Dwarves working against each other down in the tunnels, battling trolls and cave-ins, to grab the most gold? We’re in. Wandering about PAX East, we were immediately drawn to the artwork of Mayfair Games’ Saboteur: The Duel. The two previous incarnations of the Saboteur title looked intriguing but The Duel was the two player version making it much more likely that it would get to the table. The Duel is a quick playing, tile (card) placement, hand management game that had us laughing as we threw trolls and rock slides in each other’s path.
Sure the dwarves are cute, but they’re also devious and greedy. And that’s what makes them fun. A small box game with very little in the way of set up, Saboteur: Duel is simple to learn and has enough strategy to keep you coming back. Plus, the artwork is just the right mix of whimsy and detail.
2nd – (2 player rating) A solid two-player game. Definitely strategies to be learned as you play over multiple rounds. As this was designed specifically to be a 2 player game, this rating is understandably high. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5
S – (setup, takedown, instructions) The box contains an instructions, a deck of cards, 10 tokens and two stand up dwarf markers. This should mean that set up is simple. And while the instruction sheet actually contains a small template to measure out card spaces, set up itself is a bit fiddly. After a few rounds, it gets easier. Instructions for the game are very clear and the rules are straightforward allowing you to get quickly to game play. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5
T – (tactile, components, artwork, etc) Colorful, whimsical and useful cards that contain all the information needed to play without checking back to the instructions very often. Markers are nice heavy cardboard and there are no unnecessary bits and pieces. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5
A – (action, mechanics, general gameplay) The object of this game is to tunnel your way to having the most gold while keeping your opponent from doing the same. There is a good bit of luck involved and a few rounds were determined mainly on card draw. Your turn consists of either card placement or an action. Turns move very quickly. The luck to strategy balance leans a bit towards luck in this game but your choices still have consquences. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5
R – (replay factor) Saboteur is a quick filler game and because of that it will get to the table more than some heavier games. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5
Final Thoughts – If you’re looking for a solid, filler game or warm up game, I would recommend Saboteur. Not quite enough weight for a game night on its own but definitely a lot of fun. 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5 /5 overall 2nd Star Review
