# Suggestions for fun two player games? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 8, 2018, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160 "2018-01-08T20:55:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/1 "2018-01-08T20:55:49Z")
My girlfriend and I have been playing and enjoying Carcassonne. We also have played Hanabi. I play Magic and will be teaching her that. What are some other fun two player games we can try? Already aware of most 52 Card Deck games like Cribbage so not those unless you know a unique one. Would enjoy both cooperative or adversarial games. Any and all suggestions. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/2 "2018-01-08T21:10:22Z")
I’m a big fan of [Fidelitas](https://www.amazon.com/Green-Couch-Games-GCG001-Fidelitas/dp/B00RZNJ6KK/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1515445750&sr=1-1&keywords=fidelitas). ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/3 "2018-01-08T21:36:22Z")
Cribbage is all you need to know. It rocks! ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/4 "2018-01-08T22:45:00Z")
_Splendor_ is great, for 2-4 players. _Jaipur_ is a great 2-player game. _Dominion_ plays well with two players. I also enjoy _Letters from Whitechapel_ with two players. If you like Magic, you might enjoy _Mage Wars_, nowadays called _Mage Wars Arena_- basically Magic played on a game board, where you actually practice zone control and movement, while casting spells from an actual spellbook. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/5 "2018-01-08T22:50:51Z")
This variant of Rummy: > [@Help me find some two-player board games](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-some-two-player-board-games/298116/42): > > Rummy 5000. Yes, five thousand. > > You’ll need a entire deck of cards - by “entire” I mean including Jokers and anything else that can be used as a joker. That one with the poker odds, for example. > > Shuffle the deck, let your opponent cut if they desire, turn over the top card and put it in front of your opponent. This is how many cards total they will get that hand - if it’s a 2, they get a second card; two additional cards for a three; three for a four and so on. Face cards count as 10; Aces and Jokers count as 15. Continue for all opponents (more than three playing will require another deck). > > The deal to yourself works in the same manner except you also turn over the last card in your hand. This will be wild for that hand, in addition to the jokers. If the last card is a joker then turn over the second-to-last; some also do this if the last card is an ace, you’ll see why in a moment. > > Except for the wild cards, play is identical to that of 500 and “floting” is permitted. What’s most fun is working out your initial hand so as to place the wild cards in the best location, hoping to go out on the first draw. > > Normally, moving around wild cards once they’re put down isn’t permitted except when they’re on the outside of a run. That part is optional and should be decided upon before playing. > > Scoring is the same as in 500 except Aces and wild cards are both 100 (this is why some don’t like aces being wild) and Jokers are 250 or more. Some like to establish “big” and “little” jokers, and that poker odds card could be considered a “huge” joker worth 750 or 1000. The most I’d do is make the odds card 500; I like to keep them simple. Things in 5000 are confusing enough as it is! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/6 "2018-01-08T22:56:37Z")
[_Arkham Horror_](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/205637/arkham-horror-card-game) is a complicated game to get into, and a difficult one to get good at… but it absolutely rocks. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/7 "2018-01-08T23:13:45Z")
[Targi](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/118048/targi) is a good two player (only) game. I’ve only played it once, but [7 Wonders Duel](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173346/7-wonders-duel)is highly regarded I think [Castles of Burgundy](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/84876/castles-burgundy)scales well from 2-4 Brian ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/8 "2018-01-08T23:27:04Z")
Blokus 3D, Codenames Duet, Fields of Green, Fog of Love, …and then we held hands, Agricola, Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small, Patchwork, Paperback, Isle of Trains, Pandemic, Viticulture: Essential Edition. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/9 "2018-01-08T23:55:47Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > [_Arkham Horror_](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/205637/arkham-horror-card-game) is a complicated game to get into, and a difficult one to get good at… but it absolutely rocks. Ha! I just came back in to suggest exactly that. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/10 "2018-01-09T00:52:56Z")
All of these are better with 4+ but are still fun with 2: **Sushi Go!** : cute, quick little card game that will have you _dying_ for some sushi. **Zombie Dice** : quick, press-your-luck dice game. **Roll For It** : great little dice game (literally; it comes with 6 sets of tiny dice!). Probably my favorite of these three. Roll dice to match sets as specified on cards for points. That’s a terrible description but trust me, it’s fun. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/11 "2018-01-09T01:07:01Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > [_Arkham Horror_](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/205637/arkham-horror-card-game) is a complicated game to get into, and a difficult one to get good at… but it absolutely rocks. I’ll endorse it as well. So great especially if you’re even a bit of a Lovecraft fan. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/12 "2018-01-09T02:04:20Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I’ll endorse it as well. So great especially if you’re even a bit of a Lovecraft fan. And if you are, there is also _Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu_. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/13 "2018-01-09T02:21:51Z")
I strongly recommend the basic Pandemic game: - it’s co-operative; the players work together against the game itself - a game takes about 45 minutes - it’s pretty easy to learn - there are 3 levels of difficulty ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/14 "2018-01-09T03:02:47Z")
Please keep the suggestions coming. I have been looking at some of them and see some possibilities. One followup question: I have actually been considering getting Dominion even before this thread but unsure where to start. There are a lot of versions available. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/15 "2018-01-09T03:36:47Z")
For Dominion, start with the original set and see if you like it. If you do, I recommend Prosperity next. If you get sick of those two, come back here and get 10,000 opinions. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/16 "2018-01-09T05:57:56Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Please keep the suggestions coming. I have been looking at some of them and see some possibilities. One followup question: I have actually been considering getting Dominion even before this thread but unsure where to start. There are a lot of versions available. Have you played any deck building games before? If you want to check out the genre before diving in, I’d suggest [Flip City](https://www.amazon.com/Tasty-Minstrel-Games-3009TTT-Board/dp/1938146581/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1515477443&sr=1-1&keywords=flip+city). It’s a good gateway game into deck building. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/17 "2018-01-09T08:17:08Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Have you played any deck building games before? If you want to check out the genre before diving in, I’d suggest [Flip City](https://www.amazon.com/Tasty-Minstrel-Games-3009TTT-Board/dp/1938146581/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1515477443&sr=1-1&keywords=flip+city). It’s a good gateway game into deck building. Yeah, I’d skip Dominion. It’s a fun game, but there are some better alternatives out now that take up less room and are quicker to set up and put away, and which are less abstract (think Poker versus Magic - they might both be fun, but the one with more thematics is just more interesting in the long run). I have Flip City. It’s pretty good but even with the expansion it’s pretty limited on variety. The one that I’ve heard is a great couples deckbuilder, with a small footprint, is Dale of Merchants. I’ve played Star Realms and that has a pretty good replay value with just the base set, let alone with the expansions and the fantasy version. Play it to the max hit points that you can after splitting evenly for your player count. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/18 "2018-01-09T09:39:27Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Have you played any deck building games before? If you want to check out the genre before diving in, I’d suggest [Flip City](https://www.amazon.com/Tasty-Minstrel-Games-3009TTT-Board/dp/1938146581/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1515477443&sr=1-1&keywords=flip+city). It’s a good gateway game into deck building. [Mystic Vale](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/194607/mystic-vale) is good too, clever mechanics. Simple on the surface, but with quite a bit of hidden depth. Plus the whole “gambling with one’s turn” aspect makes for memorable plays. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/19 "2018-01-09T10:08:05Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Blokus 3D Holy cow, there’s a 3D version? I think regular 2-dimensional Blokus is all I can handle! For the OP and his GF, I recommend the 2-player game ([Blokus Duo/Travel Blokus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blokus#Blokus_Duo/Travel_Blokus)) most highly. For quick-but-fun on alternative decks of cards, I like [Monopoly Deal](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/40398/monopoly-deal-card-game). A lot more fast-paced and fun than the actual board game. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160/20 "2018-01-09T10:23:04Z")
Dammit, I forgot to mention the most essential 2-player board game of all time : [**Blood Bowl**](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/212445/blood-bowl-2016-edition) ! Chess meets American Football meets LotR meets cursing your \*fucking \*dice. At length. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-fun-two-player-games/806160.md?page=2)