Are you trying to find board games like Dominion? If so, then get ready! We found 11 similar games that you may not have seen before.
1. Arctic Scavengers
- All players in this game are the leaders of various tribes who have survived an ice age.
- The tribes are all pitted against each other in an effort to survive and have to build up their tribes, fight with others, and even bluff to try to achieve victory in becoming the dominant tribe.
- Players have a base came that features a Tribal Leader who has special abilities and the ability to build buildings that can be used during play.
- Requires at least two players for the best possible gameplay.
- Unlike some other deck building games, this one doesn’t feel like deck building is the main focus, and instead allows players to focus on their strategy, as well.
- The skirmish phase can be skipped if all players don’t want to partake, which speeds up the game and allows for a shorter gameplay.
2. Trains
- This large game features a two-sided board and models that still need to be painted before play.
- Players begin the game with only a few cards in their hand, but throughout the game work to create a more effective deck that will allow them to not only lay rails, but also place stations over Tokyo or Osaka.
- As players gain points from the railways that they manage, they work to become the most powerful railway manager in Japan.
- Features incredible replay value, as the cards that you are dealt won’t ever be the same, which means that you can enjoy this game back to back without worrying about getting bored.
- Learning curve is very small, especially for players who have played deck building games before and understand how they work.
- There are some cards that are more powerful than others, and once players learn which ones they are, they can quickly learn to control the game.
3. Valley of the Kings
- Great stand-alone game, but can easily be mixed with the original Valley of the Kings game if players want to enjoy a different game when they play.
- Deck-building game ensures that when players play they never have to worry about having the same cards twice.
- Since each card can be used in three different ways, players have to make sure that they have taken time to decide the best use for each card before they play it.
- Players can spend their card like cash, use the action on it, or even entomb it if they are interested in obtaining victory points.
- Players have to not only manage building their deck, but also keep an eye on their point accumulation.
4. Legendary
- This game is very easy to learn and offers fast gameplay, which makes it a great option for new players who don’t have a lot of experience with deck building games.
- There are almost 600 cards in addition to a game board and rule book that are both in full color.
- Players are able to choose from a number of great Marvel heroes, such as Hulk and Wolverine.
- Players also have to choose a mastermind villain, such as Dr. Doom, and use their cards underneath their deck.
- If players are able to defeat their villain, then they are ranked by the number of points that they earned.
- While this is a deck building game, it has a feel of being more cooperative, which is fun for groups.
- Is a lot of fun to play solo or with up to four people, which is more challenging.
5. Encounters
- Between three and five players vie for control over the universe.
- There are 100 plastic ships and 50 different alien races.
- There are many different expansions that can be used with the game to make it more enjoyable and to extend the play.
- There is a lot of interaction between the players, which will prevent people from getting bored when waiting for their turn.
- Each alien race will modify the rules of the game, which means that the game will change a little each time players interact.
- Players have to know how to make alliances with others and be willing to make deals or they won’t have the best chance at winning.
- When one player gets close to winning, then it is normal for the other players to band together to try to stop them, which can keep the game interesting and very challenging.
6. Puzzle Strike: Shadows
- There are 10 new shadows characters for players to choose from.
- Instead of dealing with cards, which can be difficult for players to handle, this game has chips, which are much easier to shuffle.
- There is a new multiplayer mode for players to enjoy and there are additional components.
- With almost 350 chips, four screens to hide the chips you have, four cloth bags, and four boards, there are plenty of high-quality components for players to use.
- There are more than 411 million different starting conditions in four player games.
- Each game will be different due to the bank starting with different chips each time you play.
- Does not have to be used with the original, making this a great standalone game.
- There is a high degree of player interaction and due to the asymmetric starting conditions, players will experience a new game each time.
7. Star Realms
- Incredibly portable game that fits in a jacket pocket, allowing players to take it with them anywhere for a quick game on the go.
- One copy of this game is enough for two players, but you can add additional copies for up to six people to play at once.
- The beautiful artwork brings all of the pictures to life on the cards.
- Players have to build up their military and then use the ships that they man to protect their belongings and steal from others.
- By trading with other players, players can add power to their combat, generate new effects, and try to reduce their opponent’s score to zero to win.
- Contains a total of 128 cards – 80 in the main deck, two 10 card personal decks, 10 explorer cards, and 18 double sided score cards.
- Plays well on its own, but there are a number of optional expansion decks as well.
8. Blood Bowl: Team Manager
- Two to four players can enjoy one to two hours of play time with this violent and exciting deck building game.
- Players try to customize their team so that they can compete and win in the Blood Bowl season.
- Hiring new staff, drafting great players, upgrading the facilities, and cheating will allow players to take control and win.
- The game plays very quickly and isn’t difficult to set up or to understand, making it great for new players who haven’t spent a lot of time with deck building games.
- Because the game has an increased focus on managing the team in the game, rather than just on the game itself, players have to make sure that they are doing a good job putting together and controlling a quality team that they can take to victory.
9. Thunderstone Quest
- Players have to assemble their party and deck to be prepared to explore dungeons, fight off monsters, search for and collect treasure, complete quests, join players in guilds, and more.
- Offers engaging fantasy play for two to four players.
- Includes two quests, but more can be added with the use of expansion packs.
- The process to build decks is very organized and easily understood, which means that new players can play as well as advanced players will.
- The side quests included in the game help improve gameplay and prevent it from lagging.
- All players will enjoy having their own figures to use, and since all of the components are so high quality, there won’t be a problem with pieces breaking or being damaged.
- The detailed map improves gameplay.
10. Cryptozoic Entertainment DC Deck Builder
- Players get to choose between a wide variety of different DC super heroes.
- Every superhero has a special ability that will allow them unique strategies and abilities that the other heroes don’t have.
- When a super villain appears in the game, it will instantly attack all of the players, so everyone needs to be able to defend themselves.
- With more than 200 cards, it’s easy for two to five players to create great decks.
- All players start with a deck of 10 cards and add five on each turn.
- Using power, players can buy stronger cards to add to their deck, and with enough power, players can defeat the super villain.
- As players use combos, learn strategy, and figure out how to defend themselves, they can improve gameplay.
11. Baseball Highlights 2045
- Players who love baseball and want to take control of their own team will love building a team in this fast deck building game.
- Not only do players have to work on putting together a great team that is skilled enough to win, but they also have to worry about game tactics and how to improve their team’s ability.
- Game not only includes head to head action between players, but also has a solitaire variant and even three and four player tournament options.
- Combine multiple boxes together for larger tournaments with multiple people.
- Due to the mechanics of this game and the way it is played, it has great replay value, making it a wonderful option for players who want to be able to play the game over and over.