Hinterlands
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− | '''Hinterlands''' is the sixth Dominion expansion, released in October 2011. The box contains 26 sets of Kingdom | + | '''Hinterlands''' is the sixth Dominion expansion, released in October 2011. The box contains 26 sets of [[Kingdom]] cards. The basic theme of the set is cards that either have or cause effects when you buy or gain them. Hinterlands offers a balance of [[engine]], [[Big Money]], and [[Alt-VP|alternate VP]] cards. Since it was originally conceived as a standalone, Hinterlands was deliberately kept on the simpler side, but the "when you gain/buy" mechanic introduced makes the set compelling to novice and experienced players alike. |
+ | |||
+ | The release of Hinterlands is perceived to have pushed Dominion strategy away from heavily streamlined, small-deck [[Action]] engines and toward navigating bulky decks: it emphasizes [[sifter|sifting]] and [[gainer#Silver gainers|Silver-gaining]], and has no cards that [[trash]] more than one card at a time. Hinterlands also emphasizes diversity in [[Kingdom]] [[card types]]: it is the only expansion to contain multiple [[Treasure]]s, [[Reaction]]s, and [[Victory]] cards. | ||
+ | |||
== Contents == | == Contents == | ||
− | === Kingdom | + | === Kingdom cards === |
* {{Cost|2}}: {{Card|Crossroads}}, {{Card|Duchess}}, {{Card|Fool's Gold}} | * {{Cost|2}}: {{Card|Crossroads}}, {{Card|Duchess}}, {{Card|Fool's Gold}} | ||
* {{Cost|3}}: {{Card|Develop}}, {{Card|Oasis}}, {{Card|Oracle}}, {{Card|Scheme}}, {{Card|Tunnel}} | * {{Cost|3}}: {{Card|Develop}}, {{Card|Oasis}}, {{Card|Oracle}}, {{Card|Scheme}}, {{Card|Tunnel}} | ||
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* {{Cost|6}}: {{Card|Border Village}}, {{Card|Farmland}} | * {{Cost|6}}: {{Card|Border Village}}, {{Card|Farmland}} | ||
− | == Additional | + | == Additional rules == |
− | * Many cards in Hinterlands do something "when you gain" or "when you buy" that card or another card. | + | * Many cards in Hinterlands do something "when you gain" or "when you buy" that card or another card. |
+ | ** When you buy a card, you first buy it, then gain it. So, for example, if you have {{Card|Haggler}} in play and buy {{Card|Embassy}}, you first resolve {{Card|Haggler|Haggler's}} "when you buy" ability, then gain {{Card|Embassy}}, then resolve {{Card|Embassy|Embassy's}} "when you gain" ability. | ||
+ | ** When you gain a card without buying it, "when you gain" abilities will still happen, but "when you buy" abilities will not. | ||
+ | ** "When you gain this" happens directly after you gain the card; the card will be in your discard pile already (or wherever else it was put) when you resolve that ability. | ||
+ | ** When playing a card, its "when you gain/buy" abilities no longer do anything. | ||
+ | ** You can sometimes buy a card without gaining it, such as by using {{Card|Trader}} to gain {{Card|Silver}} instead. You can also sometimes gain cards when it is not your turn. | ||
+ | ** The player that "when you buy" things happen for is the player who paid for the card, and the player that "when you gain" things happen for is the player who actually gained the card. Those are normally the same person, but can be different, for example due to the {{Set|Alchemy|Dominion: Alchemy}} card {{Card|Possession}}. | ||
+ | * Examples: | ||
+ | ** You buy {{Card|Border Village}}. You gain it. Its ability happens; you gain a cheaper card. You choose to gain {{Card|Cache}}. {{Card|Cache|Cache's}} "when you gain this" ability then happens, and you gain 2 {{Card|Copper|Coppers}}. | ||
+ | ** You buy {{Card|Farmland}}. Its ability happens; you choose to trash an {{Card|Estate}} from your hand and gain a {{Card|Noble Brigand}}. {{Card|Noble Brigand}} has a "when you buy this" ability, but you did not buy it, so that ability does not do anything. Then you gain the {{Card|Farmland}}. | ||
+ | ** You play {{Card|Border Village}}. You get +1 Card and +2 Actions. You do not gain a card; that only happens when you gain {{Card|Border Village}}, not when you play it. | ||
− | == Flavor | + | == Flavor == |
{{Quote| | {{Quote| | ||
|Text=The world is big and your kingdom small. Small when compared to the world, that is; it’s moderate-sized when compared to other kingdoms. But in a big world like this one - big when compared to smaller worlds anyway, if such things exist; it’s moderate-sized when compared to worlds of roughly the same size, and a little small when compared to worlds just a little larger - well, to make a long story short - short when compared to longer stories anyway - it is time to stretch your borders. You’ve heard of far-off places - exotic countries, where they have pancakes but not waffles, where the people wear the wrong number of shirts, and don’t even have a word for the look two people give each other when they each hope that the other will do something that they both want done but which neither of them wants to do. It is to these lands that you now turn your gaze. | |Text=The world is big and your kingdom small. Small when compared to the world, that is; it’s moderate-sized when compared to other kingdoms. But in a big world like this one - big when compared to smaller worlds anyway, if such things exist; it’s moderate-sized when compared to worlds of roughly the same size, and a little small when compared to worlds just a little larger - well, to make a long story short - short when compared to longer stories anyway - it is time to stretch your borders. You’ve heard of far-off places - exotic countries, where they have pancakes but not waffles, where the people wear the wrong number of shirts, and don’t even have a word for the look two people give each other when they each hope that the other will do something that they both want done but which neither of them wants to do. It is to these lands that you now turn your gaze. | ||
− | |||
|Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]] | |Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]] | ||
− | |Source=[http:// | + | |Source=[http://riograndegames.com/Game/396-Dominion-Hinterlands the Dominion rulebook] |
}} | }} | ||
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− | == | + | == Cards gallery == |
− | + | {{CardImage|Crossroads}}{{CardImage|Duchess}}{{CardImage|Fool's Gold}}{{CardImage|Develop}}{{CardImage|Oasis}}{{CardImage|Oracle}}{{CardImage|Scheme}}{{CardImage|Tunnel}}{{CardImage|Jack of All Trades}}{{CardImage|Noble Brigand}}{{CardImage|Nomad Camp}}{{CardImage|Silk Road}}{{CardImage|Spice Merchant}}{{CardImage|Trader}}{{CardImage|Cache}}{{CardImage|Cartographer}}{{CardImage|Embassy}}{{CardImage|Haggler}}{{CardImage|Highway}}{{CardImage|Ill-Gotten Gains}}{{CardImage|Inn}}{{CardImage|Mandarin}}{{CardImage|Margrave}}{{CardImage|Stables}}{{CardImage|Border Village}}{{CardImage|Farmland}} | |
− | + | == Reception and impact == | |
− | + | === Reviews === | |
− | + | Here are some articles and reviews of Hinterlands: | |
+ | * [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=356.0 Hinterlands Speculation] | ||
+ | * [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=801.0 Staggered Release Discussion] | ||
+ | * [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=823.0 Full List Leak Discussion] | ||
+ | * [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=947.0 Three Sentence Overviews]. | ||
=== Engines === | === Engines === | ||
− | Hinterlands introduced a number of cards which are popular in building | + | Hinterlands introduced a number of cards which are popular in building [[engine]]s: |
− | * {{Card|Scheme}} | + | * {{Card|Scheme}}: Allows you the ability to top-deck actions played last turn. |
− | * {{Card|Highway}} | + | * {{Card|Highway}}: [[Cost reduction]] encourages megaturn strategies. |
− | * {{Card|Crossroads}} | + | * {{Card|Crossroads}}: The card is a cheap source of +Actions. |
− | * {{Card|Border Village}} | + | * {{Card|Border Village}}: Allows you to gain both a [[Village (Card type)|village]] and a powerful card costing {{Cost|5}}. |
− | * {{Card|Haggler}} | + | * {{Card|Haggler}}: Acts as a pseudo +Buy, giving you a cheaper extra card (perhaps a [[cantrip]] or [[Village (Card type)|village]]) to go with your main purchase. It also lets you continue to build while buying Victory cards. |
− | + | * {{Card|Inn}}: A [[Village (Card type)|village]] which is particularly good when much of the deck is discarded, to play multiple Actions in the same turn. | |
− | * {{Card|Inn}} | + | |
− | === Big | + | === Big money === |
− | The expansion offered three cards which are relatively effective for [[ | + | The expansion offered three cards which are relatively effective for [[big money]] strategies: |
− | * {{Card|Jack of | + | * {{Card|Jack of All Trades}}: A solid big money card because of its ability to both gain {{Card|Silver}} and trash your starting {{Card|Estate|Estates}} or {{Card|Curse|Curses}}. |
− | * {{Card|Embassy}} | + | * {{Card|Embassy}}: A card that combines large [[terminal draw]] and [[Sifter|sifting]]. |
− | * {{Card|Oracle}} | + | * {{Card|Oracle}}: A weak draw card, offset somewhat by its [[Attack]] and sifting ability. |
=== Rushes === | === Rushes === | ||
− | Hinterlands has two cards which will often lead to rush strategies | + | Hinterlands has two cards which will often lead to [[rush]] strategies: |
− | * {{Card|Silk Road}} | + | * {{Card|Silk Road}}: An easy rush option with {{Card|Workshop}} or {{Card|Ironworks}}. The card gains a lot of power with the presence of cheap [[Alt-VP|alternate VP]] such as {{Card|Tunnel}} or {{Card|Mill}}. |
− | * {{Card|Ill-Gotten Gains}} | + | * {{Card|Ill-Gotten Gains}}: Finishing off the {{Card|Ill-Gotten Gains}} pile will typically empty the {{Card|Curse}} pile at the same time. {{Card|Estate}} or {{Card|Duchy}} is typically the third pile to be emptied in these rushes. |
=== Silver === | === Silver === | ||
− | There seems to be a consensus in the Dominion community that Hinterlands increased the importance of {{Card|Silver}} relative to the other expansions | + | There seems to be a consensus in the Dominion community that Hinterlands increased the importance of {{Card|Silver}} relative to the other expansions: |
− | * {{Card|Jack of | + | * {{Card|Jack of All Trades}}: Displayed the power of gaining {{Card|Silver}} for simple [[big money]] strategies. |
− | * {{Card|Trader}} | + | * {{Card|Trader}}: Showed the potential of flooding your deck with {{Card|Silver}}. |
− | * {{Card|Silk Road}} | + | * {{Card|Silk Road}}: A way to easily gain {{Card|Silver}} is often all that is needed to enable a Silk Road rush. |
=== "Fixes" === | === "Fixes" === | ||
Hinterlands introduced cards that can, in a broad sense, be considered "better" versions of earlier cards - that is, an attempt was made to "fix" what seemed to be problems with the original cards. | Hinterlands introduced cards that can, in a broad sense, be considered "better" versions of earlier cards - that is, an attempt was made to "fix" what seemed to be problems with the original cards. | ||
− | * {{Card|Noble Brigand}} | + | * {{Card|Noble Brigand}}: A "better" {{Card|Thief}}, since it doesn't trash {{Card|Copper}} (and in fact distributes them), and gives [[virtual coin]]. However, it cannot gain more exotic [[Treasure]]s. (Thief was later [[removed]] from the {{Set|Dominion|Base set}} and replaced with another "fix", {{Card|Bandit}}.) |
− | * {{Card|Spice Merchant}} | + | * {{Card|Spice Merchant}}: A "better" {{Card|Moneylender}}, that is more flexible, both in what it can trash, and what it does after trashing, though it does not give as much +{{Coin}}. |
− | * {{Card|Cartographer}} | + | * {{Card|Cartographer}}: A "better" {{Card|Scout}}, it discards from your deck instead of drawing [[Victory card]]s, and also draws a card, though it costs more. (Scout was later removed from {{Card|Intrigue}}.) |
− | * {{Card|Highway}} | + | * {{Card|Highway}}: A "better" {{Card|Bridge}}, it brings costs down much more easily given its [[cantrip]] nature (and thus is much better for tricks requiring cost-reduction), but is more expensive, can't be [[Throne Room variant|Throned]], and does not give [[+Buy]]. |
− | == | + | == Theme == |
− | Game designer Donald X. offered some insight into some themes of the set [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=1818.msg28889#msg28889 here]. | + | Game designer [[Donald X.]] offered some insight into some themes of the set [http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=1818.msg28889#msg28889 here]. |
− | * 9 | + | * 9 effects when gained/bought: {{Card|Noble Brigand}}, {{Card|Nomad Camp}}, {{Card|Cache}}, {{Card|Embassy}}, {{Card|Ill-Gotten Gains}}, {{Card|Inn}}, {{Card|Mandarin}}, {{Card|Border Village}}, {{Card|Farmland}} |
− | * 4 | + | * 4 other interaction with gain/buy: {{Card|Duchess}}, {{Card|Fool's Gold}}, {{Card|Trader}}, {{Card|Haggler}} |
− | * 7 Victory/Treasure/Reaction: Fool's Gold, Tunnel, Silk Road, Trader, Cache, Ill-Gotten Gains, Farmland | + | * 7 [[Victory]]/[[Treasure]]/[[Reaction]]: {{Card|Fool's Gold}}, {{Card|Tunnel}}, {{Card|Silk Road}}, {{Card|Trader}}, {{Card|Cache}}, {{Card|Ill-Gotten Gains}}, {{Card|Farmland}} |
− | * 4 | + | * 4 interact with Victory cards: {{Card|Crossroads}}, {{Card|Duchess}}, {{Card|Fool's Gold}}, {{Card|Silk Road}} |
− | * 8 | + | * 8 card [[Sifter|filtering]]: {{Card|Oasis}}, {{Card|Oracle}}, {{Card|Jack of All Trades}}, {{Card|Cartographer}}, {{Card|Embassy}}, {{Card|Inn}}, {{Card|Margrave}}, {{Card|Stables}} |
== Trivia == | == Trivia == | ||
[[Image:HinterlandsArt.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Official box art.]] | [[Image:HinterlandsArt.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Official box art.]] | ||
− | Hinterlands | + | Hinterlands and {{Set|Adventures}} are the only expansions to not feature any new illustrators. |
+ | |||
=== In other languages === | === In other languages === | ||
* Czech: Vzdálené kraje (lit. ''outlying counties'') | * Czech: Vzdálené kraje (lit. ''outlying counties'') | ||
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* Spanish: Comarcas (lit. ''regions'') | * Spanish: Comarcas (lit. ''regions'') | ||
− | === Secret | + | === Secret history === |
− | {{Quote|Text=Originally, there were just some cards. One day I split up the cards into a main set and two expansions. I divided the expansion cards by themes; the first expansion got one- | + | {{Quote|Text=Originally, there were just some cards. One day I split up the cards into a main set and two expansions. I divided the expansion cards by themes; the first expansion got [[one-shot]]s, decision cards, and cards with two [[type]]s, while the second expansion got cards that [[Duration|did something on your next turn]] and cards that did something when you gained them. |
− | + | ||
− | When I showed the game to RGG, I had five expansions. During development of the main game, I briefly tried out the expansions in 16-card versions. As part of doing this, I split up the second expansion into two expansions - one for the next turn theme, another for the right now theme. Both themes seemed good enough to support an expansion. Later, when I turned everything back into 20-card expansions (which became 25 during work on | + | When I showed the game to [[RGG]], I had five expansions. During development of the main game, I briefly tried out the expansions in 16-card versions. As part of doing this, I split up the second expansion into two expansions - one for the next turn theme, another for the right now theme. Both themes seemed good enough to support an expansion. Later, when I turned everything back into 20-card expansions (which became 25 during work on {{Set|Intrigue}}), I kept those two themes separated. The next turn theme came out as the actual second expansion, {{Card|Seaside}}, and now finally we have come to the when-you-gain-this expansion. |
− | + | ||
A few of these cards date back to 2006, and the original expansion with both themes. More are from when I split up the themes, then more got added to get back up to 25, and of course some cards are more recent, due to the usual process of getting rid of duds and trying new things. | A few of these cards date back to 2006, and the original expansion with both themes. More are from when I split up the themes, then more got added to get back up to 25, and of course some cards are more recent, due to the usual process of getting rid of duds and trying new things. | ||
− | + | ||
− | For most of its life, this has been an ordinary expansion. For a while there though, I was thinking maybe it would be good to do another standalone. There are various virtures to standalones; someone else can talk them up, as I know there are other people who will argue against them. Anyway it seemed good to me. And so for a bit I focused on trying to make sure the set wasn't as complex as the couple sets before it. It gets some simplicity from the when-gain theme, although some of those cards still look complicated because they need text for both the normal and when-gain abilities. This focus helped protect a few of the simpler cards, and then late in the going Jay decided it would be a normal expansion after all. So the set is 300 cards, with no | + | For most of its life, this has been an ordinary expansion. For a while there though, I was thinking maybe it would be good to do another standalone. There are various virtures to standalones; someone else can talk them up, as I know there are other people who will argue against them. Anyway it seemed good to me. And so for a bit I focused on trying to make sure the set wasn't as complex as the couple sets before it. It gets some simplicity from the when-gain theme, although some of those cards still look complicated because they need text for both the normal and when-gain abilities. This focus helped protect a few of the simpler cards, and then late in the going [[Jay Tummelson|Jay]] decided it would be a normal expansion after all. So the set is 300 cards, with no [[token]]s or anything, and had that extra push towards simplicity, which is nice. And for those of you who were wondering, this is also why the rulebook has an unprecedented number of recommended sets of 10. |
− | + | ||
− | Some of you are thinking, simplicity lol. No really; whatever strategic complexity the set has, it does have some simple, easy-to-play cards; it's simpler than | + | Some of you are thinking, simplicity lol. No really; whatever strategic complexity the set has, it does have some simple, easy-to-play cards; it's simpler than {{Set|Prosperity}} but more complex than {{Card|Seaside}}. You can sit a new player down with {{Card|Nomad Camp}} and {{Card|Crossroads}} and so forth and while they may not know what they're doing, they won't be confused by their cards. |
− | + | ||
− | The when-gain theme was always the focus of the set. A few of the cards are when-buy instead; this was necessary, as I will explain for those cards. I have a few cards that latch onto when-gain from different angles, rather than just doing something when you gain them. And then, when-gain abilities are good fits for victory cards and treasure cards, so the set got three of each. Some of the victory cards died and were replaced by other ones without when-gain abilities, but there are three, see for yourself. With three victory cards and three treasures it seemed cool to have three | + | The when-gain theme was always the focus of the set. A few of the cards are when-buy instead; this was necessary, as I will explain for those cards. I have a few cards that latch onto when-gain from different angles, rather than just doing something when you gain them. And then, when-gain abilities are good fits for [[victory]] cards and [[treasure]] cards, so the set got three of each. Some of the victory cards died and were replaced by other ones without when-gain abilities, but there are three, see for yourself. With three victory cards and three treasures it seemed cool to have three [[reaction]]s, and towards the end I managed to squeeze in a third one. |
− | + | ||
− | Some of you who are word people or have internet access may note that one meaning of "hinterlands" is, the land behind the coast. So even the flavor is a complement to Seaside. | + | Some of you who are word people or have internet access may note that one meaning of "hinterlands" is, the land behind the coast. So even the flavor is a complement to {{Card|Seaside}}. |
− | + | |Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]] | |
− | |Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]] | + | |
|Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=909.0 The Secret History of the Hinterlands cards] | |Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=909.0 The Secret History of the Hinterlands cards] | ||
}} | }} | ||
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=== Retrospective === | === Retrospective === | ||
{{Quote| | {{Quote| | ||
− | |Text=Odds are I wasn't going to be so unhappy with this one either, given how recent it is. The one thing I can say is, I thought the set was simpler than people think it is, and I would be strongly tempted to simplify it a little given that I know people think it's complex. Basically make it a little more like the standalone it didn't end up being. To that end the obv. changes are to drop the | + | |Text=Odds are I wasn't going to be so unhappy with this one either, given how recent it is. The one thing I can say is, I thought the set was simpler than people think it is, and I would be strongly tempted to simplify it a little given that I know people think it's complex. Basically make it a little more like the standalone it didn't end up being. To that end the obv. changes are to drop the [[reaction]]s from {{Card|Fool's Gold}} and {{Card|Trader}}, to drop the above-line text on {{Card|Duchess}} (just leave it +{{Cost|2}}), and make a version of {{Card|Ill-Gotten Gains|IGG}} that just has {{Cost|1}} or {{Cost|2}} on the top. Possibly either {{Card|Inn}} or {{Card|Mandarin}} could change, I like them both as-is but they would be some of the wordiest cards left at that point. {{Card|Noble Brigand}} is wordy but it needs those words. Probably all of these changes sound awful to you, dear reader, but that's the way of the world. It's hard to see the value in the simplicity I'd gain, but there really is value there. Anyway I went with the more complex versions and it's not so bad that I did. |
|Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]] | |Name=[[Donald X. Vaccarino]] | ||
|Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=3179.msg56362#msg56362 What Donald X. Might Do With a Dominion Time Machine] | |Source=[http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=3179.msg56362#msg56362 What Donald X. Might Do With a Dominion Time Machine] | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | == Recommended | + | == Recommended sets of 10 == |
− | === Hinterlands | + | === Hinterlands only === |
{{Kingdom|Cache|Crossroads|Develop|Haggler|Jack of all Trades|Margrave|Nomad Camp|Oasis|Spice Merchant|Stables|imgwidth = 150|title = Introduction}} | {{Kingdom|Cache|Crossroads|Develop|Haggler|Jack of all Trades|Margrave|Nomad Camp|Oasis|Spice Merchant|Stables|imgwidth = 150|title = Introduction}} | ||
{{Kingdom|Border Village|Cartographer|Develop|Duchess|Farmland|Ill-Gotten Gains|Noble Brigand|Silk Road|Stables|Trader|imgwidth = 150|title = Fair Trades}} | {{Kingdom|Border Village|Cartographer|Develop|Duchess|Farmland|Ill-Gotten Gains|Noble Brigand|Silk Road|Stables|Trader|imgwidth = 150|title = Fair Trades}} | ||
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{{Kingdom|Flag Bearer|Lackeys|Mountain Village|Silk Merchant|Spices|Cartographer|Develop|Farmland|Haggler|Spice Merchant|project1 = Silos|imgwidth = 150|title = Sweetened Deals}} | {{Kingdom|Flag Bearer|Lackeys|Mountain Village|Silk Merchant|Spices|Cartographer|Develop|Farmland|Haggler|Spice Merchant|project1 = Silos|imgwidth = 150|title = Sweetened Deals}} | ||
{{Kingdom|Ducat|Patron|Scepter|Seer|Swashbuckler|Cache|Crossroads|Noble Brigand|Oasis|Trader|project1 = Barracks|project2 = Guildhall|imgwidth = 150|title = A Penny Saved}} | {{Kingdom|Ducat|Patron|Scepter|Seer|Swashbuckler|Cache|Crossroads|Noble Brigand|Oasis|Trader|project1 = Barracks|project2 = Guildhall|imgwidth = 150|title = A Penny Saved}} | ||
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Revision as of 23:53, 11 March 2020
Hinterlands | |
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![]() | |
![]() | |
Info | |
Type | Expansion |
Icon |
![]() |
Cards | 300 |
266 (26 sets) | |
26 | |
Blank Card(s) |
8 |
Theme(s) | On-buy/gain effects |
Release | October 2011 |
Cover artist | Ryan Laukat |
Official Rulebook |
Hinterlands is the sixth Dominion expansion, released in October 2011. The box contains 26 sets of Kingdom cards. The basic theme of the set is cards that either have or cause effects when you buy or gain them. Hinterlands offers a balance of engine, Big Money, and alternate VP cards. Since it was originally conceived as a standalone, Hinterlands was deliberately kept on the simpler side, but the "when you gain/buy" mechanic introduced makes the set compelling to novice and experienced players alike.
The release of Hinterlands is perceived to have pushed Dominion strategy away from heavily streamlined, small-deck Action engines and toward navigating bulky decks: it emphasizes sifting and Silver-gaining, and has no cards that trash more than one card at a time. Hinterlands also emphasizes diversity in Kingdom card types: it is the only expansion to contain multiple Treasures, Reactions, and Victory cards.
Contents
Kingdom cards
- Crossroads, Duchess, Fool's Gold :
- Develop, Oasis, Oracle, Scheme, Tunnel :
- Jack of all Trades, Noble Brigand, Nomad Camp, Silk Road, Spice Merchant, Trader :
- Cache, Cartographer, Embassy, Haggler, Highway, Ill-Gotten Gains, Inn, Mandarin, Margrave, Stables :
- Border Village, Farmland :
Additional rules
- Many cards in Hinterlands do something "when you gain" or "when you buy" that card or another card.
- When you buy a card, you first buy it, then gain it. So, for example, if you have Haggler in play and buy Embassy, you first resolve Haggler's "when you buy" ability, then gain Embassy, then resolve Embassy's "when you gain" ability.
- When you gain a card without buying it, "when you gain" abilities will still happen, but "when you buy" abilities will not.
- "When you gain this" happens directly after you gain the card; the card will be in your discard pile already (or wherever else it was put) when you resolve that ability.
- When playing a card, its "when you gain/buy" abilities no longer do anything.
- You can sometimes buy a card without gaining it, such as by using Trader to gain Silver instead. You can also sometimes gain cards when it is not your turn.
- The player that "when you buy" things happen for is the player who paid for the card, and the player that "when you gain" things happen for is the player who actually gained the card. Those are normally the same person, but can be different, for example due to the Dominion: Alchemy card Possession.
- Examples:
- You buy Border Village. You gain it. Its ability happens; you gain a cheaper card. You choose to gain Cache. Cache's "when you gain this" ability then happens, and you gain 2 Coppers.
- You buy Farmland. Its ability happens; you choose to trash an Estate from your hand and gain a Noble Brigand. Noble Brigand has a "when you buy this" ability, but you did not buy it, so that ability does not do anything. Then you gain the Farmland.
- You play Border Village. You get +1 Card and +2 Actions. You do not gain a card; that only happens when you gain Border Village, not when you play it.
Flavor
Cards gallery
Reception and impact
Reviews
Here are some articles and reviews of Hinterlands:
- Hinterlands Speculation
- Staggered Release Discussion
- Full List Leak Discussion
- Three Sentence Overviews.
Engines
Hinterlands introduced a number of cards which are popular in building engines:
- Scheme: Allows you the ability to top-deck actions played last turn.
- Highway: Cost reduction encourages megaturn strategies.
- Crossroads: The card is a cheap source of +Actions.
- Border Village: Allows you to gain both a village and a powerful card costing .
- Haggler: Acts as a pseudo +Buy, giving you a cheaper extra card (perhaps a cantrip or village) to go with your main purchase. It also lets you continue to build while buying Victory cards.
- Inn: A village which is particularly good when much of the deck is discarded, to play multiple Actions in the same turn.
Big money
The expansion offered three cards which are relatively effective for big money strategies:
- Jack of All Trades: A solid big money card because of its ability to both gain Silver and trash your starting Estates or Curses.
- Embassy: A card that combines large terminal draw and sifting.
- Oracle: A weak draw card, offset somewhat by its Attack and sifting ability.
Rushes
Hinterlands has two cards which will often lead to rush strategies:
- Silk Road: An easy rush option with Workshop or Ironworks. The card gains a lot of power with the presence of cheap alternate VP such as Tunnel or Mill.
- Ill-Gotten Gains: Finishing off the Ill-Gotten Gains pile will typically empty the Curse pile at the same time. Estate or Duchy is typically the third pile to be emptied in these rushes.
Silver
There seems to be a consensus in the Dominion community that Hinterlands increased the importance of Silver relative to the other expansions:
- Jack of All Trades: Displayed the power of gaining Silver for simple big money strategies.
- Trader: Showed the potential of flooding your deck with Silver.
- Silk Road: A way to easily gain Silver is often all that is needed to enable a Silk Road rush.
"Fixes"
Hinterlands introduced cards that can, in a broad sense, be considered "better" versions of earlier cards - that is, an attempt was made to "fix" what seemed to be problems with the original cards.
- Noble Brigand: A "better" Thief, since it doesn't trash Copper (and in fact distributes them), and gives virtual coin. However, it cannot gain more exotic Treasures. (Thief was later removed from the Base set and replaced with another "fix", Bandit.)
- Spice Merchant: A "better" Moneylender, that is more flexible, both in what it can trash, and what it does after trashing, though it does not give as much + .
- Cartographer: A "better" Scout, it discards from your deck instead of drawing Victory cards, and also draws a card, though it costs more. (Scout was later removed from Intrigue.)
- Highway: A "better" Bridge, it brings costs down much more easily given its cantrip nature (and thus is much better for tricks requiring cost-reduction), but is more expensive, can't be Throned, and does not give +Buy.
Theme
Game designer Donald X. offered some insight into some themes of the set here.
- 9 effects when gained/bought: Noble Brigand, Nomad Camp, Cache, Embassy, Ill-Gotten Gains, Inn, Mandarin, Border Village, Farmland
- 4 other interaction with gain/buy: Duchess, Fool's Gold, Trader, Haggler
- 7 Victory/Treasure/Reaction: Fool's Gold, Tunnel, Silk Road, Trader, Cache, Ill-Gotten Gains, Farmland
- 4 interact with Victory cards: Crossroads, Duchess, Fool's Gold, Silk Road
- 8 card filtering: Oasis, Oracle, Jack of All Trades, Cartographer, Embassy, Inn, Margrave, Stables
Trivia
Hinterlands and Adventures are the only expansions to not feature any new illustrators.
In other languages
- Czech: Vzdálené kraje (lit. outlying counties)
- Dutch: Het Achterland
- Finnish: Rajaseudut (lit. border regions)
- French: L'Arrière-Pays (lit. inland countries)
- German: Hinterland
- Italian: Nuovi orizzonti (lit. new horizons)
- Japanese: 異郷 (pron. ikyō, lit. strange land)
- Polish: W głąb lądu (note: as referred to in Polish Empires rulebook)
- Russian: Окраины (pron. okrainy, lit. outskirts)
- Spanish: Comarcas (lit. regions)
Secret history
When I showed the game to RGG, I had five expansions. During development of the main game, I briefly tried out the expansions in 16-card versions. As part of doing this, I split up the second expansion into two expansions - one for the next turn theme, another for the right now theme. Both themes seemed good enough to support an expansion. Later, when I turned everything back into 20-card expansions (which became 25 during work on Intrigue), I kept those two themes separated. The next turn theme came out as the actual second expansion, Seaside, and now finally we have come to the when-you-gain-this expansion.
A few of these cards date back to 2006, and the original expansion with both themes. More are from when I split up the themes, then more got added to get back up to 25, and of course some cards are more recent, due to the usual process of getting rid of duds and trying new things.
For most of its life, this has been an ordinary expansion. For a while there though, I was thinking maybe it would be good to do another standalone. There are various virtures to standalones; someone else can talk them up, as I know there are other people who will argue against them. Anyway it seemed good to me. And so for a bit I focused on trying to make sure the set wasn't as complex as the couple sets before it. It gets some simplicity from the when-gain theme, although some of those cards still look complicated because they need text for both the normal and when-gain abilities. This focus helped protect a few of the simpler cards, and then late in the going Jay decided it would be a normal expansion after all. So the set is 300 cards, with no tokens or anything, and had that extra push towards simplicity, which is nice. And for those of you who were wondering, this is also why the rulebook has an unprecedented number of recommended sets of 10.
Some of you are thinking, simplicity lol. No really; whatever strategic complexity the set has, it does have some simple, easy-to-play cards; it's simpler than Prosperity but more complex than Seaside. You can sit a new player down with Nomad Camp and Crossroads and so forth and while they may not know what they're doing, they won't be confused by their cards.
The when-gain theme was always the focus of the set. A few of the cards are when-buy instead; this was necessary, as I will explain for those cards. I have a few cards that latch onto when-gain from different angles, rather than just doing something when you gain them. And then, when-gain abilities are good fits for victory cards and treasure cards, so the set got three of each. Some of the victory cards died and were replaced by other ones without when-gain abilities, but there are three, see for yourself. With three victory cards and three treasures it seemed cool to have three reactions, and towards the end I managed to squeeze in a third one.
Some of you who are word people or have internet access may note that one meaning of "hinterlands" is, the land behind the coast. So even the flavor is a complement to Seaside.
Retrospective
Recommended sets of 10
Hinterlands only
Introduction [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Cache | Crossroads | Develop | Haggler | Jack of all Trades | ||||||||||
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Margrave | Nomad Camp | Oasis | Spice Merchant | Stables |
Fair Trades [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Border Village | Cartographer | Develop | Duchess | Farmland | ||||||||||
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Ill-Gotten Gains | Noble Brigand | Silk Road | Stables | Trader |
Bargains [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Border Village | Cache | Duchess | Fool's Gold | Haggler | ||||||||||
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Highway | Nomad Camp | Scheme | Spice Merchant | Trader |
Gambits [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Cartographer | Crossroads | Embassy | Inn | Jack of all Trades | ||||||||||
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Mandarin | Nomad Camp | Oasis | Oracle | Tunnel |
Hinterlands & Dominion
Highway Robbery [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Cellar | Library | Moneylender | Throne Room | Workshop | ||||||||||
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Highway | Inn | Margrave | Noble Brigand | Oasis |
Adventures Abroad [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Festival | Laboratory | Remodel | Sentry | Vassal | ||||||||||
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Crossroads | Farmland | Fool's Gold | Oracle | Spice Merchant |
Hinterlands & Intrigue
Money for Nothing [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Replace | Patrol | Pawn | Shanty Town | Torturer | ||||||||||
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Cache | Cartographer | Jack of all Trades | Silk Road | Tunnel |
The Duke's Ball [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Conspirator | Duke | Harem | Masquerade | Upgrade | ||||||||||
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Duchess | Haggler | Inn | Noble Brigand | Scheme |
Hinterlands & Seaside
Travelers [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Cutpurse | Island | Lookout | Merchant Ship | Warehouse | ||||||||||
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Cartographer | Crossroads | Farmland | Silk Road | Stables |
Diplomacy [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Ambassador | Bazaar | Caravan | Embargo | Smugglers | ||||||||||
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Embassy | Farmland | ill-Gotten Gains | Noble Brigand | Trader |
Hinterlands & Alchemy
Schemes and Dreams [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Apothecary | Apprentice | Herbalist | Philosopher's Stone | Transmute | ||||||||||
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Duchess | Fool's Gold | Ill-Gotten Gains | Jack of all Trades | Scheme | ||||||||||
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Potion | ||||||||||||||
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Wine Country [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Apprentice | Familiar | Golem | University | Vineyard | ||||||||||
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Crossroads | Farmland | Haggler | Highway | Nomad Camp | ||||||||||
Landscapes and Additional Cards | ||||||||||||||
Potion | ||||||||||||||
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Hinterlands & Prosperity
Instant Gratification [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Bishop | Expand | Hoard | Mint | Watchtower | ||||||||||
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Farmland | Haggler | Ill-Gotten Gains | Noble Brigand | Trader |
Treasure Trove [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Bank | Monument | Royal Seal | Trade Route | Venture | ||||||||||
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Cache | Develop | Fool's Gold | Ill-Gotten Gains | Mandarin |
Hinterlands & Cornucopia
Blue Harvest [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Hamlet | Horn of Plenty | Horse Traders | Jester | Tournament | ||||||||||
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Fool's Gold | Mandarin | Noble Brigand | Trader | Tunnel |
Traveling Circus [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Fairgrounds | Farming Village | Hunting Party | Jester | Menagerie | ||||||||||
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Border Village | Embassy | Fool's Gold | Nomad Camp | Oasis |
Hinterlands & Dark Ages
Far From Home [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Cartographer | Develop | Embassy | Fool's Gold | Haggler | ||||||||||
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Beggar | Count | Feodum | Marauder | Wandering Minstrel | ||||||||||
Landscapes and Additional Cards | ||||||||||||||
Ruins | ||||||||||||||
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Expeditions [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Crossroads | Farmland | Highway | Spice Merchant | Tunnel | ||||||||||
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Altar | Catacombs | Ironmonger | Poor House | Storeroom |
Hinterlands & Guilds
Exchanges [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Butcher | Herald | Masterpiece | Soothsayer | Stonemason | ||||||||||
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Border Village | Develop | Ill-Gotten Gains | Stables | Trader |
Road to Riches [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Advisor | Baker | Candlestick Maker | Journeyman | Merchant Guild | ||||||||||
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Crossroads | Farmland | Highway | Spice Merchant | Tunnel |
Hinterlands & Adventures
Traders and Raiders [images] | |||||||||||||||||
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Haunted Woods | Lost City | Page | Port | Wine Merchant | |||||||||||||
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Develop | Farmland | Haggler | Spice Merchant | Trader | |||||||||||||
Landscapes and Additional Cards | |||||||||||||||||
Raid | |||||||||||||||||
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Journeys [images] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Bridge Troll | Distant Lands | Giant | Guide | Ranger | ||||||||||||||||
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Cartographer | Crossroads | Highway | Inn | Silk Road | ||||||||||||||||
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Expedition | Inheritance | |||||||||||||||||||
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Hinterlands & Empires
Simple Plans [images] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Catapult | Forum | Patrician | Temple | Villa | ||||||||||||||||
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Border Village | Develop | Haggler | Ill-Gotten Gains | Stables | ||||||||||||||||
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Donate | Labyrinth | |||||||||||||||||||
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Expansion [images] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Castles | Charm | Encampment | Engineer | Legionary | ||||||||||||||||
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Cache | Farmland | Highway | Spice Merchant | Tunnel | ||||||||||||||||
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Battlefield | Fountain | |||||||||||||||||||
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Hinterlands & Nocturne
Search Party [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Cobbler | Conclave | Druid | Faithful Hound | Werewolf | ||||||||||
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Cartographer | Highway | Inn | Oasis | Scheme | ||||||||||
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Boons | Hexes | |||||||||||||
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The Mountain's Gift | The Sky's Gift | The Sun's Gift | ||||||||||||
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Counting Sheep [images] | ||||||||||||||
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Bard | Crypt | Leprechaun | Pooka | Shepherd | ||||||||||
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Crossroads | Farmland | Haggler | Noble Brigand | Tunnel | ||||||||||
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Boons | Hexes | |||||||||||||
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Hinterlands & Renaissance
Sweetened Deals [images] | |||||||||||||||||
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Flag Bearer | Lackeys | Mountain Village | Silk Merchant | Spices | |||||||||||||
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Cartographer | Develop | Farmland | Haggler | Spice Merchant | |||||||||||||
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A Penny Saved [images] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Ducat | Patron | Scepter | Seer | Swashbuckler | ||||||||||||||||
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Cache | Crossroads | Noble Brigand | Oasis | Trader | ||||||||||||||||
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Barracks | Guildhall | |||||||||||||||||||
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