Ironworks
Ironworks | |
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Info | |
Cost | |
Type(s) | Action |
Kingdom card? | Yes |
Set | Intrigue |
Illustrator(s) | Martin Hoffmann |
Card text | |
Gain a card costing up to . If the gained card is an… Action card, +1 Action Treasure card, + Victory card, +1 Card |
Ironworks is an Action card from Intrigue. It is a gainer which allows you to gain cheap (sub-) Actions, Treasures, and Victory cards without buying them. Since it is nonterminal when gaining Action cards such as other Ironworks, it can enable lightning-fast rushes; it is also very convenient for picking up cheap engine pieces.
Contents |
FAQ
Official FAQ
- The card you gain comes from the Supply and is put into your discard pile.
- You get bonuses depending on the types of the card you gained.
- A card with 2 types gives you both bonuses; if you use Ironworks to gain a Mill, you both draw a card and get +1 Action.
Other Rules Clarifications
- If you do not actually gain the card you chose, such as because of Trader or Possession, you get no bonus.
- Curse cards are not Actions, Victories, or Treasures, so you get no bonus for gaining one, though you would generally not want to.
- Cards that change type when gained, such as Estates after Inheritance has been bought, give the bonus corresponding to the types they have after being gained. So if Inheritance set aside a Village, and you gained an Estate with Ironworks, you would get +1 Card and +1 Action.
Strategy Article
There is no strategy article currently written for Ironworks.
Ironworks is similar to Workshop but is much more powerful in many situations. Because it gives a +Action when gaining actions, it is especially useful in building an engine. Ironworks is nearly always preferential to Workshop, the only small downside being that its higher cost makes it impossible to open double Ironworks.
The best use of Ironworks is usually to pick up cheap engine pieces like Villages or Smithies. It is less useful on boards that require too many -cost pieces for engine construction.
Like Workshop, Ironworks is an excellent aid to rush strategies involving cheap alt-VP, like Silk Road or Gardens. Not only does Ironworks aid the acquisition of key VP cards, but it helps to quickly end the game on emptying cheap piles.
Because it functions as a cantrip with cheap Action-VP cards like Mill and Island, Ironworks is much more valuable on boards including these cards, especially on boards where these cards are desirable for other reasons, such as in the presence of Crossroads. Mill enables Ironworks to be played somewhat like a Monument offering +1 Card, +1 Action instead of +. 2 cards like Island and Tunnel can also be gained in the endgame to help achieve a lead or catch up when behind in Provinces.
Ironworks synergizes well with Upgrade, in part because both cards offer +1 Action. Ironworks can gain -cost actions in quantity, which can be upgraded into key -cost cards, or Duchies in the endgame. Remodel can have a similar effect, but this typically requires Villages to play +Actions.
Ironworks can occasionally be useful to gain Silver, although this use is less common. This use of Ironworks tends to be most beneficial on boards without a strong engine, such as Duke/Duchy strategies, but it can also be used if you reach and need an extra to buy a Province.
Synergies/Combos
- Ironworks enables fast and powerful Gardens and Silk Road rushes.
- Since it is non-terminal when gaining Actions, Ironworks is also a top-notch Vineyard enabler.
- The cheap dual-type cards Mill and Island can be picked up for free
- Ironworks to gain Silvers is good for a Duke strategy.
- Ironworks is a good enabler of a Caravan engine.
- Highway (and Bridge with a source of +Actions) expands the range of cards that can be gained, including other Highway.
Antisynergies
Versions
English versions
Digital | Text | Release | Date | |
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Gain a card costing up to . If it is an… Action card, +1 Action. Treasure card, +. Victory card, +1 Card. | Intrigue 1st Edition | July 2009 | ||
Gain a card costing up to . If the gained card is an… Action card, +1 Action. Treasure card, +. Victory card, +1 Card. | Intrigue 2nd Edition | October 2016 |
Other language versions
Trivia
Secret History