So, Quinns' new column has inspired me to do more board games, so I have a question for the more knowledgable amoung you. I'm looking to get a new board (or card) game: it needs to be a good game to play with 2 people, and be relatively quick to play (while I enjoy longer games, it's often hard to find the time). Ideally it'd be playable with more than 2 players but that's not a requirement. Any suggestions?
I recently picked up the lord of the rings living card game which has been designed as a cooperative two player game, great fun and plays in an hour or so
Card games I like: San Juan, Jambo and Catan are all keepers for me. Race for the Galaxy if you haven't already got it is great for two and scales for more.
Best boardgame for 2 players is Battlelore/Memoir '44 -play fairly quick but set up is a bit fiddly and slow.
@lowkey -did not know LOTR LCG was co-op, there are others in the same Living Card Game range that aren't I think? Gah, now I have the bg buying itch. I want space alert, but unlikely to get to play it. Need to find a shiny that I can play solo.
Sure others will recommend Death Angel, also you need to say if you want combative, co-op, theme etc :)
And I meant that one http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/278/catan-card-game
Last edited by Temple; 12-06-2011 at 06:20 PM.
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A quick, easy to learn but deep boardgame that scales very well from 2 to 4 players is Clans.
One of the best two-player games I can recommend, if you find it, is Day & Night, slightly asymetric gameplay that stays fresh. It's for 2 players only.
If you are looking for something longer, more hardcore, I heartily recommend Stronghold - completely asymetric gameplay. Each match lasts around 40 minutes once both sides know the rules (and around 3 hours if they don't). There are rules for 3 and 4 players, too, but I haven't played these yet. Note: Poor quality of rule translations means you need to check Boardgamegeek for the FAQ. But it's a deep, complex and beautiful game that manages to be very different each time played.
For a 2 player cardgame, I endorse the above mentioned Jambo. The Settlers of Catan card-game is actually very good as well, but the vanilla-version may be a bit hard to find nowadays.
My games-related Twitter: VexingVision
Currently playing: Gothic 2; Blood Bowl: Chaos Edition; Waking Mars; Anno Online
Odin's Ravens is a good, quick 2 player game.
When asked, he merely responded with a wry bleat followed by a swift kick to the testicles.- Rakysh
Hmm, a range of interesting suggestions: I'm quite interested in the FFG LCGs: although they seem to be relying quite heavily on various licensed properties, so I'm a little concerned they might not have much replay value. Anyone want to give an opinion of Warhammer vs LoTR vs CoC LCGs?
I think Race for the Galaxy might be the game to go for, though: I've heard good things and I didn't realise that it worked well with only two players.
Read on BGG last night that the LCG require more than one pack?!?!?!? It was in a thread about the Legend of 5 rings multiplayer box. The whole point of them is you don't need to buy any more, so that was a strange comment. I think it was just from a completionist though, so would be interested in other's views.
RFTG has an downloadable game if you want to try before you buy http://www.keldon.net/rftg/ but it really is a briliant game. Unfortunately my solo expansion got lost in the post (damn those non-digital downloads).
Posted this in the Space Alert thread but might be of interest - I've signed up and intend to explore it once this 'holiday' I'm on in the south of France is over.
(I keep pushing the command and colours games as I really want to find someone who wants to play Battlelore face-to-face(or Memoir '44) as that is the game I miss the most -wonder if I'll like it as much with a different opponent to who I used to play it with)
http://www.daysofwonder.com/memoir44...t/?inforef=212It is a beta. It is a 135MB download and gives you 50 gold. Games cost 2-4 gold each from what I can gather. $8 gets you another 200 gold.
Pro-tip, do not cancel the tutorial as it says you completed successfully and does not let you re-do it… might charge you 2 gold as well, but it is not easily telling me my total gold.
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A brave heart and a courteous tongue. They shall carry thee far through the jungle, manling.
summoner wars. Rab (cardboard children) did video review of it up on his website (downtimetown.com) a while back
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2 player card wargame. Has rules for 3/4p, but they look a bit tacked on.
There's a two player standalone Carcasonne variant called 'the Castle' which I really like. We have heaps of games for two or more players at home, but none of them seem to provide the same level of satisfication and fun as this with two people. I think in any kind of game where the mechanics involve actual interaction with the opposition (rather than just both racing to collect the most points in a certain number of turns or whatever) the gameplay is just too different with only two people - I haven't come across any games that can do both equally well. It usually takes about 40 minutes, it's always close, and the outcome never feels like luck.
It's been re-launched as Rivals of Catan, essentially the same game, just a few rules tweaks and three different card sets for different flavours of game in the base box.Originally Posted by Vexing Vision
I have been regularly playing the Game Of Thrones LCG with a friend of mine for 1 1/2 years now and we're still as excited about it as we were on day 1. We still discover new strategies and new deck-building possibilities which is very satisfying as it keeps our games interesting and provides more than enough replay value. Plus, with a wide range of comeback and reset possibilites, games are usually decided pretty late, which makes for more memorable moments compared to, let's say, M:TG. It's surprisingly balanced, too, even with all the additional chapter packs and expansion boxes.
You can get a starter pack for ~30€ and it contains enough cards to get a few games going and see if you like it.
Oh, FFG made two pretty good tutorial videos (Part 1, Part 2) which explain how the mechanics work.
Interesting. My wife and me enjoy Carcassone a lot, but found The Castle a watered down and incredibly boring version due to the fact that you can place anything anywhere and not bother about things like counting tiles and calculating probabilities.
Personally, I much prefer the vanilla Carcassonne as a 2-player variant that also scales well to three or four players. Also, I think "Hunters and Gatherers" is the best Carcassonne variant with the most horrible game-graphics since 1980. I sure wish there's an updated version with another artist one day!
My games-related Twitter: VexingVision
Currently playing: Gothic 2; Blood Bowl: Chaos Edition; Waking Mars; Anno Online
Carcasonne + the first two expansions makes for a great two player game. And, you can mix and match expansions to keep the game a little varied.
Dominion is a superb game for 2-4 players.
If you can get hold of it, Space Hulk is arguable Games Workshops finest game. Everything you need is in the box, the rules are comparatively simple, and it doesn't take all afternoon to play. And it's very atmospheric.
And for more players: the Battlestar Galatica game is superb. I had no interest when I first heard about the game, but finally decided to give it a go last month, and it's great fun. Only downside is it takes 2-3 hours. But the game really encourages player interactions, etc.
And Ghost Stories is a difficult, but fin 4 player co-op game :)
Currently waiting for the reprint of War of the Ring to come out in September.
Me too! I think I've even found somebody who'd be up for playing it with me :)
Wanna try the old version? (I have it just in case that isn't obvious)
@riadsala Why are you in Scotland, move to London now! And bring the other person with you!
I was reading reviews of Age of Conan the other night which people compare to WotR -in typical bg fashion some say its better, some worse (See Carcassone discussion above :D)
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ha. I'll ask :p
Once we both have a copy and learn how to play, we can always try and get a game going on vassal or something.
Hmm, I've played Carcasonne a few times, but I've never really warmed to it: I know people are very keen on it, but it always seems a bit dry to me: I guess I like games with a bit more theme, or more player-player interaction.
War of the Ring might be fun, although I'm a little wary after playing LoTR, the board game, which is really very tedious.
My wife will play Carcasonne so that makes it a pretty good winner in my book, plus the 20 minute game time is a plus.
Why are you wearing that stupid human suit?
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