7 Wonders Duel
Experience the award-winning two-player adaptation of the acclaimed board game 7 Wonders. Immerse yourself in this strategic card-drafting game where you'll build ancient civilizations, construct architectural wonders, and compete for military supremacy across three ages of development. With streamlined rules specifically designed for two players, 7 Wonders Duel offers deep strategic gameplay in a compact 30-minute experience. Collect resources, develop your science, strengthen your military, and race to achieve victory through multiple paths - scientific dominance, military conquest, or victory points from your magnificent city.
Multiple Victory Paths
Strategic Depth
Quick Setup
Game Overview
7 Wonders Duel is a strategic card drafting game for 2 players. Build your civilization, develop science, strengthen your military, and construct wonders to lead your city to victory!
3 Ways to Win
Achieve victory through military supremacy, scientific advancement, or by scoring the most victory points through civic development.
Strategic Depth
Carefully select your cards, anticipate your opponent's moves, and adapt your strategy to outmaneuver your rival.
Unique Card Display
The innovative card arrangement system ensures that no two games play the same, providing limitless replayability.
Perfectly Balanced for Two Players
Unlike many games that are adapted for two players, 7 Wonders Duel was specifically designed from the ground up as a two-player experience. This ensures perfect balance and engaging gameplay for both participants.
The game features 66 Age cards, 7 Guild cards, and 12 Wonder cards, providing a rich variety of strategies and approaches to victory.
Game Features
Discover what makes 7 Wonders Duel an award-winning, strategic masterpiece for two players.
Military Conflict
Deploy military cards to push the conflict pawn toward your opponent's capital. Reach their capital to win an immediate military victory!
- Strategic military card deployment
- Immediate victory condition
- Conflict tokens for partial advances
Scientific Supremacy
Collect scientific symbols to advance your civilization's knowledge. Gather 6 different symbols or a pair of identical symbols to claim scientific victory.
- 7 unique scientific symbols
- Progress tokens with special abilities
- Alternative victory path
Wonder Construction
Build magnificent Wonders that provide powerful effects, victory points, and strategic advantages. Each Wonder is unique and offers different benefits.
- 12 unique Wonder cards
- Strategic draft of Wonders
- Resource management challenge
Economic Development
Develop your economy through resource production, trade, and commercial buildings. Create resource chains and minimize costs to maximize efficiency.
- Resource trading mechanics
- Coin management system
- Commercial building benefits
Innovative Card Structure
The game features a unique card arrangement that changes with each Age, creating dynamic gameplay and strategic choices.
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1
Age Structure
Cards are arranged in specific patterns for each Age, with some face-up and others face-down.
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2
Card Dependencies
Some cards block access to others until they're removed, creating strategic timing decisions.
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3
Dynamic Availability
As the game progresses, new cards become available, changing the strategic landscape.
Ready to Experience the Strategic Depth of 7 Wonders Duel?
With multiple paths to victory and quick, engaging gameplay, every match of 7 Wonders Duel offers fresh challenges and opportunities.
Get Your Copy TodayHow To Play
Learn the basics of 7 Wonders Duel with this quick overview of gameplay and rules.
Game Setup
Wonder Selection
Each player drafts 4 Wonder cards from the 12 available Wonders, alternating choices.
Progress Tokens
Randomly select 5 of the 10 Progress tokens and place them face-up on the board.
Age Structure
Arrange Age I cards in the specified pattern, with some face-up and others face-down.
Starting Resources: Each player begins with 7 coins. Place the military conflict pawn in the center of the board.
First Player: The youngest player takes the first turn in Age I.
Gameplay
On Your Turn
Choose one of these three actions:
- Build a Structure: Choose an available card, pay its cost, and add it to your city.
- Discard for Coins: Discard a card face-down and gain 2 coins + 1 for each yellow (commercial) building you own.
- Build a Wonder: Choose an available card, assign it to an unbuilt Wonder, pay the Wonder's cost, and activate its effect.
Building Costs
To build a structure or Wonder, you must pay its resource cost:
- Use resources produced by your brown and gray cards.
- Purchase needed resources from the bank at a cost of 2 coins per resource.
- Use trading posts (yellow buildings) to reduce the cost of purchases from 2 coins to 1 coin.
Chain Building
Some cards have chain symbols, allowing you to build certain advanced structures for free:
If you've built the Bath (Age I), you can build the Aqueduct (Age II) for free, as the Bath has the Aqueduct's chain symbol.
Military Conflicts
When you build a red (military) card:
- Move the conflict pawn toward your opponent's capital by the number of shield symbols on the card.
- If the pawn enters a territory with a conflict token, take that token and apply its effects immediately.
- Military Victory: If the pawn reaches your opponent's capital, you win immediately!
Scientific Progress
When you collect green (scientific) cards:
- Collect scientific symbols (7 different types).
- When you get 2 identical symbols, take any Progress token from the board.
- Scientific Victory: If you collect 6 different scientific symbols, you win immediately!
End of an Age
When all cards from the current Age have been taken:
- Discard any unused Military Tokens from the previous Age.
- Set up cards for the next Age in the specified pattern.
- The player who went second in the previous Age goes first in the new Age.
Victory Conditions
Civilian Victory
If neither player achieves a Military or Scientific victory by the end of Age III, the player with the most victory points wins.
Military Victory
Immediately win if the conflict pawn reaches your opponent's capital by building military (red) cards.
Scientific Victory
Immediately win if you collect 6 different scientific symbols or any 7 scientific symbols (including pairs).
Ready to Play?
Download the complete rulebook below for detailed instructions, card descriptions, and strategic tips.
Download RulebookGame Components
Explore the high-quality components that make up 7 Wonders Duel.
Cards
- 23 Age I cards
- 23 Age II cards
- 20 Age III cards
- 7 Guild cards
Wonder Cards
- 12 Wonder cards
- Each with unique abilities
- Beautiful artwork
- Historical monuments
Tokens
- 10 Progress tokens
- 4 Military tokens
- Conflict pawn
- 31 Coins (23 value-1, 7 value-3, 1 value-6)
Component Details
Card Types
Each card in 7 Wonders Duel belongs to one of these categories, indicated by its color and icon:
Brown Cards
Raw Materials (Wood, Stone, Clay, Ore)
Gray Cards
Manufactured Goods (Glass, Papyrus, Textile)
Yellow Cards
Commercial Buildings (Trade, Market)
Red Cards
Military Structures (Barracks, Walls)
Green Cards
Scientific Buildings (Workshop, Library)
Blue Cards
Civilian Buildings (Bath, Theater)
Purple Cards
Guilds (Merchants, Craftsmen)
Progress Tokens
Acquired through scientific advancements, these tokens provide special abilities or victory points.
- Agriculture: Gain 6 coins.
- Architecture: Build Wonders for 2 fewer resources.
- Economy: Opponent pays resources to the bank + 1 coin.
- Law: Worth 7 victory points.
- Mathematics: Score 3 points per Progress token at game end.
- Philosophy: Worth 7 victory points.
- Strategy: Move Military pawn 1 space in your favor.
- Theology: Your Wonders cannot be copied by opponent.
Military Tokens
These tokens are acquired when pushing the conflict pawn into your opponent's territory.
| Age | Victory Points | Coin Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Age I | +1 Victory Point | -1 Coin |
| Age II | +3 Victory Points | -3 Coins |
| Age III | +5 Victory Points | -5 Coins |
Premium Quality Components
7 Wonders Duel features high-quality components designed for durability and visual appeal, enhancing your gaming experience.
Awards & Recognition
7 Wonders Duel has received numerous awards and accolades from the board gaming community worldwide.
Golden Geek Award
Best 2-Player Board Game
2016
Voted by the BoardGameGeek community as the best two-player game, recognizing its exceptional design and replayability.
Dice Tower Excellence Award
Best Strategy Game
2015
Honored for its excellent design and strategic depth by The Dice Tower, one of the most respected board game media outlets.
Origins Award
Best Card Game
2016
Recognized at the Origins Game Fair for its innovative card mechanics and engaging gameplay experience.
More Accolades
International Gamers Award
Nominee - Best 2-Player Strategy Game (2016)
Tric Trac d'Or
Winner - Best Game (2015)
Meeples' Choice Award
Winner (2015)
As d'Or - Jeu de l'Année
Expert Game Nominee (2016)
BoardGameGeek Top 100
Ranked in the Top 20 Games of All Time
Deutscher Spiele Preis
Top 10 Finalist (2016)
Critical Acclaim
"7 Wonders Duel takes the core mechanics of 7 Wonders and distills them into a perfect two-player experience."
Shut Up & Sit Down
"One of the best two-player games ever designed, with multiple paths to victory and tense decision-making throughout."
Dice Tower
"A masterpiece of design that creates a deeply strategic experience in a compact 30-minute package."
BoardGameGeek Review
Player Ratings
Medium complexity - accessible but with strategic depth
Join the Millions of Players Who Love 7 Wonders Duel
With its numerous awards and stellar ratings, 7 Wonders Duel has established itself as one of the best two-player strategy games of all time.
Get Your Copy TodayExpansions
7 Wonders Edifice
Add magnificent edifices to your civilization with this expansion that brings new cooperative challenges.
Learn More
Duel for Middle-Earth
Experience the epic battle for Middle-Earth in this Lord of the Rings themed expansion.
Learn More
Champions!
Lead your civilization with powerful champions that bring unique abilities to your gameplay.
Learn MoreWhat Players Are Saying
Discover why 7 Wonders Duel is acclaimed by players and critics worldwide
"The perfect two-player adaptation of the original 7 Wonders. The military and science victory conditions add strategic depth that keeps us coming back for more matches!"
Michael T.
Board Game Enthusiast
"My wife and I play this almost weekly. The card drafting mechanic is elegant, and the multiple paths to victory ensure no two games feel the same. A masterpiece of game design!"
Sarah K.
Game Night Host
"As a board game reviewer, I've played hundreds of games, and 7 Wonders Duel stands out as one of the best 2-player experiences. The tension and strategic depth are unmatched for a 30-minute game."
David R.
Board Game Reviewer
Award-Winning Game
Golden Geek
Best 2-Player Game
Dice Tower
Excellence Award
Spiel des Jahres
Recommended
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about 7 Wonders Duel
A game of 7 Wonders Duel typically takes about 30 minutes to play once you're familiar with the rules. The game spans three Ages, each with its own deck of cards, and the pace is quite brisk due to the alternating turns between just two players.
The box includes: 80 Age cards, 7 Guild cards, 12 Wonder cards, 4 Military tokens, 10 Progress tokens, 1 Conflict pawn, 31 coins (14 of value 1, 10 of value 3, and 7 of value 6), 1 score pad, and a comprehensive rulebook.
7 Wonders Duel is specifically designed for two players, while the original 7 Wonders supports 3-7 players. Duel features a unique card display pattern for each Age, military conflict that moves along a track between players, and two additional victory conditions (Military and Scientific) beyond victory points. The core mechanics of resource management and civilization building remain, but with gameplay tailored for the two-player experience.
Yes, there are currently two expansions available: Pantheon and Agora. Pantheon introduces gods from different ancient mythologies that players can invoke for powerful effects. Agora adds a Senate board and the concepts of political influence and conspiracies, adding new strategic dimensions to the game.
The game is recommended for players aged 10 and up. The strategic depth and some of the mechanics might be challenging for younger players, but the core gameplay is straightforward enough for most pre-teens and adults to enjoy.
Absolutely! 7 Wonders Duel is a standalone game with its own rules. While it shares some thematic elements and core mechanics with the original game, no prior experience with 7 Wonders is needed to learn and enjoy Duel.
Get Your Copy Today
Begin your strategic journey through the ancient world with 7 Wonders Duel, the award-winning two-player experience that brings civilization building to your tabletop.