Let us start by saying, 7 Wonders Duel is amazing. How could anything ever even come close to challenging this behemoth of gaming?
The pedigree here is so high it’s scary. Let me tell you a bit about the history of this amazing game and then… blow your mind with something to challenge it!
In 2010 the board game scene changed forever, 7 Wonders was released, a 2-7 player card drafting game that made you feel like you have built a civilization by just playing 18 cards over three ages. This game won over 30 awards including THE award, yes, the KennerSpiel des Jahres. That is the Connoisseurs Game of the Year and (as that was the first year for that award) it was the first ever winner of that accolade. That’s a tough act to follow!
Since then, various expansions have followed, and a new improved 2nd edition too. THE spin off is Duel but 7 Wonders Architects is also great, a streamlined version that is still gamey enough for gamers to enjoy and has recently had it’s first expansion.
So, why did they make a Duel version if the original plays 2-player? Well. It’s not so good at two… there I said it. The main mechanism is card drafting and when you are just passing cards between two players, it’s pretty dull, yeah there is a variant for two but it’s just random so not as engaging. Duel changes this up by using a layered partial open drafting system (that’s a mouthful!) and it’s awesome.
Oh my, we’re just going on about the mechanisms, not the theme! Shocking. Well, at it’s heart it’s basically a Civ game and it distills it down perfectly, with 5 card types (resource supplying, quality of life giving, commerce related, military and tech) it takes all the well known aspects of the genre and serves it up in a nail-bitingly beautifully balanced yet ultimately streamlined package. But, can it be beaten?
Well, yes. That’s why we’re here after all.
The new contender… err… well… you see…
Yes, it’s The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-Earth.
*blush*
How do you improve upon perfection? Well, by adding THE nerdy narrative from one of the most iconic stories ever written certainly doesn’t hurt.
Now some of you will turn away at this point thinking ‘reskin, pfffh’. It’s so not. This is an amazing twist on the original with artwork by the ever awesome Vincent Dutrait and it’s stunning both visually and with its game play.
In fact, the artwork is so good that we’re going to break with our normal format and just chuck up a load of pictures now, just because we should.
See? Beautiful.
Now, how do you take two leviathans of story and gaming and merge them to perfection, and why should you play this? Let me explain.
IT’S LORD OF THE RINGS and 7 WONDERS! What more do you need to know?
Sorry, did I say that out loud? My bad, let me actually explain…
In the original 7 Wonders Duel you either win by victory points at the end of the 3rd age or by a military or technology victory during the game.
In (we’re going to have to shorten that name, sorry!) Duel for Middle-Earth they obviously had to tie the win conditions in with the narrative of the story so here’s the ways you can win…
A) Military superiority at the end of the third chapter
B) Total military conquest during the game
C) An alliance of the races of Middle-Earth or
D) Either chucking that precious ring in Mount Doom or catching those pesky hobbitses before they do!
That’s pretty different, isn’t it?
Surprisingly it’s the chase that replaces the military track in the original, and it does it so well… instead of a back and forth we have a pair of Hobbits on a sliding track, moving along it and on top of that there is a Black Rider inexorably getting closer and closer… no using pillows here to get away!
The races of Middle-Earth are the replacement for the science and technology aspect of the original and have themed specials that change the rules of the games if you can pair them up or get three different ones. This adds so much more to the decision space, it’s scary how good it is!
The biggest departure here is the military conquest, this becomes a simplified area control game that really kicks off in the third chapter of the game as you can start moving troops you have placed using manoeuvre cards which replace the guild cards of the original game. The Wonders of the original game also tie-in here as they are the Landmarks of the different areas of Middle-Earth, build one and you have a special ability and also presence in a location that can’t easily be removed making military victory a very likely possibility.
I could go on, but I won’t. Every aspect of the game has been rebalanced for the better and even simplified in places too. Commerce for instance is scaled to the Chapter you are playing in. Sorry, here I go again.. I just can’t help myself, it’s all so good!
Let me just stop myself here and just say that this is clearly a labour of love and it is worth your time. As a wise wizard once said, ‘All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us’, and we choose board games, be they Lord of the Rings tied in or not, it’s a great way to spend your time!
(just one last picture… mmm…)