Hidden Leaders Duel

About this board game

Hidden Leaders Duel is a strategic card game for 2 players that plays in about 25 minutes. Across seven turns, both players manipulate two rows of Heroes, recruit influential figures to secret Councils, and compete to become the new Emperor of Oshra.

Each player begins with three secret Hero cards and one hidden Leader in their Council. Two rows of seven Heroes are placed on the table with their factions visible, while their strengths remain concealed. On a turn, take two available Heroes from either row, return two cards from your hand to the open spaces, and then use one additional card to advance your strategy.

• Add a card face down to your secret Council of Leaders.
• Place a card face down over an unblocked Hero to block it.
• Draw a replacement card from the draw pile when one is available.

Heroes may be played face up, revealing their strength, and cards can even be returned to the rows immediately after being taken. Blocking creates uncertainty and changes which Heroes can be accessed, making each decision matter as the rows develop.

At the end of the game, reveal both Councils and compare total Influence separately for the Imperial Army, Hill Tribes, Water Folk, and Undead. For each faction, the player with the greater Influence claims the row containing more Heroes of that faction; ties are resolved by proximity to the row. Leaders determine Influence but do not contribute strength to the final score.

After faction rewards are resolved, players total the Strength of the Heroes in their Armies. The higher total wins, with the number of Heroes serving as the first tiebreaker. With its hidden information, tactical blocking, and shifting faction control, Hidden Leaders Duel delivers a compact contest of influence and timing.