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Fun Little Games That are Not Kosmos
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These are some smaller games that I like a lot. Despite their small size, they are provide quite a bit of entertainment. I decided to make this list a little more challenging by omitting the Kosmos 2-player line, since most of these are obvious choices and merit their own list (which has been done). Feel free to add any games that fit the bill that: 1. are small, hence portable 2. play well with 2 3. don't take forever to play 4. are not in the Kosmos 2-Player line-up
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Posted Sat May 13, 2006 1:41 pm
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1.
Board Game: Fjords
[Average Rating:6.75 Overall Rank:449]
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Matching tiles together always has a soothing effect. I get this little burst of joy, making them fit, watching the map grow, tile by tile. Easily one of my favorite smaller games. Match tiles, place farms, then place fields in the best positions to cut off your opponent. Fun and fast, especially if you decide just to play 1 rather than 3 rounds.
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This is like Yahtzee on steroids. It took a few plays, though I warmed up to this one once I became familiar with the characters. If you like rolling lots of dice, this is worth looking into
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On the surface, this appears to be a cute, clean, "lets all love each other and play nice" game. Not so. Despite the cute sheep, this can be quite a mean game, especially toward the end, when each player tries there best to eliminate their opponents' sheep by sending them off to the dreaded shearer. Strategy and clever use of movement abilties are required to stay ahead in this game. Though billed as a 3-4 player game only, there is an official 2-player variant here on the geek that works very well.
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4.
Board Game: Hive
[Average Rating:7.41 Overall Rank:83]
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I have always liked this little gem. So much that I bought the 2nd edition. My quandry is which edition to like better? I do like the small box and wood blocks of the first, but I don't miss the wrinked stickers. Also the 2nd edition has very nice colorful pieces that are high quality plastic...and no stickers...the insects (and arachnids) are etched in. However, the box is bigger and the travel pouch looks a little gaudy (albeit a very cool addition). My solution: keep them both.
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This one isn't one of my favorites, but Jill loves it. However, it is fun once I get into the game. It does have a memory component which I am not fond of. The artwork is very neat.
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6.
Board Game: Roma
[Average Rating:7.07 Overall Rank:240]
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I have mixed feelings about this one. I used to really like it, but over time, I realized it is a little too luck-driven, where you can literally lose in just a few turns with bad dice rolls. Having said that, this can be a fun game.
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A really neat little game, though I am not sure how I feel about playing this with just 2 players
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This is a very fun, fast-paced game. It is very simple to play, though does require good strategy.
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A fun little game, though not ideal with 2 players
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This game packs the biggest punch for being in a tiny box. However, this is quite a long game. I like it a lot, except for the fact that each player knows the outcome of most their plunder operations before they even happen. The commodore rules help this some.
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Almost too big in size to add to this list; nonetheless added it anyway, since it is such a great game. Plays very well with 2 player too.
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The box is too large and the board is unnecessary. Rubberband (!) the cards and put 'em in the bag with the wood bits. Very small.
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One of my favorite small 2 player non-Kosmos games. There is a sister game "Minotaur Lords".
This is a non-collectable card game that plays like a CCG. Players are trying to dominate 2 of the 3 power centers (military, economic, religious) in both Upper and Lower Egypt. There are fixed decks for each player plus a bonus deck that can be used for deck building if desired.
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Another great Knizia two player game. This one is published by GMT. Players are rival armies trying to form the most solid battle formations (in game turns, it's the best poker-style set of 3 cards). The goal is to with 5 or the 9 areas on the battle line or to win any 3 in a row.
It's a challenging game because you have to play a card every turn and there are times you won't want to.
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Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation is one of my favorite litle 2-player game and is not in the Kosmos line. It packs an amazing amount of game into such a small package, with easy to learn rules and very high replayability. I really enjoy this game, but do wish the "Deluxe" characters came as an expansion.
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Fun game of tile placement and area control. A few of the tiles have special abilities -enough to make the game more interesting and challenging without making the game to chaotic.
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While this game comes in a large box, the board is a rollable mat and the wooden makers and "dice" can easily be put in a bag making it quite portable. A fun placement and area control game that I enjoy despite the obvious abstract quality of the game.
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The game comes in a tiny box. The game bits include a carrousel board with 7 spaces and 5 horses of different color as well as a deck of card. Each card has a different combination of 3 of the 5 colors which indicate the first three horses on the carrousel. The goal is to match the order of the first 3 carrousel horses to the order on one of your cards. The challenge is that this may only be accomplished by using one of 4 legal move types to meet the color combination and all players do this simultaneously. A puzzle race game, my favorite type of game!
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A very light and slighty lucky little 2 player tactical game. Eat enough grass to score points without being eaten by the wolves. Some interesting mechanics, humorous cards. A cheap little winner here for 2 player filler and fun.
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Wonderful game for two. Nice components and includes several variants and their parts. Perfect information, with interesting 'robot' like mechanics for the movement of some components. Highly original abstract attempt at simulating a bit of sea life. (Same designer as StreetSoccer, same box size)
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Another set collection game with some of the same kind of offense vs. defense tension you experience in Kupferkessel, but with no movement or memory component. Even smaller if you put it in a ziploc rather than the box.
Don't know if it's hard to find in the US, but www.levalet.com in Montreal has it and their North American shipping rates are very cheap.
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Under-rated game that I found through Faidutti's ideal games library. I'll admit that I doubted him when he compared this game to Roma, but it does have a similar feel -- very much a strategic and psychological tug-of-war. It's a simpler game than Roma (no cast of characters to remember) and I don't know yet if it has as much replay value, but FWIW luck plays a fairly minimal role.
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Fun little game that was designed for two, but can play more. Just a deck o' cards.
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We love this one for more, but it plays fine with two.
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Posted Sat May 13, 2006 1:41 pm
I never play three rounds -- just one game is fun and satisfying.
Another good 2-player tile game that's quick is Oceania but if you have Fjords in your collection, you probably don't need both.