Dominion by Donald X. Vaccarino
Hacker ApprovedRanked 2 of 15 card games by recommenders
Simple deckbuilding card game with depth and many expansions, recommended for groups who like to optimize. Critics note little hidden information.
Simple deckbuilding card game with depth and many expansions, recommended for groups who like to optimize. Critics note little hidden information.
18 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 14
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 78%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 14 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 3.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Simple rules with real depth
“Dominion has a fair amount of depth, but it seems common for individual player groups to get hung up on a particular play style”
Comment from 23 Apr 2026 in “Modern Board Games: and why you should play them (2022)” “7 Wonders Duel and Dominion also have significant depth”
Comment from 23 Apr 2026 in “Modern Board Games: and why you should play them (2022)” “deck builder with simple rules”
Comment from 16 Feb 2026 in “I Love Board Games: A Personal Obsession Explained by Psychology” Replayable for players who optimize
“At one point in my life I got in literally thousands of games of Dominion”
Comment from 2 Oct 2026 in “With most information hidden, the game Stratego had stumped AI until now” “that's what makes it such a good game, in my opinion”
Comment from 3 Oct 2026 in “With most information hidden, the game Stratego had stumped AI until now” “Dominion if you have friends that like to optimize.”
Comment from 16 Feb 2026 in “I Love Board Games: A Personal Obsession Explained by Psychology”
Other card games people recommend
The four most recommended other card games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magic: The Gathering | 27 | 25 | 52% | 10 | 31 yrs7 owners | — |
| Dominion by Donald X. VaccarinoThis page | 14 | 4 | 78% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Inscryption | 11 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Solitaire Alone Together | 11 | 1 | 92% | 1 | — | — |
| Everdeck | 9 | 6 | 60% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
All 19 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“there isn't really enough hidden information, and the amount that's there is usually not very interesting”
“Dominion leaves very little room for strategy switching - if you devise a second rate strategy, there's no realistic way to catch up.”
“that's what makes it such a good game, in my opinion”
“can win too often just by chance.”
“I don't think Dominion is a good game. It's good if you maybe think cubing is good.”
“At one point in my life I got in literally thousands of games of Dominion”
“Great read though maybe a bit reductive in places”
“Those interested may find Dominion an excellent read.”
“knew that this game was going to be hugely popular and influential”
“Dominion has a fair amount of depth, but it seems common for individual player groups to get hung up on a particular play style”
“there are a million expansions that add new cards and mechanics”
“Dominion requires to monitor cards that while helpful initially,can burden your hand in the end.”
“7 Wonders Duel and Dominion also have significant depth”
“Dominion if you have friends that like to optimize.”
“deck builder with simple rules”
“Holland (historian, not the actor) makes a great case about why many of our thoughts nowadays are rooted in Christianity.”
“An eye-opening recent book on these questions I can recommend”
“makes a very long and thorough historical case that Christianity has contributed more good than bad over the centuries”
“Dominion by Tom Holland is brilliant on the lats of these”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.