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Lowell Kempf
United States
Chicago
Illinois
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There is definitely a line between two-player games and multi-player games. They feel different and they play different. That’s even the case if it’s a game that can play down to two but games that are designed for two players and only two players definitely have their own sensibility.
Part of that difference has social. When you have more than two players, that makes temporary allegiances and agreements possible. Whenever three folks get into a fight, two of them team up to beat up the third guy. When it is just you and the other guy sitting across the table from you, there is no negotiation. You know who the enemy is. (Hint: It’s not you)
A lot of the classic games of yore are two-player games: Chess, Checkers, Go, Mancala, Backgammon, etc. In fact, as near as I can tell, most of the games of yesteryear that were for more than two players were explicitly gambling games. (Was Parcheesi originally played for money in India?) I suppose that’s reasonable. It is better than get more than one person’s money if you can get it 
At least for me, two-player games are a very different experience than multi-player games. And, again, it all comes down to the social differences. Let’s set aside the fact that a game with three or more people will have a different social dynamic than one with two. Let’s ignore the fact that certain game mechanics like auctions and trade and negotiation work completely differently (if at all) with two players.
If a game night gets scheduled and only two people show up, things have not gone as planned. While I usually don’t try to arrange a gaming night for a specific game (although exceptions to that rule), a game night is a social gathering. If I am going to spend a bunch of time with just one other person, they’re going to be my fiancée. (Fortunately, she too is a gamer)
Two is a conversation. Three or more is a party 
So, in my world, a two-player games usually means an unscheduled game with my fiancée. Not a bad world to live in, honestly. Thank goodness for the Kosmos two-player line.
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. If I play with more people that percentage goes down. Therefore, for me at least, it feels way more "epic" to win a multi-player game than a 2 player one. Also, as has been said, in 2 player games the better player often wins. If one person is a better boardgamer than the other, they will likely win more, and the loser will be quite aware of it. In multi-player games the less skilled player at least has a shot at winning as well as can share being a loser with others. These factors combined is what makes multiplayer games more "social" than 2p. 
