Dominion Left 4 Dead retheme

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/361553/page/1

I hate to just link to something on TOS and say it is awesome, but that is just awesome. The game is still a paste on theme, but I have to say that if if was a zombie game, done exactly as the poster has done there, I would buy a copy in a fucking heartbeat and it would instantly go into my top 10 games.

Is that wrong? The lack of theme, shitty art, and pink and blue cards turn me off something fierce even though I recognize that there is a good game in Dominion.

I would disagree. Silly zombie graphics, bland euro graphics or nothing but numbers (see the poker chip set on TOS), Dominion is a series of mechanics without a game.

I think Hr. Skeletor said on my blog something similar to "There are interesting mechanics, but no game". The drafting is an interesting mechanic, and I think we'll probably see and interesting game or two come out of the emulations that are soon to follow. I would personally like to see something that used the mechanics in a more methodical, less instantaneous game. When I played it (admittedly only once) I felt like everything was obvious but the only strategic challenge would be trying to outdo the opponents in efficiency of turns and actions. Not sure how that could be fun.

Now don't get me wrong. A drafting game where you built kingdoms and raised armies would be amazing. If you actually did things with the cards instead of acquired gold for more vp, I think it could be a great game.

I was trying to think of what could use the same theme of players drawing from the same resource pool, and I think a game about a fictional civil war could be interesting. Players attempting to control the same resources and mobilize them against one another. Now that would be an interesting game!

Problem is, if you add that sort of a thing to it, you need to add complexity and before long you've lost the game's single greatest asset- its very simple.

hancock.tom wrote:

Problem is, if you add that sort of a thing to it, you need to add complexity and before long you've lost the game's single greatest asset- its very simple.

I guess I just don't see that as an asset. The game is so simple, that nothing seems to happen. There doesn't seem to be a lot of brain-burners or risks, things just play out. Whoever has memorized the best order in which to play things out wins.

Not much fun.

I guess I'm just not subscribing to the "simple-is-good" mentality.

Count Orlok wrote:

I guess I'm just not subscribing to the "simple-is-good" mentality.

Magic is far from my favorite CCG, but I think its greatest strength is how much it has gotten out of "simple-is-good".

What makes Dominion fall flat for me (other than the excessive shuffling) is that it lacks bluff and hand management; it's the main reason why comparing Dominion - even a rethemed version - to CCGs is nonsensical to me.

It is nothing like a CCG. Even the deckbuilding is nothing like a CCG, because there is no pre-planning and everyone has access to the same cards, and the strategies you can take with a set of cards is very very limited. For every set of kingdom cards there is a solution, there is a most efficient deck. For that type of game, it is very good, but there are certainly a lot of other games I would rather play if I had longer than half an hour.

Thanks for posting the link, I immediately downloaded the file.
The card retheme has led to a disk retheme: Main cards and The rest .

As for the game itself, I rather like it. But it feels like all the decisions are made before the first card is played. Once you've decided on your approach for that particular mix of cards, then it's somewhat on auto-play (I suspect changing direction midway through would be disastrous). That's my early impression, but I sure there's still a lot to learn.

Like most, I happen to enjoy the mechanics of Dominion. Drafting cards and creating your deck are two things that appeal to me. Although I was hoping for something with a little more combat and interaction. Originally visions of drafting armies and attacking my opponent entered my brain. But that isn't to say I hate Dominion. It's a game where the mechanics just appeal to me.

Notahandle wrote:

As for the game itself, I rather like it. But it feels like all the decisions are made before the first card is played. Once you've decided on your approach for that particular mix of cards, then it's somewhat on auto-play (I suspect changing direction midway through would be disastrous). That's my early impression, but I sure there's still a lot to learn.

You are totally correct. I've played quite a few games on BSW now, and once you decide your initial strategy and how to get there, its a no-decision game. You do have a few in game decisions- do I buy a remodel or a mine here? but overall it plays itself.

Yeah, one of the things I disliked was the lack of surprise I could inflict on other players. It really didnt matter that I pretty much played my hand face up. Boo to that.

hancock.tom wrote:
"I've played quite a few games on BSW now..."
I joined last Saturday, if you fancy a game sometime...