Dominion Strategy Forum
Dominion => Dominion General Discussion => Topic started by: greybirdofprey on July 17, 2018, 10:06:03 am
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So which cards are great at teaching new players specific rules? In this thread I want you to pick a rule that new players tend to forget / not understand why it exists / make mistakes with, and provide a few cards that are great at teaching them about it.
For example:
-You play your Treasures one by one, not simultaneously:
Contraband, Horn of Plenty, Bank, Magic Lamp.
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In your Buy phase, you first play Treasures, then start making purchases: Mint
+1 Action means you add 1 to the number of actions you can play this turn, not that you immediately play an Action: Throne Room on a cantrip.
When you trash multiple cards, you select which cards to trash, then trash them all together: Chapel+Rats
Follow the instructions on the card in order: Wishing Well
If you can't do everything a card says, do what you can: Trading Post (trash 1 card for no benefit if it's all you have in hand).
If it matters, when each player does something, they do it in order starting with the current player. (Spy, or Duchess now Spy is gone.)
The Lose Track rule: Vassal + ...what's simplest?
Duration effects apply even if the card itself leaves play, but while-in-play effects do not: Procession + Lighthouse
While-in-play effects don't apply double when you play the same card twice: Throne Room + Goons
The game only ends if the requisite piles are empty at the end of a player's turn: Ambassador
Pay attention when effects are restricted to specific phases: Peddler + Remodel
A cost of 1 Potion or 1 Debt is neither more nor less than a cost of $1: Chariot Race
The number of cards you've played is not the same as the number of cards you have in play, and if you play a card twice it counts double: Throne Room + Conspirator
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Lose track: Hermit/Scheme, or Summon/Death Cart
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the thing about Vassal is that it's in Base. I tried to give examples using Base, or at least earlier expansions, where possible.
Hence my hoping for a good illustration of Lose Track using Vassal instead of cards from Hinterlands, Dark Ages and promos.
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the thing about Vassal is that it's in Base. I tried to give examples using Base, or at least earlier expansions, where possible.
Hence my hoping for a good illustration of Lose Track using Vassal instead of cards from Hinterlands, Dark Ages and promos.
I don't know if such an example exists. The Vassal discards the top card before letting you decide if you can play it. What can trigger in between discarding the top card of your deck and playing the discarded card if it's an action (which rules out Tunnel)?
Also, Merchant is worded in such a way as to suggest that treasure cards are in fact played.
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the thing about Vassal is that it's in Base. I tried to give examples using Base, or at least earlier expansions, where possible.
Hence my hoping for a good illustration of Lose Track using Vassal instead of cards from Hinterlands, Dark Ages and promos.
I don't know if such an example exists. The Vassal discards the top card before letting you decide if you can play it. What can trigger in between discarding the top card of your deck and playing the discarded card if it's an action (which rules out Tunnel)?
Faithful Hound.
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When-buy and when-gain are different things: Defiled Shrine
"Taking" a Boon and "receiving" a Boon are different things: Blessed Village
If a Duration fails to create an effect for a future turn, it's discarded THIS TURN: Tactician
"This turn" effects ending, and "at the end of this turn" effects triggering, are different things: Baths/Possession (http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=16860.msg674518#msg674518)
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I also notice that some players, when buying a card, tend to take that card into their hand, and then do clean-up (instead of putting it in their discard pile and then doing clean-up).
Herald and Inn are especially good at teaching this. Grand Castle too but there's only one. Cemetery clearly implies you still have a hand.
Mint, Farmland, Mandarin, Emporium work too.
Also night cards make for a very clear distinction between buy and clean-up.
Although for teaching purposes, simpler is usually better.
Vassal + Faithful Hound may be the best example of lose-track as they are both straightforward cards.
dz: Gear when you don't set aside cards too.
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I also notice that some players, when buying a card, tend to take that card into their hand, and then do clean-up
I don't see that one. But I do see people confusing their play area and their discard pile quite frequently: gaining to in-play, or playing to the discard pile.
I also see a lot of people throwing their Victory cards into play along with their Treasures. Which can matter.
I'm not sure there's any specific card or cards which demonstrate why these are wrong, though. Any engine will do.
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On a somewhat related note, I think Shepherd is the best card for teaching players to be careful about triggering shuffles. I played a Shepherd game with my brother today and he found out how easy it was to get a hand of 5 dead green cards.
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If you have more cards, Conclave would be the best teacher about +1 Action being a resource.
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the thing about Vassal is that it's in Base. I tried to give examples using Base, or at least earlier expansions, where possible.
Hence my hoping for a good illustration of Lose Track using Vassal instead of cards from Hinterlands, Dark Ages and promos.
I don't know if such an example exists.
If it doesn't, it speaks of a good design choice, sparing beginners the more sophisticated rule details.
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the thing about Vassal is that it's in Base. I tried to give examples using Base, or at least earlier expansions, where possible.
Hence my hoping for a good illustration of Lose Track using Vassal instead of cards from Hinterlands, Dark Ages and promos.
I don't know if such an example exists. The Vassal discards the top card before letting you decide if you can play it. What can trigger in between discarding the top card of your deck and playing the discarded card if it's an action (which rules out Tunnel)?
Faithful Hound.
Right. I blanked out about that one.
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I also notice that some players, when buying a card, tend to take that card into their hand, and then do clean-up
I don't see that one. But I do see people confusing their play area and their discard pile quite frequently: gaining to in-play, or playing to the discard pile.
I also see a lot of people throwing their Victory cards into play along with their Treasures. Which can matter.
I'm not sure there's any specific card or cards which demonstrate why these are wrong, though. Any engine will do.
The first one I see very sparingly, the second a lot.
Bonfire would work for the second. I can't quickly think of a simpler one.
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Smithy: if you draw an Action, with no actions left, you are not allowed to play it.
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I also notice that some players, when buying a card, tend to take that card into their hand, and then do clean-up
I don't see that one. But I do see people confusing their play area and their discard pile quite frequently: gaining to in-play, or playing to the discard pile.
I also see a lot of people throwing their Victory cards into play along with their Treasures. Which can matter.
I'm not sure there's any specific card or cards which demonstrate why these are wrong, though. Any engine will do.
The first one I see very sparingly, the second a lot.
Bonfire would work for the second. I can't quickly think of a simpler one.
I was thinking Pilgrimage.
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Are we after cards that will allow us to say "aha, caught you out you did that wrong, you have to follow rule X"?
I'd rather see examples of cards which encourage a new player to appreciate a rule, rather than trip them up with it. 'Nice' teaching.
The OP examples are 'nice' like that - "ah, I get to choose to play my Bank last and get more money, that makes me happy".
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Trading Post and Horse Traders can highlight how the if-you-do (now "do x, to do y) condition, or the lack thereof, is something to pay attention to.
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Laboratory
don't shuffle your played cards into your discard
Black Market
This is one of the few exceptions to playing Treasure in your Buy phase
Outpost
There is no 'D' (draw) in ABC!
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Black Market
This is one of the few exceptions to playing Treasure in your Buy phase
I think Storyteller's simpler
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I also notice that some players, when buying a card, tend to take that card into their hand, and then do clean-up
I don't see that one. But I do see people confusing their play area and their discard pile quite frequently: gaining to in-play, or playing to the discard pile.
I also see a lot of people throwing their Victory cards into play along with their Treasures. Which can matter.
I'm not sure there's any specific card or cards which demonstrate why these are wrong, though. Any engine will do.
The first one I see very sparingly, the second a lot.
Bonfire would work for the second. I can't quickly think of a simpler one.
I was thinking Pilgrimage.
I think Haunted Woods would be the best teacher here. It's possible that they would understand that their green cards aren't "in play" even if they throw them down. Haunted Woods' attack, though, suddenly makes it matter that they're still in your hand.
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Laboratory
don't shuffle your played cards into your discard
Black Market
This is one of the few exceptions to playing Treasure in your Buy phase
Outpost
There is no 'D' (draw) in ABC!
There is no T in AAO either.
I also notice that some players, when buying a card, tend to take that card into their hand, and then do clean-up
I don't see that one. But I do see people confusing their play area and their discard pile quite frequently: gaining to in-play, or playing to the discard pile.
I also see a lot of people throwing their Victory cards into play along with their Treasures. Which can matter.
I'm not sure there's any specific card or cards which demonstrate why these are wrong, though. Any engine will do.
The first one I see very sparingly, the second a lot.
Bonfire would work for the second. I can't quickly think of a simpler one.
I was thinking Pilgrimage.
I think Haunted Woods would be the best teacher here. It's possible that they would understand that their green cards aren't "in play" even if they throw them down. Haunted Woods' attack, though, suddenly makes it matter that they're still in your hand.
Ah, I forgot about that. Yes, Haunted Woods would be much simpler.