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2 Player Games You Really Should Try
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We all know the classic two player games: Lost Cities, Battle Line, Memoir 44 (and siblings), Mystery Rummy Jack the Ripper, etc. I do a lot of two-player gaming and I acquire a lot of random games. So, without further ado, here's a few 2-player games that aren't quite as well known (although not all obsure) that you should really try out. Few of these games are any sort of greatness, but they all have merit and are worthy titles. Feel free to add your own.
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Posted Tue May 23, 2006 3:49 am
Edited Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:59 am
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Drive / Crazy Chicken is a fast two player card game. It very much has a rummy element to it, but there are multiple draw decks and multiple discard piles. The central mechanic is that melds can be stolen by making a bigger meld. On your turn you draw two and then meld or discard one ... so melds also prevent discarding. The more cards of a given type in the deck, the more points its worth and the harder it is to secure. Brilliance by Michael Schacht.
This is an excellent two-player game. My initial reaction was ho-hum, as it didn't seem very substantial. I had a similar reacion to Lost Cities. After repeated plays I can honestly say there's a lot of very interesting manuevering in this game. It certainly stands its ground against games like Lost Cities and Mystery Rummy.
This game gets better and better the more you play it against one person, as your strategies adapt. This is, in my opinion, the best couples game I've ever played. It's unfortunate that Crazy Chicken was only available in German and Drive is hard to get due to silly SimplyFun distribution methods. With better exposure I think this game would be right up there with the top light two-player card games.
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For a relatively new kid on the block (around here anyway) Hey That's My Fish is getting fairly solid exposure. And for good reason. This is a game that can be learned in 5 minutes, plays in 10 and is both strategic and fun. The central mechanic is a simple tactical moving element. The catch is that as you move around the tiled board it slowly disappears, causing the play area to fragment. The goal is to capture the best tiles as this happens. With tiles disappearing there's lots of room for cornering off penguins and tiles. Very interesting. As a two-player game, this can range from extremely light to very tactical depending on how you want to play it. Either way it's quite fun. For these reasons I really recommend checking it out.
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Tony & Tino is a quick little tile laying game with plenty of chaos. Think of it as Kingdoms but without the math and with a bit more shakeup. It's not brilliance by any means, but I think it's quick and fun. If you like the idea behind Kingdoms but don't like all the score calculations then give this a shot.
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Tally Ho is quite the anomoly. It's a mixture of totally random tile flipping discovery and calculated chess-like tactical manuevering. It's a game that can have luck-based blowouts. Even so, the discovery element is fun. And even when one play is getting creamed by bad flips the maneuvering is always interesting. This game has massive flaws, but it is always fun and interesting nonetheless. Definitely worth checking out. It's even on BSW.
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Australia is an area majority sort of game, except your placements go on area corners. Two player area-majority games almost never work because they are so one-for-one. The incidental effects of placing on corners adds the needed dynamic quality to make this work with 2 players. In fact, I think this game is best with two. My fiance loves this game. This is the closest to an area majority game I've found that actually works with two. So if that's your cup of tea give it a shot.
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I have a hard time classifying Hera and Zeus, but I like it quite a bit. It has a hand management aspect, a bluffing aspect and a rather direct conflict aspect. This sort of scratches the itch for a game with more direct interaction but in a light two-player setting. The worst part about the game is the lack of text on the cards. I urge you to try and put up with it, because there's a good game here.
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Every now and then a mainstream product push game ends up being good. Epic Duels is one case. This is another. Moving past the totally pasted on theme, this is a solid little card management game. It uses a pick and choose your battles mechanism similar to Condottiere or Blue Moon. It's far from perfect, but it's absolutely a solid game that's worth giving a shot. I got my copy for $2 on ebay, and it's one of most worthwhile gaming purchases I've ever made. Try it out.
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Canal Grande is ugly, but it's a decent game. It takes the central split and choose mechanic from San Marco and builds a back and forth card game out of it. The mechanic is better suited for a two-player game than a three. And the area majority part is hardly the most exciting part of San Marco. I haven't played this one enough to know how good it really is, but I have to say that I have it enjoyed it quite a bit so far. It's certainly worth a look.
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9.
Board Game: Metro
[Average Rating:6.46 Overall Rank:661]
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Metro is a game you'll hear lots of horror stories about. They're probably all true, and almost all dealing with games with 3+ players. With two-players Metro is still quite chaotic and silly but not to the unbearable levels it is with more. It's actually quite tactical with two and the better player will usually win. If you like the silly sort of grade-school puzzle nature of Metro I urge you to try it with two.
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Lightning D-Day is a direct conflict card game. It's light and some say rather wargame like (not sure I'd go that far). It's a game of card allocation, timing and management. If you're looking for a short two-player game with a direct conflict edge to it then look no further. This game really has some interesting ideas, and it's the sort of thing rarely seen in a card game.
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Dynasties is a simultaneous action game where both players allocate 5 cards secretly. The difference in the card values dictates a swing in influence (cubes) in a region. You're trying to be the one with control of a region during scoring phases. It feels like an area majority game. It also sometimes feels like a crapshoot. In any event, there are interesting decisions to be found in this game. It's also very unique for a small two-player. So if you're sick of all those similar two-player card games give this a shot.
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I haven't been able to play Atlas & Zeus enough to know if it's a solid game, but I have to say that I'm intrigued. It's another secret action selection game that's quite vicious. Islands are sinking and you're trying to keep your guys alive. There's an ordering to the secret cards you select, so you're constantly trying to stay a move ahead. It's not for the weak-stomached, but it's absolutely worth checking out if you're looking for a bit nastier two-player.
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Not the most loved game in the world, Quicksand is a secret role game. The trick is you need to move your pawn ahead without making it overtly obvious who you are. I like secret role mechanics. I think there's some interesting room for bluffing here, although some of it isn't immediately obvious. Not the greatest game, but certainly has some merit as a two-player since there are a lot more dead characters to bluff with.
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14.
Board Game: Aton
[Average Rating:7.10 Overall Rank:269]
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A 2006 addition to Queen's small box range.
It's an Egyptian-themed 2-player area control game where actions are driven by commiting a hand of 4 cards to different functions.
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Surya Van Lierde is pure Eurosnoot and proud of it!
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Ma favorite 2-player game!
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This is a free print and play cardgame for boxing. It is very fast, generates enough laughter, can be played in its simple "more luck" form or can be played with the advanced rules of card drafting to make it a bit more involving. Give it a try.
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Print 'N' Play. An excellent filler, and also works very well with children.
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First of all, ignore the theme if you don't like fantasy, it has little to do with the game (surprise, right?). I'll warn you that the first 2-3 times you play this it will feel like war that you can choose your card. But all of a sudden something clicks. Strategies start to form, at first short range, then all of a sudden long range. As you get to know the decks in this it becomes a very intense give and take game. Suddenly find it played out, but still want to play? Get an expansion pack for a couple of bucks and even an old deck (or race) will need to come up with new strategies to go against a different deck. But unlike Carcassone and Inns&Cathedrals, this one is fantastic out of the box (no expansion necessary).
In other words, I really like this one. NOTE: If you're a MtG fan, from what I understand, you may be frustrated as this looks and smells like Magic, but is not Magic.
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I really like the mystery rummy series. I've played the jack the ripper version(this one), and jekyl and hyde version and enjoyed both.
It's basically rummy with a few nice twists. It's fem friendly and plays pretty quick. i def recommend it.
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21.
Board Game: Hellas
[Average Rating:6.31 Overall Rank:929]
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Posted Tue May 23, 2006 3:49 am
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so we played with "super-ko" rules (that you simply cannot repeat any previously played board position, which evidently avoids repetition but could theoretically be a pain to remember in certain complex situations.
