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Yes, the Magenta line is scratching that game collector itch, making buyer's think “Ah, But that Magenta box will look so good on a black Kallax...next to the other Magenta boxes.” Duos isn't just bringing the collector vibe, it's bringing back classic team-based play...and I'm not talking about some BS team building exercise that “Corporate” foisted on you at the latest pizza party at your place of work. I'm talking about the type of gameplay that made “Euchre” a verb and caused your mom not to talk to Aunt Shirley for a month after she misplayed in Hearts.
Duos plays four to six players in either a two versus two layout or a two versus two versus two set-up. Each game consists of a duo of players (See, it didn't take any time at all to get to the title, did it?) collecting goal cards with the game ending once eight goals have been completed by a single team. Of course, it isn't that easy. Goal cards are worth different point values based on how hard they are to complete and, just because you finished eight goals first doesn't mean you will have the highest victory point total when the game ends. Every player has a face-up goal card in front of themselves and there is also a Public Goal card face-up in the center of the table that any team can claim.
Turns are simple...but the decisions you make during that turn are not. You must draw two cards on your turn. This is done either from the three face-up cards that are currently showing on the table or you can blind draw from the top of the deck. Then, you have the option of giving one or two cards from your hand to your partner. Or you can claim a goal card if you have the proper cards in hand. Finally, you have to discard down to six cards if you have more than that at the end of your turn. You can also do these actions in any order you choose. Even doing a bit of each: Like drawing one card, completing a goal, passing one card, drawing your second card, passing it as well.
When we do play team based games (Something like the venerable Pictionary or Decrypto), my wife and her sister have what they call the “Sister Link.” sometimes allows them to sync up and pull complex answers out of the ether with a single word or picture. Watching the Sister Link crash and burn in Duos was entertaining. You can't communicate with your partner...well, at least verbally. What you will want to do is observe what they are taking and what goals they have. You'll also want to note what they are striving for and made sure that your own goals don't align with theirs. It might be easy for one player to, say, have three of a specific card but if you both have that card as a goal, you'll end up working against each other. The game allows you to be selective because, when you take a goal card, you can choose to “Mulligan” it, which means you can discard it and take a different goal....once...and blindly. This even applies to the public goal card if you are the person who claimed it.
Sussing out if your partner is currently striving for a public or private goal is another layer in the gameplay. Failing miserably at this means that Duos falls squarely into the “One more game” category as you lovingly (or spitefully) smile at your partner and resist the urge to come up with some sort of (illegal) signal to indicate what the hell you want them to do.
Clocking in at around 20 to 30 minutes per game (depending on player count), Duos can easily be that filler that turns into the main course when you play game after game. Maybe you just need a different partner because, obviously, it couldn't be your fault that your Duo keeps losing. Do be aware that you will have to switch seats when you switch partners, since you never sit next to your partner. So, I hope you don't pray too hard at the church of assigned seating.
CMYK once again adds a stellar release to the Magenta Line. If you are cool with the four or six player restriction, the Team Play of Duos is a blast. And it's a bit less of “This is the proper play” than you would find in something like Hearts, so it should keep Aunt Shirley in Mom's good graces.
A review copy of this release was provided by the publisher. Therewillbe.games would like to thank them for their support.
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