Dominion Strategy Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Pages: 1 2 [3] 4  All

Author Topic: Dominion clones  (Read 20870 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Rabid

  • Jester
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 840
  • Shuffle iT Username: Rabid
  • Respect: +643
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #50 on: February 09, 2018, 06:05:31 am »
0

I've been enjoying Slay the spire video game.
Is a deck building dungeon run.
I'm giving this one a try. I don't think I'd consider this type of game a deck-builder in the Dominion sense. It's more like fixed-deck encounters interlaced with a draft, which as far as I know was invented by Dream Quest. (Another notable example is Hearthstone's Dungeon Run mode.) This genre really has more in common with CCG draft formats than it does with Dominion.
Certainly not a clone.
But has similarities to several games that I like:
Deck shuffle dominion.
Card play reminds me most of star realms.
Cards collection Hearthstone draft.
And map and death remind me of FTL
Logged
Twitch
1 Day Cup #1:Ednever

Kuildeous

  • Cartographer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3840
  • Respect: +2219
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #51 on: February 09, 2018, 09:19:11 am »
+1

Something I'd like to see more games copy from Dominion is the random kingdom mechanic. In card games, typically you either have extremely simple cards (as in traditional card games like Poker), or a key element of gaining skill is memorizing every card in the game so that you can anticipate what might show up later. Dominion manages to have interesting cards while not requiring any memorization, by restricting the relevant cards to a small subset of all cards and showing you them at the beginning of each match.

In a way, this is more about what mechanic Dominion doesn't have: a big face-down deck of all cards. What's clever about Dominion is that it's a very interesting game despite omitting this mechanic. As such, gaining skill in Dominion feels more satisfying, because the skill gains come only from learning how to think about the cards more effectively, instead of having a significant memorization component.
 

An excellent observation. I realized that the thrill of playing Dominion wasn't quite there with Ascension and Marvel Legendary. With the former, I just have to process the cards once at the beginning of the game. Maybe I give myself a periodic refresher, but since I rarely want more than three or four of the cards in a game, I easily absorb those cards into my brain and play without interruption. With the latter, I have to read each card as they come out, and that slows the game down. This is made worse by the fact that Legendary has cards with the same art but different text. In Dominion, you can expect each card that looks alike to act the same (disclaimer: I've not played anything past Guilds, so prove me wrong if you must). Even Knights were different IIRC. Trains has the same benefit as Dominion, but unless you're really into trains, you'll probably get confused by the artwork even though it's consistent too. Thunderstone has an interesting mix of the two.

But I guess it's not that I hate the pool. Or maybe there are ways for me to overcome that. Two deckbuilders I really like, Mystic Vale and Clank!, both have a common pool of cards. And yes, when it comes to my turn, I have to examine each one. Their purchases tend to be slower perhaps, so over half the cards are usually still out there when it's my turn. I do less scrutinizing of the cards. It's also why I don't like Smash-Up—I have to read each card that I play and that others play.

But yeah, with the exception of the Ruins pile and the Knights, you pretty much know what you're getting in Dominion. And even those cards are not a huge surprise since they're face up, and you can read them on your turn. It's what makes Dominion more of a strategic game while Mystic Vale is more of a tactical game. My wife prefers reacting to the pool more than planning out her entire game. I'm pretty happy with plotting my moves 6 turns in advance (if shuffle luck is with me).
Logged
A man has no signature

werothegreat

  • Adventurer
  • ******
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 8172
  • Shuffle iT Username: werothegreat
  • Let me tell you a secret...
  • Respect: +9625
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #52 on: February 09, 2018, 09:30:59 am »
0

I read the rules to Secret Hitler and they seemed an overly complex version of the Resistance, but I've never played it. What's up with that game?

It is exactly that.
Logged
Contrary to popular belief, I do not run the wiki all on my own.  There are plenty of other people who are actively editing.  Go bother them!

Check out this fantasy epic adventure novel I wrote, the Broken Globe!  http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Globe-Tyr-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B00LR1SZAS/

markusin

  • Cartographer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3846
  • Shuffle iT Username: markusin
  • I also switched from Starcraft
  • Respect: +2437
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #53 on: February 09, 2018, 10:22:29 am »
0

Sirlin is a terrible person.  And sure, judge the person not his works, but his games are non grata because the reason he is a terrible person is because of his terrible actions involving his games.  If Hannibal Lecter's board game existed solely because of his cannibalism, I wouldn't play it even if it was the most finely-designed deckbuilder of all time, because I would be encouraging and subsidizing terrible behavior.

But they also happen to be terrible games, though, which makes it all much easier.  They fall into that particularly pernicious modern cluster of games designed by people who are excellent at marketing but not excellent at design.  See, e.g., Secret Hitler.

I read the rules to Secret Hitler and they seemed an overly complex version of the Resistance, but I've never played it. What's up with that game?

I feel like your description fits perfectly the "Tiny Epic" series, though. I've only played Kingdoms, but it was a sad underdeveloped clunky thing.

I've played Tiny Epic Galaxies once. It reminded me of Roll for the Galaxy a lot, to give you an idea of what it's like.

Edit: got the name of the game wrong.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2018, 01:53:44 pm by markusin »
Logged

crj

  • Saboteur
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1477
  • Respect: +1644
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #54 on: February 09, 2018, 11:46:05 am »
0

I read the rules to Secret Hitler and they seemed an overly complex version of the Resistance, but I've never played it. What's up with that game?
Well, the first thing to get clear is that Resistance is an underly complex version of the Resistance. I'll sometimes play base Resistance to introduce a new player to the game, but even then only if I'm sure they'll need it. Otherwise, you need to add the Commander and Assassin (Merlin and Assassin in the Avalon re-skin) at the very least to give the game adequate depth.

In my group, we tend to add either Bodyguard and False Commander or the Reversers to spice things up further.

That's what Resistance is, to us. So for us Secret Hitler is considerably pared down before adding comparable complexity in a different direction.

Right now, I'd say Resistance, Secret Hitler, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Secrets, Spyfall and Mafia de Cuba are the best hidden-role games. Yes, Resistance and Secret Hitler have more in common than the others, but they're still a very long way from being the same game.
Logged

markusin

  • Cartographer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3846
  • Shuffle iT Username: markusin
  • I also switched from Starcraft
  • Respect: +2437
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #55 on: February 09, 2018, 11:57:26 am »
0

Does no one find Thunderstone too expensive to acquire these days if you don't live in the U.S. and so can't just take advantage of the BGG prices? That's been a big deterrent for me and one of my friends to get it.
Logged

pacovf

  • Cartographer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3499
  • Multiediting poster
  • Respect: +3838
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #56 on: February 09, 2018, 01:05:07 pm »
0

I read the rules to Secret Hitler and they seemed an overly complex version of the Resistance, but I've never played it. What's up with that game?
Well, the first thing to get clear is that Resistance is an underly complex version of the Resistance. I'll sometimes play base Resistance to introduce a new player to the game, but even then only if I'm sure they'll need it. Otherwise, you need to add the Commander and Assassin (Merlin and Assassin in the Avalon re-skin) at the very least to give the game adequate depth.

In my group, we tend to add either Bodyguard and False Commander or the Reversers to spice things up further.

That's what Resistance is, to us. So for us Secret Hitler is considerably pared down before adding comparable complexity in a different direction.

Right now, I'd say Resistance, Secret Hitler, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Secrets, Spyfall and Mafia de Cuba are the best hidden-role games. Yes, Resistance and Secret Hitler have more in common than the others, but they're still a very long way from being the same game.

I find base resistance (with plot cards if more than six players) perfectly fine in level of depth. You just need to play with the right group. It’s a social game, at the end of the day it’s going to be the most persuasive player (group) that will win.
Logged
pacovf has a neopets account.  It has 999 hours logged.  All his neopets are named "Jessica".  I guess that must be his ex.

Sharajat

  • Chancellor
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 22
  • Respect: +36
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #57 on: February 09, 2018, 07:02:48 pm »
0

Ascension:  This game has a horrid snowball problem, where if you happen to hit a "breakpoint" hand at the right time to purchase a card you get an insane advantage.  Which might be okay, except that there's no way to control what's out.  So one player might hit $8 and have a few mediocre cards to buy, while the next player with $8 gets a card that's basically a cantrip Hunting Grounds.  That's the drawback of the entire "middle market" mechanic.  With no VP cards, buying expensive cards (With both currencies) is your entire endgame, so the rich tend to get richer, and the poor end up in the gutter.  Like monopoly, but with more shuffling. 

Star Realms:  So if you just make this a VP race, it's basically non-interactive outside of stations.  It actually has considerably lower interaction than Dominion.  A lot of the center row flaws of Ascension, but the card design is so overwhelmingly bland it is more balanced, but far less interesting. 

Thunderstone: So what if Dominion had random events that could do things like "reveal the top 5 cards of your deck, trash all actions that cost $5 or more there"?  Wait, that'd be horrible, you say?  Well now there's a gazillion action types, so you need "heroes" to play "weapons" and "rations" to give heroes the strength to use "weapons" and "light" to reduce the strength of the monsters and... oh god what an absolute clusterfuck. 

Nightfall: Innovative mechanic I like where you need to chain actions, but a lot of time it feels incredibly random.  Like you get a 50/50 to leave yellow or green up for your opponent (based on the cards you know are in their deck) and you guess wrong and they can go off.  Or the weird way you get your own private reserve of cards.   Good playtesting might have made something out of this, but good playtesting it doesn't have.

Eminent Domain: A cool mix of race for the galaxy and dominion.  It's definitely a "one more turn" game where you are just always so close when the game ends.  The expansions added a lot too, with a variety of ways to win.  It's actually very hard to compare to Dominion due to the tableau, it compares better to Race for the Galaxy - I find I like it much more than race, as the deckbuilding adds to the phase picking in a neat way.

Tanto Cuore: So Market and Silver cost the same.  Other than that, Dominion clone with nothing to recommend for it, and artwork that guarantees it's an embarrassment.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2018, 07:04:48 pm by Sharajat »
Logged

popsofctown

  • Adventurer
  • ******
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5477
  • Respect: +2860
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #58 on: February 09, 2018, 10:53:37 pm »
0

I think he's a bad game designer almost all of the time, he is very preoccupied with a very specific interpretation of how hidden information can benefit a game, and I don't think it works well. 
I totally disagree. Codex is one of the most brilliant designs of the last years, flawlessly merging the best of Dominion and Magic.
Unlike in Magic you build your deck during the game (except for some starting cards) and unlike in Dominion you don't buy the new cards from a Supply but draft them non-randomly and secretly from your private set, kinda like in Mage Wars. In Mage Wars you pay immediately when you play cards from the binder which makes it a CCG without deck-draw randomness whereas in Codex you only draft from your binder and still have deck-draw randomness. But both games are far less random than an ordinary CCG (Dominion keeps randomness relatively low due to the law of large numbers: you draw far more cards in a game of Dominion than in a CCG).
When you draw cards you have to pay for them with economy being out-of-deck and being correlated with trashing. Game itself is then some normal tactial stuff, familiar from other CCGs or LCGs.
The cool stuff is the secret deck-building, that you don't know what your opponent is going for until you see the card for the first time.

As it is Magic and Dominion inspired it also feels like something that DXV could have come up with instead of Dominion in an alternate universe.
Well, I said almost all of the time.  If I know about that one, I know about Chess 2, Puzzle Strike, Yomi, and that shitty Magic card he got to guest design too.

I doubt I'll get another warm body for trying Codex, but good to hear and all.
The net is full of pretty rude stuff about Sirlin so I take it with a grain of salt.

Perhaps the guys is a jerk (who cares, I am in it for the design, not the designer), perhaps he "ripped off" (a dubious notion in the first place given that boardgames constantly inspire each other; deckbuilders are not per se Dominion clone just like worker placement games are not per se Caylus clones) some games and ideas, perhaps he has designed some stinkers (even the greatest designers have) but the only game of him I know is utterly brilliant.

I think we're in violent agreement.  I think he spends a lot of time making bad designs - not that he's incapable of making good designs.  The gem crashing mechanics, the component of Puzzle Strike I praised, were all his ingenuity.

He has an above average stinker ratio, but yeah, so does Mark Macguire (i'm attempting a baseball reference I think that was the guy who struck out lots and home runned lots)
Logged

Awaclus

  • Adventurer
  • ******
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11808
  • Shuffle iT Username: Awaclus
  • (´。• ω •。`)
  • Respect: +12846
    • View Profile
    • Birds of Necama
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #59 on: February 10, 2018, 11:11:26 am »
0

Secret Hitler is fun, but it isn't terribly elegant. I made a P&P copy for myself, I think it's worth it.

EDIT: thought the last post on page 1 was the last ITT
« Last Edit: February 10, 2018, 11:12:34 am by Awaclus »
Logged
Bomb, Cannon, and many of the Gunpowder cards can strongly effect gameplay, particularly in a destructive way

The YouTube channel where I make musicDownload my band's Creative Commons albums for free

Kuildeous

  • Cartographer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3840
  • Respect: +2219
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #60 on: February 12, 2018, 01:45:09 pm »
+3

As I think more on Friday, I really like the trashing mechanism. I think it could be fun in a multiplayer game, but it does work perfectly for Friday. It's quite thematic, actually. You're teaching Crusoe how to survive. If he passes a task, he learns a new skill. If he fails a task, he eliminates bad habits. It's quite clever.

It's hard to put it into Dominion terms. Basically imagine your starting deck consists of Curses and Copper. On each turn, you flip over two Kingdom cards and choose one to try to buy. Let's say it's a Silver. You need to try to get 3 coins to buy the Silver with 5 card flips. If you hit 3 coins, then you gain the Silver. If you do not, then you lose the Silver and a VP (life) for each coin you're short. But for each coin you're short, you can trash one of your played cards. So that deck with a bunch of Curses will get trimmed down so you eventually may have treasure left. Furthermore, if you do gain that Silver, then you could likely get that Gold after flipping 9 cards.

I like that method a lot. Friday doesn't count as a Dominion clone IMO. It has cards, and it builds a deck, but that's about all the similarity the two games have.

My local board game pub has it, and I played it all the way through once. I pull it out when I show up alone, but I usually see someone I know arriving before I finish the game. First-world problems.
Logged
A man has no signature

LibraryAdventurer

  • Torturer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1794
  • Shuffle iT Username: LibraryAdventurer
  • I wish my username had the links like it once did.
  • Respect: +1674
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #61 on: March 19, 2018, 01:00:11 am »
0

My latest fun has been with Mystic Vale. It's technically not a deckbuilder in that you start with 20 cards and end with 20 cards. Instead, you build up the cards. All your cards are sleeved, and you can improve your card with clear inserts. They are clear like in Gloom. The main currency is mana, which is spent much like Dominion. There is also another commodity that lets you buy cards that don't go in your deck but will give you special abilities or victory points. One complaint I hear about Mystic Vale is that it gets stale with the same cards. I can's disagree with that. I have all expansions so far, and they've eliminated the staleness. It's a pool of cards like Ascension, which should annoy me, but it doesn't.

Adding leaders to Mystic Vale is fun. You add the leader to one of your cards, and you have a unique ability no one else has. Imagine playing Dominion where one Copper is replaced by a guy that gives you $1 and +1 Buy. Another player may have one that gives him +2 Cards. You could even upgrade that card so that you now get $1, +1 Buy, and +3 Actions. Such cards could be unbalanced, but they give each leader different victory points at the end and varying costs to upgrade. I can't say for certain if they hit a good balance or not.

Anyway, I love Mystic Vale, though I can't say if it's for the novelty or the game. Since I see a lot of naysayers of the game, maybe it's the former, but whatever. I'm having fun with it.

Just tried Mystic Vale the other day. We didn't have much time, so we only played one game, but I liked it. The push your luck aspect turned me off when I read about it here, but when I played the game, it didn't bother me at all. It always seemed pretty clear whether it was a good idea to push or not that turn.
(Haven't tried any of the other games mention in this thread.)

weesh

  • Conspirator
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 247
  • MOAR MAGPIES
  • Respect: +351
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #62 on: March 19, 2018, 02:16:58 am »
+1

The two deckbuilders that I think are worth it for a few plays, even if you are a dominion fan, are these:

Arctic Scavengers: this game is so full of interaction.  and not just direct interaction like using a sniper to shoot the guy they are trying to play, but also bluffing interaction, since at the end of each round, you compete for a rare resource.  it boasts multiple routes to victories, a nice theme, and two decks that function similarly to the black market in dominion.
It's great fun for about 6-10 games, but even with expansions, it doesn't have the best replay value. 

Valley of the Kings: this is one of those deckbuilders where the cards available rotate...but they do it in the most thematic possible way for an Egyptian game: you buy from the bottom row of a pyramid, and then the top cards "crumble" down, and new cards appear at the top.  yeah, it's not the best way to build a deckbuilder, but i give them a pass in this instance because choosing the crumbling direction and manipulating the pyramid with your cards is so much fun. 
the other thing this game has is cards that are powerful are also very valuable points wise....but not until you cull them out of your deck by entombing them in your pyramid. so the tension in this game is figuring out how long to use the cards before you start the race to fill your tomb with the best cards.  it's a neat puzzle.  unfortunately, there is NO variety, since you use the same cards every time, and you go through the entire deck every time.  good for about 4 matches. 

to be a truly great deckbuilder, you need to manage variety sufficient enough to hold your attention long enough to get over the hump of learning what all the cards do.
dominion really opens up once you get it, and it really simplifies once you are recognizing cards by the pictures.  arctic scavengers has thematic art that all looks exactly the same, and by the time you've figured out the cards, you are pretty much done.  valley of the kings is chock full of unique cards with tons of text, so you end up thinking "i'm done with this game" LONG before you've memorized what the cards do.
Logged

werothegreat

  • Adventurer
  • ******
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 8172
  • Shuffle iT Username: werothegreat
  • Let me tell you a secret...
  • Respect: +9625
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #63 on: March 19, 2018, 08:41:31 am »
0

I've actually been working on my own Dominion clone, inspired by mythology, which I posted about on here years ago.  I think it's come a long way since then (changed quite a bit), and most of that has been making it less like Dominion, and more of its own thing.  I might make a post about it later today.
Logged
Contrary to popular belief, I do not run the wiki all on my own.  There are plenty of other people who are actively editing.  Go bother them!

Check out this fantasy epic adventure novel I wrote, the Broken Globe!  http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Globe-Tyr-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B00LR1SZAS/

popsofctown

  • Adventurer
  • ******
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5477
  • Respect: +2860
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #64 on: March 21, 2018, 01:05:07 am »
0

My latest fun has been with Mystic Vale. It's technically not a deckbuilder in that you start with 20 cards and end with 20 cards. Instead, you build up the cards. All your cards are sleeved, and you can improve your card with clear inserts. They are clear like in Gloom. The main currency is mana, which is spent much like Dominion. There is also another commodity that lets you buy cards that don't go in your deck but will give you special abilities or victory points. One complaint I hear about Mystic Vale is that it gets stale with the same cards. I can's disagree with that. I have all expansions so far, and they've eliminated the staleness. It's a pool of cards like Ascension, which should annoy me, but it doesn't.

Adding leaders to Mystic Vale is fun. You add the leader to one of your cards, and you have a unique ability no one else has. Imagine playing Dominion where one Copper is replaced by a guy that gives you $1 and +1 Buy. Another player may have one that gives him +2 Cards. You could even upgrade that card so that you now get $1, +1 Buy, and +3 Actions. Such cards could be unbalanced, but they give each leader different victory points at the end and varying costs to upgrade. I can't say for certain if they hit a good balance or not.

Anyway, I love Mystic Vale, though I can't say if it's for the novelty or the game. Since I see a lot of naysayers of the game, maybe it's the former, but whatever. I'm having fun with it.

Just tried Mystic Vale the other day. We didn't have much time, so we only played one game, but I liked it. The push your luck aspect turned me off when I read about it here, but when I played the game, it didn't bother me at all. It always seemed pretty clear whether it was a good idea to push or not that turn.
(Haven't tried any of the other games mention in this thread.)

The push your luck aspect is fine.  The whole assembling a card thing is really dumb when there is little difference between playing a Gold-Copper-Pouch and Pouch-Silver-Silver on the same turn versus a Gold-Silver-Copper and Pouch-Pouch-Silver on the same turn.  It ends up having a bad ratio between, this is adding something to the game vs. I have to pull this little plastic sleeve open and stick something in.  Like Dominion but half the cards have Chancellor text and technically the Chancellor text adds a little strategy but...no.
Logged

Holunder9

  • Jester
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 837
  • Respect: +380
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #65 on: March 21, 2018, 04:46:21 am »
0

Mystic Vale suffers from being a bit too simple. But card crafting is a brilliant new mechanism and I expect it to shine in the more elaborate upcoming Edge of Darkness.
Logged

Kuildeous

  • Cartographer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3840
  • Respect: +2219
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #66 on: March 21, 2018, 08:51:51 am »
+1


The push your luck aspect turned me off when I read about it here, but when I played the game, it didn't bother me at all. It always seemed pretty clear whether it was a good idea to push or not that turn.

I hadn't even considered how the push-your-luck aspect might be unappealing to someone hearing about the game. I'll have to keep in mind when talking about it that you're never forced to push your luck (with the exception of an amulet in one of the expansions, but you're not forced to keep that amulet either). When I teach the game, I tell people not to fear spoiling. Sometimes you just want to do it to mill through your deck and flip over your mana token. 

The push your luck aspect is fine.  The whole assembling a card thing is really dumb when there is little difference between playing a Gold-Copper-Pouch and Pouch-Silver-Silver on the same turn versus a Gold-Silver-Copper and Pouch-Pouch-Silver on the same turn.  It ends up having a bad ratio between, this is adding something to the game vs. I have to pull this little plastic sleeve open and stick something in.  Like Dominion but half the cards have Chancellor text and technically the Chancellor text adds a little strategy but...no.

If you're looking at just mana production, then I see the coin analogy, but there are other resources to consider. The spirit symbols are usually best to put all on one card since it helps to afford a vale card with one card rather than spread across two cards that may not come up together. There are also cards that benefit from having more helmets, so you have to place those with care. And well, I'd prefer to load a lot of mana onto one card because then I may get 5 mana from that one card rather than have it spread out. It also makes it easy to know that it is not the time to push my luck.

I have no idea where you're going with the Chancellor analogy though.

Mystic Vale suffers from being a bit too simple. But card crafting is a brilliant new mechanism and I expect it to shine in the more elaborate upcoming Edge of Darkness.

The base game is pretty simple. On top of that, you see the same cards over and over. The expansions provide additional variety. The expansions also introduced leaders—one of which takes up a blank card, has a unique special ability, and can be upgraded—and amulets—one of which replaces your mana token and gives you a unique ability when flipped. I don't feel that these things are all balanced, but they suggest a draft system where each player picks a leader in order. Then in reverse order, each player picks an amulet. So, the player with the best leader likely has the worst amulet and vice versa. That's the theory, at least, though one leader is quite potent. My wife stomped me 60-something to 30-something. I think she would've won anyway, but that leader really catapulted her into the lead. I'm okay with the swinginess of leaders and amulets, but it is good that these additions are optional.

But I am looking forward to a new game with a finely honed card-crafting system. Mystic Vale was the first of its kind, and I think it's a good entry. A better version of it would interest me greatly.
Logged
A man has no signature

crj

  • Saboteur
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1477
  • Respect: +1644
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #67 on: March 21, 2018, 03:51:50 pm »
0

Complexity-wise, basic Mystic Vale feels like Dominion with three or four expansions thrown in. Which may not be a bad place to reach, but doesn't feel like a good place to start out. Especially as it doesn't feel as carefully designed as Dominion.

Physically, there's a glaring flaw, which is that upgraded cards can be distinguished by feel, and cards of varying thickness don't shuffle properly.

In terms of gameplay, the restriction of caring whether an upgrade fits in the top, middle or bottom feels like it was forced by the physrep and then turned into a feature that complicates and frustrates more than it challenges delights.
Logged

Kuildeous

  • Cartographer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3840
  • Respect: +2219
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #68 on: March 21, 2018, 04:31:55 pm »
+1

Physically, there's a glaring flaw, which is that upgraded cards can be distinguished by feel, and cards of varying thickness don't shuffle properly.

Yeah, there is that. I try to be as forgetful as possible when shuffling. The most I've had in a card was 4, but you could technically have 6, not that you'd want to. Imagine how obvious that card would be.

Are you talking riffle shuffle? If so, I would have to agree with you. I slide the cards together since they're sleeved. Maybe that makes a difference?

In terms of gameplay, the restriction of caring whether an upgrade fits in the top, middle or bottom feels like it was forced by the physrep and then turned into a feature that complicates and frustrates more than it challenges delights.

It can be frustrating to find that one card you want only to have no available slots that turn or end up putting 2+ spoils on one card, but many games have limitations to make things challenging. It'd be like finding 1 Buy per turn in Dominion frustrating, though I'm amazed at how many deck-building games don't have a buy limit. Since Dominion was my first deck-builder, this feels very odd to me.
Logged
A man has no signature

weesh

  • Conspirator
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 247
  • MOAR MAGPIES
  • Respect: +351
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #69 on: March 21, 2018, 06:16:47 pm »
+2

I'm amazed at how many deck-building games don't have a buy limit. Since Dominion was my first deck-builder, this feels very odd to me.

Most deck builders are REALLY shy about letting you draw your whole deck.  And without that, you can't get great use out of your trashers, and there is no way to snowball to the equivalent of 16$.

I think even donald mentioned something about being shy regarding the ability to draw your whole deck but found that "drawing your whole deck was fun, so we left that in". 

limiting you to 1 buy is kind of a safety valve on dominion that is just not necessary on games less explosive.

---

i remember using "leaders" on a "sled team" in Arctic scavengers and being WOW'D that i had SEVEN cards in my hand. 
Of the slow deckbuilders, I still like arctic scavengers and valley of the kings because the ability to cull a card out of your deck every turn means you can actually sculpt the deck and see the cards often because the severely limited draw would not otherwise be enough.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2018, 06:23:51 pm by weesh »
Logged

crj

  • Saboteur
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1477
  • Respect: +1644
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #70 on: March 21, 2018, 06:23:13 pm »
0

It can be frustrating to find that one card you want only to have no available slots that turn or end up putting 2+ spoils on one card, but many games have limitations to make things challenging. It'd be like finding 1 Buy per turn in Dominion frustrating
It would be more like Dominion having red, green and yellow money, and you had to have the right kind of money as well as the right amount in order to buy stuff. I seem to remember Donald X. having discussed the early Dominion design decisions and the importance he placed on not having that complication. Even Potions in Alchemy are regarded by many as a step too far down that path.
Logged

Holunder9

  • Jester
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 837
  • Respect: +380
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #71 on: March 21, 2018, 07:20:49 pm »
0

It can be frustrating to find that one card you want only to have no available slots that turn or end up putting 2+ spoils on one card, but many games have limitations to make things challenging. It'd be like finding 1 Buy per turn in Dominion frustrating
It would be more like Dominion having red, green and yellow money, and you had to have the right kind of money as well as the right amount in order to buy stuff. I seem to remember Donald X. having discussed the early Dominion design decisions and the importance he placed on not having that complication. Even Potions in Alchemy are regarded by many as a step too far down that path.
That's not really an issue as there are 8 cards with all kinds of combos of red, green and yellow cost available so if you produce enough you will most likely be able to buy something. The whole thing works basically like in Splendor but less harshly due to the second dimension of resources, mana.

The 3 slot thing on other other hand that Kuildeous referred to feels pretty random and can really hurt you if you try to build combos on one card.
Logged

crj

  • Saboteur
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1477
  • Respect: +1644
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #72 on: March 21, 2018, 08:17:31 pm »
+1

The whole thing works basically like in Splendor
Yes, Splendor has 5 kinds of money.

On the other hand, Splendor has no deck building or hand management. If some sources of complexity are completely absent, you have more licence to feature others.

(Please don't mention Century: Spice Road. I'm not at all a fan of Century: Spice Road.)
Logged

markusin

  • Cartographer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3846
  • Shuffle iT Username: markusin
  • I also switched from Starcraft
  • Respect: +2437
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #73 on: March 21, 2018, 09:06:34 pm »
0

The whole thing works basically like in Splendor
Yes, Splendor has 5 kinds of money.

On the other hand, Splendor has no deck building or hand management. If some sources of complexity are completely absent, you have more licence to feature others.

(Please don't mention Century: Spice Road. I'm not at all a fan of Century: Spice Road.)

Sorry, I'm going to mention Century: Spice Road for a moment here.

I played it once. It was described to me as something like "Splendor evolved". Except, I can't imagine my dad, who happens to love Splendor, have the patience to deal with Century: Spice Road. Mechanically it's fairly simple, but it feels dense in regards to all the gameplay elements you have to think about at once.
Logged

ipofanes

  • Saboteur
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1439
  • Shuffle iT Username: ipofanes
  • Respect: +776
    • View Profile
Re: Dominion clones
« Reply #74 on: March 22, 2018, 04:13:01 am »
0

The whole thing works basically like in Splendor
On the other hand, Splendor has no deck building or hand management.

There's a tiny bit of hand management in the three hand cards limit.
Logged
Lord Rattington denies my undo requests
Pages: 1 2 [3] 4  All
 

Page created in 0.064 seconds with 21 queries.