Hi everyone. I was a playtester for Guilds/Cornucopia 2E, and I’m going to interview myself about it.
“How do you feel about Guilds/Cornucopia getting a 2E?"
I've endlessly analyzed and reconsidered Guilds/Cornucopia over the years, and I think they’re pretty bad. You can say “you only think that because everything else in Dominion has gotten better” but no I never cared for those expansions. And combining them into one box doesn’t solve any of their main problems: that they contain a bunch of duds and some of the most frustrating cards in the game. So it’s great that Donald X. wanted to update it.
"Are those 2 sets permanently glued together now?"
They have been for a while! If a foreign publisher or online implementation still wants to sell them separately, you should ask them: when has a small Dominion expansion ever sold better than a large one? If they want to sell products, well I don’t see it.
"Why was there a gap between this and the other 2E’s?"
Unlike new expansions, 2E's and card errata heavily depend on when sets get reprinted, and this was the next time Guilds/Cornucopia got a reprint.
But also, Donald X. wanted to work on other games! While playtesting for Guilds/Cornucopia 2E, I was also playtesting Moon Colony Bloodbath (one of Donald X.’s upcoming games), and it’s definitely my 2nd favorite board game of all time. Whenever it comes out, go and buy it pls.
“I can’t even think of that many cards that deserve to get removed."
I saw people/playtesters saying this for previous 2E’s, and my (most polite) response is: huh??? All the removed cards deserved to die, I don’t miss them at all. But also, those 2E’s could’ve (and should’ve) replaced more cards (and Guilds/Cornucopia is included in that statement).
“How much impact did you have on this 2E?”
I don’t know when this 2E started, but I can tell you that Donald X. invited me in March 2023, and the last change was in May 2023. Since I was only there for the last couple months, there are several cards (removed and new) that I had no voice in. But there were many changes in those last couple months, so yes I did impact this 2E.
“What about Rising Sun?”
I was there for Rising Sun since the very beginning. And I know it’s dangerous to say things like “Rising Sun is my favorite expansion” because people will respond with “you only like it because it’s the newest one” or “you only like it because you playtested it” or “if you like it that means it’s going to be hell” but Rising Sun is my favorite expansion.
“Will you answer rules questions about the new cards?”
Sure thing. You’ll have to discover those rules questions by yourself though.