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Splendor Duel also has a weird dichotomy going on as regards its relationship with its parent game. On the one hand, it feels very different to play. It’s more exciting, more strategic, and gives you much more of a sense of direct competition. On the flip side, because the core gameplay loop is the same, seasoned players may find this over-familiar despite all the new things to get to grips with. It is at once both old and new. Should you buy Splendor Duel? 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: A new gem type that is required in lower quantities for playing some jewel cards. Also, no cards offer permanent pearl bonuses. New Victory Conditions
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! 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... If you’ve played Splendor before, there’s a few similarities in terms of components. But the set up (which is super speedy) will be new. 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. These are the equivalent of noble cards in Splendor. Instead of sets of gems, you need crowns to claim royal cards. Pearl TokensThe two games I enjoyed most (that I can talk about at this time) are Splendor Duel and Sea Salt & Paper. The former game is from Bruno Cathala, Marc André, and Space Cowboys, and the latter from Cathala, Théo Rivière, and Bombyx. Given that I'm also excited about Sobek: 2 Players, a Cathala and Sébastien Pauchon design that Pandasaurus Games had at the show, not to mention Cathala and Rivière's Oh My Brain, now out from 25th Century Games, this event was pretty much a "Cathala Con" for me. For this post, I'll focus solely on the former game. 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. Second, some cards have one-time special powers that you gain when playing them, so you value cards in more complex ways than Splendor cards that feature only a color and (possibly) points. These powers are:
Other fun new features include wild cards, which can be used to represent a gem of the player’s choice (bar pearls), nobles that grant players fun one-time abilities (e.g., stealing a chip from your opponent), and privilege scrolls. What A Privilege 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!) However, Splendor Duel relies on entirely new rules and offers unique game contents: a common board, Privilege figurines, and Royal Favor cards. Moreover, even if the famous tokens still depict gems, they are in a compact format and are rejoined by pearls, a new resource. 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!
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Splendor Duel is a brand new 2-player game with unique and innovative mechanics, designed by Marc André and Bruno Cathala. Confront your rival guild in a race for victory. Take Gems and Pearl from the common board, and gain royal favors and prestige! Timing is a huge part of the deal as you ponder when to reserve cards before your opponent does, or when to risk a refill. The special card abilities play a big role here as well. Getting to take an extra turn can be an important swing if timed correctly, and the one that lets you steal directly from the other player is particularly vicious, verging on a table-flip trigger if activated at a pivotal moment. You are a renowned jeweller, a master of your craft, and unquestionably the finest lapidary in the land… or so you thought, until someone started stealing your business! Your days of monopolising the market are over; you now have a rival, and you are not happy about it. Perhaps you have been complacent and working too slowly? Perhaps you should have branched out and explored the newest corner of the market: pearls? Either way, it is as clear as crystal that you are the superior jeweller (or so you think), and you intend to prove it…
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