Board Game Arena

I played this game on BGA before buying a physical copy of the game, and was disappointed that the cards are so small (smaller than standard splendor, which is similar to regular playing cards). I get that it's a 2 player game, but it didn't need to be travel-sized. They're annoying to shuffle. As someone who enjoys the actual gameplay of Splendor Duel, I'd gladly pay extra for a "deluxe" version with cards and gems that are similar to the original (or better).

Yeah, agreed. I also find the art lackluster compared to splendor

Interesting. You needed to open the tiny box for which you payed like 20 bucks (?) to be surprised by the size of its content? You somehow thought that the board, a bag of plastic chips, 3 packs of cards and some other components would come in full size? The size of the cards that need to be shuffled once per game is such a chore? I think that production of this game is great. Tokens are what I would call "deluxe". So is the insert. Setup is so breezy that it could only be made better if mr. Cathala himself came and did the setup for you. Art is a subjective thing but there is nothing bad about art here. Would not call the original splendor better. Playing "real" games is a matter of tactility for me and for that a digital edition can never top the real thing. But since size matters to you maybe you should make your own version

P.S There is a thing called Youtube where you can see thousands of reviews and unboxing videos so that future can judge the things like size.

This is nuts to me. I vastly prefer the smaller cards (this game can be a table hog as it is, imagine with full sized cards! Not to mention there’s no text in the cards, which could be a reason to make them larger). The production in this game is top-notch all around. I love a game that doesn’t waste space!

The card art is also super appealing to me, with great character portraits and vivid colors. I just introduced this game to my brother and the art style was a pretty big hook to get him interested.

In fact, this is the single biggest reason I never bought the original Splendor or the original Azul: extremely oversized boxes and components.

Everyone has their right to their opinion but I love everything about this game including the compact size. Great game for my wife and I to play in a booth at a restaurant. We love Splendor too, but duel is such a superior game with the added strategy the pearls and board add.

It's great that some games exist a good price point, compact enough to travel with, but I also agree that a Deluxe version ought to be available too for genuine fans of this excellent game.