This is the most interesting game I've played in a long long time.
http://dominion.isotropic.org/gamelog/201204/20/game-20120420-195331-64e9c33d.htmlnsnyder opened Embassy/nothing on a Colony board and was picking up Platinums by turn 5 and Colonies by turn 8. I started building a very sketchy engine that seemed promising on paper, but in practice took was to long to build.
Basic principle was:
Use Black Market to find the two villages (Border Village, Bazaar)
Use Upgrade to kill coppers
Pick up Goons to slow nsnyder down
Pick up Labs to fly through the deck
Pick up Grand Markets to move through the deck and get extra buys
Use Watchtowers to get my engine components dropped on my deck - and to trash coppers bought with goons
The deck only works if it all comes together: Find the Villages, have enough money to buy them when i find them, get them in the same hand as Multiple goons, have a Watchtower in hand as well, then buy a bunch of stuff and either top-deck or trash it.
In practice it looks like I was dead by turn 10. I think at one point I was down 60-something to around ~10 with two colonies left.
But it eventually all came together. On my second last turn I managed to get ahead 72-71 (to both of our surprise). nsnyder could only pull off a province on his turn and I managed to finish in on mine, played 10 labs, 8 grand markets, a border village, a bazaar and 3 goons. Buying the last colony, a couple of provinces, a duchy and a ton of copper.
Final score 132-79
Moral of the story is stick with your plan and don't give up. I would have bet against me on the start of turn 21, and it ended on turn 22...
Thanks to nsnyder for being a good sport and letting me finish my last big turn.
Ed
Editor's note: No actual edits made, I am just a forum admin noob