Duel for Cardia

Both players hold exactly the same cards, so there is nobody left to blame.

A djinn, freed from something the box declines to specify, built the city of Cardia out of gratitude. Four factions hold five signet rings between them, and whoever wins the factions over rules the city. That is the excuse. The game itself is a fifteen-minute duel between two mirrored decks, designed by Faouzi Boughida and Mathieu Rivero for Hans im Glück.

Each player pilots the same deck: cards numbered one to sixteen, every one of them carrying its own ability. You choose simultaneously, and the pairing decides who takes the encounter. Because the decks are identical, every card you spend is a card your opponent knows you no longer hold, and every card you keep back is one they are still watching for. It is trick-taking pared down to two hands and a good memory, and it fits in a coat pocket.

Perfect for: Couples who have already worn out one small box this year, and anyone who thinks a game ought to be finished before the tea goes cold.

2 players | 15 minutes | Age 9+

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