Designed by Marc André and Bruno Cathala, ‘Splendor Duel’ is a standalone 2-player follow-up to the 2014 award-wining game ‘Splendor’. I played Splendor Duel multiple times to get a sense for its mechanics and their longevity, including how it compared to the original Splendor - particularly with regard to that game's two-player matches. The vicious nature of Splendor Duel is a marker for its success however, with the two-player game embodying everything that makes a head-to-head experience so unique and enjoyable. Players who like Splendor for its accessibility may not take to Splendor Duel as well, though it certainly isn’t a complicated game to learn. But people who thrive on the competitiveness of two-player titles will definitely not find Splendor Duel wanting. More options will open up to players as they gain more cards, many of which feature permanent jewel upgrades that can be used to acquire expensive cards or simply speed up the process of getting the lower-level ones. Momentum has always been an important aspect of Splendor, but even more so with its two-player game. Flowing from card to card enables players to better construct their jewel-churning engine, which consequently allows them to overcome any obstacles produced by jewel scarcity or the layout of the board. Wheels and Matt run through their favourite games from the first day of Essen Spiel 2022.

Le but du jeu va être d'accomplir l'un des 3 objectifs de fin de partie, afin de remporter la victoire.While the diversity of victory conditions feels like yet another welcome improvement on the original, enriching strategy and excitement as you sprint to get over the line, repeat plays suggest the new options fall a bit short. With both crowns and a single colour, you’re very much at the mercy of the card market; if what you’re collecting doesn't turn up, there’s nothing you can do about it. In ‘ Splendor Duel’, you and your rival go head-to-head in a bejewelling battle to determine, once and for all, who is the most skilled jeweller. Racing against your opponent, you fight to efficiently acquire gems and adorn accessories. You are rewarded for your hard work with points and crowns, both of which help you inch ever closer to claiming victory. However, the gem business is not as easy as it may seem. Tell Me More... As you can see, Splendor Duel differs from the original Splendor for two players. And these differences make it the superior game for that player count! We love Splendor, and we’ve played it at 2p many times, but not anymore! Duel will certainly replace Splendor for two-player games. You MUST take up to 3 tokens in a line from the board (excluding gold – if there’s a gold, it interrupts the line so you can only take the token(s) up to the gold one). You must keep the tokens you have and the Jewel cards you have visible to your opponent (except reserved cards – see below).

You may be thinking, “but doesn’t Splendor already play pretty well as it is as a two player game?”. Well, yes it does. But in Splendor Duel, you have got rules specifically targetted for 2 players, not 3, not 4, just TWO! And if you are looking for a game much like original Splendor that is harder, meaner and better, Splendor Duel may be the answer to all of your board game wishes! Splendor Duel contains part of the main features of the original Splendors gameplay mechanisms, just made slightly more difficult, slightly more interactive, slightly more tense and a whole lot more mean! There are quite a few differences between Splendor and Splendor Duel, but that’s where you come in and find that out all for yourselves! Splendor Duel relies on entirely new rules and game contents: a common board, Privilege figurines, and Royal Favor cards, three unique win conditions, and a brand-new resource – the Pearl. Another new addition to the title is cards with multiple characteristic and varied abilities that will trigger additional rounds, bonus tokens, and more.

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Buying Jewel cards is great because they grant permanent gems (did I hear someone say engine builder?! Aha!), and some have extra bonus actions on them too: You know that tingly feeling when you play a game for the first time, and you want to play it again? Like right now. That was Splendor Duel for us! And I’m hoping this little guide will help you get that feeling too! Setting Up Splendor Duel’ is a 30-minute standalone game and has a range of new and exciting features. One of the most notable features is that available gems are placed in a grid and players are only able to take combinations of 1-3 neighbouring gems on any given turn. This limits the range of gems available to players, making it more difficult to fulfil the requirements of item cards. The other big change is that there are now three ways to win. Players win by earning 20 victory points, 10 points within a single color’s column, or by getting 10 “crowns.” Crowns are bonuses on cards (similar to Marvel Splendor‘s tags), and they are now the way to earn the favor of Nobles, which provide victory cards and/or bonus actions. Likewise, many cards now provide bonus actions like taking an extra turn or gaining an extra gem. Most (perhaps all) of these require the precious new pearl resource, but gold tokens (gained only by reserving a card) can be used as pearls, preventing the game state from clogging when pearls are scarce, and likewise increasing the value of reserving cards. Anyone who’s played the original will spend their opening turns of Splendor Duel wondering why on earth the designer felt the need to revisit something that already worked fine in terms of board games for 2 players. By the end of that first game, however, it will be clear that not only does this play a lot more distinctively than its minor rules changes would suggest, but that it’s actually a superior game in almost every regard.

L’interaction est finalement assez présente avec notamment du vol de jetons (plutôt rare, mais existant), qui fera couiner ceux aimant tout faire dans leurs coins. First, you collect tokens by drafting them from a grid, taking up to three adjacent, non-gold tokens in a row, column, or diagonal, then adding them to your reserve. The grid contains 25 tokens at the start of play: four of each of the five colors, three gold, and two pearls. Roughly half of the cards in the game require you to hand in a pearl, so you'll compete for them constantly. (Gold can be spent as a pearl or as any color.)Splendor Duel is intended for a wide range of players: Splendor fans who want to discover the game’s new rules and have a go at new tactics, and the 2-player game fans who will experience a fierce duel in less than 30 minutes. Now take all the jewel tokens and throw them in the bag. Give them a jiggle, and draw 25 out one by one, placing them on the central board following the arrow spiral. The bag can go to the side of the board. You may be thinking, "but doesn't Splendor already play pretty well as it is as a two player game?". Well, yes it does. But in Splendor Duel, you have got rules specifically targetted for 2 players, not 3, not 4, just TWO! And if you are looking for a game much like original Splendor that is harder, meaner and better, Splendor Duel may be the answer to all of your board game wishes! Il y a une nouvelle ressource les perles, il n’y a que deux perles dans le jeu, vous pouvez essayer de faire de la rétention pour bloquer l’adversaire. Plus d’interactions (les privilèges, vols de jetons, le choix des jetons sur le plateau, …) pour un jeu bien plus méchant !

If you take 3 tokens of the same colour or 2 pearl tokens, also gain 1 privilege scroll (from the reserve or your opponent if there is none left in reserve!) Roseville, MN – July 25, 2022. Space Cowboys is happy to announce the upcoming release of Splendor Duel, designed by Marc André and Bruno Cathala, in November 2022. Marc André’s Splendor was the first board game that SPACE Cowboys released in 2014 and has since won numerous awards like Best Family Game and nominations like the Spiel des Jahres. Third, instead of mirroring Splendor's 15-point threshold for bringing about the end of the game, Splendor Duel gives you three victory conditions — 10 points in a single color, 20 points total, or 10 crowns — and as soon as you meet one of them, you win.Croc from Space Cowboys told me that Cathala had reached out to Splendor designer Marc André with an idea for a two-player-only version of the game — which might seem odd given that Splendor already plays fine with two players — but André, perhaps considering the success of 7 Wonders Duel, said sure, let's collaborate. Space Cowboys didn't even know about the project until the designers were mostly done, but I'm sure the publisher didn't object to being delivered a spinoff title to the best-selling game in its catalog.