I was actually thinking about bringing this topic up, but based solely on theme and not the actual mechanics and strategy. I think Dark Ages and Seaside rank highest for cool ideas of theme and consistency. Squires becomes Knights, Hermits go crazy and become Madmen, Knights fight in a battle and kill each other, Urchin grows up to become a Mercenary, and of course, the functionality of Rats is perfect for the card idea. Mystic is good too. Though beyond those two I'm not sure how the others would rank. Intrigue is pretty good, Alchemy seems alright, Prosperity and Cornucopia are probably lower. I'm not sure if the base set really counts.
The list by theme may be something like:
9: Promos (no real theme, they're just promos.)
8: Cornucopia (I guess the theme is the Autumn harvest and fair. It kind of works, but there isn't as much "wow that card does exactly what it conceptually should do" as some others. Tournament is a neat idea and works as it should. You win a tournament, you get notoriety.. maybe you're awarded land, or spoils, or you give your favor to the most beautiful princess, etc. Fortune teller makes some sense. Fairgrounds do too, I guess.. the more different tents and shows and things you have, the more prosperous your fair is. But a lot of the other cards feel like the effect is there for the functionality theme. What does Horse Traders have to do with trading horses? What does Menagerie have to do with.. menageries? Why is there a young witch at the fair.. and why can you Remake things there? Why is the Jester giving out copies of stuff?)
7: Guilds (Mostly good, though sometimes it kind of feels like the functionality is put on the card for the sake of the functionality instead of what makes most sense for the card name. We had a big discussion on if Butcher really made sense in what he's doing. Why does Candlestick maker give a buy and a coin token? Why does Baker give a coin token? Maybe it's because they trade their goods. Why does Advisor give you bad advice? Herald is great, though. "Hey, this guy is coming whether you like it or not". And stonemason and doctor make sense.)
6: Prosperity (The theme is wealth and everything bigger, which I guess makes some sense. The cards are thematically appropriate in a kingdom that has grown large. A forge, a bank, a quarry, some hooligans (goons), a grand market, a counting house, a mint, etc. But overall I don't feel a lot of "wow that card does exactly what the concept should be doing".)
5. Alchemy (Everything seems pretty solid, but some things seem like Guilds where it's more of "this effect has to go somewhere." Why do alchemists draw cards? Why do apprentices trash them? But University, Possession, Golem, Familiar fit pretty will with their functionality)
4: Hinterlands (This seems solid. Lots of trading and traveling stuff. Why isn't Scheme in Intrigue?
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*. Base (I might include Base here if I counted the general thematic idea of Dominion, which I think is brilliant. Build a Kingdom. You start with some land and sources of income (it may be more appropriate to see treasure as the source of that treasure since you don't lose it when you spend it). You build villages, libraries, laboratories, chapels, moats, workshops, woodcutters, maybe some gardens, and you recruit people to live and work there---moneylenders, chancellors, spies, thieves, maybe an adventurer if you're feeling lucky. And sometimes you get a witch infestation. And your kingdom grows and prospers and you acquire more estates, duchies and provinces.)
3. Intrigue (Maybe this is a personal bias, but I think it's pretty cool. There is a new slew of kingdom appointees (barons, nobles, dukes, scouts, stewards, the coppersmith, maybe the swindler (which I see as someone like Littlefinger)) as well as their darker underground counterparts (torturer, conspirator, saboteur, minion, even a harem). The functionality is really good too.. Swindler does exactly what it should do, as does Saboteur. Steward is a useful guy that keeps things ordered and keeps the kingdom functioning. I like that Harem gives you money and VP. And when a Torturer chain is up and running you do really feel like you're being tortured. And Masquerade is one of my favorite cards. The idea is solid.. everyone dances around and things get mixed up, but you never know who you're dancing with until you look under the mask. And maybe this big ball is just a cover to get some political intrigue done.. invite your opposing kingdoms to the ball only to trick them into leaving with the junk you didn't want). The only big miss is that Scheme isn't in this set.
2. Seaside (Maybe this is the easiest one to make functionally consistent. I mean, everything is about the sea. But everything fits. Well, maybe Treasury doesn't actually have anything to do, since it seems to be the kingdom's treasury and not some treasure you found buried (like from your treasure map!). But otherwise, the cutpurse is hanging around the docks ready to nab the coin of anyone arriving from the ship. The lighthouse watches the tower and protects you from incoming attacks, and the lookout protects your ship as it travels to new and uncharted territories. The tactician spends some time going over his maps and forming a strategy, but once he does you're in a much more powerful position. You can make a little outpost on a distant shore; the supplies are limited but you can still build a little bit. Smugglers work thematically correct, as does Perl Diver, Embargo, Haven. Ambassador is cool, too. We sail to a new land; why not gift the natives with some nice copper and estates to show our "good will"? And of course there are ghost ships, pirate ships and sea hags. You can even bury your riches on a remote Island so no one can get them. (And, I guess, your estates? Maybe you bury the deed to the estate.) Maybe Caravan should be in Hinterlands, but I guess it's here for the duration part.
1. Dark Ages (The reasons I mentioned above. The Knights concept is cool. It's like a real battle.. if one kingdom has all the knights he'll trample over the other kingdom's army. If both kingdoms have knights then the first part of the battle is a knight charge where they all kill each other, and then you're left in the same place as if neither of you had knights in the first place. Plus, Rats is great; it's function is exactly perfect. Hermit becoming a Madman if he doesn't go to town and get some interaction with the real world, a Squire becoming a Knight (or diverging from his path and becoming a Marauder), an Urchin growing up on the tough streets and living a life as a Mercenary. Oh, yeah, and when your cultist is done doing your dirty work you can sacrifice him to the altar.