Swordplay is a man-to-man duel in medieval times. Each player has a small board depicting the body of their warrior as viewed by a face-to-face opponent. A hex grid is printed over the warrior's body. In the course of the duel, players will position their shield over some hexes (a portion of their warrior's body). Depending on the action they select for the turn, they may also position their sword over hexes on their own warrior's body (for a parry) or may point it at some part of the opponent's warrior to make an attack. The actions and positions chosen will result in various outcomes, which may include inflicting damage to the opposing warrior. The game includes plastic swords of the same sort that are used as swizzle sticks in mixed drinks.