Rival Cities

Two cities, one harbour, and no room for both of you.

Andreas Steding's 2025 duel puts you in charge of one of two neighbouring medieval cities locked in a tug of war over the port between them. There are four ways to win — prestige, lawsuits, ships or alliances — and pulling decisively ahead in any one of them ends the game on the spot.

Which means the whole thing is a reading exercise. Every push you make in one direction is visible, so your opponent knows which threat to block, and the skill sits in deflection — building towards two victories at once so that whichever they stop, the other lands. It runs half an hour, which is unusually brisk for a game with this much bluff in it, and it is strictly for two.

Perfect for: Couples and two-player groups who want something meaner than Duel for Middle-earth and shorter than 7 Wonders Duel.

2 players | 30–40 minutes | Age 10+

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