| Dominion Alchemy |  | Brand: Rio Grande Games
Category: Toy
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $18.58
as of 9/5/2010 03:50 CDT details
New (27) from $18.58
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 1,075
Fragile: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 8 - 100 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 12 x 7.6 x 3
MPN: 418
Model: 418RGG
UPC: 655132004183
EAN: 0655132004183
Release Date: May 26, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 4-5 business days
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| Features:
| • | 2 to 4 player game | | • | 30 minutes to play | | • | Expansion for the popular Dominion line | | • | Fantasy Card Game | | • | 150 new cards |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
There are strange things going on in your basement laboratories. They keep calling up for more barrels of quicksilver, or bits of your hair. Well it's all in the name of progress. They're looking for a way to turn lead into gold, or at least into something better than lead. That lead had just been too good of a bargain to pass up; you didn't think, where will I put all this lead, what am I going to do with this lead anyway. Well that will all be sorted out. They're also looking for a universal solvent. If they manage that one, you will take whatever they use to hold it in and build a castle out of it. A castle that can't be dissolved! Now that's progress.
This is the 3rd addition to Dominion. It adds new Kingdom cards to Dominion and as it is an expansion, you will need Dominion, or Dominion: Intrigue to play the game.
Dominion: Alchemy is an expansion, and can't be played by itself; to play with it, you need Dominion, or a standalone expansion to Dominion (Dominion: Intrigue). Those provide the Basic cards you need to play (Treasure, Victory, and Curse cards), as well as the full rules for setup and game play. Dominion: Alchemy can also be combined with any other Dominion expansions you have.
CONTENTS: NA
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
Fun Expansion, Yet, Not as Good As Other Expansions July 21, 2010
DJ
I'm a huge fan of Dominion and have all of the expansions. Alchemy to me was one that fell short, as there's only around 12 new cards instead of the other expansions, which had around 25 each. That in itself wouldn't be so much of a problem, however, Alchemy introduces a new currency card that can only be used to purchase cards from the Alchemy set; so in order to make it worthwhile, one normally has to play with at least three cards from the Alchemy set every game that one wants to use the Alchemy expansion.
Alchemy does not include the starting cards that one needs to play Dominion (Providences, Golds/Silvers/Coppers, etc,) and is just an expansion.
Decent Expansion July 14, 2010
T. R. Partee (Redmond, WA, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've been playing Dominion for a little over a year now on a pretty regular basis and it's really nice that they are putting out new expansions to keep the game fresh, though it never really got stale since the overwhelming potential combinations even just from the base game are staggering. Anyway, out of the expansions so far I like Alchemy the least because of the new potion mechanics, but once you get into it it's still fun. I would say I prefer Seaside and Intrigue as expansions though, so if you're looking for a good expansion check those out before trying Alchemy. Also keep in mind that Alchemy is a slightly smaller expansion with less cards and combinations as Intrigue and Seaside. Happy Dominioning!
 I really enjoy it, but you need to understand what it is July 13, 2010
K. Wiggins
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am fairly new to Dominion and Alchemy was the first expansion I bought. After reading through some of the other reviews, I saw things written that I don't really agree with. Mainly that Alchemy ultimately serves only as a rabbit hole that doesn't lead anywhere. I just don't get that. Again, I'm new to Dominion and I'm not sure I understand the nuances of the game's strategy, but to me it seems that in the game's beginning you buy action cards as opposed to Victory points in order to acquire more money in each hand as the game progresses, enabling you to then buy higher dollar Victory points. There are a lot of money making cards in Alchemy (Apothecary comes to mind, Philosopher's Stone, ...) that have no point BUT to give you big money. Thus enabling you to buy more Victory points. This actually makes for SHORTER games in my opinion. Although, there are some cards that do require you to for instance count your entire deck (actually, that's Philosopher's Stone) which slows down game play, but it can lead to bbiigg money. Which enables you to buy more Victory cards, which is the ultimate point of the game. Potions can pollute your deck if you buy a lot of them, so just buy a couple!
All this said, this is just an expansion to add different cards to the existing game(s). If you are happy with the existing games as they are or are looking for a completely different feel and experience, this expansion might not be for you. But if you want to just mix it up a little and add some interesting elements to the game, like Potion treasures and Possession of other players, this is a great addition for only $30 (less on Amazon). For what it is, I really like it. For what it is, 5 stars.
 Interesting... But Superfluous July 12, 2010
JasonK
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
Dominion: Alchemy is the the most recent expansion to the Dominion series. If you are considering purchasing this game, make a note that it does require either Dominion or Dominion: Intrigue to play (as those have the base cards necessary to play).
For those of you who love and play Dominion, here's my take on the expansion: Having been a fan of Dominion since the first time I played, I must admit that I feel like Alchemy is a little superfluous. It does, of course, bring a new theme and some very interesting cards to the table, but it feels... awkward... to integrate Alchemy cards into a "normal" game. Specifically, the "Potion" card needed to purchase the Alchemy cards gums up an otherwise good deck (assuming it is a good deck, of course). Whenever a potion appears, it nearly forces you to purchase an Alchemy card; otherwise, you end up having a card more worthless than an estate cycling through your deck. Without extra buys, you often waste a lot of money buying Alchemy cards (they cost very little, but require a potion in addition to the treasure cost). On the flip side, it feels like you have to have an Alchemy heavy deck in order to obtain an optimum hand. The cards all look good, but lead to everywhere but victory points in the games I have played thus far. This all combines to make for a longer game, which would not necessarily be unwelcome except that it feels like you're pursuing bunny trails the entire time. Is it any surprise though, since the art of alchemy lead to a lot of nothing?
My opinion is that many will buy this game more out of excitement or for a sense of completion for their collection, but I plan on avoiding purchasing it and simply playing it with friends if they insist upon it. I'll wait for the next expansion.
Interesting advanced expansion for Dominion -- buy 4th of the games June 23, 2010
Edmund Davis (Westbrook, ME USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Got Dominion: Alchemy for my birthday today.
Have played a couple rounds with it so far and if my opinion changes on the game I will update this review.
Dominion is me and my wife's favorite game and was thrilled to get this present.
I really enjoyed the potion as a new type of treasure card and like the complexity of the new cards like Possession (where you get to play the next player's turn on the left).
However, I would get Dominion first. Since it is the basic game and has the simplest cards. Then Dominion: Seaside which plays well on its own and has more fun cards then Intrigue. And then Dominion: Intrigue since it lets you play with 5-6 players well and interacts especially well with Seaside.
As far as Dominion: Alchemy goes I would wait until you are an experienced player and have played the first 3 sets quite a few times and would like a challenge.
This is definitely an more advanced group of 12 action cards (plus Potion - a new treasure card) and I suggest it for advanced players only.
But if you have heard good things about Dominion - and want to try it I would start with regular Dominion and work from there.
Edmund
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
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