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Splendor Duel
A two-player-only remake of Splendor! You take gems from a shared board and race for special abilities and several different victory conditions in a tense head-to-head duel.
Rules
A two-player-only take on «Splendor». Instead of taking tokens from piles, you take them from an uninterrupted line of spaces on a 5×5 board. There are three roads to victory, and meeting any one of them ends the game on the spot.
There are three roads to victory
| Victory condition | Details |
|---|---|
| 20 Prestige points | Collect 20 or more Prestige points |
| 10 Crowns | Collect 10 or more of the Crowns shown on cards |
| 10 points in one color | The Prestige points on cards of the same color add up to 10 or more |
The original had only the single 15 point goal. In Duel, filling any one of the three wins immediately, the moment your turn ends. You have to watch which road your opponent is on and block it.
Components
| Component | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jewel cards | 67 | Levels 1, 2, and 3 |
| Tokens | 25 | 4 in each of the 5 colors + 2 Pearls + 3 Gold |
| Board | 1 | 5×5 = 25 spaces. Tokens fill it in a spiral |
| Privilege scrolls | 3 | Each lets you take one token for free |
| Royal cards | 4 | You take one at 3 Crowns and one at 6 Crowns |
| Victory tile | 1 | The three victory conditions are printed on it |
Setup
- 1Shuffle the Jewel card decks separately by level and stack them in a column. Level 1 goes at the bottom.
- 2Reveal 3 level-3 cards, 4 level-2 cards, and 5 level-1 cards to form a pyramid.
- 3Put the board below the pyramid and place the 25 tokens on it at random, starting with the central space and following the printed spiral.
- 4Put the 3 Privilege scrolls above the board and the 4 Royal cards below it.
- 5Choose the first player at random. Their opponent takes 1 Privilege.
Your turn — optional actions, then one mandatory action
First you may take none, one, or both of the optional actions, in the order given. Then you must take exactly one mandatory action.
| Optional action | Details |
|---|---|
| Use a Privilege | Return 1 or more Privileges to their place above the board. For each one returned, take a Gem or Pearl token of your choice from the board. Gold is not allowed |
| Replenish the board | Put tokens from the bag onto the empty spaces, starting from the center and following the printed spiral. Then your opponent takes 1 Privilege |
| Mandatory action (exactly one) | Details |
|---|---|
| Take up to 3 tokens | Up to 3 tokens from an uninterrupted line of spaces — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. Taking 1 or 2 is fine as well. Gold is not allowed |
| Take 1 Gold and reserve a card | Take a Gold token and reserve either a card from the pyramid or the top card of a deck |
| Purchase 1 Jewel card | Buy a card from the pyramid or from your reserve and pay its cost |
The tokens must form an «uninterrupted» line
If an empty space or a Gold token sits in the middle, the line is broken. That is why taking tokens gets harder as the board empties.
Takes that hand your opponent a Privilege
If you take 3 tokens of the same color or 2 Pearls, your opponent takes 1 Privilege. It is a strong move, so it comes with a price.
- You may hold at most 3 reserved cards, and reserving is the only way to get Gold. You cannot take this action if there is no Gold on the board or you already have 3 reserved cards.
- Reserved cards are kept secret from your opponent. There is no penalty for still holding them at the end of the game.
- If you cannot take any mandatory action, you must first «Replenish the board».
- At the end of your turn, discard down to 10 if you hold more than 10 tokens. You may go over during your turn.
When you must take a Privilege and there are none above the board, take 1 from your opponent. If you already hold all 3, nothing happens.
Purchasing and card abilities
- Pay the cost shown at the bottom left of the card in tokens. Gold is wild and stands in for any token. Spent tokens go back into the bag.
- The bonuses on cards you own reduce the cost of later purchases. Some cards carry 2 bonuses.
- A cost can drop to 0 but never below 0. You never gain tokens by buying a card.
- There are no Pearl bonuses. Pearls always have to be paid with tokens.
- When you buy or reserve a card from the pyramid, replace it from the matching deck. If that deck is empty, the space stays empty.
| Card ability | Effect |
|---|---|
| Take another turn | Take another turn immediately after this one ends |
| Copy a color | Overlap it on a Jewel card you already own and treat it as that color's bonus. If you own no card with a bonus, you cannot buy this card |
| Take a token | Take 1 token from the board matching this card's color. Ignore it if there is none |
| Take a Privilege | Take 1 Privilege. If none are available, take one from your opponent |
| Steal a token | Take 1 Gem or Pearl token from your opponent. Gold is not allowed |
Royal cards at 3 and 6 Crowns
The moment you reach 3 Crowns you take 1 Royal card, and at 6 Crowns another, resolving its ability. Taking a Royal card is not an action.
Rules people get wrong
Q. Can I mix in cards from the original «Splendor»?
No. It is a completely different game — the cards and the token types are both different.
Q. Can I take any 3 tokens I like?
No. They have to sit in an uninterrupted horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line on the board. An empty space or a Gold token in the middle breaks it.
Q. Can I take Gold with the token action?
No. «Take 1 Gold and reserve a card» is the only way to get Gold.
Q. Is taking 3 tokens of the same color forbidden?
It is allowed, but your opponent takes 1 Privilege. The same goes for taking 2 Pearls.
Q. Are there Pearl bonus cards?
No. Pearls always have to be paid with tokens, which makes them a bottleneck late in the game.
Q. How does a color-copying card count for the «10 points in one color» win?
It counts as the color of the card it overlaps, which is why such a card can bring that victory condition closer.
Q. May I hold more than 10 tokens during my turn?
Yes. You only have to come back down to 10 at the end of your turn.
Q. Does my opponent get a final turn once I meet a victory condition?
No. The game ends the moment your turn ends.
History and editions
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Designers | Marc André · Bruno Cathala |
| Illustrations | Davide Tosello |
| Publisher | Space Cowboys, 2022 |
| Original | «Splendor», 2014 |
| Expansion | Notes |
|---|---|
| The Counterfeiters | A Space Cowboys expansion |
The original «Splendor» plays with 2 as well, but only by removing 3 tokens of each color. If two players is your usual count, Duel is far tighter. It is Cathala's return to a two-player-only design after «7 Wonders Duel».
Sources
Official Space Cowboys rulebook (Splendor Duel, English)Wiki cross-check — Wikipedia: SplendorWiki cross-check — Namuwiki: Splendor (Korean)Rule summaries are reference content written by us, not quotations from the official rulebook. Always check the official rulebook for exact rules. Diagrams are original schematics, not rulebook illustrations.
Spotted a mistake? Tell us in the comments below →
Last updated 2026-09-14
💡 Master tip
A Privilege scroll can be spent at any moment, which makes it a strong resource, so weigh the gain against the cost before you take 3 tokens of the same color or 2 Pearls and hand your opponent a Privilege. Timing your Crowns to hit 3 and 6 so you can claim the Royal cards is another way to build Prestige points quickly.
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Live tracker for the three victory conditions
Alerts you at 20 Prestige points, 10 Crowns, or 10 points in a single color
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