Fortress
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{{Infobox Card | {{Infobox Card | ||
|name = Fortress | |name = Fortress | ||
+ | |cost = 4 | ||
|type1 = Action | |type1 = Action | ||
|illustrator = Marco Morte | |illustrator = Marco Morte | ||
− | |text = +1 Card<br | + | |text = '''+1 Card<br>+2 Actions''' |
|text2 = When you trash this, put it into your hand. | |text2 = When you trash this, put it into your hand. | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | '''Fortress''' is an [[Action]] card from [[Dark Ages]]. When played, it gives the same +1 Card/+2 Actions as {{Card|Village}}; it costs more because if you trash it, it just goes back into your hand! This enables a variety of cute combos | + | '''Fortress''' is an [[Action]] card from [[Dark Ages]]. When played, it gives the same +1 Card/+2 Actions as {{Card|Village}}; it costs more because if you trash it, it just goes back into your hand! This enables a variety of cute combos with [[trash for benefit]] cards. |
== FAQ == | == FAQ == | ||
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* When you play this, you draw a card and get +2 Actions. | * When you play this, you draw a card and get +2 Actions. | ||
* If this is trashed, you take it from the trash and put it into your hand. | * If this is trashed, you take it from the trash and put it into your hand. | ||
− | * This happens no matter whose turn it is when Fortress is trashed. It is not optional. | + | * This happens no matter whose turn it is when Fortress is trashed. |
− | * You still trashed Fortress, even though you get it back; for example if you play {{Card|Death Cart}} and choose to trash Fortress, the "if you | + | * It is not optional. |
− | + | * You still trashed Fortress, even though you get it back; for example if you play {{Card|Death Cart}} and choose to trash Fortress, the "if you don't" on Death Cart is false, you did trash an Action, so you do not trash Death Cart. | |
− | + | ||
− | If a {{Card|Possession|Possessed}} player's Fortress is trashed, the Possessing player chooses whether to put it back in hand immediately, as usual, or to set it aside with other trashed cards, to be returned to the Possessed player's discard pile at the end of the turn. | + | === Other Rules clarifications === |
+ | * When you put Fortress in your hand after trashing it, it is not 'gained' - you just put it in your hand. You can't reveal {{Card|Trader}} or {{Card|Watchtower}} to do something else with it. | ||
+ | * If a {{Card|Possession|Possessed}} player's Fortress is trashed, the Possessing player chooses whether to put it back in hand immediately, as usual, or to set it aside with other trashed cards, to be returned to the Possessed player's discard pile at the end of the turn. | ||
+ | * If you trash a Fortress from the [[Supply]] with {{Card|Lurker}}, you put the Fortress into your hand. | ||
== Strategy Article == | == Strategy Article == | ||
There isn't a strategy article for Fortress, which is sad because it's a fun card! | There isn't a strategy article for Fortress, which is sad because it's a fun card! | ||
− | In many cases, Fortress will play the same as a {{Card|Village}} which happens to cost {{Cost|4}}. No big deal, you can run your [[engine]] off of that, too, like a {{Card|Walled Village}} or something. But Fortress has extremely powerful interactions with many [[trasher]] | + | In many cases, Fortress will play the same as a {{Card|Village}} which happens to cost {{Cost|4}}. No big deal, you can run your [[engine]] off of that, too, like a {{Card|Walled Village}} or something. But Fortress has extremely powerful interactions with many [[trasher|trashers]]. They are unique enough that it is worth going through them individually, since all the trash-for-benefit cards start behaving very differently when they no longer actually have to permanently trash a card from your hand to give the benefit! |
− | * Many cards that trash for no benefit have no particular interaction with Fortress. This includes {{Card|Chapel}}, {{Card|Steward}}, {{Card|Dame Anna}}, {{Card|Jack of all Trades}}, {{Card|Masquerade}} - nothing in particular happens with them and Fortress. | + | * Many cards that trash for no benefit have no particular interaction with Fortress. This includes {{Card|Chapel}}, {{Card|Steward}}, {{Card|Dame Anna}}, {{Card|Jack of all Trades}}, {{Card|Masquerade}}, {{Card|Amulet}}, {{Event|Donate}}, {{Card|Monastery}}, {{Card|Cemetery}}, {{Project|Sewers}}, {{Card|Sauna}}, {{Card|Ratcatcher}}, {{Event|Plan}}, {{Boon|The Flame's Gift}}, {{Card|Goat}}, {{Card|Goatherd}}, {{Way|Way of the Goat}}, {{Card|Church}} - nothing in particular happens with them and Fortress. |
* Cards that can only trash fixed numbers of cards. | * Cards that can only trash fixed numbers of cards. | ||
** {{Card|Trading Post}} can be used as a {{Card|Silver}}-gainer if you have Fortresses in hand - "trash" two Fortresses to gain a Silver, immediately get them back. This can also let Trading Post be used as a single-card trasher when you have only one card to trash. | ** {{Card|Trading Post}} can be used as a {{Card|Silver}}-gainer if you have Fortresses in hand - "trash" two Fortresses to gain a Silver, immediately get them back. This can also let Trading Post be used as a single-card trasher when you have only one card to trash. | ||
− | ** {{Card|Mercenary}} has an ability which activates only if you trash two cards. Late-game, when you have nothing to trash, you can use two Fortresses to keep using your Mercenary as a | + | ** {{Card|Mercenary}} has an ability which activates only if you trash two cards. Late-game, when you have nothing to trash, you can use two Fortresses to keep using your Mercenary as a [[Handsize attack]]. |
− | ** {{Card|Count}} can trash your whole hand and only your whole hand. If you keep Fortresses in hand (and perhaps put something back on top of the deck with Count) you can keep playing your turn after trashing your hand. | + | ** {{Card|Count}} can trash your whole hand and only your whole hand. If you keep Fortresses in hand (and perhaps put something back on top of the deck with Count) you can keep playing your turn after trashing your hand. |
− | * The {{Card|Remodel}} family - cards which trash and gain. With Fortress, these become [[gainer]] | + | ** {{Event|Bonfire}} although you don't have to trash a Fortress, can go into your hand if you want it to (maybe if you want to buy a Villa, Advance, or Enhance?). |
+ | * Cards that trash from the top of your deck. | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Lookout}} not only becomes a far less risky play in the late game with a few Fortresses in your deck, but it also becomes a cantrip if it hits a Fortress, letting it act as a momentum-conserving sifter rather than the dead card it usually becomes once you're done trashing. | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Sentry}} becomes borderline broken with a large supply Fortresses and a little luck. Did your Sentry find two Fortresses? Put them both in your hand, and suddenly your sifter/trasher has become a double {{Card|Laboratory}}! | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Doctor}} can be used in the late game to harmlessly pick Fortresses off the top of your deck. However, unlike the previous examples, Doctor's unreliable draw is terminal, making this strategy unadvised unless you know you have multiple Fortresses topdecked (or if you have the actions to spare) . | ||
+ | * The {{Card|Remodel}} family - cards which trash and gain. With Fortress, these become [[gainer|gainers]] which can directly gain expensive actions - like {{Card|University|Universities}} but with fewer restrictions! | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Remodel}}, {{Card|Replace}}, and {{Event|Enhance}} can all gain cards up to {{Cost|6}}. | ||
** {{Card|Remake}} and {{Card|Upgrade}} can gain you {{Cost|5}}-cost cards (and Upgrade is even a [[cantrip]] when used like that!) | ** {{Card|Remake}} and {{Card|Upgrade}} can gain you {{Cost|5}}-cost cards (and Upgrade is even a [[cantrip]] when used like that!) | ||
** {{Card|Develop}} can gain two cards, a {{Cost|5}} and a {{Cost|3}}, which immediately go on your deck. You can then play your Fortress to draw one of them! | ** {{Card|Develop}} can gain two cards, a {{Cost|5}} and a {{Cost|3}}, which immediately go on your deck. You can then play your Fortress to draw one of them! | ||
− | ** {{Card|Farmland}}... well, buying Farmland with a Fortress in hand can get you a second Farmland for a total of 4VP, or maybe you can get a {{Card|Gold}} for a pseudo-{{Card|Hoard}} effect. Not so impressive compared to others on this list. | + | ** {{Card|Farmland}}... well, buying Farmland with a Fortress in hand can get you a second Farmland for a total of 4VP, or maybe you can get a {{Card|Gold}} for a pseudo-{{Card|Hoard}} effect. Not so impressive compared to others on this list, since Farmland's trashing happens during your buy phase and by then it's too late to play the Fortress from your hand. |
** Likewise with {{Card|Governor}}, you can (not)trash a Fortress to gain a {{Cost|6}} or a Gold, if you'd rather give the opponent a chance to trash rather than gain a Silver. Not so impressive. Especially since the opponent can choose to trash a Fortress and thus gain a {{Cost|5}}-coster for free. | ** Likewise with {{Card|Governor}}, you can (not)trash a Fortress to gain a {{Cost|6}} or a Gold, if you'd rather give the opponent a chance to trash rather than gain a Silver. Not so impressive. Especially since the opponent can choose to trash a Fortress and thus gain a {{Cost|5}}-coster for free. | ||
** {{Card|Graverobber}} and {{Card|Expand}} can gain you {{Cost|7}} cards - but that's just a tad short of what you need for a {{Card|Province}}. Perhaps you want to stock up on {{Card|King's Court|King's Courts}}? Maybe if Upgrade or Remake are in the Kingdom... | ** {{Card|Graverobber}} and {{Card|Expand}} can gain you {{Cost|7}} cards - but that's just a tad short of what you need for a {{Card|Province}}. Perhaps you want to stock up on {{Card|King's Court|King's Courts}}? Maybe if Upgrade or Remake are in the Kingdom... | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Butcher}} can gain you powerful {{Cost|5}} cards while also giving you a Coffers. Also, you can eventually turn the Fortresses into Provinces. | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Stonemason}} gains 2 {{Cost|3}} cards, and only costs {{Cost|2}}! | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Transmogrify}} can gain you free {{Cost|5}} cards at the beginning of your turn straight to your hand! | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Zombie Mason}}, which is played by {{Card|Necromancer}} can gain {{Cost|5}} cards, but it is very unreliable and probably won't hit a Fortress. | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Exorcist}} gains Imps and Wisps, and Imps can be very hard to get | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Improve}} gives you both +{{Cost|2}} but also gains a card costing {{Cost|5}}. It also doesn't trash from your hand, so can be used after you played the Fortress. | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Dismantle}} gains a {{Cost|3}} card and a Gold. | ||
* Mandatory trashers - cards that give some benefit but require you to trash a card to get it. | * Mandatory trashers - cards that give some benefit but require you to trash a card to get it. | ||
** {{Card|Rats}} turns into a straight-up cantrip Rats gainer when you have a Fortress in hand. If you have a reason for wanting all 20 Rats in the end-game, maybe to pile them out or to pump up your {{Card|Gardens}}, Fortress can help you get them without having them eat the rest of your deck. | ** {{Card|Rats}} turns into a straight-up cantrip Rats gainer when you have a Fortress in hand. If you have a reason for wanting all 20 Rats in the end-game, maybe to pile them out or to pump up your {{Card|Gardens}}, Fortress can help you get them without having them eat the rest of your deck. | ||
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** {{Card|Death Cart}} can become a terminal {{Card|Platinum}} with no drawback if you have Fortress in hand. | ** {{Card|Death Cart}} can become a terminal {{Card|Platinum}} with no drawback if you have Fortress in hand. | ||
** {{Card|Junk Dealer}}, {{Card|Trade Route}} and {{Card|Forager}} can be used for the +{{Cost|}} and +Buy in the late-game. | ** {{Card|Junk Dealer}}, {{Card|Trade Route}} and {{Card|Forager}} can be used for the +{{Cost|}} and +Buy in the late-game. | ||
+ | ** {{Event|Trade}} can gain {{Card|Silver|Silvers}}, although if you have a Fortress, you probably are playing an [[engine]], in which case you probably don't want the Silvers. | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Temple}} can trash a Fortress if you have no cards in hand that you want to trash. | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Bat}} can turn back into a Vampire for free if you have a Fortress in hand. | ||
+ | ** {{Project|Cathedral}} can trash Fortress once you have run out of useless cards. | ||
+ | ** {{Event|Advance}} can gain {{Cost|6}} Actions without having to trash anything. This is probably best used with +Buy. | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Zombie Apprentice}}, which is played by {{Card|Necromancer}} gives you a double Lab effect. | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Hideout}} can still give the Village effect with a Fortress in hand. | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Priest}} gives the player the {{Cost}} without having to trash anything. | ||
* Situational trashers - a few cards with weird trashing properties. | * Situational trashers - a few cards with weird trashing properties. | ||
** {{Card|Forge}} becomes pretty great, since you can Forge two Fortresses into a Province. {{Card|Throne Room}} a Forge? Two Provinces! King's Court a Forge? Three Provinces! Ah ah ah! | ** {{Card|Forge}} becomes pretty great, since you can Forge two Fortresses into a Province. {{Card|Throne Room}} a Forge? Two Provinces! King's Court a Forge? Three Provinces! Ah ah ah! | ||
** {{Card|Transmute}}... well, Transmuting a Fortress can gain you a Duchy for free. Seems sorta sad putting this on the line right after Forge. King's Court a Transmute for three Duchies... Ah ah ah... | ** {{Card|Transmute}}... well, Transmuting a Fortress can gain you a Duchy for free. Seems sorta sad putting this on the line right after Forge. King's Court a Transmute for three Duchies... Ah ah ah... | ||
** {{Card|Hermit}} can trash a Fortress from your discard pile to put it in your hand. | ** {{Card|Hermit}} can trash a Fortress from your discard pile to put it in your hand. | ||
− | + | ** {{Card|Watchtower}} isn't really a trasher, but can put the Fortress into your hand immediately after you gain it (say, with {{Card|Ironworks}}) by "trashing" it. | |
− | ** {{Card|Watchtower}} isn't really a trasher, but can put the Fortress into your hand immediately after you gain it (say, with {{Card|Ironworks}}) by "trashing" it. | + | ** {{Card|Lurker}} can gain a Fortress straight to hand. |
− | * [[Trashing attack]] | + | ** {{Card|Catapult}} can give the opponent Curses while getting money for a {{Cost|3}} card! |
− | ** {{Card|Saboteur}}, {{Card|Swindler}}, and | + | ** {{Card|Sacrifice}} gives the {{Card|Lost City}} effect. |
+ | * [[Trashing attack|Trashing attacks]]. | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Saboteur}}, {{Card|Swindler}}, and {{Card|Knights}} give the attacked player a benefit by putting the Fortress in their hand if they hit it. | ||
** {{Card|Swindler}} also gives out a presumably bad {{Cost|4}} card, but how bad can that be.{{Card|Thief|.}}{{Card|Coppersmith|.}}{{Card|Scout|?}} | ** {{Card|Swindler}} also gives out a presumably bad {{Cost|4}} card, but how bad can that be.{{Card|Thief|.}}{{Card|Coppersmith|.}}{{Card|Scout|?}} | ||
* {{Card|Procession}}!!!!! Now we get to the meat of this list, with all of the broken combos! | * {{Card|Procession}}!!!!! Now we get to the meat of this list, with all of the broken combos! | ||
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** {{Card|Apprentice}} draws you four cards - that's as good as THREE {{Card|Laboratory|Laboratories}}, or like a {{Card|Village}} followed by a {{Card|Hunting Grounds}}. Consider your deck drawn. | ** {{Card|Apprentice}} draws you four cards - that's as good as THREE {{Card|Laboratory|Laboratories}}, or like a {{Card|Village}} followed by a {{Card|Hunting Grounds}}. Consider your deck drawn. | ||
** {{Card|Salvager}} gives +{{Cost|4}} and a buy. Pretty nice. | ** {{Card|Salvager}} gives +{{Cost|4}} and a buy. Pretty nice. | ||
− | ** {{Card|Trader}} gives you four {{Card|Silver|Silvers}}. Probably not that impressive if you're running an engine that will get gummed up, though. Maybe with {{Card|Feodum}} this is a good idea, or if you've trashed all the treasure in your deck already. (Maybe with {{Card|Counterfeit}}?) | + | ** {{Card|Trader}} gives you four {{Card|Silver|Silvers}}. Probably not that impressive if you're running an engine that will get gummed up, though. Maybe with {{Card|Feodum}} this is a good idea, or if you've trashed all the treasure in your deck already. (Maybe with {{Card|Counterfeit}}?) |
− | ** And in the spirit of saving the best for last, {{Card|Bishop|BISHOP}}. Bishop and Fortress combine to create an endless unstoppable [[Golden Deck]] of pure victory points. Even with no other cards, if you have a deck of | + | ** {{Card|Raze}} gives you one card from the top 4, which is like a much more powerful {{Card|Border Guard}}. |
+ | ** {{Event|Ritual}} essentially gains you a card worth {{VP|3}} by trashing a Fortress | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Research}} does the same as Apprentice, but for the next turn. | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Recruiter}} can give 4 Villagers, but often you already have enough Actions because of the Fortresses. On the other hand, Recruiter can be used for its draw if you have nothing to trash. | ||
+ | ** {{Card|Scrap}} can be used as a {{Card|Market}} or a lot of other things. | ||
+ | ** And in the spirit of saving the best for last, {{Card|Bishop|BISHOP}}. Bishop and Fortress combine to create an endless unstoppable [[Golden Deck]] of pure victory points. Even with no other cards, if you have a deck of four Bishops and four Fortresses, you can play all four Bishops every turn, trash the same Fortress four times for an incredible 12 {{VP}} per turn with no change in deck composition and no chance of bad shuffle luck. King's Court can trivially ratchet this up to 18 {{VP}}/turn, and I don't even want to think about what you could do if you made it into a setup with [[double Tactician]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Terminal trash-for-benefit trashers are sometimes awkward with Fortress until a deck can reliably draw two Fortresses. Buying a {{Card|Villa}} can often usefully continue a turn in this situation. | ||
=== Synergies/Combos === | === Synergies/Combos === | ||
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* Fortress is absolutely amazing with {{Card|Procession}} and {{Card|Bishop}}. | * Fortress is absolutely amazing with {{Card|Procession}} and {{Card|Bishop}}. | ||
* It can have very powerful interactions with other [[trash for benefit]] cards like {{Card|Apprentice}} or {{Card|Salvager}} | * It can have very powerful interactions with other [[trash for benefit]] cards like {{Card|Apprentice}} or {{Card|Salvager}} | ||
+ | * {{Card|Villa}} when paired with terminal [[trash for benefit]] cards | ||
* It can be used to provide endless fuel to mandatory-trashers that give other benefits like {{Card|Altar}} or {{Card|Death Cart}} | * It can be used to provide endless fuel to mandatory-trashers that give other benefits like {{Card|Altar}} or {{Card|Death Cart}} | ||
− | * It can defend against [[trashing attack]] | + | * It can defend against [[trashing attack|trashing attacks]] |
* In a pinch, it can function as a standard {{Card|Village}} | * In a pinch, it can function as a standard {{Card|Village}} | ||
=== Antisynergies === | === Antisynergies === | ||
* Lack of trashers makes it a boring {{Card|Village}} | * Lack of trashers makes it a boring {{Card|Village}} | ||
* And when would you ever get it in [[Big Money]]? | * And when would you ever get it in [[Big Money]]? | ||
+ | *{{Card|Governor}} (sort of) | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Versions == | ||
+ | ===English versions=== | ||
+ | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | ||
+ | ! Print !! Digital !! Text !! Release !! Date | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | {{CardVersionImage|FortressOld|Fortress}} || {{CardVersionImage|FortressDigitalOld|Fortress from Goko/Making Fun}} || '''+1 Card'''. '''+2 Actions'''.<br>When you trash this, put it into your hand. || Dark Ages 1st Edition || August 2012 | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | {{CardVersionImage|Fortress|Fortress}} || {{CardVersionImage|FortressDigital|Fortress from Shuffle iT}} || '''+1 Card'''. '''+2 Actions'''.<br>When you trash this, put it into your hand. || Dark Ages [[Second Edition|2nd Edition]] || September 2017 | ||
+ | |} | ||
+ | ===Other language versions=== | ||
+ | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | ||
+ | ! Language !! Name !! Print !! Digital !! Text !! Notes | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | !Czech | ||
+ | | Pevnost || {{CardLangVersionImage|Czech}} || || || | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | !Dutch | ||
+ | | Vesting || || || || | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | !Finnish | ||
+ | | Linnoitus || || || || | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | !French | ||
+ | | Forteresse || || || || | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | !German | ||
+ | | Festung || {{CardVersionImage|Fortress German-HiG|German Version by Hans im Glück}} || || '''+1 Karte<br>+2 Aktionen'''<br>Wenn du diese Karte entsorgst, nimm<br>sie zurück auf die Hand. || | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | !Japanese | ||
+ | | 城塞 (pron. ''jōsai'') || || || '''+1 カードを引く'''。 '''+2 アクション'''。 これを廃棄するとき、手札に加える。 || | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | !Korean | ||
+ | | 요새 (pron. ''yosae'') || || || || | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | !Polish | ||
+ | | Forteca || || || || Although Polish version is not released, this card is referred to in the Polish version of ''[[Empires]]'' rulebook | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | !Russian | ||
+ | | Крепость (pron. ''kryepost''') || || || || | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | !Spanish | ||
+ | | Fortaleza || || || || | ||
+ | |} | ||
== Trivia == | == Trivia == | ||
− | + | [[Image:FortressArt.jpg|thumb|right|354px|Official card art.]] | |
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
− | + | ||
=== Secret History === | === Secret History === |
Revision as of 17:04, 4 March 2021
This page is awaiting large-scale edits by the community to meet quality and format standards. The information on this page may be outdated. Join the #wiki-general channel on the Dominion Discord server to participate. |
Fortress | |
---|---|
Info | |
Cost | |
Type(s) | Action |
Kingdom card? | Yes |
Set | Dark Ages |
Illustrator(s) | Marco Morte |
Card text | |
+1 Card +2 Actions When you trash this, put it into your hand. |
Fortress is an Action card from Dark Ages. When played, it gives the same +1 Card/+2 Actions as Village; it costs more because if you trash it, it just goes back into your hand! This enables a variety of cute combos with trash for benefit cards.
Contents |
FAQ
Official FAQ
- When you play this, you draw a card and get +2 Actions.
- If this is trashed, you take it from the trash and put it into your hand.
- This happens no matter whose turn it is when Fortress is trashed.
- It is not optional.
- You still trashed Fortress, even though you get it back; for example if you play Death Cart and choose to trash Fortress, the "if you don't" on Death Cart is false, you did trash an Action, so you do not trash Death Cart.
Other Rules clarifications
- When you put Fortress in your hand after trashing it, it is not 'gained' - you just put it in your hand. You can't reveal Trader or Watchtower to do something else with it.
- If a Possessed player's Fortress is trashed, the Possessing player chooses whether to put it back in hand immediately, as usual, or to set it aside with other trashed cards, to be returned to the Possessed player's discard pile at the end of the turn.
- If you trash a Fortress from the Supply with Lurker, you put the Fortress into your hand.
Strategy Article
There isn't a strategy article for Fortress, which is sad because it's a fun card!
In many cases, Fortress will play the same as a Village which happens to cost . No big deal, you can run your engine off of that, too, like a Walled Village or something. But Fortress has extremely powerful interactions with many trashers. They are unique enough that it is worth going through them individually, since all the trash-for-benefit cards start behaving very differently when they no longer actually have to permanently trash a card from your hand to give the benefit!
- Many cards that trash for no benefit have no particular interaction with Fortress. This includes Chapel, Steward, Dame Anna, Jack of all Trades, Masquerade, Amulet, Donate, Monastery, Cemetery, Sewers, Sauna, Ratcatcher, Plan, The Flame's Gift, Goat, Goatherd, Way of the Goat, Church - nothing in particular happens with them and Fortress.
- Cards that can only trash fixed numbers of cards.
- Trading Post can be used as a Silver-gainer if you have Fortresses in hand - "trash" two Fortresses to gain a Silver, immediately get them back. This can also let Trading Post be used as a single-card trasher when you have only one card to trash.
- Mercenary has an ability which activates only if you trash two cards. Late-game, when you have nothing to trash, you can use two Fortresses to keep using your Mercenary as a Handsize attack.
- Count can trash your whole hand and only your whole hand. If you keep Fortresses in hand (and perhaps put something back on top of the deck with Count) you can keep playing your turn after trashing your hand.
- Bonfire although you don't have to trash a Fortress, can go into your hand if you want it to (maybe if you want to buy a Villa, Advance, or Enhance?).
- Cards that trash from the top of your deck.
- Lookout not only becomes a far less risky play in the late game with a few Fortresses in your deck, but it also becomes a cantrip if it hits a Fortress, letting it act as a momentum-conserving sifter rather than the dead card it usually becomes once you're done trashing.
- Sentry becomes borderline broken with a large supply Fortresses and a little luck. Did your Sentry find two Fortresses? Put them both in your hand, and suddenly your sifter/trasher has become a double Laboratory!
- Doctor can be used in the late game to harmlessly pick Fortresses off the top of your deck. However, unlike the previous examples, Doctor's unreliable draw is terminal, making this strategy unadvised unless you know you have multiple Fortresses topdecked (or if you have the actions to spare) .
- The Remodel family - cards which trash and gain. With Fortress, these become gainers which can directly gain expensive actions - like Universities but with fewer restrictions!
- Remodel, Replace, and Enhance can all gain cards up to .
- Remake and Upgrade can gain you -cost cards (and Upgrade is even a cantrip when used like that!)
- Develop can gain two cards, a and a , which immediately go on your deck. You can then play your Fortress to draw one of them!
- Farmland... well, buying Farmland with a Fortress in hand can get you a second Farmland for a total of 4VP, or maybe you can get a Gold for a pseudo-Hoard effect. Not so impressive compared to others on this list, since Farmland's trashing happens during your buy phase and by then it's too late to play the Fortress from your hand.
- Likewise with Governor, you can (not)trash a Fortress to gain a or a Gold, if you'd rather give the opponent a chance to trash rather than gain a Silver. Not so impressive. Especially since the opponent can choose to trash a Fortress and thus gain a -coster for free.
- Graverobber and Expand can gain you cards - but that's just a tad short of what you need for a Province. Perhaps you want to stock up on King's Courts? Maybe if Upgrade or Remake are in the Kingdom...
- Butcher can gain you powerful cards while also giving you a Coffers. Also, you can eventually turn the Fortresses into Provinces.
- Stonemason gains 2 cards, and only costs !
- Transmogrify can gain you free cards at the beginning of your turn straight to your hand!
- Zombie Mason, which is played by Necromancer can gain cards, but it is very unreliable and probably won't hit a Fortress.
- Exorcist gains Imps and Wisps, and Imps can be very hard to get
- Improve gives you both + but also gains a card costing . It also doesn't trash from your hand, so can be used after you played the Fortress.
- Dismantle gains a card and a Gold.
- Mandatory trashers - cards that give some benefit but require you to trash a card to get it.
- Rats turns into a straight-up cantrip Rats gainer when you have a Fortress in hand. If you have a reason for wanting all 20 Rats in the end-game, maybe to pile them out or to pump up your Gardens, Fortress can help you get them without having them eat the rest of your deck.
- Altar can target Fortress if you just want to gain cards without trashing anything.
- Death Cart can become a terminal Platinum with no drawback if you have Fortress in hand.
- Junk Dealer, Trade Route and Forager can be used for the + and +Buy in the late-game.
- Trade can gain Silvers, although if you have a Fortress, you probably are playing an engine, in which case you probably don't want the Silvers.
- Temple can trash a Fortress if you have no cards in hand that you want to trash.
- Bat can turn back into a Vampire for free if you have a Fortress in hand.
- Cathedral can trash Fortress once you have run out of useless cards.
- Advance can gain Actions without having to trash anything. This is probably best used with +Buy.
- Zombie Apprentice, which is played by Necromancer gives you a double Lab effect.
- Hideout can still give the Village effect with a Fortress in hand.
- Priest gives the player the without having to trash anything.
- Situational trashers - a few cards with weird trashing properties.
- Forge becomes pretty great, since you can Forge two Fortresses into a Province. Throne Room a Forge? Two Provinces! King's Court a Forge? Three Provinces! Ah ah ah!
- Transmute... well, Transmuting a Fortress can gain you a Duchy for free. Seems sorta sad putting this on the line right after Forge. King's Court a Transmute for three Duchies... Ah ah ah...
- Hermit can trash a Fortress from your discard pile to put it in your hand.
- Watchtower isn't really a trasher, but can put the Fortress into your hand immediately after you gain it (say, with Ironworks) by "trashing" it.
- Lurker can gain a Fortress straight to hand.
- Catapult can give the opponent Curses while getting money for a card!
- Sacrifice gives the Lost City effect.
- Trashing attacks.
- Procession!!!!! Now we get to the meat of this list, with all of the broken combos!
- This gets its own bullet point and sub-bullet point. Playing Procession on Fortress gets you +2 cards and +4 Actions, AND lets you gain a action. You have all the actions you need to play all those juicy expensive terminals. Awesome.
- Standard trash for benefit cards are all amazing with Fortress.
- Apprentice draws you four cards - that's as good as THREE Laboratories, or like a Village followed by a Hunting Grounds. Consider your deck drawn.
- Salvager gives + and a buy. Pretty nice.
- Trader gives you four Silvers. Probably not that impressive if you're running an engine that will get gummed up, though. Maybe with Feodum this is a good idea, or if you've trashed all the treasure in your deck already. (Maybe with Counterfeit?)
- Raze gives you one card from the top 4, which is like a much more powerful Border Guard.
- Ritual essentially gains you a card worth 3 by trashing a Fortress
- Research does the same as Apprentice, but for the next turn.
- Recruiter can give 4 Villagers, but often you already have enough Actions because of the Fortresses. On the other hand, Recruiter can be used for its draw if you have nothing to trash.
- Scrap can be used as a Market or a lot of other things.
- And in the spirit of saving the best for last, BISHOP. Bishop and Fortress combine to create an endless unstoppable Golden Deck of pure victory points. Even with no other cards, if you have a deck of four Bishops and four Fortresses, you can play all four Bishops every turn, trash the same Fortress four times for an incredible 12 per turn with no change in deck composition and no chance of bad shuffle luck. King's Court can trivially ratchet this up to 18 /turn, and I don't even want to think about what you could do if you made it into a setup with double Tactician.
Terminal trash-for-benefit trashers are sometimes awkward with Fortress until a deck can reliably draw two Fortresses. Buying a Villa can often usefully continue a turn in this situation.
Synergies/Combos
To summarize the list above:
- Fortress is absolutely amazing with Procession and Bishop.
- It can have very powerful interactions with other trash for benefit cards like Apprentice or Salvager
- Villa when paired with terminal trash for benefit cards
- It can be used to provide endless fuel to mandatory-trashers that give other benefits like Altar or Death Cart
- It can defend against trashing attacks
- In a pinch, it can function as a standard Village
Antisynergies
- Lack of trashers makes it a boring Village
- And when would you ever get it in Big Money?
- Governor (sort of)
Versions
English versions
Digital | Text | Release | Date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
+1 Card. +2 Actions. When you trash this, put it into your hand. |
Dark Ages 1st Edition | August 2012 | ||
+1 Card. +2 Actions. When you trash this, put it into your hand. |
Dark Ages 2nd Edition | September 2017 |
Other language versions
Language | Name | Digital | Text | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Czech | Pevnost | ||||
Dutch | Vesting | ||||
Finnish | Linnoitus | ||||
French | Forteresse | ||||
German | Festung | +1 Karte +2 Aktionen Wenn du diese Karte entsorgst, nimm sie zurück auf die Hand. |
|||
Japanese | 城塞 (pron. jōsai) | +1 カードを引く。 +2 アクション。 これを廃棄するとき、手札に加える。 | |||
Korean | 요새 (pron. yosae) | ||||
Polish | Forteca | Although Polish version is not released, this card is referred to in the Polish version of Empires rulebook | |||
Russian | Крепость (pron. kryepost') | ||||
Spanish | Fortaleza |
Trivia
Secret History