7 WONDERS DUEL (2015)

PLAYERS	TIME	DESIGNER	PUBLISHER
2	30 mins	Antoine Bauza Bruno Cathala	Repos Production

A 2-player only version of the now classic 7 WONDERS, this duel takes out the draft and pass action, and instead has players taking cards from a layered structure spread out between them.

There are three ways to win. Points at the end of the game, once the last card is taken is how most games end. But there is the possibility to cut the duel short with a military victory (a tug of war on the military track) or a scientific victory (a little set collection).

My favourite thing about this game is the Age Structures.

Where it is formed by layering the cards, and players can only take ‘free’ cards, it adds a layer of strategy to the game.

There are times where I want a card, but I can see what will be made available in the next row if I do. Or worse, I don’t, but I can see that multiple face down cards will be flipped and odds are good that they’ll be something my opponent will like.

Another mechanic I like in 7 WONDERS DUEL is that the cards have three potential uses. Where most cards will end up in your tableau, giving you points and benefits, you can also just trade them in for coin, or use them to build one of your four Wonders. This helps sometimes when you can’t afford the resources to take a card, so you can still benefit.

However, I have found that the game can snowball somewhere between the first and second age. In most plays, it’s clear who is going to win while I’m still laying out the third age cards.

And I personally struggle with keeping track of my tableau as well as my girlfriend’s, so I look up late game and see a river of blue coins, knowing I can’t win. This can be deflating with the final age to play.

Overall, this is a great head-to-head game, and definitely earns the ‘duel’ in its name. It also has nice table presence for a small box game too.