The Ludarium Academy · Full course · Free

Pick, Pass, and Duel

An unofficial 7 Wonders and 7 Wonders Duel course

Learn 7 Wonders for the full table and 7 Wonders Duel for two, teach both in minutes, and draft every card like it matters.

Free, one short lesson at a time. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy

7 Wonders setup for four players: the Age I, II, and III decks, a discard space, the coin reserve, and the Conflict tokens in the middle of the table, and each player's Wonder board, Day side up, with a starting resource and 3 coins on it. Your left and right neighbors are marked; Ages I and III pass left, Age II passes right.Free printable teach sheetSetup, a turn, scoring, and three tips on one page.

Five levels, 18 lessons

Start with lesson one

  1. Level 0 · Learn to play

    Stonecutter

    After this level: Set up, teach, and score a full game of 7 Wonders and of Duel without opening the rulebook.

    1. 01How to Play 7 Wonders and 7 Wonders Duel
    2. 02How to Teach 7 Wonders and 7 Wonders Duel
    3. 03How to Score 7 Wonders and Duel by Hand

  2. Level 1 · Beginner

    Merchant

    After this level: Play clean games of both, open Age I with a plan, and read your Wonder board and your Duel Wonders before the first card.

    1. 04Your First Three Games of 7 Wonders and Duel
    2. 057 Wonders and Duel Openings: Age I and the Wonder Draft
    3. 067 Wonders Track: Reading Your Wonder Board, Day and Night
    4. 07Duel Track: The Twelve Wonders and How to Draft Them

  3. Level 2 · Intermediate

    Scholar

    After this level: Read your neighbors and the Duel layout through the midgame, run a coin economy, choose Progress tokens with a reason, and count the endgame.

    1. 08The 7 Wonders Midgame: Neighbors, Chains, and Tempo
    2. 097 Wonders Track: Coins, Trading, and Yellow Cards
    3. 10Duel Track: Progress Tokens and the Science Pairs
    4. 117 Wonders Endgame and Scoring Math
    5. 127 Wonders Player Counts, Variants, and Expansions

  4. Level 3 · Advanced

    Strategos

    After this level: Track every hand and hate-draft on purpose, control who opens the Duel layout, and see a supremacy win coming turns ahead.

    1. 137 Wonders Track: Card Memory and Hate-Drafting
    2. 14Duel Track: Controlling the Layout
    3. 15Duel Track: Military and Science Supremacy, Counted

  5. Level 4 · Tournament ready

    Sovereign

    After this level: Play both World Boardgaming Championships formats, bid for a Wonder with a number in mind, and follow a practice plan to your first event.

    1. 16Competitive 7 Wonders and Duel: Tournaments and Local Play
    2. 17Tournament Rules That Change Your Play: Wonder Bids and the Duel Draft
    3. 18A Practice Plan for 7 Wonders and Duel Tournaments

Every lesson is free to read here, any time. Sign up and they also arrive by email, one at a time, so the course keeps you learning between game nights.

Who it is for

  • New players who want 7 Wonders or Duel clear before the first card is picked.
  • Hosts who teach 7 Wonders to a big group, or Duel to a partner.
  • Players who keep finishing in the middle of the pack and want to know why.
  • Anyone curious about expansions, online play, and the World Boardgaming Championships.
Players
3 to 7 (Duel: 2)
Play time
About 30 minutes each
Ages
Ages 10 and up
Rules as of
7 Wonders second edition rulebook (2020) and 7 Wonders Duel rulebook (2015), Repos Production

Questions

How many players does 7 Wonders need?

The current edition of 7 Wonders plays 3 to 7. For two players, the publisher makes 7 Wonders Duel, a separate game built for exactly two, with its own cards and three ways to win.

What is the difference between 7 Wonders and 7 Wonders Duel?

In 7 Wonders, 3 to 7 players pick a card from their hand at the same time and pass the rest. In Duel, two players take turns choosing cards from a shared layout, buy resources from the bank, and can win early through military or science.

Who can you buy resources from in 7 Wonders?

Only your two neighbors, the players directly to your left and right. Each resource costs 2 coins, paid to that neighbor (some yellow cards cut that to 1), and you can buy only what their brown cards, grey cards, and Wonder board's starting resource produce.

How does science scoring work in 7 Wonders?

Each of the three science symbols scores its count squared: 1, 4, 9, 16, and so on. Every complete set of three different symbols scores 7 more points on top.

How do you win 7 Wonders Duel?

Push the Conflict pawn into your opponent's capital, or collect 6 different science symbols, and you win at once. If neither happens, the player with the most victory points after Age III wins.

Teach sheet · PDF · Rules as described in the 7 Wonders second edition rulebook (2020) and 7 Wonders Duel rulebook (2015), Repos Production; official rules.

Unofficial. Not affiliated with Repos Production or Asmodee. 7 Wonders and 7 Wonders Duel are trademarks of Repos Production.