In many ways, 7 Wonders Duel resembles its "parent" game, 7 Wonders. Over three ages, players acquire cards that provide them with resources or advance their military or scientific development, aiming to develop their civilization and complete wonders.
What sets 7 Wonders Duel apart is that, as its title suggests, the game is designed exclusively for two players.
Players do not simultaneously draft cards from decks, but instead select cards from an arrangement of face-up and face-down cards that is set up at the beginning of the round. A player can only take a card if it is not covered by any other card, introducing the importance of correct timing, as well as bonus moves that allow a player to immediately take a second card.
As in the original game, each card acquired can be constructed, discarded for coins, or used to build a wonder. Each player also starts with four wonder cards, and constructing a wonder grants its owner a special ability. However, only seven wonders can be constructed in total, so one player will be left unable to complete their last one.
Players can buy resources from the bank at any time, or acquire cards during the game that provide resources for future construction. As these resources are acquired, their cost increases for the opponent, representing the owner's dominance in that area.
There are three ways to win in 7 Wonders Duel:
each time you acquire a military card, you move the military marker towards your opponent's capital (while also receiving bonuses at certain positions). If you reach your opponent's capital, you win the game immediately.
Alternatively, if you acquire six out of the seven different scientific symbols, you achieve scientific supremacy and also win immediately.
If neither of these situations occurs, the winner is the player with the most points at the end of the game.
