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Xtronaut: The Game of Solar System Exploration
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 2016
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- BGG #27,770
- BGG rating
- 5.2
Desolated: Duel
2022
Rules assistance for Desolated: Duel
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–2 players
- 30–45 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.2/5
Rules assistant for Desolated: Duel
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Desolated: Duel is a board game released in 2022 for 1–2 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Jacob Lindborg and its main mechanics are Hand Management and Set Collection.
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About the game
Desolated, an engine builder for 1-2 players (1-6 with multiple copies). Harvest materials, optimize exploration, make trades and influence orbital councils for dominance and ultimately victory. The first player to dominate 5 councils, wins the game. Start the game by dividing material-cards, trade-cards and council-cards facedown into individual decks; shuffle and reveal 5 of each. Then give each player 4 material-cards. This is their starting hand. The first player is decided by drawing a material-card and revealing the card number. Highest number is the starting player. In turn order, clockwise around the table, each player has two phases. In the first phase, draw 2 material-cards into your hand. In the second phase, either play a material card to optimize your engine, trade for influence or dominate an orbital council. The game contains 130 cards of amazing art work and high quality cards, printed on a special 330 gr/sqm triplex paper of casino quality, assuring zero transparency. Easy to shuffle and resistant to worn-out. —description from the designer
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Antithesis Games
- Luudos Studio
Questions and answers
Desolated: Duel supports 1–2 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Desolated: Duel is 30–45 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Desolated: Duel for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Desolated: Duel has a complexity rating of 2.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Desolated: Duel belongs to these categories: Exploration, Science Fiction, and Space Exploration. Its main mechanics are Hand Management and Set Collection. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Desolated: Duel are: Jacob Lindborg. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Desolated: Duel as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.