Renaissance marks the twelfth expansion for Dominion, bringing 25 new kingdom cards, 20 Project cards, 5 Artifacts, 6 play mats, 12 wooden cubes and 35 metal coin tokens to the table. The cards themselves are of the usual good standard and the coin tokens are solid, weighty and embossed with intricate engraving. The play mats are large enough to fit their purpose and include useful reminder text for players getting to grips with the rules. All told, the overall quality of the components is excellent.
In terms of theme, this expansion is concerned with the Renaissance, a period of European history between the 14th and 17th Centuries which saw widespread cultural, scientific and social progress. This typically expresses itself mechanically through the idea of patronage: many cards require some level of investment and pay off in future turns, akin to a wealthy patron commissioning an artist or scientist.
