Splendor Duel - The Forgers
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There comes a moment when you realize the rules you knew are no longer enough. He played a fake gem, you have a card you didn't expect, and the table tilts.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
When fake gems are worth more than real ones
Marc André and Bruno Cathala return to Splendor Duel with an expansion that changes everything without touching anything. Eight new Royal cards and a deck of fifteen Forger cards introduce an element that didn't exist in the base game: deep asymmetry. Davide Tosello signs the illustrations, maintaining the Renaissance aesthetic of the original game.
Fake gems are four paste tokens that look like real gems but aren't. Forger cards tell you when to play them, how to use them, what they can do. Each game becomes a race to figure out who bluffed best, who hid what, who built an empire on foundations of glass. Drafting remains identical, but the strategies you knew no longer work.
What they say abroad
"Once you've played it, there's no going back."
Once you've played it, there's no going back.
— Space Cowboys
A microscopic expansion that redefines the entire game. It fits into the base box as if it had always been there, but it turns every game upside down with a dose of asymmetry that Splendor Duel had never had.
— FroGames
Splendor Duel - The Forgers
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsWhat's in the box
The tools of deception
8 Royal Cards
New nobles that reward alternative strategies. Some favor those who play dirty, others punish those who trust appearances too much.
4 Fake Gem Tokens
They look like real gems but are not. You can use them to buy cards, but beware: if your opponent notices, the castle crumbles.
15 Forger Cards
The heart of the expansion. Each card tells you when and how to use the fake gems, with effects ranging from pure bluffing to tableau manipulation.
Total Compatibility
It fits into the Splendor Duel base box without taking up space. Once shuffled in, it feels like it was always there.
Next time you see a gem on the table, you'll wonder if it's real. And that question will change everything.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The first fake gem
Someone draws the first Forger card and takes a clay gem. It looks like a normal gem, but it's not. The opponent nods, but do they understand? Doubt creeps in.
The first suspicious purchase
A noble card is bought with a combination of gems that doesn't quite add up. Maybe it was a fake gem. Maybe not. No one asks, no one accuses. But both know the game has changed.
The revelation
A Forger card is played and the effect is devastating. A fake gem becomes real, an impossible purchase becomes legitimate, a strategy is overturned. The table tilts.
The gem hunt
Now both know that fake gems are in play. Every move is an attempt to unmask the other. Every draft is a silent interrogation. The Royal cards reward those who played dirtier.
The showdown
One of them reaches the victory points, but the other requests verification. The fake gems are revealed, bluffs uncovered, strategies dismantled. The one who built better wins. The one who bluffed poorly loses everything.
How to play
The flow of each turn
The turn works exactly like in Splendor Duel, but with three new layers of interpretation.
You draw a gem (real or fake, if you have Forger cards) or draft from the central tableau. Fake gems look identical to real ones until they are used.
You buy development or noble cards using your gems. If you use a fake gem, you have to hope your opponent doesn't notice. Some Forger cards allow you to convert fake gems into real ones.
If you have Forger cards in hand, you can play them to activate special effects: steal gems, swap cards, manipulate the tableau, reveal or hide bluffs.
If you reach the required victory points, your opponent can request a gem verification. If you bluffed well, you win. If you're caught, you lose.
Why it's different from the others
Six mechanics that make a difference
True asymmetry
It's not asymmetry of factions or powers. It's asymmetry of information. One knows, the other suspects. One bluffs, the other tries to unmask. Every game is a poker game disguised as a drafting game.
Counterfeit gems
The four clay tokens are physically identical to real gems. There's no way to distinguish them by sight. Only the Forger cards tell you when and how to use them. The deception is material, not narrative.
Modular Forger cards
Fifteen cards with different effects. Each game you only use some, shuffled randomly. There is no dominant strategy because you never know which cards will be in play.
Eight alternative Royals
The new Royal cards reward behaviors not rewarded in the base game: accumulating fake gems, manipulating the tableau, buying cards of specific colors. They change the meta without changing the rules.
Zero footprint
The expansion fits into the base box without taking up extra space. Once shuffled, it feels like part of the original game. Space Cowboys designed it as a permanent module, not an optional expansion.
Risky balance
Using fake gems is risky. If you're caught, you lose credibility and position. But if you bluff well, you open up strategies your opponent cannot counter. The risk is real, the reward is too.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
Victory depends on points, but also on how well you bluffed.
Victory
- Reach the required victory points using real and fake gems legitimately
- Unmask your opponent's bluff when they declare victory with invalid fake gems
- Build an engine of Royal and Forger cards that makes your fake gems indistinguishable from real ones
Defeat
- Declare victory with fake gems but are caught during the final verification
- Your opponent builds an advantage using Forger cards that you cannot counter
- You accumulate fake gems but do not have the Forger cards to make them usable
The Forgers is not an expansion you add when you get tired of the base game. It's an expansion that rewrites the game from the first turn. Once shuffled in, you'll never take it out.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ on Splendor Duel - The Forgers
Do I need the base game to play?
Yes, The Forgers is an expansion for Splendor Duel. You cannot play it without the base game. But once you have it, this expansion integrates perfectly into the original box and becomes a permanent part of the game.
Can fake gems be visually distinguished from real ones?
No, physically they are identical. They are clay tokens of the same material and color as standard gems. Only the person who draws them knows they are fake. The opponent must deduce it from the moves, the Forger cards played, the buying patterns.
Is it suitable for newcomers to Splendor Duel?
No. The Forgers adds psychological complexity and asymmetry that only makes sense if you already know the base game. Play at least five to ten games of Splendor Duel before adding this expansion. Otherwise, you risk getting lost.
How much does it increase game duration?
Practically zero. Games remain around 30 minutes. The expansion does not add extra phases or turns, only deeper decisions. Complexity increases, time does not.
Is it available in Italian?
Yes, this is the Italian edition published by Asmodee. Cards, rulebook, and components are entirely in Italian. The mechanics are language-independent, but having the texts in Italian helps during the first few games.
Splendor Duel - The Forgers is the asymmetrical expansion for the two-player drafting game designed by Marc André and Bruno Cathala. Published by Space Cowboys and distributed in Italy by Asmodee, it introduces eight new Royal cards, four counterfeit gems, and fifteen Forger cards that completely overturn the strategies of the base game. Each game lasts 30 minutes, recommended age 10+. Fake gems are physically identical to real ones, and only Forger cards allow you to distinguish them, creating a level of bluff and deduction that Splendor Duel has never had before. The expansion integrates into the base box without taking up extra space and is designed to become a permanent part of the game. Available on FroGames.it.
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