Everdell Duo... The Duel of Two Cities!
- Alex Critchell
- Mar 19
- 6 min read
Embark on a new journey in gaming with the new two-player version of Everdell, Everdell Duo. In this version, you can play competitively against one another or team up together to beat Miss Thorn. This version offers the great game you know and love with a couple of twists to shake things up. Explore our thoughts and find out more about how this one plays below.
This game came onto my radar when it had come up on my feed while using social media. Due to enjoying the previous renditions of Everdell, I was excited about trying this one out to see what it offered that was new. I was specifically intrigued by the cooperative variant how that would work and how they would do a campaign for the game.
First Impressions
Upon receiving the game, I was greeted by the beautiful anthropomorphic artwork that I have come to love from the Everdell games. I really like how the two critters on the front cover are the two that the players can play as and how much they stand out against the background. I also found that the lettering used for the title on the front cover contrasted nicely against the background, making it pop out so it was easy to read. The rear of the game box has been laid out well with images of the game board being present so you have an idea of what the game will look like, and the text is very engaging and makes you excited to find out more, which I always love to see. Inside the box, the usual high-quality components were present that we have come to expect from Starling Games. The worker tokens for each player are well crafted, the resources are nice and tactile, and the cards are made of good quality card stock. I love how Starling Games always do such a great job of not only getting the artwork to flow throughout the game but every little component in the box transports you to this world that has been designed for these games.
Game Play Overview
Everdell Duo is a game in which you will either play head-to-head in a competitive format or cooperatively with the other player to score points. The game will be played over four seasons before scoring is completed. Over the course of the game, you will place workers to gather resources that you will then use to play cards into your woodland city to grow and develop it, all in the hope of completing events to score extra points.
On a player's turn, a player may perform one of three actions: Place a Worker, Play a Card, and Pick a Card. After each action, the player must move either the Sun or Moon token to the right one space depending on the action they have taken. Once the Sun or Moon token has reached the end of the path, an action that would advance that token can no longer be taken. Also, at any point during your turn, you may exchange two cards from your hand to gain one resource of your choice.
To place a worker, you will place one worker from your supply and place it on any worker spaces that are not yet occupied by another worker and then gain the benefits from performing that action. The locations a worker can be placed on are Farm Locations that provide general resources and are available every round, River Locations that provide resources and special actions that change every round, Red Destination cards that are in your or the other player's city which give the other player one point token if you use their red action spaces, and Events that can only have a worker placed at them if you can meet the event's requirement. Each location may only have a single worker placed at them, and after resolving the Place a Worker action, you must move the Sun token one space to the right.
Players can also choose to Play a Card. To do this, you will play a card from either your hand, from the meadow cards diagonally adjacent to the Sun Token, or the meadow cards diagonally adjacent to the Moon Token by paying its resource cost in the top left corner. Or, if it is a critter and you have a Construction in your city of the same color as a critter, you can use an Occupied token to play the critter without paying its cost. Each card in the game offers special effects to use during play that can be optionally activated. There are five different types of cards split into their own colors: Production, Governance, Traveler, Destination, and Prosperity. Production cards are green and activate as soon as you play them as well as at the beginning of spring and autumn. The blue cards are Governance cards which activate at a time as specified on the card, such as giving a discount when playing a certain type of card in the future or offering rewards for certain cards being played. The Traveler cards that are tan only activate once in the game when they are played, giving you a one-off effect. There are also red cards that are the Destination cards that only activate when a worker is placed on them, which other players may use, though you gain a point token when this occurs. Lastly, you have the Prosperity cards that are purple, and these only activate at the end of the game, granting you bonus points based on the listed aspects in your city. Once the Play a Card action is resolved, the Moon token is advanced one space down the path.
The last action you can do on your turn is to Pick a Card. To pick a card, you will either draw one card from the deck or take any card from the meadow and add it to your hand. Your hand is always kept secret from your opponent, but they may see how many cards you have in your hand at any time. You then replenish the meadow if you drew one from that area, and then you choose if you will move the Sun or Moon token one space down the path.
A season ends once both the Sun and Moon tokens have reached the end of the path, resulting in neither player being able to perform any more actions. Players then prepare for the next season by retrieving their workers from the board, removing the current season tile from the game, moving the Sun and Moon tokens back to the beginning of the path, and resolving the effects of the next action tile.
After you have played through all four seasons and reached the end of the path with both the Sun and Moon tokens in autumn, the game comes to an end. Begin the end game by awarding the Journey Event to the player with the most cards in their city and hand, and then proceed onto scoring. Players receive points for cards, Prosperity cards, point tokens, and events. The player with the most points is the winner.
Pros and Cons
After playing this game, there is so much to enjoy, from the new Sun and Moon path to the new interaction between the cards, as well as the amazing production. My favorite part about this version of the game is that it takes up less table space yet provides you with all the things you know and love from the original game. The game does have a very different tempo compared to the original game, as you can only move on to the next season all together, and you are limited to only a certain number of actions, which can make it feel more limiting. Though for me, I enjoyed this as it increased player agency in the game and made each decision so much more important. I do feel the Sun and Moon path has been a great addition to this game due to the influence it has on gameplay and is a great way to introduce a new element to the game without being too complicated yet offering a lot of strategic depth.
Final Verdict
Overall, I really enjoyed this game. Its rules are reasonably well-written, and the gameplay is really smooth, which made it so much fun as you can focus on your strategy from the first game rather than just learning how to play. I can see this being very popular with me and my wife as it is easier to set up than the original game and Farshore, and the game plays in a good amount of time, meaning we can fit it into more evenings. This game is perfect for people who enjoy their strategic light worker placement games and usually play with 2 players. If you like the theme and style of this game, though your game group plays with more than two players, I would suggest that the original Everdell game would be a better fit, and if you enjoy a game with a bit more depth and strategic choices, Everdell Farshore would be the best option for you. As much as I did enjoy this rendition of the game, I still have to say the original game is still my favorite.
In conclusion, we would rate this game a 8.7/10
You can see how it plays and grab your own copy at:
If you want to find out more about the other two games mentioned in this review you can find them below:
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