Duel Board Game - Competitive Head-to-Head Tile-Placement Strategy Game, Stunning Mosaic Art and Quick Gameplay for Kids & Adults, Ages 8+, 2 Players, 30-45 Minute Playtime, Made by Plan B Games

Great game!

If you’re looking for a two-player game and you are used to interpreting complicated instructions that keep building upon earlier instructions, then this game is a great choice. I would not recommend it for use with 8-10 year olds just due to the complicated strategy and structure of turns. I prefer it to standard Azul, but definitely like Azul Summer Pavilion more. The game components are wonderful (as with all Azul games), but I wish the player boards were more than thin cardboard that you have to bend to make them lie flat on a table. The hardest part of the game to master is the direction/rotation of the domes to pick for placement on your player board. There are many ways to score points and even with poor dome placement, you can achieve a respectable score.

If you already have Azul, you probably don't need this game. Azul works great across all three player counts (2, 3 and 4). If you don't have Azul, I would still recommend getting Azul over this, mostly because it's more flexible for additional player counts.This game is targeted at the Azul aficionado who has shelf space to spare and is looking for a more challenging 2-player version of Azul. If that sounds like you, read on; else you probably can just skip this game.This is still Azul, but with some cosmetic and strategy differences:Cosmetic:* Circle vs square tiles* Inferior player boards that are going to tear over time from all the folding/unfolding* An unnecessary "tower" to store the used tiles which you have to keep putting together and taking apart, because it doesn't fit into the box put together.Strategy:* This game will always end after 5 rounds, unlike 2-player Azul which can potentially drag out* 6 rows instead of 5* You are dynamically building your board over the course of the 5 rounds, and the same color tile can appear multiple times in a row/column* The end-of-game scoring bonuses can change up each game from a selection of 8 different options* You collect bonus chips over the course of the game which you can use to help fill out an incomplete row that you just can't seem to find the last tile for.* Unselected tiles don't go into the "middle" of the factories; the way you select from the unused ones is slightly different.I enjoyed playing this. I don't want to mislead you. It adds enough interesting new strategy to keep it interesting. But it's also still Azul at its heart. Most people will continue to be happy to just player 2-player Azul over getting this, and that's ok. Board game shelf space can be limited, and you have to be selective. If 2-player Azul happens to be a popular go-to for you and someone else though, and you're looking to kick up the strategy and frustration a bit (since it's even harder to nail your strategy with this one than regular Azul), then this may be just what you need.

Gorgeous game. I ordered this because I have played the regular Azul game and loved it, so I was excited to try this version.Gameplay is very similar. Pieces and art are all very beautiful. It was easy to learn, mostly because I was already familiar with the original game. But I was able to teach this to my husband in a matter of minutes.Strategy, however, is another matter- it will take quite a bit of time to really develop a good strategy- and I see this as a good thing. It keeps the game interesting and a good challenge.It is a points-gathering, pattern-making game. Playtime is not too long, and can easily be abbreviated. It goes 5 rounds, and one could shorten to less rounds if so desired.There are a couple components which are made simply of a thick paper, which doesn't feel like it matches the luxury quality of the rest of the game, but this does not affect gameplay. They are not moving pieces, so don't experience as much wear and tear.In all, a really beautiful game and love the unique play style Azul offers.

I was late to the party discovering Azul. In only a few rounds, I was instantly impressed by the easy-to-learn/difficult-to-master nature of the game.This seems to have the same qualities just ratcheted up for a two player game... Rather than making the game simpler, they seem to have given the game extra layers to give two players a little more flexibility and creativity.Additionally, the pieces seem to have the same quality as the original game, with nice cardboard pieces and really nicely printed and colorful tiles.Conveniently, despite having more pieces to deal with, it packs nicely in a smaller box, easier to take to a restaurant or coffee shop to play with a friend.I highly recommend this. I think it's going to be the kind of game that you learn the rules quickly the first time and then play over and over again to try different strategies. Excellent combination of luck-of-the-draw mixed with strategic planning and reactions!I love it!

Full disclosure, I haven’t played this yet. I opened the box, read the instructions and watched a couple of online tutorials, but we haven’t actually tried it. That said, it seems fun and is certainly gorgeous to look at. It’s a strategy game, and the rules seem easy enough, but I think it’d going to take a few tries to really get the hang of it. The game design is apparently inspired by traditional Chinese shadow theatre, and it’s really attractive and intriguing. Instructions say game play lasts for30 – 45 minutes. I also like that, with a number of different ways to score and set up the game, it’s got high replayability. Looking forward to working this into game night.