Why Dominion is the greatest strategy game in the world.

From Monopoly to Risk, I’ve always loved a good strategy game, however there are two big problems with almost every one I’ve played. First, usually a single dominant strategy overpowers the game, and who knows races to snag it. Second, it can become a saga, dragging on for hours as players wrestle for that holy grail, i.e. the orange properties.

The makers of Dominion solved both of these problems when creating their deck-building game. Strategies change every game, as ten cards are selected from hundreds of different options, and they interact with each other in all sorts of fun ways. The game is over as soon as all of the highest-value “victory cards” have been bought, or any three supply piles. So, the length of play is finite, in fact seasoned players should be able to end it in less than 15 minutes.

Setting up the game, dealing out cards, and keeping track of stats are the most tedious elements. Dominion Online does all this for you, and instantly finds friends to play with, for free (give it a try at your own risk).