
- BGG rank
- BGG #136
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Dominion: Intrigue
- 2–6 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2009

Rules assistance for Dominion: Alchemy
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Dominion: Alchemy is an expansion for Dominion released in 2010 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Donald X. Vaccarino and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Open Drafting, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building.
There are strange things going on in your basement laboratories. They keep calling up for more barrels of quicksilver, or bits of your hair. Well it's all in the name of progress. They're looking for a way to turn lead into gold, or at least into something better than lead. That lead had just been too good of a bargain to pass up; you didn't think, where will I put all this lead, what am I going to do with this lead anyway. Well that will all be sorted out. They're also looking for a universal solvent. If they manage that one, you will take whatever they use to hold it in and build a castle out of it. A castle that can't be dissolved! Now that's progress. Dominion: Alchemy is an expansion, and can't be played by itself; to play with it, you need Dominion a standalone expansion to Dominion (Dominion: Intrigue), or Dominion Base Cards . Those provide the Basic cards you need to play (Treasure, Victory, and Curse cards), as well as the full rules for setup and gameplay. Dominion: Alchemy can also be combined with any other Dominion expansions you have. Part of the Dominion series.
Dominion: Alchemy supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Dominion: Alchemy is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Dominion: Alchemy for ages 13 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Dominion: Alchemy has a complexity rating of 2.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Dominion: Alchemy belongs to these categories: Card Game, Medieval, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Open Drafting, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Dominion: Alchemy are: Donald X. Vaccarino. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Dominion: Alchemy as an expansion for Dominion. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Dominion to use it. Check that your edition of Dominion is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.