Everdell Duo

The original Everdell had satisfied me quite a bit, at least up through its first expansion. After that, things got out of hand, as they often do when four or more big expansions supposedly all work together. Everdell Duo, on the other hand, caught my eye precisely because it promises a more condensed experience and is built to work properly with two players.

In practice, what I get is the feel of Everdell in a tighter form: a game that does not need to carry the full weight of the expansions to remind me why I liked the base game. Its flow is made for two players, and that alone is a very sensible and pleasant starting point.

I would not put it squarely in the pure gateway-game category, because it has one extra click of difficulty. Still, across the two honest plays we have had, the interaction between the two players and the game as a whole came across without overwhelming us; with a little help from the table, a new player can keep up.

I see it as a very good next step after games such as Agricola All Creatures, Foothills, or Flamecraft. It does not try to become “Everdell with everything” — thankfully. It is a solid, focused choice for two, and that is exactly the obvious good news here.