Lunch is probably the worst meal of the day. Come 1 p.m. in the afternoon, I have already consumed so much food that my sandwich, crisps, and chocolate have long since disappeared. But something many people across the world enjoy is board games during lunch breaks. Take a former workplace where three colleagues would disappear off into a side room and sneak 30 minutes of Catan together. A few days later, one of them would be declared the winner.
And that is exactly what happened in my household recently. Starting back with work after the Christmas break, we needed something to break up the day. My choice was far from easy, though.
I knew I wanted to play something fast and fun with around 30 minutes of playing time. Well, that whittled it down to slender 2-player only titles – the perfect blend of competitiveness without the downtime. But these are probably our favourite types of games for my wife and me, so choosing between our stellar collection was not easy.
In the end, I decided on Splendor Duel, my favourite 2-player title at the moment. The recent 2024 release has all the elements from other games I love. An engine building, empire increasing Euro with the unexpected twists and turns of card-driven games. That and the fantastic addition of three win conditions courtesy of Bruno Cathala of 7 Wonders Duel fame, you have a gem of a game (sorry)!
Strategic Sandwiches & Decathlon Crowns
Splendor Duel plays like the game it reimplements. On your turn, you collect gems or ply cards using those gems to score bigger and better points before your opened does. The goals in this game have shifted slightly. You now need 20 points to claim victory or 10 crown icons showing or 10 points within a single colour.
These options make the game open up a lot more, and while most victories we have had so far are the classic points score, my first ever victory was secured with crowns! Yes, the crowns give you those nobles for extra points or even extra turns, but having secured an early third crown, I knew this was my path in this particular game.
With victory secured on day 1, my wife, upset at her first loss in five games, decided it was time for a rematch. So, come Wednesday afternoon, Splendor was on the table once again. Somehow, I managed to play some good cards, having a nice basic engine of every colour early on. It was then I was gifted the opportunity to play a 5-pointer in the second row, and this certainly secured me victory, now only two points away and two cards on the display showing just that – there was no way she could stop me.
Thursday came, and of course, this losing streak had to stop for my wife. This time, she built a lovely engine combining crowns at 3 and 6 and some high point cards from the 3rd row. With 16 points in the bag, I knew my time on top had come to an end. And it was a simple victory of over 20 points for my wife to be reprieved of her short demise.
Midday Meeples
A week on, we haven’t cracked out Splendor Duel or any other game yet, but it is still early in the week. With deadlines and life admin, of course, board games have to go back onto the shelf. But how about you? When is your favourite time to unbox?
Maybe you like a Saturday dedicated to gaming. Maybe order pizza in and invite some friends for a mega marathon. Maybe you’re more spur-of-the-moment and appreciate the spontaneous nature of randomness. However, you like to play board games can teach us a lot about each other and even uncover more about the mechanics themselves.
Some great suggestions for short lunch-time games I considered were Jaipur, the Indian trading game. Or even our household favourite, Railroad Ink Challenge. These games feature the short playing time but also that satisfaction if you haven’t played in a while. Maybe our streak will continue this week, maybe not, but whichever way, it was a great way to start off 2026.
If you’re blessed with a long lunch, maybe consider something meatier or leaving the board set up over a few days. Our time is precious, and work, chores, and life get in the way of the greatest hobby of our day. My key takeaways from this hattrick of days were this:
• It is good to make time for others.
• It is fun to win.
• Although it is better to lose.
• Board games are for a Wednesday as much as the weekend.
I hope this blog has inspired you to perhaps try Splendor Duel. Or maybe playing something you love equally as much. Perhaps you can go to your local coffee shop – for so many of us, work from home – to play something fun over a cuppa. Enjoy being out of the office even if it’s for a game of Dobble!
