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Gaming
Tabletop
Board Games
What are the best board games for two players?
11
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Considered
9
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Recs.
Nov 2, 2023
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11
Games
Considered
Best board games for two players
Price
# Players
Play Time
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Stone Age
$69.99
2 to 4
60-90 Minutes
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Chess
-
-
-
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Santorini
$41.38
2-4
-
--
Jaipur
-
-
-
--
Hanabi
$10.35
2-5
25 minutes
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Stone Age
My Rec
ommendation
for
Stone Age
My Recommendation for
Stone Age
All
3
Pros
1
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Con
•••
Can be quite long
Depending on the number of players, the game can take 1 to 2 hours to play through, which is alright for more experienced board gamers, but it can be a big turn-off for new players or children who might lose their enthusiasm as the game progresses.
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Pro
•••
Highly replayable
Each game of Stone Age will turn out differently. Obviously, your dice rolls are going to lead to different results, and the buildings and civilization cards you draw are going to be in a new order. There are many paths to victory, you can always try a different strategy. Best part is, no strategy is superior, you get points from many things, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
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$69.99
Recommend
1
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Chess
My Rec
ommendation
for
Chess
My Recommendation for
Chess
All
2
Pros
2
Top
Pro
•••
Boosts memory
You are constantly forced to come up with new offensive strategies or defencive strategies, based on what your opponent is doing. Since there are practically infinite ways to play any situation, you will have to think several moves ahead and remember various possible scenarios that might play out in any possible strategy.
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Top
Pro
•••
Classic
It's been an important mode of entertainment and education for more than a thousand years.
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Recommend
1
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Santorini
My Rec
ommendation
for
Santorini
My Recommendation for
Santorini
All
4
Pros
3
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
Easy to understand yet deep gameplay
The basic premise of Santorini is simple; players use their workers to move around the map, build towers, and attempt to be the first to ascend to the 3rd level of one of these towers. However, much like its more serious counterpart, Chess, Santorini has an astounding amount of depth as players move to block and trap one another all while positioning for that one winning move. Adding in the God Powers further opens up the options for interesting gameplay and in-depth strategy as players make use of one of these unique cards to give their workers special powers like building twice, moving opponents, or even removing buildings.
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Pro
•••
Excellent component quality
From the raised, three-dimensional board to the high quality building blocks, all of the components in Santorini are top-notch. The tarot sized cards are beautifully illustrated and contain easy to recognize iconography, the main game board is made up of 3 parts that raise it up off the table and give it an excellent sense of scale, and the building pieces are fantastically modeled so that they stack together easily and look great as the city is built from the ground up!
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Top
Pro
•••
A ton of replayability
Even without using the God Power cards the base game of Santorini will almost always play out differently as players try different techniques and strategies for besting their opponent. However, adding in the 30 God Powers from the base set adds a whole new layer of variable conditions for each game and allow for a huge variety of potential combinations. And if that isn't enough the Golden Fleece expansion adds another 15 God Cards, 10 Hero Cards, and an entirely new variant to the game!
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$41.38
Recommend
3
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Jaipur
My Rec
ommendation
for
Jaipur
My Recommendation for
Jaipur
All
1
Pros
1
Top
Pro
•••
Highly strategical
The game's strategy emerges from the delicate balance of risk and reward, timing your moves, and outsmarting your opponent to secure the most valuable goods. With limited resources and an ever-changing market, Jaipur demands keen foresight and adaptability, making it a thrilling and deeply strategic gaming experience.
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Recommend
1
--
Hanabi
My Rec
ommendation
for
Hanabi
My Recommendation for
Hanabi
All
8
Pros
5
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
Replayable
The game encourages replayability because it’s one of those games that you get better at the more you play. Players will always be trying to beat their high-scores. To make the game harder or easier you can easily remove or add clue tokens or lightning tokens (extra lives). The game also has an included “expansion” – the rainbow-colored cards. These add two more possible variations to the gameplay. You can play them as the sixth color and just add 5 more points to the maximum, or you can make the game a bit more difficult by having players give clues about the rainbow card as if it was one of the five default colors.
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Top
Con
•••
Requires commitment
Hanabi could be considered an exercise in memory, teamwork, and communication, so this isn’t the game to play if you’re in a distraction full environment or if you want to casually socialize with your buddies. Furthermore, it’s important to limit your table talk because someone might accidentally say too much in a clue or pass off some important information in a remark here or there. Showing frustration or excitement about a play that someone’s about to do is also bad because it might impact the player’s action.
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Pro
•••
No quarterbacking issues
The game successfully evades the popular issue of many cooperative games where a player ends up taking over the game and telling others what to do. In Hanabi this is pretty much impossible because there is no way to see your own cards, so everyone is forced to work together.
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Top
Con
•••
Similar looking colors on cards
The game has five possible colors, but since they aren't very bright and the background is the same, it might be difficult to tell them apart in poor lighting. There are only a few cards of each type and a limited number of clues you can receive, so misinterpreting what other players tell you can lead to huge misplays.
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Pro
•••
Easy to learn
Hanabi is a truly simple and very accessible game to people of all ages. Players stack cards of one color to finish five firework displays consisting of five cards each. Players are dealt five cards that they hold outwards to other players. On your turn you can perform one of three actions – give a clue, discard a card, or play a card. By flipping one of the eight clue tokens you can point out something about another player’s hand, for example, “these cards are yellow”, “these are twos”, etc. Discarding a card restores a clue token, but you must be careful with what you discard because there is a limited number of cards of each type, you might discard a card that doesn’t let you complete the firework. If you play a card that doesn’t fit any of the current piles, then that is an illegal play, the card is discarded and one of the lightning tokens is turned over. As soon as all three lightning tokens are turned, the game is over. The game can also end when the draw pile is empty or if you successfully stack all the fireworks.
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Top
Pro
•••
A wonderful exercise in teamwork as you have to rely entirely on clues from other players
Why did the other player give that specific clue? Should you play, discard, or give a clue in return? If you give them a clue, how will they interpret it? It is these meaningful and occasionally tense decisions that make Hanabi an absolutely excellent game for couples who like to work together to solve problems.
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Pro
•••
Hanabi's small size makes it easy to transport and/or play anywhere
Consisting of just 60 cards, 8 clue tokens, and 4 fuse tokens, the entire game can fit in a box about the size of a deck of cards, making it easy to throw in a pocket or purse and have on hand anytime.
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$10.35
Recommend
1
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7 Wonders Duel
My Rec
ommendation
for
7 Wonders Duel
My Recommendation for
7 Wonders Duel
All
4
Pros
2
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
Highly interactive gameplay keeps both players engaged
Often, when one player takes a card from the central layout it reveals multiple cards beneath it that open up new options for their opponent. This encourages players to pay attention on their opponents turn. Furthermore, players need to be aware of their opponents position on the military track since maxing that out immediately ends the game in a victory for the player to fill it up.
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Top
Con
•••
Base gameplay can get repetitive over many plays
The base game doesn't offer a huge amount of variability between plays so it could potentially get repetitive. Fortunately there is an expansion available that adds much more depth and replayability.
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Specs
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Pro
•••
Great for couples
7 Wonders Duel is specifically designed for 2 players so it is perfect for a couple looking for a fun game to play with each other.
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$24.86
Recommend
1
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Go
My Rec
ommendation
for
Go
My Recommendation for
Go
Hide
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here
Recommend
--
Patchwork
My Rec
ommendation
for
Patchwork
My Recommendation for
Patchwork
All
5
Pros
3
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
Short play time
Games of Patchwork usually take less than 30 minutes so the game doesn't drag on.
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Top
Con
•••
Takes up a decent amount of space
At the start of the game you form a ring with all of the pieces available in the game and that ring takes up a decent amount of space for a quick, 2-player game.
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Specs
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Pro
•••
No randomness after intial setup
Once the tiles are laid out at the start of the game they never change their order so all of the games information is available to all players for the entirety of the game.
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Top
Pro
•••
It's theme is very accesible
The quilting theme of Patchwork is simple enough to convince almost anyone to sit down and play it.
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$25.19
Recommend
1
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Le Havre: The Inland Port
My Rec
ommendation
for
Le Havre: The Inland Port
My Recommendation for
Le Havre: The Inland Port
All
4
Pros
3
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
The building dials provide an interesting risk-reward decision to the game
When a player purchases a building tile they place it in the first space of the building dial where it has 0 uses. Each turn the dial moves one increment around, slowly increasing the number of uses each building provides from 0, to 2, 3, 4, and finally to 4 + 1gold. This encourages players to wait longer to activate each building, however, there is the risk that their opponent may use it before them since using a building returns it to the 0 use section of the dial. Additionally, if a building isn't used in the 4+ section, it is removed from the game the next time the dial rotates, which can cost players points at the end of the game. All of this leads to interesting and meaningful decisions about when to activate different buildings in order to maximize their benefit to the player.
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Specs
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Pro
•••
Has a quality app on both Android and iOS
The Inland Port app is available for around $5 on both Android and iOS and makes for an excellent opportunity to either try the game before buying the costlier physical version or to learn the game after you already own the physical copy.
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Pro
•••
Short play time makes it easy to play this game when you feel like it
Most plays will take less than 30min so it is easy to squeeze in a quick game while dinner is in the oven, at the end of the night before bed, or maybe a quick game before breakfast.
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$44.95
Recommend
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Mint Works
My Rec
ommendation
for
Mint Works
My Recommendation for
Mint Works
All
4
Pros
3
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
Short, yet rewarding gameplay
Each game of Mint Works typically plays out in 10-20 minutes, but that time is filled with decisions about where to best place your mints in order to gain the most points and maximize your productivity for that round, leading to very rewarding games.
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Pro
•••
Small size of the game makes it very portable
As the name suggests, Mint Works was designed to fit inside a standard mint tin, making it easy to slip into your pocket or purse for gaming on the go.
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Top
Pro
•••
Solo variant allows players to practice and play the game on their own
Whether you are trying to learn the rules to the game or honing your strategies while waiting for a friend at the bar, Mint Works has the ability to be played solo, including 4 different 'AI' players that focus on different tactics and strategies to give each play a different feel from the last.
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$20.00
Recommend
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Arkham Horror: The Card Game
My Rec
ommendation
for
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
My Recommendation for
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
All
6
Pros
4
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Pro
•••
High replayability due to multiple decision points and possible endings to both individual missions and the overall scenario
At different points along each mission players will be forced to make decisions that will affect not only that mission, but the storyline overall. This means that even playing the same scenario will have different results based on the decisions made by each player.
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Top
Con
•••
The core set is limited to 1-2 players
Unfortunately a base set of the game will only allow a maximum of two players at a time. However, if you are willing to buy a second core set then the game can play 4 players cooperatively.
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Specs
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Pro
•••
The limited time to complete each mission gives players a sense of urgency
During each Scenario players will need to complete a number of individual missions, each taking up 1 game, in order to finish the scenario. During setup for each mission they are instructed in creating an Act deck of goals to complete as well as an Agenda deck that is used as a countdown timer for the forces of evil. In order to complete the mission players will need to race to finish the tasks given by the Act deck before Agenda deck finishes counting down. This mechanic really helps make the game feel like a struggle to thwart the forces of evil before humanity is overrun.
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Pro
•••
Multiple expansions and add-ons will continue to help the game grow and evolve over time
Fantasy Flight has already announced and released several add-on packs that include new storylines, characters, monsters, and equipment, further broadening the depth and replayability of this game.
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Pro
•••
The storylines provided by the game are interesting and draw players into the game
Each scenario features an overarching storyline that encourages players to keep playing as they slowly uncover more and more details about the mystery that is unfolding. Each mission in a scenario is designed to reveal more and more information about the dangers players are facing while giving clues as to the nature of the mystery they are trying to solve.
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$39.99
Recommend
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