Whoever happens to be moderately interested in board gaming, will tell you that player count can be a serious matter when it comes to what games you can actually play. From my own experience, even putting together four players over a number of regular sessions can be problematic. Thankfully with the richness and variety of games out there, issues with player counts can be mitigated.
The still ongoing pandemic, which began in 2020, brought the matter of player counts and the impossibility of meeting up during the various lockdowns, to the fore. Even gamers who had a network of interested players, who could therefore engage in playing diverse titles, found themselves unable to continue to pursue their hobby on account of social distancing. This meant that many found themselves limited to playing exclusively with members of their own family or perhaps with those in their same bubble. For these reasons they tended to favour games with lower player counts and, in most instances, that meant either two-player games or solo games.
Solo games deserve a blog of their very own, given the growing body of titles that are now available. For the purpose of this blog however, I will focus on two-player games and particularly on titles I own.
From personal experience, 2-player games are games I have played with some regular frequency over the years. The reason is simple. At home it was mostly me and my sister, which meant two-player games were easier to bring to the table. Ironically while my father and mother pushed board games in our direction from an early age, they seldom joined us in the games. I felt that the message back then, was more along the lines that games were for kids and that adults had more lofty aspirations. Obviously that was a whole lot of hullabaloo.
It was thanks to my aunts and uncles from my mother’s side of the family, that I learnt the real value of group card and board games. Mostly it was cards, but we did also indulge in very animated, neverending games of Monopoly, as well as a slew of other board games like Draughts, Chess, Ludo and Snakes & Ladders. It wasn’t easy, growing up, to bring more than two players to the table. The situation improved somewhat later in life, during the earlier years of my marriage when we hosted numerous game nights. Then came the kids and it was back to struggling just to keep some semblance of a social life going, let alone organising game nights. That’s a pretty normal situation from what I have heard.
Thankfully, I now have a six-year-old who, with some help, can indulge in games that are technically beyond his years but which he follows through and plays enthusiastically. It’s thanks to him that I have been able to explore some modern titles, when COVID practically wiped out any possibility of holding even an occasional game night.
So without much further ado, let’s go through some interesting titles which I own and which either work better with two players or are intended as two-player games.
To be clear, I will not review the game mechanisms or gameplay in detail, just the salient features which make each title unique or better suited as a two player activity.
When I sifted through my collection, I was quite surprised to find that I have a substantial number of board games which are either two-player by design, or work well as two-player games. The point is that given my current tally of titles, recalling which board game works best as a two player game, requires going through the titles and recalling past matches that can justify my claim. I will start with those that are two-player by design.
The next are the various deck builders which have “realms” in their title. These include the perennially popular Star Realms, then Hero Realms, Hero Realms - Ruins of Thandar and Cthulhu Realms. All four are deck builders with roughly the same gaming mechanism at their core.The best among them must be Star Realms, with all the subsequent add-on and stand alone packs that came out under this title. These titles are squarely 2-player games, though it is technically possible, for instance, to play Star Realms as a four-player game though the game does become unwieldy.
Epic is a living card game (LCG) which borrows some elements from Magic the Gathering (MtG) but does away with the latter’s Land cards. It is a two-player game which offers a series of rather quirky tropes, mish-mashed into one game. The artwork is derivative at best, there is some attempt at a story but it somehow becomes irrelevant the moment you sit down to play. Not one of my favourite two-player games but it is definitely designed to be so.
Legend of the 5 Rings Card Game is another LCG in much the same vein as MtG but which then leverages an honour and dishonour track. The game’s theme is clearly inspired by mediaeval Japanese history, though the designers stirred away from turning this into a historical game. This game is strictly two-player, comes with some exceptionally beautiful artwork and a rather complex gaming structure. Players can achieve victory through diverse paths, a military win is only one of the options. A lovely game and one I wish I could play more.
Onitama is a two-player chess-like game where pieces are ascribed 5 moves from special cards drawn at the beginning of the game. The moves are shared between both players ,making this a very interesting game.
Othello or Reversi as some might know it, is a simple territory/area control game for two players. Ingenious and simple in its own right, this is a classic two-player game.
Quarto is a board game that uses an interesting mechanism whereby you offer the next move to be played to your opponent. Very pretty to look at and deceptively simple but can be an intriguing puzzler for two.
Stratego is an old game where essentially two armies are lined up in front of each other but neither side initially knows the nature or position of their opponent’s pieces. Strictly a two player and one which feels like playing a two-player version of the old Windows Minefield app.
Hive is a truly unique abstract strategy game, played with hexagonal tiles and no true board to speak of. The theme is insect-based and during their turn each player will place new tile pieces onto the gaming area, or move those already in place, in order to completely encircle the opponent’s queen bee. Hive can be a very short, intense tactical game but one that is fairly easy to teach and bring to the table.
Mastermind is an old, 70’s, code-cracking game which never really went away. It’s a delightful brain teaser for two, with either players taking turns being the code-maker or code-breaker.
I bought The Royal Game of Ur from the British Museum souvenir shop way back in 2006. This two-player game is considered one of the oldest games ever discovered complete with rules to go with it. It is essentially a race game much in the same vein as Parcheesi or Ludo. This game found its way into my collection more as a sort of curio that intrigued me at the time. Here was what I considered the ultimate proof that board games have always been part of who we are as a species. Furthermore it also proved to me that board games were not simply intended for kids, but a social phenomenon that had been enjoyed by lay people and royalty throughout history.
No list of two-player games would be complete without a mention of Backgammon. This is a classic, two-player game I really love and enjoy playing. I will be dedicating a future blog exclusively to this game so there will be that. Backgammon brings a good blend of tactical play and variance, which allows game progression to flow along at a good pace. When you’re in a match you feel totally immersed in the gameplay and the roll of the dice and calculated risk-taking add vibrancy to the overall challenge.
The last two-player, abstract strategy game on my list is Dao. Dao is as simple as they can possibly get. Players have four pieces to play with and they must achieve one of four possible configurations on the board in order to win. A good example of a game where less is indeed more.
Now I would like to have a look at games which are intended for two or more players but which in my opinion play better at a two-player count.
Nmbr 9 is a polyomino style game where players draw pieces and place them simultaneously into their respective tableau, the higher you stack the piece the more points you earn.
Santorini is an abstract strategy game but dressed up in an attractive theme. Nominally you can play with up to four players but it’s at two players that this game really shines. Players take turns to either move their worker pieces or build a level on an available adjacent building space. Players can then climb up onto the levels they build, with the player first up on the 3rd level winning a match. This game is strategic and does require a measure of forward planning. While each turn is quick, playing with more than two players makes the game a bit more distracting. This is why I normally recommend playing this as a two-player game.
Next, I think I should follow through with the Ascension series of deck building games. Ascension is a game I love and understand. I have two Ascension packs from the series with the second (Rise of Vigil) being marginally more interesting in my opinion. This game can be played as a four player game but suffers from the same issues as other similar deck builders. Each player turn toward the end of the game becomes increasingly longer, forcing the other players into lengthy downtimes as they wait for their next turn. At two-player, the wait can be tolerated but as soon as that player count goes up to three or four, player downtime becomes stifling.
The next triplet of titles I would like to talk about are Splendor, Cities of Splendor and Splendor - Marvel. These titles work well at player counts of up to 4 but if I must be sincere about it, I prefer playing these at two or three players at the most. At two players the game is highly tactical with players having a somewhat clear picture of what the other is trying to achieve as well as how he or she is trying to achieve it. However, as soon as another player enters the mix the game complexity increases, on account of an extra layer of variability introduced by the new player. Keeping tabs of what two other players might be trying to achieve before you get your turn can be difficult. At four players, the game becomes chaotic, at least for me. While I love Splendor, I still feel it’s best played as a two-player game.
MTG - Battle of the Planeswalkers is another desktop brawler, where players meet on common terrain, unleashing their planeswalkers into a battle royale of sorts. Theming is strongly derivative from Magic the Gathering but this is not MTG. It is possible to battle it out with up to 5 players, each taking control of a faction, but the truth is that at higher player counts the game feels a bit messy. Two or perhaps three players at most work best. I prefer it at two though I am sure some will disagree.
Dungeon Mayhem and Dungeon Roll are the next two games I believe work best as two-player games. Dungeon Mayhem is more of a player brawl with a fantasy theme. Players get their own character packs and then slog it out until only one player remains. You can play it three player or four player I guess, but two player is more where this game is at.
Dungeon Roll uses a deck of monster cards and special dice in order to simulate “delving” through a dungeon. Cards as well as loot earned during the delve can help you manipulate the custom dice in order to best the monsters faced. It’s very simple at heart but when one player goes through his turn, the other becomes the dungeon keeper, so to speak. While the dice are nifty and the theming is fairly good, it’s definitely not one of my go-to games. Still it is a two-player game and designed to be just that.
I would like to conclude this blog with some considerations of what I believe should make a good two-player game. First of all, the actions taken on each turn need to be intuitive while still allowing for interesting choices and decisions. The theme, if present, needs to be well integrated into the gameplay and not slapped on almost as an afterthought. Very importantly, there should be minimal downtime. Games with overbearing downtimes, or those which invite protracted contemplation between turns are not what I find enjoyable. Finally, a good two-player game should be complex enough to engage thought but light enough to allow for social interaction.
Until next time, have a good one!
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