Hi, all.
I am tinkering with some numbers, and I was curious about two-player auction games. I intend to try Medici vs. Strozzi as soon as I can, and beyond that I have tried (and enjoyed) Ra and Goa with two players.
Are there any others that work well with two? I have heard mixed reports about Power Grid with two, in part due to the auctions.
What about blind auctions? I have only had very limited experience with two-player blind auctions, and they were in Leonardo da Vinci.
Thanks in advance.

Ra is ok with 2. Goa is best with 2. I just posted a 2p variant for Taj Mahal derived from Knizia's variant. The 2p variant for Ys works ok.

Capitol and Tal der Konige are two more with auctions that work fine with two. Both feature blind bidding as well.

(Unless I am mistaken in thinking blind bidding means that the bids are made by everyone in secret then revealed simultaneously.)

O Zoo le Mio also has blind bidding and works well with two.

I've heard that Traumfabrik also works well with two players, but I haven't actually tried it.

Chad

I'll second Goa and add Leonardo da Vinci to the list of good 2 player auction games.

I like Goa alot, but I do agree with the critiques that some have of it that it "feels like a spreadsheet". Leonardo doesn't have that problem and it is quite a bit more thematic with building things in workshops instead of being back at the accounting desk scheduling colonies and such.

So, I sometimes hesitate to recommend Goa except to the real auction fiend

I've played PG with two, and it's OK, but the auction suck 2p. I think the main reason is that whoever loses the auction gets the "condolence prize" of any of the remaining three plants, *PLUS* the latest one to drop, at list price. This makes it pretty likely for losing the auction to be better than winning, so the auction becomes worthless except for maybe one or two turns in the game. The rest of the game is more calculable (how much fuel to buy? Duh, enough for your plants, plus more if you can starve out your opponent with it), so as a whole the game isn't so great 2p.

You could probably play Aladdin's Dragons with 2, if you used the 3P cards and only 2 palace rooms.

Edit: and someone did just that...

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/116017

I've tried Palazzo with two and I thought it worked very well.

Havn't played it but

Medici vs. Strozzi http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/24762
is a 2 player auction game.

I'll second this motion.

Vom Kap bis Kairo plays well with two and I think I paid $6.50 for it. Not a bad game at all.

Funny. I'd post somewhat of an opposite recommendation. I much prefer Goa to Leonardo because the former had a richer theme and more interesting gameplay.