The strategy comes in the race to achieve points before the game ends. It turns out that buying lots of cards and building a massive engine on a whim may not be

The strategy comes in the race to achieve points before the game ends. It turns out that buying lots of cards and building a massive engine on a whim may not be more efficient than just buying silvers/golds/provinces all the time. There are lots of subtleties in the timing of purchases, and determining ways to create a slightly more efficient machine than your opponent. IMO it's an terrific 1-on-1 game where meaningful strategic and tactical decisions are made, but I find the game a lot more "fun" with three or four players (five players takes way too long)