
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels – Bard
- 1–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 4.0/5
- 2019

2021
Rules assistance for Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels is a board game released in 2021 for 1–4 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Jonathan Phillips-Bradford and its main mechanics are Take That, Dice Rolling, and Modular Board.
Get ready to sharpen thy Shovel! Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels is a 1-4 player side-scrolling, miniatures board game based on the popular video game Shovel Knight by Yacht Club Games. Players will venture into a dangerous dungeon filled with enemies and traps themed to one of the infamous members from the Order of No-Quarter to compete against rival Knights for treasure. Whichever player has the most treasure at the end of the dungeon is the winner! In Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels , treasure is earned by rolling dice to defeat enemies, digging up the scattered dirt piles, and finding gold dropped by other players!. As players advance through the dungeon, they're likely to find powerful one-shot items called Relics as well as a friendly merchant named Chester who's willing to exchange some powerful equipment for some of your treasure. When defeated by enemies or falling into deadly spiked pits, players will drop half of their treasure, allowing the other rival players to come by and collect it. Don’t worry though, if a player’s Knight has been defeated, they spawn back into the game in the following round! Though a player’s Knight may be able to wound enemies, they cannot hurt another rival Knight as it is against their chivalrous code (or shall we say...shovelrous code?) The code of shovelry says nothing about pushing each other around, however, as Knights may knock each other into deadly spiked pits, enemies, or otherwise disadvantageous positions! Not only will enemies and Knights be moving, but the dungeon itself will too. Like a level you'd see in a classic video game side-scrolling segment, the dungeon will constantly move along with or without you, so make sure to keep up! Each round, the leftmost tile will fall off while a new tile moves on from the rightmost side of the board, and any enemies, treasure, or Knights are then defeated and removed from the board! Once players have dealt with the minions and lethal terrain, they will face off against a boss from the Order of No-Quarter as the final challenge of the dungeon. Bosses from the Order of No-Quarter are controlled by their own unique AI Deck, randomizing their attacks for an unforgettable fight. Each time damage is done to the boss players will gain gold, but each time the boss damage them they'll lose gold. Whoever has the most treasure by the end of the fight is the winner! —description from the publisher
Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels supports 1–4 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 Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels 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 Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels for ages 10 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.
Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels has a complexity rating of 2.8 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.
Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Video Game Theme, and Adventure. Its main mechanics are Take That, Dice Rolling, and Modular Board. 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 Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels are: Jonathan Phillips-Bradford. 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 Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels 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.