I would agree that Thunderstone is patently not Dominion. It definitely is based on the same deck-building mechanic, but the gameplay is significantly different.
There are more levels to consider in Thunderstone. You have to manage money, combat values, weight, experience, and light. Then you throw in oddball monsters that make certain attacks less effective (like immunity or half damage from edged weapons or magic). On the one hand, the greater need for detail introduces very interesting dynamics to consider. On the other hand, this can lead to dumb luck dominating the game.
I have played the actual game before, so I have some experience to share. The five-player game is very swingy. While I enjoy playing five-player games, I acknowledge that four heroes to choose from can be problematic. It's not very easy to find yourself shut out of the heroes, but it's certainly possible. I saw a variant suggestion that the number of hero cards should be N+1 where N is the number of players. It's a neat idea, but they clearly aren't using that for the Facebook app. And in a 5-player game, I've learned that what's in the dungeon at the end of your turn is likely not going to still be there on your next turn. Thunderstone probably is more stable with 3 players…possibly 4. With 5 players, it can be pretty chaotic (especially if you have heroes that "attack" other players).
But, building up money and building up combat are indeed counter to each other. What I've learned to do is to buy village cards that provide 2 or 3 coins. Try not to buy a 1 coin unless it's really vital for dungeon spelunking. As mentioned, Feast is a great card for dungeons that also provides good buying power. Those cards that have no money should probably not be bought until you are ramping up for entering the dungeon. This also includes the heroes. In general, I don't buy an hero until after the second shuffle.
VPs are gained from monsters and from Tier 3 heroes. There are also some village cards that provide VPs (Goodberries come to mind), but I did not see any of those in the "starter" configuration. In general, I seriously consider any monster worth 3+ VP. If it's worth 6 or more, I'll skip the village entirely. I normally do not like cluttering my deck with 1 or 2 VPs unless they provide a dungeon benefit.
When I first played Thunderstone, I had the mindset of, "If I can afford to get something in the dungeon, go for it. Otherwise, go shopping." I've changed my tune since then. I let other players pick off the 1 VP scabs. I won't open the way for my opponent to get a high-VP monster. Of course, if all the players sit back and wait for someone else to finish off a 1-VP monster, then it becomes a Mexican standoff that makes the PPR seem tame in comparison. Also, I feel more comfortable about "wasting" my first few turns burning away Militia as my only action that turn. Naturally, I prefer destroying Militia by attacking certain monsters or by using village cards (Trainer, for example).
Fun game, but it is swingier. The theme is right up my alley, though.
