Non-Attack interaction
Dominion is occasionally caricatured as "multi-player solitaire", in that in some circumstances it is possible for each player to independently build their own deck, with no direct interaction between different players' strategies and deck compositions. This tendency is mitigated, however, by the presence of cards that affect players other than their owners; this arguably makes the game more fun and strategic by keeping each player involved even during other players' turns. Attack cards are interactive in this way, but also tend to delay the game and are unpopular with some players; for this reason Donald X. Vaccarino thought it important to include non-Attack cards that cause interaction between players as well. At an early stage of development non-Attack interaction was the theme of the "War" expansion that eventually was revised into Dark Ages; it ended up being a subtheme of Prosperity, an expansion with relatively few Attack cards. But some such cards are present in each expansion.
A few non-Attack interactive cards—most commonly Masquerade, Tribute, and Possession—are occasionally mistaken for Attacks by new players, who expect to be able to use Reaction cards like Moat to respond to them and are disappointed to learn that they can't. However, unlike Attack cards, using these cards on average neither benefits nor hurts the players they target, in the absence of very particular combos.
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Non-Attack interactive cards
Cards that give a small benefit to other players
Cards whose effect depends on another player's deck, turn, or hand
Cards that allow another player to make a decision
Other interactive effects
- Masquerade swaps cards about between all players' hands.
- Embargo tokens affect all players equally once placed.
Fringe cases
- The Reaction cards Moat, Secret Chamber, Horse Traders, Beggar, Caravan Guard are interactive, but only in the presence of Attacks.
- Other Reaction cards (Watchtower, Tunnel, Trader, Market Square), as well as many other cards, have effects that can be triggered on other players' turns by some Attacks or other interactive cards.
- Ill-Gotten Gains and Raid are interactive and aren't technically Attacks, but they fill the same function as Attacks do.
- Rogue is an Attack, but its gaining effect depends on the shared resource of the Trash in the same way Graverobber does.
- Soothsayer is an Attack, but also gives its victims a short-term benefit like Council Room and Governor.