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[Kirian]

What do you think is the best list of villages?

It was Kenya. 1947. Ernest Hemingway and I had been wandering around near Kilimanjaro for what seemed like months. We needed a donkey, or just any roughly donkey-like pack animal. We would have settled for a trained duiker. But each village would just send us to the next village; oh yes, they have a donkey there. That's where the donkeys are. But there was never a donkey.

Hemingway became convinced we'd already seen all of the villages, that we were just going in circles. So he made a list of all the villages, noting which other village they'd sent us to, drawing an arrow between them. It was a complex pattern that he came to believe held great significance. I felt like each village had just sent us randomly to another nearby one. I made my own list and drew in random arrows, to see if I could fool him with it. He wasn't fooled. "That gibberish will never get us a donkey," he said. Still I was proud of it.

There's a short story Hemingway wrote about Kilimanjaro.

Does it involve Kilimanjaro rising like Olympus above the Serengeti?

[Seprix]

What do you think is the best list of villages?

It was Kenya. 1947. Ernest Hemingway and I had been wandering around near Kilimanjaro for what seemed like months. We needed a donkey, or just any roughly donkey-like pack animal. We would have settled for a trained duiker. But each village would just send us to the next village; oh yes, they have a donkey there. That's where the donkeys are. But there was never a donkey.

Hemingway became convinced we'd already seen all of the villages, that we were just going in circles. So he made a list of all the villages, noting which other village they'd sent us to, drawing an arrow between them. It was a complex pattern that he came to believe held great significance. I felt like each village had just sent us randomly to another nearby one. I made my own list and drew in random arrows, to see if I could fool him with it. He wasn't fooled. "That gibberish will never get us a donkey," he said. Still I was proud of it.

There's a short story Hemingway wrote about Kilimanjaro.

Does it involve Kilimanjaro rising like Olympus above the Serengeti?

Probably.

I really liked The Old Man and The Sea, and well, Donald seems to know all about this Kilimanjaro business, so I figure it must be a good short story. Or at least, it's a hint about Dominion: Empires. Possible confirmed Ernest Hemingway card?

[Marcory]

Plus, as they traveled from village to village, they had to carry all of their food with them. Fortunately, they were always able to exchange it for even better food when they arrived in the next village, leading Hemingway to write A Movable Feast. They saved on porters by storing their valuables on sandbars on the Tana river, whence Islands in the Stream.

[spiralstaircase]

Does it involve Kilimanjaro rising like Olympus above the Serengeti?

Ohhhhhhhhh.

Now I can stop thinking, "dude, a lepress is a female leper, not a female leopard" whenever I hear that song.

[Eran of Arcadia]

Ohhhhhhhhh.

Now I can stop thinking, "dude, a lepress is a female leper, not a female leopard" whenever I hear that song.

So I wasn't the only one!

(Not that trying to create a simile that compares one mountain to another mountain is THAT much better . . . )

[Haddock]

Ohhhhhhhhh.

Now I can stop thinking, "dude, a lepress is a female leper, not a female leopard" whenever I hear that song.

So I wasn't the only one!

(Not that trying to create a simile that compares one mountain to another mountain is THAT much better . . . )

You've gone pretty deep inside the analysis of that song.  Do you seek to cure it?
Or are you frightened of the thing you might become?
...
...
...
I'll go kill myself now.

[LibraryAdventurer]

Ohhhhhhhhh.

Now I can stop thinking, "dude, a lepress is a female leper, not a female leopard" whenever I hear that song.

So I wasn't the only one!

(Not that trying to create a simile that compares one mountain to another mountain is THAT much better . . . )

You've gone pretty deep inside the analysis of that song.  Do you seek to cure it?
Or are you frightened of the thing you might become?
...
...
...
I'll go kill myself now.

What song is this?  I know I've heard it. These lines sound familiar, but I don't remember what song they're from.

[Awaclus]

Ohhhhhhhhh.

Now I can stop thinking, "dude, a lepress is a female leper, not a female leopard" whenever I hear that song.

So I wasn't the only one!

(Not that trying to create a simile that compares one mountain to another mountain is THAT much better . . . )

You've gone pretty deep inside the analysis of that song.  Do you seek to cure it?
Or are you frightened of the thing you might become?
...
...
...
I'll go kill myself now.

What song is this?  I know I've heard it. These lines sound familiar, but I don't remember what song they're from.

I don't have any recollection of having ever heard these lyrics, but the song is Africa by Toto.

[Haddock]

I don't have any recollection of having ever heard these lyrics, but the song is Africa by Toto.

Indeed:
...I know that I must do what's right,
Sure as Kiliminjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti,
I seek to cure what's deep inside,
Frightened of this thing that I've become.
Ooohhhhh...

[BlackHole]

How did the reserve concept develop? You mentioned in some secret histories that a mechanic like that already existed in (the) dark ages, but were there differences between the old and the new variant, or did you completely take over the old variant?

[Donald X.]

How did the reserve concept develop? You mentioned in some secret histories that a mechanic like that already existed in (the) dark ages, but were there differences between the old and the new variant, or did you completely take over the old variant?

Royal Carriage in Dark Ages (called Procession in its day) was essentially identical to Royal Carriage as published. It didn't refer to a mat. Okay I dug up an image, and in text form it's:

Procession: Action, $5
+1 Action
Set this card aside.
----------
While this is set aside, when you play an Action card, you may put this into play. If you do, play that Action card again after it resolves.

I don't remember the particular spark for that card in Dark Ages. Probably it was "what if there was a Throne Room you could save until you needed it." We liked the card but it needed a mat and couldn't have one.

For Adventures, I was looking at what a Seaside sequel could do. Seaside had mats, though it didn't get much use out of them. One obvious nice thing to do with a mat was to save cards for later, like that Dark Ages card. And why wouldn't that work; it had already worked on that Dark Ages card. So I tried some out.

[Roadrunner7671]

Two questions:

1. Do you remember the exact release time for Intrigue? I know the year and month, but do you know the day? Do you know if it was in the morning or afternoon?

2. Income questions probably aren't appreciated, but I recently learned that by 2010 you had sold over 1 million copies of Dominion and friends. Congratulations! Would you say, compared to other game designers, you make more money than them (I understand if you don't want to answer any questions like these)?

[Donald X.]

1. Do you remember the exact release time for Intrigue? I know the year and month, but do you know the day? Do you know if it was in the morning or afternoon?

I don't remember, but it's easy enough to look up the date on BGG. People post things like "I got it!" There isn't a release time-of-day.

2. Income questions probably aren't appreciated, but I recently learned that by 2010 you had sold over 1 million copies of Dominion and friends. Congratulations! Would you say, compared to other game designers, you make more money than them (I understand if you don't want to answer any questions like these)?

Well if you don't have a hit then you aren't making any money from board games. If you have a hit then you could certainly be doing better than me. You can just look at sales rank on Amazon or whatever similar thing you prefer.

[McGarnacle]

Will we ever have another card that gives + 3 Actions (like Crossroads)?

[Seprix]

Will we ever have another card that gives + 3 Actions (like Crossroads)?

Spoilers: He can't say yes or no to this.

[Beyond Awesome]

Will we ever have another card that gives + 3 Actions (like Crossroads)?

Coin of the Realm is the equivalent of a card that gives +3 Actions since it is called after you play an action.

[Kirian]

Will we ever have another card that gives + 3 Actions (like Crossroads)?

Coin of the Realm is the equivalent of a card that gives +3 Actions since it is called after you play an action.

Similarly, Fishing Village gives you a total of 3 Actions.

[GendoIkari]

Buying Port is very similar to buying a card that says "+1 card, +3 actions".

[Awaclus]

Will we ever have another card that gives + 3 Actions (like Crossroads)?

Coin of the Realm is the equivalent of a card that gives +3 Actions since it is called after you play an action.

I thought it was called Coin of the Realm.

[Donald X.]

Will we ever have another card that gives + 3 Actions (like Crossroads)?

As others have noted that isn't the type of question I answer.

[scott_pilgrim]

Have you ever had a dream about a new card that ended up making it into an actual set (or something based on an idea in a dream)?

[Donald X.]

Have you ever had a dream about a new card that ended up making it into an actual set (or something based on an idea in a dream)?

I have thought of a card in a dream and tried it, but I don't remember if it was for Dominion or some other game, or what it was or if it survived.

[pacovf]

Have you ever had a dream about a new card that ended up making it into an actual set (or something based on an idea in a dream)?

I have thought of a card in a dream and tried it, but I don't remember if it was for Dominion or some other game, or what it was or if it survived.

But how can you be sure of where the dream really ends?

[Marcory]

Have you ever had a dream about a new card that ended up making it into an actual set (or something based on an idea in a dream)?

I have thought of a card in a dream and tried it, but I don't remember if it was for Dominion or some other game, or what it was or if it survived.

But how can you be sure of where the dream really ends?

He has only to check whether his Journey token has flipped, of course.

[Donald X.]

But how can you be sure of where the dream really ends?

William Poundstone suggests keeping a book of limericks by your bed, and not reading it. If you ever think you're dreaming, go to your bedroom, open the book, and read a limerick. You can't compose a limerick instantly on the spot, but you can recognize one when you read it.

Obv. professional limerick-writers may wish to use a different test.