What Is Town of Duels? A Free Card Game on a Living Chessboard
Town of Duels is a free strategy card game you play in your browser. There is nothing to download and nothing to install. You build a deck, summon your cards onto an 8 by 8 board as living figures, and fight a rival lord tile by tile until one leader falls.
If you have ever wished a card game had the tension of chess, or that a chess game had the surprise of drawing a new card every turn, this is the game for you. This guide explains what Town of Duels is, how a battle plays out, what you collect along the way and how to start in a few minutes.
What kind of game is Town of Duels?
It is three things that feed each other: a deck building card game, a turn based tactics game and a small town builder.
- The cards decide what you can do. There are 297 to collect, in six rarities from Common to Unique.
- The board decides who wins. Every character you summon stands on a tile, and where it stands matters as much as how strong it is.
- The town keeps you moving between battles. Your buildings earn gold and shards while you are away, and that pays for new cards.
Most card games ask you to count the numbers on your cards. Town of Duels also asks you where to stand.
How a battle works
Each lord starts with 25 health and sits behind their own end of the board. You begin with nine cards in hand. Every turn you get 4 energy, one summon and one new card. Energy does not carry over, so a good turn spends it all.
Characters arrive on your home rows and start moving on your next turn. They walk one tile at a time, duel the enemies they can reach, and use their abilities. Spells work at once: they can burn an enemy, heal a friend or set up your next strike.
The goal is simple to say and hard to do. Only a character standing inside the enemy base, the two rows on their side of the board, can strike their leader. Get a character there, keep enemies from standing next to it, and each strike takes health equal to its attack. When a leader reaches zero, the feud is settled.
If nobody has fallen after round 20, the final bell rings and the crowd decides. The lord with more health wins. You are warned 3 rounds before it happens, so a slow game always has a clear ending.
Why position beats rarity
In many card games the rarest card wins. Here a cheap character in the right place can beat an expensive one in the wrong place, for reasons you can see on the board:
- Melee fighters hit all eight tiles around them, corners included, but only walk in four directions.
- Archers shoot from up to 3 tiles away, and a melee fighter cannot hit back from there.
- A melee hit deals 1 more damage when an ally stands next to the target.
- Any enemy standing beside your character blocks its strike on the leader.
Those few rules create the moments that make a game of chess exciting: traps, sacrifices, a blocked path and a sudden opening. Our guide to combat covers them in detail.
The world behind the board
The town sits at a crossroads in the middle of a medieval world. Lords come here to settle their feuds in the open, on a board where the pieces are living warriors, while the rich and powerful pay to watch from the stands. Every battle you play takes place in front of that crowd. You can read the full story in the world of Town of Duels.
Collecting and growing your cards
You start with a set of simple cards and a ready made deck, then grow your collection by playing. Cards come from packs, the market, the forge, town goals and a free card every day.
When you find a copy of a character you already own, it becomes a replica. Replicas and gold raise a character's level, up to level 10, which makes it about 30% stronger against the computer. Your deck can hold 20 cards and has a points limit, so you cannot simply fill it with your best cards. Our deck building guide explains how to choose.
Your town
Between battles you build a town. Cottages and Market Halls earn gold, Card Ateliers and Mystic Fountains make shards, and a Training Yard earns renown. Buildings fill their own storage while you are away, and you harvest when you come back. There is no tapping and no clicking for coins. See how to grow your town for the best first buildings.
Fair online duels
With a free account you can take on real players in 1v1 matches and climb the rankings. Card levels do not count online, so a new player and a veteran fight with even cards and only the looks carry over. Both players' games check every move, so a result only counts when both agree.
Every battle has a chat, even against the computer. You can type or send drawn reactions, and your computer rival talks back with a personality of its own.
Is Town of Duels free? Is it pay to win?
The game is free to play. Gold and shards are earned by playing. Rubies are won in the game too, and soon they can also be bought with real money. Rubies only unlock cosmetics, such as Crimson card frames and special board styles. They cannot buy cards or anything else that makes you stronger, so the game is not pay to win.
Who will enjoy it?
- Chess players who want more surprise in every game.
- Card game players who want position to matter.
- Anyone looking for a relaxing browser game that fits a short break.
- Collectors who like a long chase, with mastery frames to earn on every character.
How to start playing
Open the game on a computer or phone and press play. No account is needed to begin. Your first battle teaches the rules step by step in a few minutes, and a free account later keeps your progress safe on any device.
Want a head start? Read how to play or our seven tips for new lords.