Dorfromantik: The Duel
- David Fox
- Sep 15
- 4 min read
I just sold my copy of Dorfromantik: The Duel, but I’m going to recommend you try it because I know something you don’t. But that’ll have to wait: the question is why I bought it in the first place.
Moving house sucks. Having not moved house for 27 years, I did not realise the truth in those words but, believe me, unless you’re an avid minimalist who happens to be an Estate Agent, a Conveyancing Lawyer and a Chartered Surveyor, it’s not going to be easy. Even if you are all those things, you’ve still got to deal with... Other People. Specifically those buying your house and selling you theirs. It took my wife and me eight months, fifteen offers (all well above market value), three accepted offers falling through and a minor miracle before we eventually moved home and, even then, it started snowing at 4am on the day, threatening the actual physical transfer itself. It was harrowing and literally turned (some of) my hair white due to the stress; no, it wasn’t the snow.
Enter Dorfromantik: The Board Game (Pegasus Spiele) - the first game I played at my new house, in my own room; it was a relaxing, fun, engaging, solo puzzle that I described at the time as the most zen game of plate-spinning I could imagine. I wanted to just storm through it but sensibly rationed my plays; after everything was unlocked, I played one more game before resetting it and loaning it out. Three times. Unsurprisingly, I was pleased it won the Spiel des Jahres award because it was a great experience; surprisingly, I wasn’t pleased it won the SdJ because it’s not actually a game, tho' that’s becoming quite the trend with the SdJ jury of late (looking at you, MicroMacro). Whether Dorfromantik is a worthy winner, I don’t care, and I don’t mind if other people don’t like it, because it was the thing that grounded me after my life had been up in the air for the worst part of a year.
As with many successful games, sequels follow: there’s Dorfromantik: Sakura for those who want the original solo/coop puzzle, but in pink; and there’s also Dorfromantik: The Duel, because a game isn’t a game these days unless it’s got a Duel version. So, competitive romantic duelling... is it a good way to pass the time?
Dorfromantik: The Duel, just as in the original, sees you undertake a rolling series of Tasks to place four or more matching unrestricted terrain types in contiguous groups while similarly managing restrictive Railroads and Rivers, along with some modular first-come-first-served Task cards (aka public objectives) and some push-pull Points of Interest tiles like the wandering Photographer. How it plays simultaneously is that one player is the ‘Bingo caller’, drawing a random tile and the other player - or players, because each additional set takes the player count up by two - has to find that tile and then place it in their own landscape, like Karuba (HABA). If one player completes a Task that means they have less than three remaining, a new Task tile is drawn - for everyone - meaning some players have more to do, by way of a minor catch-up mechanism.
Play continues either until the Landscape tiles run out; players score for completed Tasks, longest Railroad and River, Flags in closed-off terrain types, and other bonuses. Highest score wins - it is competitive now, remember - tho' with the exception of those optional modules, it is true multiplayer solitaire. The base mechanisms of the game, much like the art, are a direct port from Dorfromantik with only a competitive framework being added around it, so if you didn’t like the chilled vibe of the original, this might give it the edge you were looking for, albeit not exactly a cutting one. The award-winning puzzle is intact and, in fact, added to, with another type of Task, the Wraparound which is not directly terrain-related (bonus: there is a Wraparound mini expansion for Dorfromantik: The Board Game included in Dorfromantik Duel).
If your problem with Dorfromantik: The Board Game was that it wasn’t actually a game then Dorfromantik: The Duel might be enough to sway you; it’s definitely still cosy, but there is no cooperation and it's a test of tile-laying optimisation and planning skills. If it was the puzzle aspect of the original you didn’t like, then this doesn’t really change that and you can go back to playing Nemesis (Awaken Realms), Twilight Imperium 4 (FFG) or whatever else unfathomably floats your boat.
There are two notable drawbacks to Dorfromantik Duel, one of which is the reason for my sale. First, as with all Karuba-esque tile-laying games, only one person gets to Take It Easy and draw tiles at random, everyone else has to sort their tiles face up to help find the right tile when it’s called, tho' that does mean they can see what tiles are left to come, by way of compensation for the effort. The second issue is the footprint of this game: it’s HUGE; almost two games of Dorfromantik side by side, with a set of tiles nearby face up, this game takes up a lot of space. Add to that the sprawling nature of the game, which leaves you unsure as to where your bucolic tile town will meander, and the game has to be shifted to accommodate best scoring. Add to that a third or fourth player and you need a mahusive play space well beyond what should be considered reasonable.
So, that’s why I sold a copy of Dorfromantik: The Duel, because I enjoyed it enough to buy a second copy to take it up to four players, then bought a third copy to take it up to six players, but realised that I might actually need another house in order to fit a six-player game in... and I’m not going through that again! OK, there’s some hyperbole afoot here, but not much.
Dorfromantik is mechanically solid and enjoyable enough to win the hobby’s biggest award and The Duel version makes it competitive for those who want the same pastoral puzzling in a competitive setting. I’d recommend you try it at least, especially if you enjoy the competition of Carcassonne (Hans im Gluck) but not Other People messing you about.
(Review by David Fox)
