Introduction(Disclaimer: This is mainly intended for playing 2-player games in a non-tournament setting.)
Some players seem to think about the same amount each turn. This is wrong. In Dominion, you sometimes want to think a long time, but in most situations not much. This is a brief guide to when you should think a lot, and when not to bother. Some of it will be obvious, but doing these things has helped me play better, and when I ignore them I do badly.
Like how one big turn is often better than two smaller turns, one big think is often better than two smaller thinks. It pays to spend enough time thinking when you need to, so that you have a better idea what to focus on in subsequent turns.
For that reason, the time you should think most is at the beginning of the game. The other important moment is when entering the endgame.
Before the gameNever, ever buy anything before reading the entire kingdom and doing some basic analysis. Even if you have $3, and the only <=$3 card is Silver, resist the urge to buy it, because you want to form a good habit. (I know I'm in for an easy win when the other player buys a card before I've even read the kingdom!)
Important things to do:
- Check what all the cards are. Is there a second page of cards? Are you playing with Estates or Shelters?
- Do kingdom analysis. (There are other articles on how to do that well.) Imagine playing the best strategy you see. Roughly what order do you think you'll want to buy the components? This will guide your thinking in buying phases later on.
- Figure out when you'll need to think later. That way you'll avoid auto-playing yourself to death, but at the same time not waste time on decisions that don't matter. For example, if your game plan involves Expand on Peddlers and there's no village available, then on most turns you'll want to auto-play all but 1 Peddler, then check whether you have Expand in hand. The important thing is that you can know that well before reaching a turn where it actually matters.
EndgameWhen is the endgame? Roughly, when the game could end by the end of your next turn. There's no single guideline for when that is, so as the game progresses, develop an idea of how to tell it's approaching the end. Like in the previous section, figure out ahead of time when you'll need to think.
The reason it's important to slow down and think here is that the endgame is pure tactics and breaks a lot of the rules you'll have been following throughout the rest of the game. It's your opportunity to be clever and steal games you shouldn't have won--or conversely throw games away.