Hi all, not sure if there’s a better place in the fediverse to ask, but I’m looking for suggestions for a 2 player game. Something that is pretty quick in terms of set up, learning, and play. My go to for this scenario right now is the Tacocat game by the makers of Exploding Kittens, but I’d like to branch out and try some others if they fit the bill. Doesn’t necessarily have to be for 2 players specifically but preferable if that’s what it’s designed for. Heck doesn’t necessarily have to be a board game really, just something to play face to face (I mean, I don’t really know what the alternative would be other than a straight up card game but that’s why I’m asking for recommendations).
Hive / 2 players / Requires basically zero setup. Game is easy to pickup and a bit strategic
Star Realms / 2 players / Requires shuffling, separating some cards out and dealing out a few cards. Rules look daunting at first, but it’s pretty straight forward after a few games. There’s a mobile app if you want to try the digital version.
Fox in the Forest / 2 players / minimal setup
Play these with my wife and they’re all good for a relatively quick game. We’re not a big fan of largely random games and prefer something a bit more strategic.
Star realms is amazing! The mobile app is really good too! They have another game called Hero Realms which I highly recommend if you love Star realms! It’s the same gameplay but you have a hero as well. It takes a little to get used too the new mechanics but it’s a blast to play online haha
Seven Wonders has a two person game called Seven Wonders Duel that’s really easy. It comes with expansions and it’s my husband’s and my favorite game to play ^^
I love Seven Wonders Duel but I wouldn’t call it super accessible compared to something like Hive. There’s quite a lot to keep track of for the first few playthroughs. But for two people who are experienced with other games it has a good amount of replayability!
Patchwork! Nicely balanced and very replayable. Out quilt your opponent!
Space base is pretty fun! It’s for 2-5 players. What I like about it is it’s a base building game where you don’t really hinder your opponents, and there’s stuff for you to do when it’s not your turn.
I love Space Base. The designer is a mad genius. But I will say it’s more fun with more people and it has a lot of setup. Mystic Vale is another by him that works well for two and is slightly less piecey. There’s an app if you want to try it for cheap.
But if you want extremely easy to learn, not too hard to set up, and quite fun to play, Santorini is phenomenal. It’s literally about as easy to learn as checkers. The instructions are basically one page for the core game and then you can spice it up by adding special powers. But the core mechanic is so elegantly simple it’s hard to believe how little there Is to learn.
Definitely give Parks a try, it’s a personal favorite of ours. I also recommend Cascadia and Tiny Epic Galaxies.
