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Dominion
The original game that launched the deck-building genre. Starting with the same 10 cards, you buy Kingdom cards to assemble your own powerful deck in this card strategy game.
Rules
Starting from the same 10-card deck, you buy from 10 Kingdom cards to build your own deck in the game that founded the deck-building genre. Each turn runs Action → Buy → Clean-up, and because your hand keeps reshuffling, reading the deck cycle — when a card you just bought will actually reach your hand — is the core skill.
Components — 500 cards
| Group | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Treasure cards | Copper 60 · Silver 40 · Gold 30 = 130 | Always in the Supply |
| Victory cards | Estate 24 · Duchy 12 · Province 12 = 48 | 2-player games use only 8 of each |
| Curse cards | 30 | Supply holds 10 (2p) / 20 (3p) / 30 (4p) |
| Kingdom cards | 26 kinds × 10 = 262 | Only 10 of the 26 kinds are used per game |
| Randomizer cards | 26 | For randomly picking Kingdom cards; not shuffled into the Supply |
| Trash mat / organizer | 1+ | Where trashed cards are kept |
Only 10 of 26 Kingdom cards
The base set includes 26 Kingdom card types, but each game uses only 10 of them in the Supply. The other 16 stay in the box.
Setup
- 1Each player takes 7 Copper and 3 Estates — 10 cards — and shuffles them face down as a starting deck.
- 2Place Treasure, Victory, and Curse cards in the Supply according to player count (Victory: 8 each for 2 players, 12 each for 3–4).
- 3Choose 10 Kingdom cards — using the rulebook's "First Game" set, shuffling the Randomizer cards, or picking freely. Place 10 copies of each chosen card in the Supply (Victory-type Kingdom cards use the same count as basic Victory cards).
- 4Set a trash area next to the Supply.
- 5Each player draws 5 cards from their deck as a starting hand.
Pick a starting player randomly. In a follow-up game, the player to the previous winner's left goes first.
Turn structure — Action (A) → Buy (B) → Clean-up (C)
- 1A. Action phase: you may play 1 Action card from hand. Cards granting +Actions let you play more.
- 2B. Buy phase: play any Treasures from hand for coins, then buy from the Supply. You get 1 buy by default; +Buy cards grant more.
- 3C. Clean-up phase: move everything played this turn and your remaining hand to the discard pile, then draw 5 new cards.
A bought card can't be used that turn
A purchased card goes to your discard pile, not your hand. You cannot use it this turn — only once your deck reshuffles and it reaches your hand.
Reading an Action card
| Text | Meaning |
|---|---|
| +1 Card | Draw 1 card immediately. |
| +1 Action | You may play 1 more Action card this turn. |
| +1 Buy | You may buy 1 more card this turn. |
| +coin symbol | You have that many more coins to spend this turn (not a Treasure card). |
| Attack | Hurts other players somehow. A Moat may be revealed to block it. |
| Reaction | Usable at an unusual time, such as when another player plays an Attack. |
By default you may play only one Action card per turn. A card granting +Actions must be played first so you can chain another Action card.
Choosing 10 Kingdom cards — the First Game set
The rulebook recommends these 10 cards for your first game, spread evenly across costs 2–5 to teach how buying works.
| Card | Cost | Effect summary |
|---|---|---|
| Cellar | 2 | +1 Action. Discard any number of cards, then draw that many |
| Moat | 2 | +2 Cards. May be revealed to block another player's Attack (Reaction) |
| Merchant | 3 | +1 Card, +1 Action. +1 coin the first time you play a Silver this turn |
| Village | 3 | +1 Card, +2 Actions |
| Workshop | 3 | Gain a card costing up to 4 from the Supply |
| Bureaucrat | 4 | Gain a Silver onto your deck. Each other player puts a Victory card onto their deck (Attack) |
| Militia | 4 | +2 coins. Each other player discards down to 3 cards in hand (Attack) |
| Remodel | 4 | Trash a card from hand, gain one costing up to 2 more |
| Smithy | 4 | +3 Cards |
| Market | 5 | +1 Card, +1 Action, +1 Buy, +1 coin |
Want to pick randomly instead?
The rulebook also explains using the Randomizer cards to pick a random 10. This site's "Dominion randomizer" tool can also draw 10 of the 26 base-set cards and sort them by cost.
The deck cycle — where bought cards go
In Dominion, every card lives in one deck. Cards move from the draw pile to your hand, from your hand to the play area when played, and in Clean-up everything goes to the discard pile; once the deck runs out, the discard pile is shuffled to become a new deck.
If you need more cards than are left in your deck, shuffle the discard pile and put it under the deck, then keep drawing. If still short, draw as many as you can.
Treasures are never used up
Copper, Silver, and Gold are never consumed — they're a recurring income source that cycles back through your deck. Meanwhile, a deck bloated with purchases can make good cards harder to draw.
Scoring
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Estate | 1 |
| Duchy | 3 |
| Province | 6 |
| Curse | -1 |
| Gardens (Kingdom card) | 1 point per 10 cards in your deck (rounded down) |
At the end of the game, gather every card you own — deck, hand, and discard pile — and add up Victory points. Most Action and Treasure cards score 0; only Victory and Curse cards count.
Game end
- 1The game ends at the end of any player's turn when either the Province pile is empty, or any 3 Supply piles — including Kingdom piles — are empty at once.
- 2Add up Victory points across all your cards; the highest total wins.
- 3Ties go to the player who has had fewer turns; if that's equal too, it's a shared victory.
Not just Victory piles
The "3 piles" end condition is not limited to Victory cards. Any 3 Supply piles — Kingdom cards, Copper, anything — being empty at once ends the game as soon as that turn is over.
Strategy that follows directly from the rules
- Copper and Estates clog your hand and lower the odds of drawing good cards. Cards with a trash effect (Remodel, Bureaucrat) thin your deck so better cards show up more often.
- Treasures never get used up, so steadily buying Silver and Gold to raise your buying power is the basic engine.
- Cards granting +Actions (like Village) must be played first to chain further Action cards; a hand with no +Actions plays only one Action card.
- Provinces are worth the most (6) but cost 8. Remember that the Victory pile can run out before the game drags on.
Editions and player-count variants
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| 5–6 players | Requires extra basic cards (or a second copy of Dominion). Use 15/18 Provinces and 40/50 Curses; the end condition changes to "4 piles empty." |
| 1st edition (2008) → 2nd edition (2016) | The Kingdom card lineup changed — Chancellor, Woodcutter, Feast, Spy, Thief, and Adventurer (6 cards) were removed, and Harbinger, Merchant, Vassal, Poacher, Bandit, Sentry, and Artisan (7 cards) were added, going from 25 to 26 types (confirmed by comparing both official rulebooks directly). |
| Expansions | Numerous expansions followed, from Intrigue (2009) to Rising Sun (2024), each adding Kingdom cards and sometimes new resources (like Potions). |
Scope of this guide
This guide covers only the 2nd edition base set (26 Kingdom cards). Mixing in expansions requires checking that expansion's own rulebook.
Frequently confused rules
Q. If I buy a card, can I use it the same turn?
No. A bought card goes to your discard pile. You can only use it once your deck reshuffles and it reaches your hand.
Q. Can I even buy a Curse card?
Technically yes (it costs 0). But since Curses are worth -1 point, they are rarely bought on purpose — they're usually given to opponents via cards like Witch.
Q. If I hold several Action cards, can I only play one?
Yes, by default, unless you have +Actions available. The rest stay in hand and are discarded in Clean-up.
Q. Does the game only end when the Province pile runs out?
No. Any 3 Supply piles — Kingdom cards included — being empty at once also ends the game as soon as that turn finishes.
Q. What if my deck doesn't have enough cards to draw?
Shuffle the discard pile and place it under the deck, then keep drawing. If still short, draw as many as you can and stop.
Q. How are ties broken?
The player with fewer turns wins. If turn counts are equal too, the game ends in a shared victory.
History and editions
Designed by Donald X. Vaccarino and published by Rio Grande Games in 2008, Dominion won the 2009 Spiel des Jahres, the Deutscher Spiele Preis, and a Mensa Select award, and is widely credited with creating the deck-building genre itself.
According to English Wikipedia, the 2016 2nd edition swapped some Kingdom cards and reorganized the layout; many expansions followed, including Intrigue (2009), Seaside (2009), Prosperity (2010), Dark Ages (2012), Guilds (2013), Adventures (2015), Empires (2016), Nocturne (2017), Renaissance (2018), Menagerie (2020), Allies (2022), Plunder (2022), and Rising Sun (2024) (as read on Wikipedia in October 2026).
Korea Boardgames officially distributes Dominion in Korea. However, this research did not locate a publicly posted official Korean-language rulebook for the 2nd edition (see rulebooks above).
Sources
Rio Grande Games — official 2nd edition rulebook (PDF, Wayback Machine capture)Wiki cross-check — Wikipedia: Dominion (card game)Wiki cross-check — Namuwiki: Dominion (board game, Korean)Rule summaries are reference content written by us, not quotations from the official rulebook. Always check the official rulebook for exact rules. Diagrams are original schematics, not rulebook illustrations.
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Last updated 2026-10-10
💡 Master tip
Early on, focus on thinning your deck (cutting down unneeded Estates and Coppers) and increasing your coin production, then don't miss the moment to pivot into buying Victory cards in the mid-game. Quickly find the one core engine that fits this game's Kingdom card combination and commit to it.
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