Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Player-count sensitive
Deep strategy
More strategic control
How it plays
How does it play?
Build a rival civilization through a compact deck-building duel, developing knowledge, culture, and military strength while the Exploration module opens a changing map.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Deck / Bag Building
Add new pieces during play to improve the cards, tokens, or dice drawn later.
Action Queue
Place actions into an ordered queue that resolves now or on later turns.
Variable Player Powers
Each player has different abilities, restrictions, or strategic advantages.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Set Collection
Gather related items that become more valuable when scored together.
Area Movement
Move pieces between connected regions rather than along individual spaces.
See all 7 mechanisms
Read the full game description
Monumental Duel: Exploration distills the civilization-building engine of Monumental into a focused two-player contest. Each player develops a city by activating a three-by-three grid of cards, acquiring new buildings and wonders, and balancing scientific knowledge, cultural development, and military power. The Exploration module adds a modular landscape whose rewards and positioning decisions compete with the growth of your deck. Three civilizations provide asymmetric starting strengths, and the box can stand alone or combine with the Espionage and Trade sets for additional modules and matchups.
