attack of hag, or ghost ship, or both. Contrary to popular opinion, I found the art mostly ok, and I dig the Orange of the duration cards. Still, only number 9.

8. Guilds

Guilds is a very ok expansion that felt like a matching end point for Dominion at its time. There is hardly anything controversial about it, it is just nice small expansion with a little twist. While it does no wonders, I am always happy when one of the Coin tokens pop up, Baker changes the start setup, or Merchant Guild seems a reasonable route to go. Guild cards are a good expansion to any kingdom, though they can hardly exist on their own.

I think it speaks of the quality of Dominion’s design that this perfectly fine and average expansion sits in the lower end of this list.

7. Hinterlands

Also known as the expansion that everyone forgets. Which is not fair: From my perspective, Hinterlands has plenty of fun and interesting cards, which increase the overall quality of every kingdom. Scheme, Jack, Tunnel, Highway, Crossroads, Spice Merchants, Fool’s Gold are all iconic Dominion Cards that invite experimentation with your deck. I also like the art of this set a lot, it’s colorful and friendly and sells the flavor of being in distant lands.

It guess, what it lacks, is the one defining thing that you can put your finger on. Most cards feel like outtakes of other sets, smart takes on existing concepts, but in themselves pretty bland. It is the ‘If you liked Dominion until Cornucopia, here is more’ expansion, a god stuff deck with a lot of slightly above average cards that do not blow your mind. I like it, for what it is, so it’s my number 7.

6. Cornucopia

My favorite small expansion! With only 13 cards (+ Prizes) it has an absolutely amazing hit ration: Hamlet. Tournament. Remake. Young Witch. Horn of Plenty. Fairgrounds. Hunting Party. All of these not only change the way you play significantly, they are also just fun to play out. And the focus on deck variety makes it a nice addition for newcomers with little plan how to build your deck. 

5. Prosperity

Initially I wanted to rate it way lower, as on first glance, it follows the same patterns that I complained about with Empires: Here’s your Market with 2 Money instead of 1. Here’s your three-times Throne Room. Here’s Remodel with up to 3 coins. Here’s an overpowered attack that gives money, buy and victory points.

But there are quite a few things different with this expansion, pulling it into the top five. First of all, I think the power increase is way better balanced via the costs than in Empires. In Prosperity, it takes quite some time & smart moves until you reach the point that you can actually gain the power cards. When you reach them, you feel you earned them. Compare this to the Debt cards which come free and usually pay themselves back within a few turns, due to their raw power.

Then, there are Colonies and Platinum, which also help to counterbalance some of the crazier power effects. They also make games inherently more interesting, as they broaden the opportunities and ways to pursue victory. They also make juicy engines viable – there is little more satisfying than purchasing multiple colonies in one turn.

And finally the filler cards are awesome. Usually, when you have a favorite card and you do really remember where it came from, it is Prosperity. Loan, Watchtower, Bishop, City, Mountebank,  Peddler – these are usually not the cards that come to your mind, when you think of prosperity, but here they happily sit along classic favorites, like Kings Court, Goons or Bank. Top 5 material, without doubt.

4. Base – Second Edition

I love how base expresses all the core aspects of Dominion and is still fun to play to this day. I admire how the Second Edition managed to do the impossible: Create simple, yet fun and powerful cards, even after a few hundred cards have already been designed. I love Vassal for instance.

With the revision, I feel this set is one of the most polished pieces of Dominion you can get your hands on. It is easy to explain, has little text to read and still offers plenty of opportunities and room for strategy. And its cards are a great fit to any kingdom. Number 4, definitely.

3. Dark Ages

I love trashing, so it is no surprise, that this expansion made it to the top 3. Still, I think Dark Ages is far more than ‘the Trashing expansion’.

First of all, it is the most on-topic expansion that you can think of. There are so many little easter eggs hidden in the mechanics, in the card art, or in the card names. Think of Rats, Pillage / Village, Hermit / Madmen, Squire, etc. There’s not a single card that feels out of place, neither in naming, nor in mechanic (well, maybe Storeroom).  The art fits great as well, making this the Dominion expansion which best captures the essence of its theme.

Then there are the cards: Throw in a Dark Ages card into any kingdom and you will see this game transform, but very differently than with any other expansion. The great thing about Dark Ages is that it lets other Expansions shine, while it usually does not create dominant strategies on its own. Ok, there are Cultist and Rebuild, but even these create at least a tough challenge to beat.

And last but not least there are shelters, which again, fundamentally altered the way how Dominion is played, without breaking it. To me, this earns it a place on the podium.

2. Adventures

If Empires is the fan movie, Adventures is the Magnum Opus. It is the best of all previous Dominion Expansion, but taken to a new level. First, the cards: They are amazing from a Design Perspective! I am not even talking about the crazy stuff, like Travellers and Tokens. What I really love about Adventures, is how there are so many ‘simple’ cards with such a huge impact:  Take Port, Magpie, Treasure Trove, Raze. All of these feel, as if they could have been part of the first Dominion expansion. They are so familiar, so obvious, but it still feels awesome, when you play them.

This expansion is definitely on the power creep side of the rainbow. Hireling, Coin of the Realm, Royal Carriage are game changer, without doubt. Still, from my personal perspective, these somehow feel ok. Maybe it is, because these cards are basically more reliable versions of cards that existed for a long time – take a few Caravans, Fishing Villages or Throne Rooms and you have basically the same level of power. The traveler line is insane in some regards, but it needs time to set up, has chance to fail and thus feels appropriately introduced when you reach the crazy end.

Clearly, and hardly surprising anyone, Events is what raises this expansion to a top level. Events were the missing pieces that no one realized were missing, until they were introduced. I will not go into detail, because I think everyone knows by now how much of a positive game changer this addition was. Adventures is my personal number 2.

1. Intrigue – Second Edition

My pick for number one is a mix of various feelings. Clearly, there is a bit of love for the underdog. I heard so many bad things about the ‘worst’ big Dominion expansion that I was utterly surprised how good it was, when I finally picked it up, despite the duds that were in the initial release.

First of all, I love the Victory / Action Card subtheme. There are so many cute tricks you can do with these that I always felt a bit sad that it was not explored even further. Also, the set (as an initial beginner set) is so straightforward with its descriptions that it is easy to play with anyone you meet. It is so much easier, to setup a game with Intrigue, than going through the motions of explaining someone Seaside’s duration mechanics or the lengthy texts of Empires.

Then, there are so many ‘Swiss Army Knife’ card of Dominion in this expansion that I simply do not understand people’s disdain for it. I mean, a lot of these have not lost their appeal after 9 expansions. Masquerade, Baron, Bridge, Duke, Steward, Courtyard, Torturer, Ironworks, Conspirator … There are so many staple Dominion cards coming from this expansion that I wonder, if people simply forgot about their origin. I would not want to miss them in my random kingdom.

My fondness for this expansion was always a bit troubled though. While I dig the Scout meme (and I definitely think, Scout deserves a place in the Dominion canon), playing with the duds was no fun, particularly when Saboteur was around.

With the new edition, I feel, this expansion has really earned its position in my favor. Most of the duds are gone and the set gained a few of the most interesting cards in recent times. Replace, Patrol, Lurker and Courtier are easily my favorites, but I like Secret Passage, Mill and Diplomat quite a lot too. Add to this the new, beautiful and diversified Art, and there you have it: Intrigue, Second Edition, clearly my favorite Expansion!

[McGarnacle]

This thread is awesome! Agree with a lot of your points, and will definitely post here in the future.

You are totally right about Empires. Man, I thought I was the only one!

[Awaclus]

Those 11 expansions you mentioned are also some of my favorites.

[LastFootnote]

10. Empires

I really have not warmed up to this expansion yet. What I played in the ShuffleIT Beta confirmed my thoughts when I first saw the cards: Complicated, overpowered and occasionally boring. I can see the appeal in bending the rules of Dominion, as far as possible.  But while in theory Landmarks sounded great, in practice they make the game far too unpredictable for non-expert players. I think there is a reason why strategic discussions in this forum died down – with Landmarks being present, it is near impossible to provide general advice anymore that is not contradicted by at least 1 landmark. Since they are handled like events in the ShIT implementation, they also show up far too often for my taste. (Compare this to Colonies or Shelters!)

Not a fan, though I can see the appeal for super expert players. Number 10.

OK, I'm going to defend Empires here a bit, though obviously—as a playtester—I am biased.

I think this idea that only "super expert" Dominion players like Empires is at least wrong and possibly completely backwards. The reason I say this is that right now Empires has the highest average rating on BoardGameGeek of any Dominion product. And all the BGG reviews I've seen of it are glowing, with lots of "my favorite expansion". Now I'm assuming that the average BGG user is a hobby gamer, but not a super expert Dominion player. That's—at the very least—true of the people who wrote the reviews I mentioned.

I have had at least one person on Shuffle iT tell me that they don't like the new Empires stuff. So it's not as if you're alone in disliking Empires, but it sounds like the backlash here is from a subset of hardcore Dominion players, not from what I would consider "casual" players.

I guess I don't see Empires cards as being that complicated, on the whole. There are some outliers, like Villa. I think Villa was totally worth doing, though. A village you can buy after the fact; that's pretty novel. Which cards do you feel are too complex?

The claim that Landmarks make the game too "unpredictable" for non-expert players doesn't make any sense to me. If anything, it's expert players who have their game thrown by Landmarks. Novice players are just like, oh another way to score points, nice. They don't have a firm grasp of Dominion strategy to shatter. And it seems unlikely that Landmarks are to blame for any lack of strategy discussion. Yeah, Landmarks can shift how good a card is, but so can the other 9 cards in the kingdom. And yet that hasn't prevented people from talking about cards up until now. OK, I'll admit that Landmarks can shift the game more dramatically than most Kingdom cards, but for me that's all upside. Even if they do somehow slow down strategy discussion, they make actual games of Dominion much more varied and interesting. It's not always just, build the most efficient engine with the cards available. It wouldn't surprise me if that's what bothers some "expert" players; Empires takes them too far out of their comfort zone. But that's just 100% conjecture on my part.

Perhaps what we disagree on is this definition of an "expert player". You're implying in your post that you're not an expert player. That may be true in the sense that you're not a top-10 player or whatever. But you're a player who knows all the cards well enough to make a detailed ranking of every single expansion. You are at the very least a hardcore Dominion player. I would call you an expert.

Then there is the Power Creep. I know, it does not really matter in Dominion, but it just feels so uninspired: +6 Card, double your money, +3 Action Village, $2 Silver, $6 Money, trash as many cards as you like, 500 ways to earn VP, return to your action phase, Cantrip Warehouse, Action/ Treasure Throne Room, … -- this reminds me of one of those fan mods, that give you all the super weapons in the first 5 minutes of play. The whacky art (imo partially worse than the Seaside art) makes it even LOOK like a fan expansion. And then there are a couple of cards that sit on the uncomfortable spot between being potentially helpful, but not really so much (Settlers, Farmer’s Market, Chariot Race, Wild Hunt, Castles, etc.).

I guess it remains to be seen how much of this is people still getting used to the cards, and how much is legitimate power creep. Bear in mind that this is the first expansion in a long time for which the playtesters did not have isotropic to use for testing.

But I think a lot of this might just be perception and confirmation bias. I mean one of the things you mention for power creep is a +3 Action village. But Port is already basically a +3 Action village, just split into two cards. And it's $1 cheaper. Yet you praise Port in your Adventures section.

[trivialknot]

The idea of needing to "warm up" to an expansion doesn't compute for me.  I always love new expansions, and then eventually "cool off" on them--usually when the next expansion comes out.  If I were to rank expansions, I'd probably put them in more or less reverse chronological order.

[McGarnacle]

The idea of needing to "warm up" to an expansion doesn't compute for me.  I always love new expansions, and then eventually "cool off" on them--usually when the next expansion comes out.  If I were to rank expansions, I'd probably put them in more or less reverse chronological order.

For me it is a combination of the two. I really like a new expansion when it comes out, with the exception of Empires and Adventures. So far I've warmed up to the former.

[LastFootnote]

The idea of needing to "warm up" to an expansion doesn't compute for me.  I always love new expansions, and then eventually "cool off" on them--usually when the next expansion comes out.  If I were to rank expansions, I'd probably put them in more or less reverse chronological order.

For me it is a combination of the two. I really like a new expansion when it comes out, with the exception of Empires and Adventures. So far I've warmed up to the former.

Do you mean the latter?

[AdrianHealey]

Although I do think there is a bit of powercreep in empires (to the extend that that word has meaning), I also don't regret it. Empires has increase the number of cards that are always interesting, which is good. And the second edition cards has decreased the number of cards that are almost always boring. This is also good.

[jsh357]

I'd like to chime in that there is probably less strategy discussion here because a lot of the regulars are talking strategy on Discord nowadays.

My ranking insofar as rankings mean anything:

10. Hinterlands
9. Alchemy
8. Dark Ages
7. Intrigue 2nd Ed
6. Adventures
5. Prosperity
4. Seaside
3. Base 2nd Ed
2. Empires
1. Cornucopia + Guilds

[LaLight]

My rankings are:

11. Hinterlands
10. Seaside
9. Alchemy
8. Base 2nd Ed
7. Prosperity
6. Guilds
5. Intrigue 2nd Ed
4. Empires
3. Dark Ages
2. Adventures
1. Cornucopia

But this is my favourite expansions and not the ones I think are stronger/more interesting to other players. I love and always loved and will love Cornucopia. Better have it and no single one else, then all but Cornucopia.

[LibraryAdventurer]

My raking:
1- Empires, Adventures, Intrigue (2nd), Seaside, Cornucopia, Guilds
3...- Hinterlands, Prosperity, Base (2nd)
10- Alchemy

Adventures would be on #1 by itself here with the big tie on #2 if it weren't for all the added complexity.

Alchemy is the only set I don't have IRL (but I do use a printed out copy of Apprentice sometimes).

[Aleimon Thimble]

I'd like to chime in that there is probably less strategy discussion here because a lot of the regulars are talking strategy on Discord nowadays.

I know this is a bit offtopic, but: why? What's wrong with strategy discussion on a forum?

[BBL]

As stated initially, it was not my intention to step on anyone's toes or devalue the hard work that went into Empires. I think it is a good expansion, just like Seaside is a good expansion and I think it is a miracle of design and creativity that there were still enough card concepts left for a huge expansion of such quality. It just did not click for me. I guess to some extent this comes down to the Art and the theme. The art not only has its quality issues (I am looking at you, Gladiator), it feels also rather dark. What kind of empire is this, where the Bustling Village looks like the entrance to Sleepy Hollow, where the City Quarter has seen too many Death Carts and where the Fortune is a box of pickles? (Ok, it is probably the one where Fairgrounds take place). There is so much sepia and sunset. Maybe it's a brilliant move to depict an empire built on debt, but it just turns me off.

I definitely take back some of the generalization I made: Yes, Empires is not complicated in terms of Card text. I think if you play it with Base only, it is totally playable with starters. Debt, Landmarks & Victory Points are a far easier concepts to explain than i.e. Duration Cards. Landmarks is even better for starters: With them being present, there's a good chance to win the game, just because you happen to have a full set of treasures, or an all Coppers deck. So it might really be that this expansion is harder to chew for long-term Dominion players, which need to reset their line of thinking. I personally felt overwhelmed by that, but this is different for every player, as it was pointed out.

Same for the Strategy discussion: I do not think, it is Empires' fault or anything. The trend (if it exists at all) might be caused by Discord as well, as the natural course of Internet Communities and simply having reached a critical mass of cards where any given Combo has a really small likelihood to appear. Compare this, to the very first 'Workshop / Gardens' articles and you see how far we have come.

Regarding Power Creep, or not: I also do not think, that Empires break the game's balance (which is near impossible in Dominion anyway), or jumps the shark, or anything. Maybe it is the fact, HOW well balanced the cards are which turns me off. You know, I prefer a card that says '+ 3 Cards' over one with the same price that says '+7 Cards, then discard down to 8, trash 1 Card from your hand and gain a Silver'. (I am exaggerating, obviously). Both cards are roughly balanced in power level (well, as good, as a made up example can be, so please don't nitpick). The latter is definitely the more interesting card which can perform some really nice tricks under a couple of circumstances. It has a lot strategic depth and at the same time it is also easy to explain, as it uses only core concepts. Still, I do not like it. It is such a roller-coaster to play: Do something awesome, then do something you do not like, but then gain a bonus, which is not a bonus under certain circumstance and take a punishment, which again is a bonus under certain circumstances. I prefer straight-on effects, that make my limbic system happy, without triggering unhappy feelings. Someone wrote that Empires is the 'Eat your Vegetables' expansion and this is exactly how it feels. I would rather have less powerful effects with less downsides attached, than having to go through a lot of hoops for huge effects which then turn out to be not so strong anyway in the end. But again, these are personal preferences, not eternal judgements.

I am really happy to see the lists of other people and their preferences. Seeing that Intrigue went up in favor, pleases me as a fan of this expansion and I can see a lot of love for Empires, putting my own thoughts in perspective. I am quite surprised about the deviation regarding Seaside. I always thought, I was the outlier here, but some rate it very high, while some (including me) rate it rather low. I'd love to hear more.

[faust]

The love Cornucopia gets is somewhat weird to me. Yes there are some great cards in there, but people seem to overlook that it also has two complete duds in Harvest and Fortune Teller. In a small expansion, that is quite a lot. Plus Farming Village is the most boring Village variant ever.

[LaLight]

The love Cornucopia gets is somewhat weird to me. Yes there are some great cards in there, but people seem to overlook that it also has two complete duds in Harvest and Fortune Teller. In a small expansion, that is quite a lot. Plus Farming Village is the most boring Village variant ever.

Yes, but there are much than one card in top 10 of mine. Jester, HoP, HP, Tournament, Hamlet, Menagerie. I love each one.

[AdrianHealey]

Tournanement is horrible though

[drsteelhammer]

11- Base
10- Prosperity
9- Dark Ages
8- Intrigue
7-Hinterlands
6- Cornucopia
5- Seaside
4- Guilds
3- Alchemy
2- Adventures
1- Empires

[McGarnacle]

Since I know you've all been waiting with baited breath for my ranking, here it is.

1. Cornucopia
Back when I made a poll of everyone's favorite Dominion set, this won the poll and came second (behind) Adventures in the bracket. It's easy to see why- pretty complex cards like Hunting Party and Jester, but no cards anyone hates (except for Tournament, which isn't as bad as some of the others). It gives you some of the best value of any small set, because they all have a gimmick (Potions, Coin tokens or Prizes) but Cornucopia also gives you 13, rather than 12 kingdom cards. It is very much a more popular Alchemy: encourages long action chains and some exotic cards, but more newbie-friendly because of the variety theme. Cornucopia also has some of best art of all the expansions.

2. Dark Ages
These next few are hard to rank. I guess Dark Ages has to go here, though. Awesome value for money, plenty of new card types (Spoils, Ruins, Shelters, Looters, Knights), pretty decent art and oh yeah the flavor. Dark Ages has some of the best flavor. It plays so much differently from the other sets, much grittier, poorer and, well, darker. It's like watching Star Wars and then Aliens. The cards are mostly all well-named, usefull but not overly strong and feel in general more balanced then maybe any other set.

3. Prosperity
We all love Prosperity for the long, insanely powerful action chains, lots of , big attacks and double-digit point scores. Still, as BBL pointed out, the best cards are not easy to get. They may be some of of the strongest cards in Dominion, but they take some skill to acquire use to their full potential.

4. Adventures
I must say I've really warmed up to this one. At first, I wasn't sold on the events, especially the designer card ones, like Pathfinders, Train, Seaway and Lost Arts. Events are neat though, and I've come to appreciate how they can subtly change a kingdom. They can also be great for themed kingdoms and specially built kingdoms in general. The flavor is also pretty good, the art is above average and despite what others say, I feel like pretty much all the cards are balanced, much like Dark Ages.

5. Hinterlands
This one is always near and dear my heart because it was my first ever Dominion expansion. I like some of the exotic silver-based strategies, and the flavor it neat, too. I think it does a really nice job being the Alt-VP set, with Farmlands, Tunnel and Silk Road being potentially really awesome but require some planning to use correctly.

6. Guilds
I was at first rather underwhelmed by this one. It got better, though. The coin tokens are cool and tie into the money theme well, as you decide when to save and when to spend, as opposed to just spending what you have. The flavor is definitely there, and the whole expansion it is pretty simple to teach to knew players.
6. Seaside
This is still a fantastic set. The durations are neat, some of the cards are among my favorites (Ghost Ship, Treasury) and it is pretty beginner-friendly. I guess it drops the ball for me on the 1) flavor, which doesn't seem as compelling as some of the other ones, 2) Art, which is some of the worst overall, and 3) the blandness yet raw power of some of the cards, like Wharf and Fishing Village.

7. Alchemy
You must all be surprised to see it ranked this high. Yes yes; Scrying Poop, Possession Familiar, Transmute, Herbalist. The art is amazing, though, all the cards are exotic and high-skill (which I like) the flavor and card names are cool and prominent, and Golem and Apprentice are real gems.

8. Empires
For many of the reasons listed by BBL: Power Creep, Landmarks making strategy advice harder to give. Also, I feel like some of the cards are just tweaks of previous concepts, like Plunder (basically Monument). I do like split piles, though, and the art on Defiled Shrine and Annex is pretty great. Still a great game. Base game is really the only expansion I wouldn't be able to play with forever by itself.

9. Intrigue
I don't have this one, but I guess it will go here.

10. Base Game
Not much to say. Don't have 2nd Edition yet, but mainly pretty bland. I prefer exotic but with some bad/annoying cards (like Alchemy) rather than kinda boring.

Wow, you actually read to the end?

[McGarnacle]

11- Base
10- Prosperity
9- Dark Ages
8- Intrigue
7-Hinterlands
6- Cornucopia
5- Seaside
4- Guilds
3- Alchemy
2- Adventures
1- Empires

#alchemylove

[aku_chi]

My feelings:

Most Fond
Adventures: My favorite expansion.  I love the durations, reserve cards, and events.  There's so much innovation, but I wouldn't want to go back to Dominion before Adventures.  The power balance is good: there are hardly any duds, though Page is a little too good for how monolithic it is.
Cornucopia: So many of my favorite cards are in this little expansion.  Sure, there are a couple duds, but I love Hunting Party, Menagerie, Remake, Tournament, Horn of Plenty, Horse Traders, ...  The mini-theme of caring about the contents of your hand is really cool; it makes you feel so accomplished to set up activated Menageries!

Fond
Prosperity: There are a bunch of cool cards in this expansion: Watchtower, Peddler, Bishop, Quarry, Bank, etc...  Even the overpowered trio of Mountebank, Goons, and King's Court aren't so bad as far as game-dominating cards go.  Platinum and Colony are cool additions that really reward engines.  I used to be even more fond of this expansion, but the limited trashing in the set irks me.  Forge and Expand are too expensive to use effectively on starting cards.  Bishop helps your opponent thin.  Trade Route is weak.  Mint and Loan are awkward as the only trashers.
Empires: I have mixed feelings about Empires.  It is audacious.  Empires changes the game of Dominion so much, which is exciting and scary at the same time.  Games often take a lot longer when Empires is involved, because there is so much more VP at play.  Empires definitely has the most complexity of any expansion - by far.  But, that complexity is probably necessary at this point.  The power balance is Empires is good.  The strongest card-shaped things are the least monolithic (e.g. Donate, Overlord, Temple).
Guilds: Coin tokens and overpay smooth buys, which is really awesome.  The cards aren't the most memorable, but they have a good power balance and fun factor.
Hinterlands: This set has a bunch of solid cards: Scheme, Jack of all Trades, Spice Merchant, Stables, Border Village.  The on-gain theme is one of the least noticeable expansion themes, but it does expand the strategic space.  There are some duds, though.
Dominion (2nd): The first edition of base Dominion had too many duds.  With the second edition, its a really solid set that I have no reservation recommending to prospective players.  The vanilla cards are elegant.
Intrigue (2nd): So, Intrigue is the meanest set: Torturer, Minion, Swindler.  There are also some power balance issues remaining in the 2nd edition (mostly, too many strong cards!).  Still, there are a bunch of great cards in the set: Courtyard, Masquerade, Steward, Conspirator, Bridge, Upgrade.  And the new cards are really cool: Mill, Courtier, Diplomat, Secret Passage are new favorites of mine.

Less Fond
Seaside: Durations are really cool.  And some of the cards in this set are cool and unique: Lighthouse, Fishing Village, Caravan, Ghost Ship, Tactician.  However, this set has one of the worst power balances.  There are complete duds like Pearl Diver, Navigator, and Pirate Ship.  And then there are game-warping cards like Ambassador and Wharf.  There are power balance oddities that are unseen in the newer sets (like Wharf getting +buy instead of Merchant Ship).
Dark Ages: So, Shelters are a great addition.  And there are a lot of cool, quirky cards in the set: Forager, Hermit, Market Square, Fortress, Wandering Minstrel, Counterfeit, Hunting Grounds.  However, Dark Ages has a major flaw in the form of three powerful and monolithic cards: Cultist, Rebuild, and Urchin.  These cards often make any kingdom they appear in less interesting.  There are also a lot of limited cards, like Beggar, Rats, Death Cart, and Pillage; but these aren't so bad; you can feel clever when you use them.  Gaining from the trash and on-trash benefits can be a little wonky.
Alchemy: An alternate resource is a neat idea, and I like how most of the Potion-cost cards are designed to be bought in bulk.  There are also some cool cards in the set: Apprentice, Apothecary, University, Vineyards, Golem.  But there also some duds (Transmute, Philosopher's Stone, Herbalist), and other issues (Scrying Pool's attack, Familiar's cost, and Possession).  Possession is my least favorite card.

[LostPhoenix]

Prosperity was my first expansion, and I would also say that is my favourite one. I really like the treasure theme and the strong expensive cards like King's Court, Goons, and Grand Market. I also like Bank, Venture, Vault, and Watchtower.

I love Cornucopia as well. Remake, Menagerie, and Jester are just fantastic. Yes, there are some duds, but the other cards are good enough to overshadow that. I don't mind the power level of tournament. Yesterday I played a game using mostly Cornucopia cards. It one one of the most fun games I have ever played.

The coin tokens in Guilds are interesting. Herald, Baker, Stonemason, and Doctor are the highlights for me.

I received Hinterlands and Seaside for Christmas. So far my family has been enjoying the Seaside the most, because of the Duration cards. They're still in the "Pirate Ship is broken" stage though. I haven't played with all of the cards yet, so I'm still deciding which set I enjoy more.

I don't own Intrigue, Alchemy, Dark Ages, Adventures, or Empires yet. I'll probably get Intrigue next, to keep down the complexity level for the sake of the people I normally play with.

[schadd]

cornucopia
adventures
empires
guilds
base
intrigue
hintermans
seaside
prosperity
dork ages
alchemy

[MatthewCA]

Prosperity was my first expansion, and I would also say that is my favourite one. I really like the treasure theme and the strong expensive cards like King's Court, Goons, and Grand Market. I also like Bank, Venture, Vault, and Watchtower.

I love Cornucopia as well. Remake, Menagerie, and Jester are just fantastic. Yes, there are some duds, but the other cards are good enough to overshadow that. I don't mind the power level of tournament. Yesterday I played a game using mostly Cornucopia cards. It one one of the most fun games I have ever played.

The coin tokens in Guilds are interesting. Herald, Baker, Stonemason, and Doctor are the highlights for me.

I received Hinterlands and Seaside for Christmas. So far my family has been enjoying the Seaside the most, because of the Duration cards. They're still in the "Pirate Ship is broken" stage though. I haven't played with all of the cards yet, so I'm still deciding which set I enjoy more.

I don't own Intrigue, Alchemy, Dark Ages, Adventures, or Empires yet. I'll probably get Intrigue next, to keep down the complexity level for the sake of the people I normally play with.

First, intrigue 2nd edition is a must buy if you're thinking of getting intrigue next.

Second, in multi-player games, pirate ship can be very effective. I know there isn't much love for it here. In a 3 player game against my brother and my wife, she managed to get her pirate ship up to +$7 by like turn 7, then ran away with the game.

[allanfieldhouse]

Second, in multi-player games, pirate ship can be very effective. I know there isn't much love for it here. In a 3 player game against my brother and my wife, she managed to get her pirate ship up to +$7 by like turn 7, then ran away with the game.

Just to make sure, you guys are playing such that if a Pirate Ship trashes a treasure from 2 opponents, it still only goes up by 1 coin, right?

[LibraryAdventurer]

I know 'to each his own' and all that, but it's just really hard for me to fathom how much effect the art has on how much people like cards or sets. For me, the art is nice to have, but it makes almost no difference on how much I like or dislike cards*.

(*Originally, I put that it makes no difference at all, but I had to add the 'almost'. I can't deny the art on certain cards like Jester makes me like it even more than I would otherwise.)