Objective of the Game

Welcome to the exciting world of **Team Dominion**! This isn't your grandma's Dominion; it's a dynamic 2v2 variant where cooperation is key, but individual prowess still shines. Your ultimate goal is to lead your team to victory by having one player on your team achieve the **highest individual Victory Points (VP)** at the end of the game. It's a race to build the best deck, outmaneuver your opponents, and strategically support your teammate to ensure one of you stands above all others!

Preparation (Setup)

Getting ready for **Team Dominion** is straightforward, building on the classic Dominion setup with a few team-specific twists:

1. **Seating Arrangement:** Players sit alternately by team, forming an A–B–A–B pattern around the table.
2. **Standard Dominion Setup:** All standard Dominion rules apply for setting up the **Supply piles** (Kingdom cards, Treasure cards, and Victory cards).
3. **Player Decks:** Each player starts with their own individual deck, typically consisting of 7 **Copper** cards and 3 **Estate** cards.
4. **Shuffling and Drawing:** Each player shuffles their starting deck and draws a hand of 5 cards.
5. **Kingdom Selection:** While you can play with any expansions, the game is optimized for **Base Dominion**, **Intrigue**, **Seaside**, **Prosperity**, and **Dark Ages**. The manual provides several recommended Kingdom sets to get you started, focusing on different strategic elements.

The Turn of Play

A turn in **Team Dominion** follows the standard Dominion phases (Action, Buy, Clean-up), but with crucial team interactions:

1. Action Phase

• You may play **Action cards** from your hand.
• Remember, if you paid a **Next-Turn Cost** to pass a card last turn, you might start this turn with fewer actions or buys!

2. Buy Phase

• You may **buy cards** from the **Supply piles** using your available coin.
• **Gaining Cards for a Teammate:** This is where teamwork gets interesting!
  • **Buy-Based Gains:** When you buy multiple cards, the **highest-cost card** *must* go to you (the active player). All other bought cards (including those tied for highest cost, after one goes to you) can be gained by *either* you or your teammate.
  • **Non-Buy Gains:** Cards gained without using a Buy (e.g., from cards like **Workshop** or **Ironworks**) may be gained by either teammate, unless explicitly restricted.
  • **Cards Gained from the Trash:** These *always* go to the active player and cannot be redirected to a teammate, unless the card states otherwise.
  • **On-Gain Reactions:** If a card is gained for a teammate, the *recipient* is considered the gainer for all "when you gain" effects (like **Watchtower**).
• **Victory Point Tokens:** These *always* go to the active player and can never be transferred to a teammate.
• **Set-Aside Cards:** Cards set aside (e.g., by **Island** or **Native Village**) always belong to the player who set them aside and cannot be accessed by a teammate.

3. Clean-up Phase

• Discard all cards played and remaining in your hand.
• Draw 5 new cards for your next turn.
• **End-of-Turn Pass:** *Before* discarding your hand, you have a critical decision:
  • You may choose one unplayed card from your hand and **pass it face-down to your teammate**.
  • All players know a card was passed, but not which one.
  • The passed card is added to your teammate's hand at the start of their next turn.
  • **Cost to Pass a Card:** Passing a card requires paying one cost, chosen from:
    • **Current-Turn Costs:** An unused card from your hand, an unused +Action, or an unused +Buy.
    • **Next-Turn Costs:** Your next turn's action or buy (if you have multiple, choose one), or draw 5 cards as normal next turn and immediately discard the first card drawn.
  • **Important:** You must declare which payment you're using *before* discarding your hand and drawing your next hand. Costs must be paid *before* effects resolve.

Intercepting a Passed Card (Steal Attempt)

Before the receiving teammate takes their turn, any opponent who plays an **Attack card** can choose to:

• Resolve the attack normally, OR
• Use the attack to try and **steal the passed card** instead of its normal effect.
• **Blocking a Steal:** If an opponent attempts to steal, the player who *passed* the card (not the receiver) must play a **Reaction card** to block it. If blocked, the steal fails, and the attack reverts to its normal effect. A stolen card goes directly into the attacker's hand.
• **Attack Application:** If an attack card is played normally (not to steal), the attacker may choose whether or not to apply that attack to their teammate.

Duration Cards (Seaside)

• **Ownership:** A **Duration card** is always owned by the player who played it and remains in front of them.
• **Redirecting Effects:** One-shot duration effects (like **Wharf**, **Caravan**, **Lighthouse**) may be redirected to your teammate's next turn *once*.
  • The receiving teammate can resolve the duration at any point during their turn.
  • They must pay the normal **pass cost** *before* resolving any part of the duration effect.
  • The cost can be paid from the current or next turn.
  • The duration card's effects cannot be used to pay its own cost.
  • After the effect resolves, the card is discarded by the original player.
  • **Crucially:** Both teammates can *never* benefit from the same duration.
• **Non-Redirectable Durations:** Some durations (e.g., **Tactician**, **Hireling**, **Champion**, **Outpost**, and any with persistent or extra-turn effects) cannot be redirected and always stay with the original player.

Clean Slate Rule (Optional)

Once per team per game, at the start of your turn, if you have at least 5 cards in hand, you may:

• Trash your entire hand.
• Immediately end your turn (no actions, buys, or draw).
• Each opponent draws one card.
• **Restrictions:** Cannot be used if your hand size is below 5. Clean Slate is *not* an attack.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when either:

• The **Province pile** is empty.
• Any three **Supply piles** are empty.

Once the game ends, it's time to count those precious **Victory Points**:

1. Each player counts their own individual **Victory Points**.
2. The team whose player with the **highest individual score** has more VP wins the game!
3. Ties are resolved using standard Dominion tie-breaking rules.
4. **Gardens and Deck-Size VP Cards:** For cards whose VP scales with deck size (e.g., **Gardens**, **Silk Road**), the VP value is calculated using the *minimum* deck size among your team members. Cards only count if the minimum deck size meets the card's normal threshold.

Tips for Winning

Ready to dominate? Here are a few pointers to get you started:

1. **Strategic Passing is Paramount:** Don't just pass any card! Think about what your teammate needs for their next turn. Are they building an engine and need an **Action card**? Or do they need some extra **Treasure** for a big buy? Coordinating passes can create powerful combos. Remember the costs – sometimes sacrificing a next-turn action is worth giving your teammate that crucial card.
2. **Role Specialization and VP Carriers:** While you both contribute, consider specializing. One player might focus on building a lean, efficient engine for quick buys, while the other focuses on accumulating high-value **Victory cards** or **VP tokens**. The goal is for *one* of you to have the highest individual score, not necessarily for both to be equally strong. Discuss who will be your primary "VP carrier" early on.
3. **Watch for Steal Attempts and Reactions:** Passing cards is risky! Always be aware of your opponents' **Attack cards** and be ready to use your **Reactions** to protect valuable passes. Remember, only the player who *passed* the card can block a steal attempt. Conversely, if you have an Attack card, consider using it to intercept a key card your opponents are passing!