This is the Kingdomino vs Kingdomino Duel game comparison showdown. From the monster success of Kingdomino, Kingdomino Duel was born. It sits in a tall shadow of what came before it but it sets out to conquer new lands (pun intended) and does it well. We dive deep into both. Learn a little about the games then check out our Kingdomino vs Kingdomino Duel notes and final verdict.
ABOUT THE GAMES
About Kingdomino (2016): The game uses tiles with two sections, similar to Dominoes. Every turn, each player will select a new domino to connect to their existing kingdom, making sure at least one of its sides connects to a matching terrain type in play. The order of who picks first depends on which tile was previously chosen, with better tiles forcing players to pick later in the next round. Your goal is to make touching groups of the 6 different types of terrain with as many crowns as possible.
FOR MORE: Kingdomino Page | Buy Kingdomino
About Kingdomino Duel (2019): Roll the dice, choose the ones you want, and put them together in pairs to create your dominoes. Domino by domino, fill in your map while entrusting the territories of your kingdom to loyal dignitaries. Gather favors from wizards in order to cast powerful spells that will allow you to rule without having to share.
FOR MORE: Buy Kingdomino Duel
KINGDOMINO VS KINGDOMINO DUEL ANALYSIS
Theme: That really is the only thing these two have in common. Duel is a spinoff of Kingdomino that ventures into the completely different genre of roll-n-write. It is still all about the land and still devoid of any humans.
Gameplay: Even though the games are different, they do try to keep the gameplay basis similar, instead of adding dominoes to your kingdom, you will choose two dice to combine into a single “domino” that must then be drawn into your kingdom. And it is still done via back and forth drafting. Duel is a distillation or the original so points to the predecessor.
Mechanics: in Duel, four dice are rolled, one is selected, then two, then the final one. The draft is still there but the thinking about the value of tiles and where you will pick next is not. From there you are just filling in gaps on your personal area. Though different in execution, similar in thought across both titles.
Time Commitment: There are both a pretty quick 20 minutes-ish. This is because you are pretty much doing the same thing, filling in your spaces with resources that come out over a limited number of rounds. It plays out the same.
Player Count: Unlike its predecessor, Duel is only for 2 players. This is important to make the rolling and drafting back and forth. Both games have a similar game at that count but obviously you have more freedom with the additional 3 – 4 player count of Kingdomino classic.
Cost: Roll-N-Writes are always going to be cheaper because they are generally disposable. It is all in the score sheet and those are one and done, eventually you will run out of Kingdomino Duel as opposed to be able to play the original forever. This is reflected well.
VERDICT
Verdict For the Shelf: Kingdomino (82% of the time) and Kingdomino Duel (8% of the time). Before saying anything else, Duel is a wonderful roll-n-write that is worth your time. It is just that Kingdomino is at the top of its class, award winning and the reason Duel exists. It can handle more players and at the end of the day it can probably create more styles. If you always have 2 players, and you love roll-n-writes, then fine go with Kingdomino Duel.
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