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Dominion Draft
This is a variant of the game Dominion where rather than having a communal pool of cards you can buy from, each player has their own (smaller) exclusive set. Before playing, these cards are selected by players with a draft. Below I will outline the various sorts of draft you can use with different numbers of players.
Dominion has many expansions. This draft has been designed to play with just the base game. If you do have expansions or later versions it will also work. You can use any set of at least 23 action cards with any of these drafts. If the set you are playing with contains reasonable 2- and 5-cost cards (for example, Prosperity does not) include a dummy '5/2' card (rules below).
Common rules
While the draft varies a bit between the different types there are some rules common to both:
- The regular number of treasure and points cards are laid out as a shared pool which all players buy from
- Each player will have 6 drafted cards which only they can buy in addition to the shared ones
- If the garden is drafted, then only play with 6 copies, even with more than two players
- Players always start with a 4 and a 3 cost buy
- One of the cards which can be drafted is the 5/2 start card. In that case the player starts with a 5 and a 2 cost buy. If drafted you cannot choose to start with a 4 and a 3 instead.
- Give players 6 of each action card, rather than 10, including the Gardens if drafted and regardless of the number of players. Use the regular number of shared cards depending on player
Two-player drafts
Rotissary draft
Lay out all 26 action cards plus the 5/2 card face up. The players will alternate picks and bans between each other, ending up with 8 cards being banned and 12 cards being picked, with the final 7 cards being discarded. The order of picks and bans is:
| Player 1 | Player 2 |
|---|---|
| Ban 1 | |
| Ban 1 | |
| Ban 2 | |
| Ban 2 | |
| Pick 1 | |
| Pick 1 + 2 | |
| Pick 2 + 3 | |
| Pick 3 | |
| Ban 3 | |
| Ban 4 | |
| Ban 5 | |
| Ban 6 | |
| Pick 4 | |
| Pick 4 + 5 | |
| Pick 5 + 6 | |
| Pick 6 |
Booster Draft
Divide the 26 action cards and the 5/2 card randomly into 4 booster packs of 6, two per player. Players draft simultaneously from their packs. At each turn players draft one card and discard one card from the pack, then pass the booster to their opponent. Thus from the first pair of packs players will get two cards from their pack and one from their opponent's pack. After the first pack, repeat the process from the second pack.
Three-player drafts
Rotissary draft
Lay out all 26 action cards plus the 5/2 card face up. The players will alternate picks and bans between each other, ending up with 6 cards being banned and 18 cards being picked, with the final 3 cards being discarded. The order of picks and bans is:
| Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Ban 1 | ||
| Ban 1 | ||
| Ban 1 | ||
| Pick 1 | ||
| Pick 1 | ||
| Pick 1 + 2 | ||
| Pick 2 | ||
| Pick 2+3 | ||
| Pick 3 | ||
| Pick 3 | ||
| Ban 2 | ||
| Ban 2 | ||
| Ban 2 | ||
| Pick 4 | ||
| Pick 4 | ||
| Ban 4 + 5 | ||
| Pick 5 | ||
| Pick 5+6 | ||
| Pick 6 | ||
| Pick 6 |
Booster Draft
Divide the 26 action cards and the 5/2 card randomly into 6 booster packs of 4, two per player. Players draft simultaneously from their packs. Three cards are drafted from each pack, one by each player, then the final card is discarded. Players get three cards from the first pack and three from the second.
Four-player drafts
Rotissary draft
Lay out all 26 action cards plus the 5/2 card face up. The players will pick cards up the line and then back down the line, ending with 24 cards drafted and the final three are discarded.
| Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pick 1 | |||
| Pick 1 | |||
| Pick 1 | |||
| Pick 1 + 2 | |||
| Pick 2 | |||
| Pick 2 | |||
| Pick 2 + 3 | |||
| Pick 3 | |||
| Pick 3 | |||
| Pick 3 + 4 | |||
| Pick 4 | |||
| Pick 4 | |||
| Pick 4 + 5 | |||
| Pick 5 | |||
| Pick 5 | |||
| Pick 5 + 6 | |||
| Pick 6 | |||
| Pick 6 | |||
| Pick 6 |
Booster Draft
Divide the 26 action cards and the 5/2 card randomly into 8 booster packs of 3, two per player. Draft all cards from all boosters.
Grid draft
In contrast to the previous drafts, where you draft an action card and have 6 of them to buy from, this you draft the individual - possibly singleton - cards. Each card you draft can only be bought once, unless you draft the same card more than once.
Take the action cards which will be drafted and create four packs of nine per player. For two players you can do this with one of each card per player from 3+ expansions, two of each card from two expansions, or three of each card from one expansion.
In turn each player lays out a pack of nine in a 3x3 grid. They select a row or a column to draft, followed by each player in turn selecting a row or column from the remainder. Stop when all players have drafted or the cards are exhausted and discard the remainder. Rotate around players until all packs have been drafted.
Each player may only buy copies of cards which they drafted, plus the shared victory and treasure cards. Always add the Gardens or any other similar extra victory or treasure cards to the shared pool.
Unlike with the regular game, do not consider whether any action piles have been emptied (since they may only start with one card), but instead only consider the victory piles, but in addition, when half of either the Colonys or Provinces have been gained, treat one pile has having been emptied.
Varying the cards to be drafted
You can select the balance of cards that are available to draft from. For example, you could include more copies of cheaper cards than more expensive cards, or more copies of cards that you enjoy playing with, or omit cards that you don't enjoy.
