Welcome back to “Get Your Game On,” the second summer blog post for the SPS Board Gaming community! This time, we are looking at two-player games, as well as games that scale well for two-players. Why focus on duos, you ask? When you are at home for the summer and without a dorm full of friends to turn to, chances are you will have to rely on family members to fill the seats around your gaming table. If your relatives are anything like Ms. Yarborough’s, you may find that you have to haggle, bribe, and barter to get a board gaming partner to play with you. Here are Ms. Yarborough’s top five two-player games and a few from her TBP (to-be-played) list.
Top Five
- 7 Wonders Duel: Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 7 Wonders Duel is an oldy but a goody in the world of board gaming. Duel involves open drafting and set collection and maintains the original 7 Wonders storyline while retooling the strategy game to make for a fun ~thirty minutes~ of play for two people. Note that there is also a The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle Earth rendition of Duel!
- The Castles of Burgundy: Another classic, Castles can be played with up to four people but the mechanics still work well for two. Set in the Burgundy region of medieval France, this Eurogame focuses on territory building through open drafting and tile placement. If you like Settlers of Cataan save for the drama, Castles may be worth a try!
- The Search for Planet X: The astronomy-themed game which inspired The Search for Lost Species (mentioned in Part 1 of our posts on games) is a scientifically accurate and deduction-heavy game where players take on the role of astronomers competing to publish research papers and locate Planet X. While you can have up to four players, this game scales very well for two, and I would even recommend playing with fewer people as you learn it. This is a couple levels up from Clue/Cluedo, but, for those who like a good logic problem, this game offers a more novel motif than another murder mystery game.
- Terraforming Mars: If you enjoy a space-themed game but prefer strategy to deduction, Terraforming Mars is a favorite amongst my SPS gaming group and allows for a flexible number of players, 1 to 5. This is a heavy game, both literally and figuratively. It’s not the easiest box to travel with, but, if you would like to spend a couple hours locked in strategic thought about how to improve planetary infrastructure to allow for human life, this is the board game for you! The mechanics of the game can take some getting used to, and you may prefer to play with two people to keep things simpler, especially as you are learning the game.
- Spirit Island: In the role of island spirits, players band together to use their powers to frighten invaders and influence indigenous peoples to protect the land. This game can be played with up to four people; however, to limit the head-sized dents in your wall to just two, it’s best to learn this cooperative game of hand management and area control as a duet. The feeling you and your gaming partner will have after finally ridding the island of imperialists will be second to none in your board gaming career. This is a hard game to learn and a harder game to learn well, so victory will be a rare oasis in a desert of losses. This game provides recommendations about how to start your first game and which characters to play during this learning experience. DO NOT consider this a suggestion! You should definitely move through your first game using the designer’s advice.
To-Be-Played (TBP)
- Patchwork: True to its name, two players compete to complete the most aesthetically pleasing patchwork quilt. Like several of the games on this list, Patchwork is an older board game but one I have not had the pleasure of playing yet. I would love to give it a try though because it’s a tile placement puzzle game (a personal fave) and a cutely cozy concept!
- Seastead: This game is a bit of a Waterworld throwback in the best way! The world has flooded and players compete to build floating raft islands and discover resources (aka treasure) beneath the waves. Designed for two players, the drafting game uses an “I Cut, You Choose” mechanic.
- Sky Team: This two-player game is number three on my list because, while I like cooperative games, I am not a huge fan of using dice to limit play. I have heard a lot of good feedback about this new game though, so here it is! To play Sky Team, find a gaming partner who you communicate well with (not a sibling you want to throttle), as you will be acting as each other’s co-pilot! This mission-centered game uses a variation on worker placement mechanics and limits communication between players, leading to some edge-of-the-seat play as you try to safely land your plane on strips around the globe.
Thanks to Ms. Yarborough for her suggestions! And when you are back in Millville, be sure to check out the library’s board game collection!
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