Good 2-player games?

[Connor Brinsmead]

Urgent! Need suggestions for games that are great for only two players! Preferably playable within an hour and packaged in a small box. Going on a road trip and we want a game to play for the more uninteresting hotel pitstops!

[Scarlett_O]

Hive, Hey! That's my Fish!, Zombie/Martian Dice, Love Letter

[Exit 191]

Kosmos 2-player series is full of win.

My wife and I really enjoy Balloon Cup, Odin's Ravens, Kahuna, and Buccaneer Bones. All quick and small (easy to travel with).

[Chris Greenwade]

I personally don't think Love Letter is that great for 2 players, but occasions like this are what it was made for. 

Zombie Dice is great as well. Listen to Scarlett or create a game of your own.

On Monday, June 23, 2014 11:11:34 PM UTC-4, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[Scarlett_O]

Dragonheart is really fun, too. 

[Adrian McKinnon]

Mr Jack Pocket! 

[Wolfkin]

Jaipur is the best bro. That game is a fantastic two player game.

On Monday, June 23, 2014 11:11:34 PM UTC-4, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[Evan Watson]

Battle Line; Court of the Medici; Hive; Quarto!

[noisycrow]

Our favorite lately is Star Realms. Dominion for spaceships, all in a deckbox.

[rickert566]

Hive, Las Vegas, Timeline.

On Monday, June 23, 2014 11:11:34 PM UTC-4, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[John Riston]

Race for the Galaxy and Innovation immediately come to mind.

On Monday, June 23, 2014 11:11:34 PM UTC-4, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[Matthew Nefstead]

If you can handle a bit of a learning curve, I recommend Race for the Galaxy. It's what we'll be bringing camping this weekend!

[Steve McClure]

Splendor. We took it on a cruise, slipped right into the luggage. The chips are very portable, and we put the cards in a dck protector.

[Derek Rowe]

 Lost Cities
 

[indigopotter]

Hive or Hive Pocket, Builders: Middle Ages, Roll Through the Ages, Heartland Hauling, Mystery Rummy, and if you find a cheap Rage deck, you can play things like Schotten Totten (earlier version of Battleline) and Parade.

On Monday, June 23, 2014 11:11:34 PM UTC-4, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[Paul Cabral]

Lost cities, Battleline, Coloretto, Oddball Aeronauts

On Monday, June 23, 2014 11:11:34 PM UTC-4, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[Parsat]

Jaipur, Hive, Casino (played with poker deck)

On Monday, June 23, 2014 8:11:34 PM UTC-7, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[Ted Spencer]

For travel worthiness, you can't go wrong with Knizia's Decathalon. Eight dice, two free downloadable sheets and a pencil.  

Niya is a current two-player favorite. Fast, fun, easy to carry. Hive is a great abstract and comes in a travel version. Agent Hunter is also quick, but challenging with its bluffing. All are playable within 10-15 minutes and all are easy to find. 

For something longer, Valley of the Kings is an extraordinary deck builder, Batt'l Khaos is light and fun and, of course, any of the Mystery Rummy group is easy to carry. If you're into Rummy, I might go with A Fool's Fortune if you're looking for a deeper Rummy game.

Good luck.

On Monday, June 23, 2014 10:11:34 PM UTC-5, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[An Even Weirder Move]

Shootin-Tootin is pretty good if you like games where card-counting is kind of important.

On Monday, June 23, 2014 11:11:34 PM UTC-4, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[Rompcat]

Yeah, Star Realms.  You should do Star Realms.

On Monday, June 23, 2014 8:11:34 PM UTC-7, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[clloyd09]

Lost Cities and Balloon Cup are pretty much staples for travel for us.  And (if you can find it) Star Realms is a whole lot of fun in a small package -- if you don't mind confrontational games.

On Monday, June 23, 2014 11:11:34 PM UTC-4, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[Al Romani]

Province

[Proper Play]

Sobek, Jaipur and Hanabi.

[Jesus Torres]

Not sure why no one has said targi and akrotiri. They are two of the most strategic and tactical 2 player games i've ever played. They are both small box games, but don't skimp on the components and gameplay options.

[David Doughty]

My favorite 2-player Games are the following:

Patchwork

Pandemic

Rivals for Catan

Carcassonne

[Gutrix]

Jaipur, Kodama, Patchwork, Battlecon, Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small.

[Skidd Wister]

On Monday, June 23, 2014 at 10:11:34 PM UTC-5, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

Urgent! Need suggestions for games that are great for only two players! Preferably playable within an hour and packaged in a small box. Going on a road trip and we want a game to play for the more uninteresting hotel pitstops!

Lost Cities is a great, mathy game that can be played again, and again, and again.  Battle line is meaty enough to enjoy the relatively short play-time and gives you some cool powers to think about using. 

[Quinn Swanger]

I've been playing the heck out of Onitama from Arcane Wonders. It is new, quick, clever, tactical, very well produced, and just fantastic all around. You gotta get it it!

[fearanarchy]

On Monday, June 23, 2014 at 11:11:34 PM UTC-4, Connor Brinsmead wrote:
> Urgent! Need suggestions for games that are great for only two players! Preferably playable within an hour and packaged in a small box. Going on a road trip and we want a game to play for the more uninteresting hotel pitstops!

Eminent Domain: Microcosm - Hand Builder, pseudo-micrograms.

Coin Are - 2 player area control that can be played AT rest stops.

Hemlock (Midnight Edition) - Smooth, Area Majority game with Great, puzzly interactions. Very satisfying game.

Tides of Time - fast 2 player draft game. Very compact.

Tiny Epic _______ - I love them all. But Galaxies is the best.

Melee - mean, mean, fast game. Area Control/Domination

Shift (Single Card CCG) - Japanese trading card game inspired head to head which is as the name says. You can share parts with Coin Are btw.

Cinq-O - small dice game with some choices and easy rules.

Quests of Valeria - free pnp available now. Card only, Splendor-feel. A few more choices.

Biblios - a classic

[J. Chris Miller]

Trambahn is an amazing 2p game, one of my favorites. Lost Cities the card game is okay, I'm kinda done with it but if you've never played it it's good. Splendor works well with 2p. Forbidden Desert is great with 2. Dungeon Roll is a fun game with 2.

[Darcy Molyneux]

Sushi Go, Hanabi, and Love Letter. 

It's all you'll ever need! Each fits into you pocket, can play up to 4/5 players (LL is only 4), but all work spectacularly with only 2. (I play purely with my partner).

[Greg Mahler]

All of the 3 Tiny Epic series games.

Rivals of Catan

Fuse

[Leif Carlsen]

Council of Verona
Win, Lose, Banana
Eminent Domain: Microcosm
Timeline
Master's Gallery

[Kiran Wagle]

Raptor by the Two Brunos is an excellent two-player game, and I'd like to see it expanded to more players. I'm betting both Ravenous River and Cavemen (the Rio Grande one) are probably good with only two players.  And I've also enjoyed Patchwork.  But in general, better to bring 1-3 extra players along IMO.  :D  

[Luca Pancioni]

The best in my opinion is Patchwork. It is the game of LOVE. Trust in me. You have only to find "something" adequate to bet ;)

[Kiran Wagle]

Raptor by the Two Brunos is an excellent two player game and I hope they expand it into a full game.  I expect Cavemen (the Rio Grande one) and Ravenous River would be decent two player games, as well as perhaps Oh My Goods.  And I've also enjoyed Patchwork.

[Mr. Girts]

Harbour, Odins Ravens, Archaeology, Pandemic Cure

[Arnaud Chottin]

If you like abstract little games with a Japanese twist, here are 2 two player games by Bruno Cathala that will fully match your needs :

- Okyia

- Haru Ichiban

[Eithel Anduin]

Luca has a point here, Patchwork is fantastic, a little puzzle game with quite a good replayability and a very limited space-in-the-luggage requirement. Trambahn also works very well, the game's little in dimensions and deep in content

[Richard Trout]

On Wednesday, 27 April 2016 15:15:38 UTC+10, J. Chris Miller wrote:

Trambahn is an amazing 2p game, one of my favorites. Lost Cities the card game is okay, I'm kinda done with it but if you've never played it it's good. Splendor works well with 2p. Forbidden Desert is great with 2. Dungeon Roll is a fun game with 2.

For those not familiar, Trambahn and Lost Cities are similar, so you may not want both. Trambahn is newer and may be easier to find and adds a little more to the game, I believe Lost Cities is being reprinted this year. 

[fearanarchy]

Nantucket by Dice Hate Me
Small, awesome blend of Coin Age, Province, and Harbour. MSRP is $10, and worth every cent!

[fearanarchy]

Nantucket > Province

7 Wonders: Duel > Rivals for a Catan

Targi is indeed one of the best 2 players all-around.

Battle Line/Schotten Totten is quaint, but not for everyone.

Best Treehouse Ever > Sushi, Go, probably not better than Sushi, Go Party though.

Synod, by Small Box Games, is a right back and forth microgame worthy of inclusion too.

[David M]

Our most played by far is Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small. It's always tense, very addictive, and my wife enjoys the farm theme.

Decktet is a single deck of cards that plays so many amazing games. We especially enjoy Magnate, Bharg, and Emu Ranchers. It's perfect for travelling. We played it so many times on train journeys around Europe.

We also enjoy:

Fidelitas - it baffles me that this game doesn't get more love. It's incredible!

Bohn to be Wild / Al Cabohne - both good 2-player implementations of Bohnanza.

Patchwork. This has been mentioned plenty already.

Wurfel Bohnanza - Bohnanza with dice. With 2 players, I enjoy it more than the card game.

On Tuesday, 24 June 2014 04:11:34 UTC+1, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[Pithagoras]

Ticket to Ride
Carcassonne
five/six dice for Yahtzee/Farkle (Kniffle/Scheiße)
I've heard Jaipur is good

[Redward]

Innovation (Amazing card game), The Duke (Abstract that is fun for those that don't like them), Battle line (small strategic card based euro), 

[jgatkinsn]

Another vote for ...

Star Realms

Patchwork

Battle Line

Jaipur

Hive (Pocket Edition)

[Jason Christie]

I'd recommend Jambo if was easier to acquire.

[Guy Allen]

Sun Tzu. Not as portable as some of the games with just cards, but i gets better the more the players olay the game and know eachother

[Joshua W]

My wife and I are addicted to Lords of Waterdeep with the expansion Scoundrels of Skullport. We played it over 50 times this past year.

We use to play Star Realms & Dominion quite a bit as well.

 

We love Monopoly Deal, a card game - fun little take that game of stealing properties and making people pay rent on your properties, some luck, some strategy & seriously takes 15 minutes to play!

We just started playing Biblios & Carccassone South Seas which work really well as a two player game as well.

On Monday, June 23, 2014 at 10:11:34 PM UTC-5, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[Eric Moody]

Kahuna Magic, Game of Thrones:Hand of the King, Abalone, Bottom of the 9th.

[Miks Veltmanis]

Pandemic is great and relativly quick for 2. It's also a co-op.

[Hugh Wyeth]

No one's mentioned Fungi, which I recently discovered and is great, perhaps even better than Jaipur. It's a single deck, no chits or anything. 

[8bit Geezer]

jaipur, lost cities, hive, battle line/schotten totten, kahuna, targi, patchwork, love letter, circus flohcati,

[Eric Moody]

Kahuna, Game of Thrones:Hand of the King (my new favorite!), Abalone, Bottom of the 9th. There are lots of travel-sized sets for cribbage and chess too.

[Sammo Hoi]

More votes for:

Star Realms
Patchwork
Battle Line
Jaipur
Hive (Pocket Edition)

Lost Cities

But also
Little Prince Make me a Planet (I like best with two)

[Luc IlleEtVilainois]

small box 2p good games :
- Jaipur
- suntzu
- Patchwork

- marterislands (2player and more)
- builders middle age (2player and more)
- coloretto (2player and more)

[Doron David]

Not knowing if this is for you and a friend, or you and your wife, I can say that 2 games that my wife simply adores (and she is not impressed that easily) are Jaipur and Battle Line. These 2 games seems to be quite popular with wives, as I've noticed from previous discussions on BGG.

Doron

[Randy Bieri]

1)  Get the new Iello printing of Schotten Tottten (which is the fresh look for BattleLine in smaller box)

2)  then there is the 2 wonderful versions of Tides of Time both in nice small boxes

3)  great for travel size too is Coin Age!  https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/146130/coin-age

On Monday, June 23, 2014 at 10:11:34 PM UTC-5, Connor Brinsmead wrote:

[Eric Moody]

I agree, excellent travel games Kahuna is my favorite.

On Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 12:17:59 AM UTC-4, Exit 191 wrote:

Kosmos 2-player series is full of win.

My wife and I really enjoy Balloon Cup, Odin's Ravens, Kahuna, and Buccaneer Bones. All quick and small (easy to travel with).

On Monday, June 23, 2014 9:12:43 PM UTC-7, Scarlett_O wrote:

Hive, Hey! That's my Fish!, Zombie/Martian Dice, Love Letter

[Niccòlò Ricchio]

What about codex? It's deep, it's fast and plays best in 1vs1.

[Shane Brewer]

I really enjoy boss monster and its sequel.  Small box and plays well with two.  The artwork is what gets me every time.  

[theashers]

Yes to Targi! It quite fantastically the best 2-player world placement that also isn't hours long.

[Joseph Hammel]

Fixed.

On Friday, August 29, 2014 at 7:10:52 PM UTC-7, Rompcat wrote:

Yeah, Hero Realms.  You should do Hero Realms.