Even though many titles have 2-4 player count, a lot of times those games play very different with only 2 players as opposed to 3 or 4. Our latest example was The Quest for El Dorado, which I first played at BGGCon last November and really enjoyed. I was able to pick-up a copy and was excited to show my wife the game. We enjoyed it, but it played very different with just the two of us versus the experience I had the first go round with 4 players.
Shortly after that playthrough, we decided to take stock of our 2 player only titles and realized we could stand to add a few games to the library. So we made our way to our FLGS and ended up with the three new games, Patchwork, Imohtep The Duel and Codenames: Duet.
So let’s take a look at these three and some others that you might look to add to your collection.
7 Wonders Duel
7 Wonders is generally considered a modern classic. 7 Wonders Duel isn’t far behind in the opinion of this author. 7 Wonders Duel retains all of the things that makes the original great, while crafting a wonderful 2 player specific experience. 7WD isn’t simply a stripped down version of the original, but it’s own thing.
If you enjoyed 7 Wonders, I would highly recommend take a look at 7 Wonders Duel.
Air Land & Sea
I love this game. Players compete in the three theaters of war, air land and sea, vying for supremacy in all three as they take turns playing cards in one of the three. Cards can be played face up in their matching theater, which allows for their strength and any special power to be active, or face down, in any theater for a default power.
There are cards that can flip cards (yours or your opponents) and certain cards that allow for cards already played to be moved to other theaters. Add to that a player can “withdraw” during a conflict to less the loss once they determine that victory that round is out of reach.
This game is simple, beautifully designed and plays quick. It’s a mainstay any time I go to conventions or game days with friends.
Akrotiri
This game wins the award for most stuff crammed in a small box award. The sheer amount you get is almost mindboggling. That being said, players in Arkortiri are trades in ancient Greece, navigating the water ways of the Aegean sea and the archipelago that lies within.
This game really surprised me with how well balanced it is, with gameplay tight and gives players many paths to victory. It also has a market mechanic and rewards players for well thought out turns.
Every time my wife and I have played this, we’re glad we added it to the library.
Codenames: Duet
One of the three new titles we added to our library recently, I’m still on the fence how I feel about this one. My wife and I played 3 games at the default difficultly level, and we went 0 for 3. It’s a hard game for two players. Being co-op players go back and forth taking turns giving clues to get the other player to guess the correct words on the 5 x 5 grid of word cards.
The default difficultly gives players 9 rounds to get 15 correct words between the both gamers. Granted, you can play with up to 11 rounds which would make getting to 15 before time runs out easier, we wanted to see how it would play at the base level.
I’m still unsure how I feel about this one honestly.
Dragonheart
In Dragonheart players encounter Dragons, knights, trolls, princesses, dwarves, and other fantasy characters make up the world of Dragonheart. Dragons are searching for treasure, of course, but they’re being pursued by dragon hunters, and those are the two sides that face off in this game.
We haven’t dusted this one off in a while, but the mechanic is basically the play sets, draw and take cards setup. It’s pretty straight forward and easy to pick up on. I’ve always enjoyed games of Dragonheart and I think it will remain in the library for a while longer.
I think it’s OOP now, but you can probably find copies on the 2nd hand market on the cheap.
Imhotep The Duel
The second of three new 2 player titles that we added to the collection, Imhotep The Duel looks like it’s going to be solid addition. That being said, we haven’t had the opportunity to try it out yet. I will say that the original game is one of our favorites, so much like 7 Wonders Duel, I’m guessing this will also be a great experience for two players.
More to come on this one….
Jaipur
Every time 2 player games would come up in conversation, there was one game that almost always was mentioned, Jaipur. We recently took a getaway weekend trip to St. Louis, where we made a visit to Pieces Board Game Bar & Cafe where we were tried some great drinks along with Jaipur.
After we got back from our weekend, I quickly picked it up and I dare say it’ll be a permanent addition to the library.
Jarl
Who doesn’t love Vikings? Historically I’m sure there are lots of people who don’t, but I mean, who doesn’t love anything Viking themed? Especially a board game. Jarl is a fun “chess like” game where players use tiles to move around the board in various ways to out duel their opponent. There are other games similar to this on market, but we’ve enjoyed this one quite a bit.
Admittedly, it’s been a bit since we’ve pulled it out and taken it for a spin. That probably means it’s time to do so.
Lost Cities
Like Air Land and Sea, Lost Cities brilliance is in it’s design. It’s an “easy to learn hard to master” style game. A Knizia classic, Lost Cities sees player taking “expeditions” in one of 5 spaces on the board, playing cards that match, in sequential order. Turns are very straight forward, you play a card from your hand, and then take one from the board or the draw pile. The game ends once the draw pile is depleted.
This game is also a permanent member of the game library. If you can get a copy, I wouldn’t hesitate.
OGRE OBJECTIVE 218
This little gem of a game from Steve Jackson Games is a fun war themed romp, where players take turns playing deploying troop cards to their side of the battlefield. The key is those troop cards range to attack opposing player cards and even more important, making sure those deployed cards are “supplied” in order to make sure that can be in use.
The game is a fun, enjoyable and worth looking at if you have a chance.
Patchwork
The final game of our three new 2 player additions to our library is probably our favorite (considering we haven’t tried Imhotep The Duel yet).
Patchwork has a fun, unique theme, a well balance mechanic with a Tetris like gameplay to it. If you’ve played Isle of Cats, Patchwork will feel familiar. Players take turns doing one of two actions on their turn, taking a patch and adding it to their quilt, or moving on the time board and taking buttons. Buttons act as currency in the game, allowing you to purchase patch tiles.
We really enjoyed this one and look forward to future games. The only thing that might be a detraction is the price point for this title. From a value perspective, not sure if it warrants the price tag?
That being said, Patchwork is definitely a good addition and we are glad we picked it up.
As always, leave a comment with your thoughts. Until next time, LLAP!
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