The check is in the mail.
One size fits all.
This won't hurt a bit.
Your table will be ready in a minute.
Plays 2-6 players.

Ok, we all have a few pet peeves when it comes to gaming. For some of us it's slow players. For others it's those folks who instead of rolling the dice gently on the table fling them so they go rolling off the table every time. For me it's the classic publisher's "plays 2-6 people". It's the gamers version of the check is in the mail.

This is the problem. Most games sell better when they're more flexible on how many people can play them. A strict 4 player game for example has a more narrow appeal than one that can be advertised to play 2-6. So game companies understandably really like it when a game is designed with a very wide range in number of players. However in many cases this results in the classic round peg in a square hole. A designer designs a really good game for 4 or 5 players but then the publisher asks for special rules for 2 players so they can get that desired range.

I actually had one designer (who shall remain nameless) admit to me once on a game that was listed as 2-6 players that he had never even play tested the 2 player rules. He simply wrote them in about an hour for inclusion into the rule book after the publisher requested them.

Ok, this isn't a horrible problem that threatens the entire gaming hobby. Like I said, it's a simple little pet peeve of mine and a minor one at that. However it does often leave people scratching their heads on a game. Yeah, it says it plays 2 plays....but does it really play 2 players or is it a round peg in a square hole?

This list is not about games designed to be played with 2 players. It's a list about popular games designed to be played with 4 or 5 players. Games that also have special rules that allow them to be played with 2 players. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. many I have no idea about because I've never tried to play them 2 player.

The purpose of this list is to help the average gamers who here on BGG sees all these wonderful 4-5 player games but may not have a consistant 4-5 player game group. They would like to play games like Puerto Rico and Caylus but don't know if these popular titles honestly and truly work as 2 players.

So I leave the answers for you. Are these games really good for 2 players or are they round pegs in a square hole?