Eminent Domain: initial review
Dominion and Race for the Galaxy’s love child is fast-paced and layers enough complication on top of very simple mechanics to create a game that, at first blush, appears to outperform both its parents.
Verdict: Two thumbs up, pending actual play.
Details:
Eminent Domain combines the role-choosing mechanic of Race for the Galaxy with the deck-building element of Dominion. It also keeps Race’s tableau concept, allowing players to accumulate planets and resources on the table in addition to the decks they build, though much fewer cards stay in play all the time.
The cards you draw from the center, a la Dominion, have multiple purposes. You can use them for an action written on the card, if you choose. You also must use them to play a role, like Warfare, Research, Surveying, and so on, and you get a bonus as the Leader. Then each player in sequence may either Follow your role, getting lesser bonuses but amping up the power of their actions by boosting them with cards or worlds with the same icon. If you Dissent, you instead draw a card.
Unlike Dominion, you may keep cards in your hand from turn to turn, you just have to make sure your hand is at the limit when your turn ends.
The game’s true innovation comes from the Technology cards. Using Research cards and resources you’ve produced on your worlds, you may add Technology cards to your deck. Each is unique, is intended to be played as an action, and increases your power considerably. However, the highest tier of technology cards are very expensive. The opportunity cost in lost chances for expansion is potentially high. I’ll have to see how that works out in actual play.
There are more mechanics, like accumulating fighter tokens using Warfare cards in order to conquer planets, but they’re pretty straightforward.
A key thing to remember is that when you choose a role, you choose it by drawing a card from the piles in the middle. That means that the more you choose a role, the better you become at it. You can Boost actions with other cards with the same icon, as mentioned; this means you can play multiple Warfare cards to stack up the bonuses.
Trying it out tonight! We’ll see how it goes.
