Review – Splendor Duel: The Counterfeiters

When I first heard about Splendor Duel, the idea sounded pretty ridiculous. It made sense for 7 Wonders, but Splendor is already great for two players! Fortunately, I was wrong, and we were given a really great game, with some unique concepts that only work well for 2 players. However, after many plays in real life and on BoardGameArena, a few concepts become rote, including the “choke” strategy of just hoarding all the pearls and gold. (Maybe not always effective, but always unfun!) Fortunately, The Counterfeiters expansion is here to save us!

First, I have to say that Asmodee’s ability to coordinate across a lot of big brands and make sweeping changes is turning out to be really effective. Somebody somewhere decided to encourage designers to make “micro expansions” instead of large ones: Harmonies: Pulse, Duel for Middle-earth: Allies, and here, Splendor Duel: Counterfeiters. I personally LOVE this, as I often find myself integrating a big expansion into a game, not wanting to explain or remember all the new rules, and then slowly playing the game less until I give up on it. Overwrought expansions often do more harm than good, and they’re more expensive to boot. At a $12.99 MSRP, Counterfeiters is a great way to top off that GameNerdz order you’ve been waiting to fill for free shipping. (We are not sponsored by GameNerdz. But hey, if they want to, send me an email at derek.thompson@geeksundergrace.com!)

The expansion might be small, but it has a big impact. There’s a new deck of Counterfeiter cards, offering various special powers in exchange for some of the 4 new Counterfeit gems. They are immensely powerful, and it’s usually worth getting at least one. Additionally, simply adding 4 gems to the bag creates uncertainty in the opening grid, which prevents static strategies from working every single game. It’s a fantastic system that doesn’t add a ton of rules overhead, but breaks the game wide open. Additionally, the last component of the expansion is a new set of Royals, to be shuffled in with the rest, adding more variability to setup.

Frankly, I struggle to find a complaint with the expansion, but one (very) small thing keeps me from giving it a perfect ten. What made Splendor Duel great was how interactive and combative it is. While that’s still true, because the Counterfeit cards encourage specialization, the endgame can feel like the players are racing independently instead of dueling. I think that effect is worth the cost of having the cool Counterfeit cards and the variability in setup, but it’s something to keep in mind. If you own Splendor Duel and are looking to breathe new life into it, this expansion will do just that, without breaking the bank.