Meisterhau! The Duel Logo

A 1v1 tactical deckbuilding game about historical swordfighting.

A physical prototype of Meisterhau at an event booth

Tabletop Strategy meets Historical Swordfighting

Meisterhau! The Duel pits you and a friend against each other in an intense longsword duel where adaptation is the key to victory.

Each match is driven by an initiative-based, action-and-reaction gameplay loop where one missed defense can cost you the bout. Will you press the advantage in hopes of winning a clean touch, or retreat to avoid exhausting your hand?

Start with an identical 12-card deck and train between exchanges to upgrade it with more powerful cards as you evolve your fencing style. Craft your path to victory while disrupting your opponent's strategy.

Overview

Learn Historical Techniques

Explore 250+ cards based on historical fencing techniques and tactics. Play them in combat to counter your opponent's moves, retake initiative, and attack different openings.

Outplay Your Opponent

Anticipate what your opponent will do next based on their guard, distance, and fighting style. Use Chambers to play actions off-turn based on predicting the opponent.

Defense Above All

There are no health points; one hit wins the exchange. When threatened, you must defend yourself or face defeat. Duels can be drawn out over a longer exchange or finished in an instant.

Fight for Valor

Earn Valor through combat and spend it between exchanges to improve your deck. Learn new techniques to hone your playstyle and find your win condition.

Three cards from Meisterhau: Unterhau, Nachreisen, and Flash of Insight

All cards are work in progress. Improved card frames and illustrations coming soon!

A Note from the Designer

Wesley, the designer of Meisterhau! The Duel, in fencing gear

Hi, I'm Wesley! I'm the designer of Meisterhau! The Duel.

I've been practicing Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) for the past two and a half years, and it's easily become one of my favorite hobbies.

Sparring with swords is as much of a mental workout as it is physical: it requires extreme focus on the opponent and a tactical mind to analyze what they are doing to figure out a counter (as your opponent does the same thing). These tactics are informed by a wealth of historical techniques, modern interpretations, and sparring experience made highly accessible by the HEMA community around the world.

It's this tactical struggle that I sought to capture in Meisterhau! The Duel. As a game designer, I aim to make a game authentic to HEMA while remaining approachable for people who have never held a sword. If you thrive on intense psychological battles, authentic translations historical techniques, or just really love swords, this game is for you!