Topic: Interview with Donald X. (Read 2268028 times)

theory · « **on:** December 07, 2012, 12:41:21 pm »

We're going to post an interview with Donald X. on the main blog. Of course, the man is friendly and active enough in this community already, but we thought this would be a nice thing to post on the main blog in time for all those people getting Dominion as a gift this holiday season.

Post your questions here and we'll pick out some of the most popular to collate into a formal interview.

theory · « **Reply #1 on:** December 07, 2012, 12:43:56 pm »

You've said many times before that Guilds is the last of the "standard" Dominion expansions. Have you given any thought to what you want to do with Dominion after Guilds?

What lessons have you learned about the game design process in general from making Dominion? How has it informed your subsequent games?

What is your personal favorite Dominion card and why?

At what point during the process of making Dominion did you realize that it was not just any other board game, but one that was going to be a really special game?

Insomniac · « **Reply #2 on:** December 07, 2012, 12:47:29 pm »

Are you still leaning towards Dominion 2 over more expansions?
What kind of things would you want in Dominion 2 that couldn't be incorporated with the rules as they stand?
Any hints or tastes of what we can expect in Guilds?

DG · « **Reply #3 on:** December 07, 2012, 12:49:43 pm »

What problems found in other games are you most happy to have avoided in Dominion?

GendoIkari · « **Reply #4 on:** December 07, 2012, 12:53:57 pm »

What is your favorite board game that you designed?

What is your favorite board game that you didn't design?

How did you decide on the theme for Dominion?

dondon151 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 07, 2012, 12:57:54 pm »

What is your favorite Pokemon?

HiveMindEmulator · « **Reply #6 on:** December 07, 2012, 12:58:36 pm »

How have isotropic and the online forum community affected the development of Dominion expansions?

Besides specific card changes, is there anything you would have done differently in Dominion development if you had it all to do over again?

What goals do you have for yourself as a game designer (if you haven't reached them all already)?

~~What are your favorite games to play that you did not design?~~

What are your interests besides board games?

philosophyguy · « **Reply #7 on:** December 07, 2012, 01:01:40 pm »

How often does the community come up with something that you never thought of?

What's the most inventive/unusual deck you've seen work out?

werothegreat · « **Reply #8 on:** December 07, 2012, 01:18:05 pm »

Was Dominion always Medieval Europe themed, or did you try other/no themes at some point, like space or zombies or the stock market?

What do you think of the anime girls Japanese version of Dominion?

Would you say that, with Guilds, you've explored all the game space available for Dominion without resorting to mechanics that would change the game inherently?

If Dominion had been computerized from the start, are there mechanics you would have liked to have tried that would only work on a computer? (random numbers, etc)

Do you have any favorite wacky translations of card names or card text into other languages?

If you could go back and edit any Dominion cards, knowing what you do now, which would you and why?

What's your favorite color?

werothegreat · « **Reply #9 on:** December 07, 2012, 01:19:42 pm »

As a community, we've explored quite a lot of the possibilities of cards and their combinations. Is there anything we haven't hit upon yet that you're surprised we haven't?

eHalcyon · « **Reply #10 on:** December 07, 2012, 01:28:42 pm »

Similar to the above -- do you ever look at fan cards? If so, do you have a favourite?

buggy · « **Reply #11 on:** December 07, 2012, 01:41:13 pm »

What is your favorite combo, or engine?

Do you still play a lot of Dominion, or has that tapered off so you can concentrate on other projects?

Tables · « **Reply #12 on:** December 07, 2012, 01:41:48 pm »

Quote from: theory on December 07, 2012, 12:43:56 pm

What is your personal favorite Dominion card and why?

We already know the answer to this, it's Rats.

Have you played any of the various other deckbuilder games (e.g. Ascension, Thunderstone, Legendary etc.) and if so, do you enjoy (m)any of them? Do any have mechanics that you'd have liked to use?

Suppose a new player just got the base game for Christmas, but wants to get an expansion immediately because they love the game. Which expansions would you recommend?

michaeljb · « **Reply #13 on:** December 07, 2012, 01:42:01 pm »

Adding on to other fan cards questions...Agricola Gamers Deck was designed by fans. Is there any chance of something similar happening with Dominion, perhaps using the Mini-Set Design Contest hosted by rinkworks as a starting point?

shark_bait · « **Reply #14 on:** December 07, 2012, 01:55:45 pm »

You've mentioned before that if you had the KC/Masquerade pin in playtesting you would have nerfed it a bit. Can you share any other powerful combos that got destroyed in playtesting?

michaeljb · « **Reply #15 on:** December 07, 2012, 02:09:54 pm »

Will we ever see another purpose for the "while this is in play" (on cards like Goons and Haggler) clause apart from limiting a card's power with King's Court/Throne Room (or seriously nerfing it with Procession)?

(I guess Lighthouse already is an example, but that's still limited to Duration cards, I'm looking for something more general)

timchen · « **Reply #16 on:** December 07, 2012, 02:24:03 pm »

If you play on isotropic competitively how high do you expect your level to be?

cherdano · « **Reply #17 on:** December 07, 2012, 02:38:41 pm »

What brought me to dominion was that I realized right away that there was a fantastic community discussing dominion strategy. Thanks to this community, dominion is IMO played at a higher level than any other recently invented board game (i.e., any game other than the classics chess, go, bridge). Are you worried at all that this community will no longer thrive once the free dominion online implementations will shut down?

aaron0013 · « **Reply #18 on:** December 07, 2012, 02:43:38 pm »

When did you first become interested in making board games?

Do you have any advice for ambitious game designers?

Polk5440 · « **Reply #19 on:** December 07, 2012, 03:39:26 pm »

Did you design Dominion with any particular type of person in mind?

When was the first time you realized, "Wow, this is going to be a big hit!"?

How do you pick the kingdom cards when you play Dominion with your friends?

How has your life changed now that you are rich and famous?

philosophyguy · « **Reply #20 on:** December 07, 2012, 03:44:50 pm »

Why did you cap the number of turns you can take via Outpost but not via Possession?

Young Nick · « **Reply #21 on:** December 07, 2012, 03:52:00 pm »

Have simulators helped shape some of the cards? For example, you obviously knew about BMU as a strategy before the game was clearly released, but maybe were not aware of how potent BM + Courtyard is. Have any cards been nerfed, buffed, or scrapped because of their BM play and have simulators influenced this?

^_^_^_^ · « **Reply #22 on:** December 07, 2012, 05:22:40 pm »

Of the many people you've met (both irl and online) through the making of this wondrous game we call Dominion, who do you think has had the biggest effect on how the game has evolved over time? Who has had the biggest effect on how the community has evolved over time?

Jimmmmm · « **Reply #23 on:** December 07, 2012, 05:31:46 pm »

Have you ever ragequit a game of Dominion, and why?

SirPeebles · « **Reply #24 on:** December 07, 2012, 05:39:57 pm »

Quote from: philosophyguy on December 07, 2012, 03:44:50 pm

Why did you cap the number of turns you can take via Outpost but not via Possession?

I'm not Donald X., but isn't this obvious? Imagine having a deck of Village-Monument-Outpost-Outpost. Possession doesn't lead to infinite turns.

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