Welcome! In this special post i’ll dive into the delightful world of two-player board games.
7-Wonders Duel
- 7 wonders duel (rules are quite complex to begin with though – but simple after a while)
- One of my favourite 2-player games — takes about an hour or two, the expansion packs are both great as well! i especially like the “Agora” expansion pack while my wife likes the “Pantheon” expansion.
- A drafting game that’s great for 2 players, with a reasonable balance of luck and strategy.
- You can easily adjust the complexity with the expansion packs too if you’re getting bored of the base-game or finding it too simple after a while.
- Learn to play and try it out online at Board Game Arena (https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=sevenwondersduel)
Rating:
- Easy to learn / complexity:
- Strategy involved:
- Luck:
Pandemic (and spin-offs!)
Pandemic is a co-op game so you play on the same team to beat the virus! You each play as scientists trying to defeat the pandemic by flying around the world and curing the disease. Each player will have to play their part so you can all win together. Lots of teamwork and co-ordination is required. It takes about an hour and is great with 2-4 players. Lots of strategy and cooperation is required making it great for interactivity,
A great spin off is “Pandemic Fall of Rome” where you each play as Roman generals or senators seeking to make peace with the barbarians before they overrun your empire.
- Featuring great artwork and a very engaging theme – “Fall of Rome” builds on the core-mechanic of Pandemic while staying true to what makes the original fun.
- Very similar mechanic but brings a fun theme set within the Roman empire — players control legions battling the barbarians that seek to overthrow Rome! ⚔️
- The artwork and quality of the pieces are also great in this edition, featuring wood over the plastic used in the regular pandemic.
Sherlock Holmes Consulting detective
Another co-op game, this time featuring dramatic mystery. Will you be able to cut through the noise and sleuth out the details of the case? The game reads like a book, you’ll take turns each reading an extract about the case and deciding where to “go” next to investigate.
Each location you go to will have a new extract/chapter that you can read to learn more about the case. Each chapter will shed some light on the case, or mislead you completely!
Jaipur
https://www.board-game.co.uk/product/jaipur-2nd-edition
A fun 2-player trading game!
- A fast-paced card game where you trade and sell goods to become the richest merchant in the city.
- Take about an hour to play a complete game — which is comprised of 3 -round (each 15-20minutes)
- A good mix of luck and strategy!
Love Letter
https://www.board-game.co.uk/product/love-letter-z-man-games
A quick game – one round can be played in 5-10minutes
It’s a game of chance, risk and deduction. There’s enough strategy to make it interesting, but also enough luck that anyone has a chance to win!
A classic card-game that costs about £10, highly recommend. Small enough to fit in a pocket and can be played with up to 6 players.
Banagrams – STEAL!
Wordsy
Online version here: https://www.ansariblueprints.com/cnsnnts/
A game of skill and vocabulary! Similar to countdown but much easier to play and somewhat harder to master!
Quoridor
Very simple rules but complex outcomes – a great game of strategy for 2 people – quick to play.
Ticket to Ride (Europe):
https://www.board-game.co.uk/product/ticket-to-ride-europe
- It’s like a simple version of catan (without the trading) that makes it work for just two players
- Europe (a classic best-selling boardgame it’s not my favourite but it’s a nice one we play while we put a comedy on in the background)
Looking for more games?
- This list is great: https://www.board-game.co.uk/buy/great-for-two/
- Check out my full list of games for 2 or more players: https://tawfiq.co.uk/favourite-board-games/
More than 2-players?
Check out my full list of games for 2 or more players: https://tawfiq.co.uk/favourite-board-games/