Multiplayer games have no problem being dynamic, two player games not so much. What interests men in games often doesn’t interest women and vice versa. My lady and I are ever vigilant for new games both of us like and can be played with just the two of us. If it was up to me we’d play chess or Axis and Allies, if it was up to her we’d play Hearts or Yahtzee.
I’m not a fan of card games, but have no problem with cards being part of the system (i.e. Settlers of Cataan) and I can make exceptions for games like Mag Blast and Bohnanza. She really doesn’t like involved strategy games but I’ve made some progress and she now likes History of the World and Warrior Knights (unfortunetly not two player games). She also likes Ticket to Ride and they have a Swiss expansion pack that’s two player that I’ve been considering. I love Boardgamegeek.com and they have some recommendations I’m going to act on, but I figured I check in here to see if anyone has comments on the ones listed or has offerings of their own.
From just that list I have played:
*Carcassonne
Bohnanza
Ticket to Ride
The Settlers of Cataan
Cribbage *
You could checkout Shear Panic, when you play it with more then two players it gets a bit unpredictable and wild but still very cool, but with only two players it 's a fun challenge to try predict to the moves of your opponent, It has really nice figurines, and the gameplay is fun and original
First there’s the Settlers of Catan card game. If she’s played the original with you then this two player version is a natural choice.
A popular card game for couples in this situation is Lost Cities. It can be learned in minutes and has enough depth to keep both of you happy. Essentially there are five suits of cards and the players have to build up a count of those sets. The trick is that you can only build up, not down, and while you do not have to start a set if you do you immediately go into the hole twenty points and you will need to lay down enough cards to dig out of it. It’s a bit like Rummy, but different enough to feel distinctive.
Along similar lines the 10 Days series is quite a bit of fun. In it there are tiles representing a geographical area (the USA, Africa, Europe, or Asia) and you must create a trip by trading out your hand. Trips are to adjacent states or countries or via a mode of transport that can let you skip over some areas.
Yes, these are (essentially) card games but I think you’ll appreciate them. They’re quick to play and easy to learn.
Okay, now for the off the wall suggestions that come mainly from the fact that you could convince her to play History of the World and Warrior Knights.
How about an overproduced cooperative game? Arkham Horror (the new edition from Fantasy Flight, obvious, not the old one from Chaosium in the 1980’s) takes a lot of set up but plays very well with two players working to beat the system. If she likes it there’s lots of expansions and it scales up dramatically. The rule system is very easy to learn but it is a bit fiddly.
And then there’s 1960: The Making of a President. The players run the Nixon and Kennedy presidential campaigns playing historical events on each other to shift the balance of power until election day. It’s a brilliant design that keeps the game a nail biter until the end.
I would pretty much agree–I love cribbage. Easy to learn, with a good balance of strategy and luck. However, for somebody who wants a game that slightly more cerebral, I’d say piquet is the best two-hander using a standard deck. (Pagat.com writes: “It has retained its popularity to the present day as one of the best and most skilful card games for two players.”)
Gin rummy (where you keep the cards in your hand, not rummy when you lay out your melds) is a classic, although I’m not particularly a fan of it. Bezique or the related 2-handed pinochle are also enjoyable 2-handers, definitely worth knowing for variety’s sake. A more obscure trick-taking card game that plays relatively quickly and is easy to learn is Écarté. If that one strikes your fancy, you should also check out German Whist.
I purchased* Lost Cities*, Balloon Cup, Pick & Pack, and Clans last night.
Lost Cities looks incredibly simple, but there is some depth and our strategies are getting more and more sophisticated as we get better. She likes it but I think I might get bored eventually.
Balloon Cup was a lot of fun, she gave me a savage beating twice but I think I can come back. You got to pay attention so I won’t play wasted next time.
Haven’t played the rest yet, but read the rules and I can’t wait to play both.
I’ll keep you posted, and I’m still on the hunt for more.
What part of “I’m not a fan of most card games” do people seem to be ignoring…? :eek:
For board games, you might try some of the GIPF project games. I personally prefer Dvonn, an easily learned, quite strategic game. As a chess player, usually board games with pieces bore me, but this one didn’t.
Although they can be considered “card” games, some games that use “cards” aren’t really card games. The cards are merely randomizers for certain actions that you would take on a board; the cards make the game more travelable. In this vein, you might try Odin’s Ravens. I liked that game. It is, I think, more fun than Lost Cities.
Part of the problem is that “card game” as a category is arbitrarily large and stating that one dislikes card games doesn’t really help me get a handle on what he doesn’t like. Someone who hates War and Poker, to pick two games where the winner is just random draw (and I’m just talking about the winner of a hand in poker, I know the real strategy is in the betting), might enjoy something that was still a card game but with more strategic depth (the innumerable set building games).
I thought of Lost Cities as a borderline suggestion mainly because of the great success it has in bridging those who are more interested in the socializing aspect of gaming with those who are more interested in the game itself.
FWIW, Sitnam, Clans is a real brain burning abstract game. It is not one I would recommend in your situation.
Wow, looking at my shelves, I never realized how many of my two player games are card based. Without that to worry about I would just run through the thread screaming DOMINION! DOMINION! Anyway…
Carcassone the Castle: I just played this last Friday and enjoyed it a bunch, it is a specifically 2 player Carc.
Starship Catan: 2 player Starfarers. Fun and interesting choices.
Travel Blokus: Abstract and puzzle-y. (and available at Target)
Ubongo Das Duell: Two player timed tangrams! only for the puzzle lover.
Pandemic: Can be played with 1-4, a cooperative game that I actually like…I like the way the disease spreads and how the different player roles work together.
I will also second Jambo and Odin’s Ravens, they are two of my faves.
