The Duke Game

Protect Yours At All Costs

• What: The Duke Game
• When: 8 years and up
• Why: Build strategy skills
• Where: Amazon

Have you heard of The Duke? No, we’re not talking about the university, any of their athletics teams, or a member of the royal family. If you’ve got an older child who loves the strategy and mechanics of chess, check out this tile-based strategy game called The Duke.

The Duke: Lord’s Legacy game on Amazon 

Players pit their wits against each other in this board game. Similar to chess, but with tiles instead of figures, each piece has its own movements and special actions. Start the game with each player laying down their Duke tile along with two Footmen tiles. Players then take turns. On each turn, a player may either move one of their existing tiles on the board, or choose an additional tile at random from their supply. Capture your opponent’s Duke tile to win the game.

Sounds simple, right? But each tile has two sides, with the movements printed right on the tile itself. That makes it easy for kids and adults alike to remember what each piece can do. With 36 spaces arranged in a square on the board, players can move to any square. Reach a square occupied by another player and you remove that tile from the board. Each player has eighteen different tiles to use to protect their Duke from capture. All the tiles offer slightly different actions. After being moved, each tile will flip over. The opposite side details the move and special action options for the following turn, making this game very dynamic.

Both our eleven and nine year old enjoy matching wits in this quick-paced game. With multiple tiles, anyone can win. Thanks to the movements printed directly on the tiles, this game makes it easy to learn but it can take ages to master, giving players lots of opportunities to build skills and discover strategies.If you want a compact but challenging game for older kids or adults, get your own copy of The Duke and see how long you can protect your game-winning piece.