Dominion: Hinterlands

Donald X. Vaccarino

Dominion Hinterlands

Rio Grande Games

The world is big and your kingdom small. Small when compared to the world, that is; it's moderatesized 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.
This is the 6th addition to the game of Dominion. It adds 26 new Kingdom cards to Dominion, including 20 Actions, 3 Treasures, 3 Victory cards, and 3 Reactions. The central theme is cards that do something immediately when you buy them or gain them. Dominion: Hinterlands cannot be played by itself; to play with it, you need the Basic cards and rulebook (Dominion provides both). We hope you enjoy this expanding world of Dominion!
Contents

300 Cards

266 Kingdom cards
10 each of Border Village, Cache, Cartographer, Crossroads, Develop, Duchess, Embassy, Fool’s Gold, Haggler, Highway, Ill-Gotten Gains, Inn, Jack of all Trades, Mandarin, Margrave, Noble Brigand, Nomad Camp, Oasis, Oracle, Scheme, Spice Merchant, Stables, Trader
12 each of Farmland, Silk Road, Tunnel
26 Randomizer cards
8 blank cards (7 standard back; 1 randomizer back)
1 Plastic organizer tray
1 Organizing Inlay
1 Rule Booklet

Preparation

Before the first game, remove the three sets of cards from their wrappings and place them in the card tray. One side of the included inlay suggests a way to organize the cards. The opposite side allows players to create an organization that fits their needs.
Hinterlands includes 26 randomizer cards (one for each Kingdom card in Hinterlands). Players will need the Treasure cards, Victory cards, Curse cards, and Trash card from either Dominion or Base Cards (or older editions of Intrigue), and the rules from Dominion to play with this expansion. As with previous Dominion games, players must choose 10 sets of Kingdom cards for each game. If players choose the random approach for choosing sets, they should shuffle the randomizer cards from this expansion with those of any other Dominion games they choose to play with.

Additional Rules for Hinterlands

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.
Kingdom Card Notes

Border Village: Normally Border Village costs 6 coin, so it comes with a card costing up to 5 coin. If Border Village has a different cost (such as due to Highway) then that affects what you gain with it (though Highway would also affect the other cards).
Border Village goes to your discard pile first, then the card you gain with it.
Cache: If there are not two Coppers left, gain as many as you can.
Cartographer: You draw a card first, then look at the top 4 cards of your deck. If there are fewer than 4 cards left (even after shuffling), just look at as many as you can. Discard any number of the cards you looked at - none, all four, or something in-between - and put the rest back on top of your deck in any order. You do not reveal any of the cards, except whatever ends up on top of your discard pile.
Crossroads: First reveal your hand, and draw a card for each Victory card you revealed, if any. The revealed cards all stay in your hand. Then, if this is the first time you played a Crossroads this turn, you get +3 Actions. Subsequent Crossroads this turn will give you cards but not Actions. If you use Throne Room on Crossroads, you will play Crossroads twice, getting +3 Actions the first time but not the second time.
Develop: First trash a card from your hand, if able. If you trashed a card, gain two cards, one costing exactly 1 coin more than the trashed card, and one costing exactly 1 coin less than the trashed card. The gained cards come from the Supply; gain them in either order, resolving any abilities due to gaining them also in that order. If there is no card in the Supply at one of the costs, you still gain the other card if you can. Put the gained cards on top of your deck rather than into your discard pile. If you trash a Copper, which costs 0 coin, you will fail to gain a card costing -1 coin (and try to gain a card costing 1 coin).
Duchess: When a player plays Duchess, each player secretly looks at the top card of their deck, and either discards it or puts it back, their choice. When a player gains a Duchy in a game with Duchess in the Supply, that player may also gain a Duchess, putting it into their discard pile.
Embassy: The Silvers come from the Supply and are put into discard piles. Gaining them is not optional for the other players. If there are not enough Silvers left to go around, deal them out in turn order, starting with the player whose turn it is.
Farmland: When you buy this, you trash a card from your hand if able, and if you did, you gain a card from the Supply costing exactly 2 coin more than the trashed card if able. If there are no cards left in your hand to trash, you do not trash or gain a card, and if you trashed a card but there are no cards in the Supply costing exactly more than the trashed card, you do not gain a card. This ability only functions when you buy Farmland, not when you gain it some other way. Use 8 copies of Farmland for games with 2 players, 12 for games with 3 or more players.
Fool's Gold: The first Fool's Gold you play in a turn is worth 1 coin, and all further copies are worth 1 coin . So if you play three of them, you get 1 coin + 4 coin + 4 coin , or 9 coin total. Fool's Gold is also a Reaction. When another player gains a Province, you may trash Fool's Gold from your hand to gain a Gold from the Supply, putting it onto your deck. You cannot use this ability when you gain a Province, only when another player does.
Haggler: While this is in play, whenever you buy a card, you gain a card that is cheaper than the card you bought, but not a Victory card. For example, you could buy a Province, and gain a Gold via Haggler. Gaining a card is not optional. The gained card comes from the Supply and is put into your discard pile. Haggler only gives you an extra card when you buy a card, not when you gain a card some other way (such as with Haggler itself). If there is no cheaper card available in the Supply (for example, if you buy Copper), you do not gain a card. Using Throne Room on Haggler will not gain you two cards per card bought, as there is still only one copy of Haggler in play. The bonus is cumulative though; if you have three Hagglers in play, you will gain three more cards for each card you buy.
Highway: This makes all cards cheaper (to a minimum of 0 coin) as long as it is in play. This applies to cards everywhere - cards in the Supply, cards in hand, cards in Decks, and so on. For example if you played Highway, then Develop, trashing a Copper, you could gain an Estate, as Estate would cost 1 coin while Copper would still cost 0 coin. Using Throne Room on Highway will not make cards cost 2 coin less, as there is still only one copy of Highway in play. The bonus is cumulative; if you have three Highways in play, all cards cost 3 coin less (to a minimum of 0 coin).
Ill-Gotten Gains: When you play this, you may gain a Copper. The Copper comes from the Supply and is put into your hand; you can immediately play it. When you gain Ill-Gotten Gains, each other player gains a Curse. The Curses come from the Supply and go into the players’ discard piles. If there are not enough Curses left to go around, deal them out in turn order. Ill-Gotten Gains is not an Attack, and gaining it is not playing an Attack; cards like Moat do not work against it.
Inn: When you gain this, you look through your discard pile (something normally not allowed), and shuffle any number of Action cards from it into your deck. You do not have to shuffle any Action cards into your deck. You can shuffle the Inn you just gained into your deck; it is an Action card in your discard pile. You must reveal the Action cards that you choose to shuffle into your deck. It does not matter what order you leave your discard pile in afterwards.
Jack of All Trades: This card does four separate things, in the order listed; you do all of them (the last one is optional). First, gain a Silver from the Supply, putting it into your discard pile. Second, look at the top card of your deck, and either discard it or put it back on top. If this causes you to shuffle, the Silver will be shuffled in. Third, draw cards until you have at least five cards in hand. If you already have five or more cards in hand, you do not draw any cards. Fourth, you may trash a card from your hand that is not a Treasure card.
Mandarin: When you gain this, you put all of your Treasures from play on top of your deck in any order. You do not have to show this order to other players. You have to put all of your Treasures on top; you cannot leave some out. You only put Treasures from play on top of your deck, not unplayed Treasures from your hand. This does not stop you from having the coins you got from playing those Treasures; for example, if you have +1 Buy and play four Golds and buy a Mandarin, you put the Golds on top of your deck, and still have 7 coin left to spend.
Margrave: Drawing a card is not optional for the other players. A player who only has 3 cards or fewer after drawing does not discard.
Noble Brigand: When you play this, get you get + 1 coin. When you play this and also when you buy it, each other player reveals the top two cards of their deck, trashes a Silver or Gold they revealed that you choose, and discards the rest. Each of these players that did not reveal a Treasure at all gains a Copper from the Supply, putting it into their discard pile. Finally, you gain all of the Silvers and Golds trashed this way. This cannot trash any Treasures except Silver or Gold. Gaining a Noble Brigand without buying it does not cause this ability to happen. Noble Brigand is an Attack card, and when you announce it, players can use cards like Moat in response. However, buying a Noble Brigand is not "playing an Attack card," and so cards like Moat cannot respond to that.
Nomad Camp: When you gain this card, it goes on top of your deck rather than into your discard pile. This is true whether you gained it due to buying it, or gained it some other way.
Oasis: You draw a card, get +1 Action and + coin , and then discard a card.
Oracle: First, each player, including you, reveals the top two cards of their deck, and either discards both of them or puts both of them back on top, your choice. A player putting the cards back puts them back in an order they choose, and without needing to reveal that order. Then, you draw two cards. So if you put back the cards you revealed, you will draw them.
Scheme: When you play this, you draw a card, get +1 Action, and set up an effect to happen later in the turn; once, when you discard an Action card from play, you can put it onto your deck. The Action card can be Scheme itself, or any other Action card you have in play, which might have been played before or after you played Scheme. Scheme is cumulative; if you play two Schemes, or Throne Room a Scheme, you will be able to put up to two discarded Action cards onto your deck, and so on.
Silk Road: Silk Roads count themselves. Round down; if you have 11 Victory cards, Silk Road is worth 2 VP. Use 8 copies of Silk Road for games with 2 players, 12 for games with 3 or more players.
Spice Merchant: You may trash a Treasure card from your hand. This is optional. If you did trash a Treasure card, you choose either to get +2 Cards and +1 Action, or + 2 coin and +1 Buy.
Stables: You may discard a Treasure card from your hand. This is optional. If you did discard one, you get +3 Cards and +1 Action. You draw after discarding, so if you have to shuffle to get the 3 cards, you will end up shuffling in the card you discarded.
Trader: When you play this, trash a card from your hand, and if you did, gain a number of Silvers equal to the cost of that card in coin. The Silvers come from the Supply and are put into your discard pile. You only gain Silvers if you trashed a card. If you trash a card costing 0 coin, such as Copper, you will gain zero Silvers. You can trash Silver if you want; you will gain three Silvers for it normally. If costs are different, such as due to playing Highway, then Trader will give you a different number of Silvers, based on the current costs. For example if you play Highway and then Trader, trashing an Estate, you will only gain one Silver. If you trash a card with potionin its cost, from Dominion: Alchemy, you do not get anything for the potion, just for the coin that the card cost.
Trader is also a Reaction. When you gain a card, whether due to buying it or gaining it some other way, you may reveal Trader from your hand to instead gain a Silver from the Supply. If you do this, you gain a Silver, not the card you would have gained; if something would have happened due to gaining the other card, it does not happen, because you did not gain it. For example if you buy Ill-Gotten Gains but use Trader to gain Silver instead, no-one will gain a Curse. However if something happens when you buy a card, that will still happen if you replace gaining the card with gaining Silver. For example you can buy Farmland, trash a card from your hand and gain one costing 2 coin more, then use Trader to gain Silver rather than Farmland. If the card you were going to gain was not going to your discard pile, the Silver still goes to your discard pile; if the card you were going to gain did not come from the Supply, the Silver still comes from the Supply. If there are no Silvers left in the Supply, you can still reveal Trader when you gain a card and gain nothing instead of the card you would have gained. If you are told to gain a card that has no copies left, you cannot use Trader to instead gain a Silver. Tunnel: Tunnel's Reaction ability functions when you discard it. You cannot simply choose to discard it; something has to let you or make you discard it. This ability functions whether you discard Tunnel on your own turn (such as due to Oasis) or on someone else's (such as due to Margrave). It functions if Tunnel is discarded from your hand (such as due to Oasis) or from your deck (such as due to Cartographer), or when set aside. If Tunnel would normally not necessarily be revealed (such as when discarding multiple cards to Cartographer), you have to reveal it to get the Gold. Revealing it is optional, even if Tunnel was already
Silk Road: Silk Roads count themselves. Round down; if you have 11 Victory cards, Silk Road is worth 2 . Use 8 copies of Silk Road for games with 2 players, 12 for games with 3 or more players.
Spice Merchant: You may trash a Treasure card from your hand. This is optional. If you did trash a Treasure card, you choose either to get +2 Cards and +1 Action, or + and +1 Buy.
Stables: You may discard a Treasure card from your hand. This is optional. If you did discard one, you get +3 Cards and +1 Action. You draw after discarding, so if you have to shuffle to get the 3 cards, you will end up shuffling in the card you discarded.
Trader: When you play this, trash a card from your hand, and if you did, gain a number of Silvers equal to the cost of that card in . The Silvers come from the Supply and are put into your discard pile. You only gain Silvers if you trashed a card. If you trash a card costing , such as Copper, you will gain zero Silvers. You can trash Silver if you want; you will gain three Silvers for it normally. If costs are different, such as due to playing Highway, then Trader will give you a different number of Silvers, based on the current costs. For example if you play Highway and then Trader, trashing an Estate, you will only gain one Silver. If you trash a card with in its cost, from Dominion: Alchemy, you do not get anything for the , just for the that the card cost.
Trader is also a Reaction. When you gain a card, whether due to buying it or gaining it some other way, you may reveal Trader from your hand to instead gain a Silver from the Supply. If you do this, you gain a Silver, not the card you would have gained; if something would have happened due to gaining the other card, it does not happen, because you did not gain it. For example if you buy Ill-Gotten Gains but use Trader to gain Silver instead, no-one will gain a Curse. However if something happens when you buy a card, that will still happen if you replace gaining the card with gaining Silver. For example you can buy Farmland, trash a card from your hand and gain one costing more, then use Trader to gain Silver rather than Farmland. If the card you were going to gain was not going to your discard pile, the Silver still goes to your discard pile; if the card you were going to gain did not come from the Supply, the Silver still comes from the Supply. If there are no Silvers left in the Supply, you can still reveal Trader when you gain a card and gain nothing instead of the card you would have gained. If you are told to gain a card that has no copies left, you cannot use Trader to instead gain a Silver. Tunnel: Tunnel's Reaction ability functions when you discard it. You cannot simply choose to discard it; something has to let you or make you discard it. This ability functions whether you discard Tunnel on your own turn (such as due to Oasis) or on someone else's (such as due to Margrave). It functions if Tunnel is discarded from your hand (such as due to Oasis) or from your deck (such as due to Cartographer), or when set aside. If Tunnel would normally not necessarily be revealed (such as when discarding multiple cards to Cartographer), you have to reveal it to get the Gold. Revealing it is optional, even if Tunnel was already
Recommended sets of 10
Players can play Dominion with any set of 10 Kingdom cards, but these sets have been specially picked out to be entertaining and show off card interactions and strategies.
Hinterlands alone:
Introduction: Cache, Crossroads, Develop, Haggler, Jack of all Trades, Margrave, Nomad Camp, Oasis, Spice Merchant, Stables
Fair Trades: Border Village, Cartographer, Develop, Duchess, Farmland, Ill-Gotten Gains, Noble Brigand, Silk Road, Stables, Trader
Bargains: Border Village, Cache, Duchess, Fool's Gold, Haggler, Highway, Nomad Camp, Scheme, Spice Merchant, Trader
Gambits: Cartographer, Crossroads, Embassy, Inn, Jack of All Trades, Mandarin, Nomad Camp, Oasis, Oracle, Tunnel

Hinterlands & Dominion:
Highway Robbery: Cellar, Library, Moneylender, Throne Room, Workshop • Highway, Inn, Margrave, Noble Brigand, Oasis
Adventures Abroad: Festival, Laboratory, Remodel, Sentry, Vassal • Crossroads, Farmland, Fool's Gold, Oracle, Spice Merchant

Hinterlands & Intrigue:
Money for Nothing: Replace, Patrol, Pawn, Shanty Town, Torturer • Cache, Cartographer, Jack of All Trades, Silk Road, Tunnel
The Duke's Ball: Conspirator, Duke, Harem, Masquerade, Upgrade • Duchess, Haggler, Inn, Noble Brigand, Scheme

Hinterlands & Seaside:
Travelers: Cutpurse, Island, Lookout, Merchant Ship, Warehouse • Cartographer, Crossroads, Farmland, Silk Road, Stables
Diplomacy: Ambassador, Bazaar, Caravan, Embargo, Smugglers • Embassy, Farmland, Ill-Gotten Gains, Noble Brigand, Trader

Hinterlands & Alchemy:
Schemes and Dreams: Apothecary, Apprentice, Herbalist, Philosopher's Stone, Transmute • Duchess, Fool's Gold, Ill-Gotten Gains, Jack of All Trades, Scheme
Wine Country: Apprentice, Familiar, Golem, University, Vineyard • Crossroads, Farmland, Haggler, Highway, Nomad Camp

Hinterlands & Prosperity:
Instant Gratification: Bishop, Expand, Hoard, Mint, Watchtower • Farmland, Haggler, Ill-Gotten Gains, Noble Brigand, Trader
Treasure Trove: Bank, Monument, Royal Seal, Trade Route, Venture • Cache, Develop, Fool's Gold, Ill-Gotten Gains, Mandarin

Hinterlands & Cornucopia/Guilds:
Blue Harvest: Hamlet, Horn of Plenty, Horse Traders, Jester, Tournament • Fool's Gold, Mandarin, Noble Brigand, Trader, Tunnel
Traveling Circus: Fairgrounds, Farming Village, Hunting Party, Jester, Menagerie • Border Village, Embassy, Fool's Gold, Nomad Camp, Oasis
Exchanges: Butcher, Herald, Masterpiece, Soothsayer, Stonemason • Border Village, Develop, Ill-Gotten Gains, Stables, Trader
Road to Riches: Advisor, Baker, Candlestick Maker, Journeyman, Merchant Guild • Crossroads, Farmland, Highway, Spice Merchant, Tunnel

Hinterlands & Dark Ages: Far From Home: Beggar, Count, Feodum, Marauder, Wandering Minstrel • Cartographer, Develop, Embassy, Fool's Gold, Haggler
Expeditions: Altar, Catacombs, Ironmonger, Poor House, Storeroom • Crossroads, Farmland, Highway, Spice Merchant, Tunnel

Hinterlands & Adventures:
Traders and Raiders: Raid • Haunted Woods, Lost City, Page, Port, Wine Merchant • Develop, Farmland, Haggler, Spice Merchant, Trader
Journeys: Expedition, Inheritance • Bridge Troll, Distant Lands, Giant, Guide, Ranger • Cartographer, Crossroads, Highway, Inn, Silk Road

Hinterlands & Empires:
Simple Plans: Donate, Labyrinth • Catapult/Rocks, Forum, Patrician/Emporium, Temple, Villa • Border Village, Develop, Haggler, Ill-Gotten Gains, Stables
Expansion: Battlefield, Fountain • Castles, Charm, Encampment/Plunder, Engineer, Legionary • Cache, Farmland, Highway, Spice Merchant, Tunnel

Thanks
Playtesters: Kelly Bailey, Vinay Baliga, Bill Barksdale, Alex Bishop, Josephine Burns, Wei-Hwa Huang, Zach Kessler, Michael M. Landers, Tom Lehmann, Destry Miller, Anthony Rubbo, Molly Sherwin, John Vogel, Steve Wampler, Jeff Wolfe, the Columbus Area Boardgaming Society, and the Games Club at Cornell.
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