Dominion: Prosperity Card Game Review

Posted: Aug 31, 2010 |Comments: 0 | Views: 190 |

Your ship has come in and your alchemical labs have borne fruit. Your Dominion is finally entering a new age in Dominion: Prosperity, an expansion for the hit card game. Use your new-found wealth to clobber your disagreeable neighbors into submission. Hire your goons and build your banks, quarries, vaults and counting houses to take control of the economy. Use your financial strength to prove that whoever has the gold does indeed make the rules!

Dominion: Prosperity is the fourth expansion for the hit deck-building card game that has taken the gaming world by storm since its debut in 2008. Being an expansion set, it requires either the base Dominion game or a standalone expansion such as Intrigue to play. This review focuses on the Prosperity expansion. If you want to know more about how the base game is played, please read our Dominion review.

Dominion: Prosperity is another expansion set that introduces a new theme and new mechanics to the game. As the name implies, this set is all about wealth and gold and shiny things. It therefore won't surprise you that there are a lot of new Treasure cards in the set, as well as cards that manipulate or are affected by the amount of Coins you have. The new mechanics include the ability to earn Victory Point tokens during the course of the game, and effects that depend on the cards that are "in play".

Lets talk about the Treasure cards first. There are a whopping 9 new Treasure cards in this set! And what's more: Gold is no longer the most expensive Treasure. There is a new Platinum card that costs 9 Coins and is worth 5 Coins when buying stuff. It would be boring if all the new Treasure cards just provided Coin bonuses, but thankfully they have pretty interesting effects as well.

Examples of these Treasure cards include the Contraband card that provides 3 Coins worth and an extra Buy for only a cost of 5 Coins. It does however have the disadvantage that another player gets to choose a card that you are not allowed to buy. There is also the Royal Seal card that provides only 2 Coins for the same 5 cost, but with the advantage that all the cards you buy this turn go on top of your deck instead of the discard pile.

As mentioned earlier, one of the new mechanics is the introduction of Victory Point tokens. Previously, the only way you can earn Victory Points was to buy Victory cards and then add their values up at the end of the game. The problem with that is that you are filling your deck with cards that will clog up your hand and don't provide any immediate benefits.

Things are different now that you have Action cards that provide immediate Victory Points in addition to having other beneficial effects. For example, the 4-cost Monument card gives you an extra 2 Coins to spend in addition to 1 Victory Point token each time you use it. There is also the Goons card that in addition to providing lots of benefits including extra buys and coins, lets you earn 1 Victory Point for each card you buy this turn.

Another new mechanic explored in Dominion: Prosperity is the focus on the "in play" status of your cards. There are a number of cards that provide additional benefits and effects after they have been played but before they are discarded. An example is the Hoard Treasure card that while it is "in play", allows you to gain a Gold card for each Victory card you buy. Similarly, while the Quarry card is in play, all Action cards you buy cost 2 less Coins. The Mint card on the other hand has an opposite negative effect, forcing you to trash all the Treasure cards that you have in play when you buy it. This basically means all the cards used to buy the Mint gets trashed.

One more thing to note is that the game economy has been drastically altered in this expansion. Not only are there new Treasure cards that are more expensive and provide more Coins, there are also a lot of really expensive cards. The most expensive and important of these is the Colony Victory card that costs 11 Coins and is worth 10 Victory Points. Provinces aren't the most expensive Victory card anymore. There are also quite a few action cards that cost between 7 and 8 Coins, but they come with powerful effects that are worth every Coin you spend on them.

Due to the new expensive cards, the economy in Dominion has changed pretty substantially, and games may take longer now that you need to amass more gold to buy those big cards. In addition, games are now less likely to finish due to all the Provinces being bought, again changing how the game is played. In all, Dominion: Prosperity is a step in the right direction, injecting new life (and funds) into the game and forcing us to change our strategies and keeping us on our toes. So get a copy of Prosperity as well as either the base game or Intrigue, and start letting the money roll in!

Complexity:  3.0/5.0  
Playing Time:  45 minutes
Number of Players:  2 to 4 players (up to 6 with the Intrigue expansion)

You can read more about Dominion: Prosperity at http://boardgames.gamepudding.com/r/dominion-prosperity.html

Questions and Answers

Ask
200 Characters left
Rate this Article
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 0 vote(s)
    Feedback
    Print
    Re-Publish
    Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/board-games-articles/dominion-prosperity-card-game-review-3169350.html

    Article Tags:

    dominion

    ,

    intrigue

    ,

    seaside

    ,

    alchemy

    ,

    prosperity

    ,

    board game

    ,

    card game

    ,

    deck building game

    ,

    family game

    ,

    hobby game

    ApReynolds

    This is an in-depth look at the multiple ways to score points in Scrabble. This is an ideal article for beginners and people new to this crossword-themed board game. Scrabble is an American classic and enjoyed by enthusiasts in over 120 different countries. Understanding the rules can definitely increase your point totals and that's the end goal of this article.

    By: ApReynoldsl Hobbies> Board Gamesl May 11, 2012

    Buying wow gold online is the best and fast way to get the money in very short time, more and more wow funs join this team, but here are some mistakes players should avoiding when buy gold online.

    By: Mmocartsl Hobbies> Board Gamesl May 09, 2012

    In order to get more fun in game , with nice equipment and weapons are always needed .How can we get so much gold to buy the item ? Some of the players will collect the gold by themselves in game , but it's time consuming and boring thing , then more and more players choose to become the customer of wow gold suppliers.

    By: Mmocartsl Hobbies> Board Gamesl May 03, 2012

    Roulette is solo of the famous games recognized since the 17th century. Nowadays, substantive is one of the choicest games power European and Monte Carlo (Monaco) casinos. In the deal of roulette, players liability hoist to bet on a single encompass or a few numbers, odd or flat or on the slate or ardent colors.

    By: 3inchMindl Hobbies> Board Gamesl May 01, 2012

    Bingo online guide is prepared to support the player on track on the playing the game and to activate sure that the player is absolutely inform about the extended updates of the bingo online. It's a 24/ 7 bingo online hoopla anytime the artist blame browse undivided the propaganda all about bingo like:

    By: 3inchMindl Hobbies> Board Gamesl May 01, 2012

    There are a few casual simulation games that are based around the theme of life, career, relationships and consumerism, very much like the prohibitively expensive but high successful Sims game series. This review explores the game genre, with a focus on some of the more popular titles such as Life Quest, My Life Story, and Path to Success.

    By: Steven H. Ngl Computers> Computer Gamesl Jul 12, 2011

    Seek the help of powerful dragons in order to defeat an evil witch and save your kingdom in Dragon Keeper! Help the dragons raise their young in order to earn their trust and obtain powerful magical items from them. Care for the drakes, feed them and protect them from nasty adventurers. Efficiently manage the dragon gems and create a well-defended money-generating den in this fun time management game!

    By: Steven H. Ngl Computers> Computer Gamesl May 11, 2011

    A scary dream about your sister and a troubling phone call from her husband spurs you into action in Gravely Silent: House of Deadlock. Investigate a mysterious castle and try to find a way to pluck your sister from death's door. Learn about the similar fates of other unfortunate women and figure out a way to prevent this from happening again. Use your hidden object and puzzle-solving skills to unlock the mysteries of Castle Rainheart!

    By: Steven H. Ngl Computers> Computer Gamesl Apr 25, 2011

    Loyang has become the new capital of the Han Dynasty in ancient China, and it is time to make your mark At the Gates of Loyang. As a farmer, you need to supply the growing city with your harvested crops. Buy and sell seeds, expand your land, hire traders and experts, and sell your harvested goods to all types of customers. Compete against other farmers on the Path of Prosperity, and become the most successful farmer in this economic strategy board game!

    By: Steven H. Ngl Hobbies> Board Gamesl Feb 18, 2011

    The game is on and the clock is ticking. Help Beatrice manage the most fan-friendly stadiums in Busy Bea's Halftime Hustle! Football fans want plenty of food, entertainment and conveniences, and it's your job to keep them satisfied. Show the fans to their seats; sell them ice cream, fries and drinks; and ensure they have a great time. Repair rundown stadiums and upgrade your facilities to create a better customer experience in this exciting time management game.

    By: Steven H. Ngl Computers> Computer Gamesl Feb 12, 2011

    Discuss this Article

    Author Box
    Articles Categories
    All Categories
    Quantcast