Overview

In 7 Wonders: Duel, your aim is to make your ancient civilization thrive over three rounds by acquiring resources, building different types of constructions, and building your Wonders. However, you're doing this along with another player who has access to the same resources and buildings you do. Over the course of each round, you'll be acquiring money and points from the different cards played or other actions. Alternatively, you can build up a military to conquer your opponent, or progress on technology to the point that you're just too amazing of a civilization.

There are three ways to win this game (4 if with Agora expansion):

• • Advance the military token all the way to the opponent's edge of the board
• • Collect any six different science symbols
• • Have the most points at the end of the 3rd round
• • Control all six chambers in the senate (only with Agora expansion)

Game Anatomy

At any given moment, each player has:

• • 4 Wonders. These can be built by tucking a card underneath them for the bonuses printed on them. These are shown on the left side of your board.
• • Money. Some cards or Wonders give you money, but this is more commonly earned by discarding cards. Money can be spent to buy cards, or to buy resources you don't already have access to. This is shown on the right side of your player board.
• • Points. These are simply the sum of all points earned from cards. The player with the most points wins the game (unless an alternate victory condition is achieved). This is shown on the right side of your player board.

Between both players is the available "market" of cards. Any cards not covered by any other card can be collected or purchased for the listed price. The shape of this board is different in each round.

Game Setup and Preparation

Each player starts the game with 7 coins.

5 Progress tokens are dealt onto the board.

Each player also starts with 4 potential Wonders, chosen as follows:

• • Deal out 4 random Wonders.
• • The starting player selects one of the Wonders.
• • The other player then selects two of the remaining Wonders.
• • The starting player automatically gets the remaining Wonder.
• • Then deal out 4 random Wonders and repeat the above process, except the other player starts that round.

Each wonder provides certain advantage to the player by way of points, attack shields, coins or other advantage.

Finally, deal out the Age I cards in the pattern described.

The starting player goes first.

What To Do On Your Turn

During your turn, trigger a conspiracy if you want (Agora), then select one of the cards on the board to claim, then choose what to do with it:

• • Play the card as normal. This is the most common choice. Doing this will simply give you the benefits of the card. The types of cards and what they do are explained further into these instructions.
• • Use the card to build your Wonder. Tuck the card underneath one of your Wonders. It does not matter which card is tucked for this; as long as any card is used for this, the Wonder is considered complete. You do need to be able to pay the resource cost of the Wonder or have enough money to make up the difference. Only 7 Wonders can be completed during the entire course of the game; once the 7th has been built, the 8th and final Wonder is removed from play and can't be built.
• • Discard the card for money. You gain 2 coins plus 1 coin for each yellow card you already have. It does not matter which card is discarded for this; all cards are worth the same amount of money when discarded this way.
• • Prepare a conspiracy. You put the card underneath one of your conspiracies. Later on, you can trigger a conspiracy before you select a card. (only available when played with Agora)

If you built to a wonder with a "take another turn action", you may go again. (If you have several such wonders, you can repeat this multiple times, even though the game rules disallow it.) Otherwise, it's now your opponent's turn.

Buying Cards

Most cards have a purchase price, shown on the top left of the card, involving resources or money. To buy a card, you must have the available resources for it. However, if you do not have the required resources, you may buy them from the bank. For each missing resource, pay 2 coins, plus 1 extra coin for each of that resource your opponent has.

Alternatively, some cards have an alternate cost using a previously claimed card. Cards that can take advantage of a chain build later in the game have a symbol printed on the top right, and cards that can be purchased this way have the matching symbol underneath their normal, resource-based cost. If you have the appropriate card, you can buy the new card for free!

Types of Cards

Players can gain the following types of cards:

Resource Cards

Brown and gray cards are resources. There are five types of resources; wood, brick, stone (all of which are brown), glass, and paper (which are gray). These resources are required in order to build certain cards or Wonders. If you do not have a particular resource, you can instead pay 2 coins, plus 1 coin for each resource held by your opponent (this money goes to the bank, not to your opponent). Resource cards are never used up - as long as you have the card, you may use the resources on any subsequent turns.

Unlike other cards, Resource Cards appear in Age I and II, but not at all during Age III.

Commerce Cards

Yellow cards are commerce cards, and usually have something to do with money. They may allow for altered costs to buy resources, or to instantly gain money. Additionally, for each yellow card you have, you gain 1 extra coin each time you discard a card.

Civilian Cards

Blue cards are civilian cards, and are simply worth points at the end of the game.

Science Cards

Green cards are science cards. These are frequently (but not always) worth points, but more importantly, have one of six different scientific instruments on them. If you ever collect one copy of all six symbols, you automatically win the game!

Additionally, if you get two cards with the same symbol, you also immediately get one of the Progress tokens. There are five Progress tokens dealt at the start of the game, which either give you some sort of bonus or extra effect.

Military Cards

Red cards are military cards. These show some number of sword and shields along the top. When you get one, for each of these sword and shields, advance the military token one step towards your opponent. If it moves into a space next to a penalty symbol, your opponent loses money.

If you ever advance the military token to the edge closest to your opponent, you've conquered their civilization and automatically win the game! However, if the game ends before this happens, one player will gain points based on its position.

Guild Cards

Purple cards are guild cards. These are worth money and points based on how many of a particular card type or other quality have been built. The money from this is awarded immediately, but the points are only awarded at the end of the game (and consequently do not show up on your point total).

Unlike other cards, these cards only show up in Age III.

Senators (Agora)

Black and White cards are senators. Their cost are coins equal to your number of senators (0 if first). Then apply its effect as follows:

• Politician (White): Take a number of senate actions (place influence in the section or move an influence) according to the number of blue cards you have (0-1: 1 action, 2-3: 2 actions, 4+: 3 actions).
• Conspirator (Black): Put an influence in any chamber or conspire (draw 2 conspiracies, choose 1 and put the other on top or bottom of the deck).

If you have more influences than your opponent in a chamber, you control the chamber and have the power of the decree in it. However, you lose it if your opponent has at least the same number of influences as you. If you are tied with your opponent, no one control the chamber.

These cards only show up if the Agora expansion is on. They have a grey back.

Divinities (Pantheon)

The large, tarot-sized cards are divinities. Their cost is determined by their placement on the Pantheon board. They are kept in separate decks until they are placed on the board by picking up the corresponding pantheon token during Age I.

The pantheons are as follows:

Mesopotamian - green backs, science-related effects:

• Enki: When Enki is revealed, randomly draw 2 Progress tokens from those discarded at the beginning of the game. These tokens are placed face-up on Enki’s card. When you invoke Enki, choose one of these two Progress tokens and gain it. The other token is returned to the box with those discarded at the beginning of the game.
• Ishtar: Grants the Law scientific symbol.
• Nisaba: Place the Snake token on an opponent’s green card. Treat it as if you also have that symbol.

Phoenician - yellow backs, economy-related effects

• Astarte: Place 7 coins from the bank on Astarte’s card. These are not part of your City’s Treasury, and so are thus protected against coin losses. It’s possible to spend them normally. At the end of the game, each coin still present on Astarte’s card is worth 1 victory point for you.
• Baal: Steal a brown or grey card built by your opponent, it is added to the cards of your City.
• Tanit: Take 12 coins from the bank.

Greek - blue backs, wild-card effects

• Aphrodite: Worth 9 victory points.
• Hades: Choose one card from the discard pile and construct it for free in your City.
• Zeus: Put in the discard pile a card of your choice (face up or down) from the structure, as well as any tokens which may be present on that card.

Egyptian - grey backs, wonder-related effects

• Anubis: Discard a card previously used to construct a Wonder (an opposing one or one of your own). The affected player doesn’t lose the instant effects previously granted by that Wonder (shields, coins, progress tokens, constructed or discarded card, replay effect). It is possible to rebuild this Wonder and thus apply its effects once again.
• Isis: Choose a card from the discard pile and construct one of your Wonders for free using that card.
• Ra: Steal an opponent’s Wonder which has not yet been constructed; it is added to your own Wonders.

Roman - red backs, military-related effects

• Mars: Grants 2 shields.
• Minerva: Place the Minerva pawn on any space of the Military Track. If the Conflict pawn would enter the space which contains the Minerva pawn, it instead stops moving and its movement ends. Then discard the Minerva pawn.
• Neptune: Choose and discard a Military token without applying its effect. Then choose and apply the effect of another Military token (which is then discarded).

These cards only show up if the Pantheon expansion is on.

End Of An Age

An age ends when either player takes the last card from the board. A new set of cards is dealt out in a predefined pattern.

The player closest to the Military token (that is, the player most in danger of being conquered) chooses which player starts the next round. If the Military token is in the middle, then the last active player (the person who finished the previous age) chooses who starts the next round.

End Of The Game

The game can end automatically if either player conquers the other, gets enough scientific symbols, or control all six chambers (Agora). But if neither of those conditions are met, then the game ends at the end of Age III.

Players earn points from their points on cards (including guilds), Wonders, the final position of the Military token, the senates they controlled (1-3 points, only with Agora) and leftover money (3 coins converts to 1 point). The player with the most points wins! In case of a tie, victory is awarded to the player with the most civilian points (blue cards). If that is also a tie, then the final result is shared victory.