What are some good 2 player board/card games

[DonTadow]

Just a note: While I think Magic: the Gathering is one of the best 2-player games ever created, my suggestions are based on keeping things simple for your wife. Carcassonne I think is great because it has the strategy that keeps you interested, while having a great theme - you're placing tiles that build cities, roads, farms and cloisters - that should keep your wife entertained.

Carcassonne is one of the good entry points to Eurogames, as is Ticket To Ride: Europe and Settlers of Catan (the latter is 3+ players, though). Thurn und Taxis is also a worthy contender.

Cheers!

Settlers has a pretty good 2 player variant that comes with it. Considering the 1 hour playing time it can be prety fun.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I think some of the games suggested might be a little bit too complicated for my wife though. Snakes and ladders and Trouble are pretty far on the simple side of the scale! Something like a CCG would just be too complex for her to enjoy. She likes things that are quick and simple to set up and without a whole host of rules to remember. (I'll never be able to get her to play D&D! ) Unfortunately she doesn't like Chess, Draughts (Checkers) or Backgammon so that rules out a lot of quick set-up games.

I had a look at some of the Cheapass games but almost none of them are 2 player. Kill Doctor Lucky is a fun game but I really don't think that it would work with just 2 players.

I had thought about something like Jenga since it is simple but fun to play and you do have to put a bit of thought into it. Unfortunately with our disparate tastes it makes finding a common game rather difficult. I'll check out Cribbage and I might give Carcassonne a go too. I have seen it at my FLGS before and I have heard good things about it from people on these boards before.

Olaf the Stout

 

[MerricB]

Carcassonne is probably safe because even if your wife doesn't like it, your friends will. (You do have friends, don't you? ) 2-5 players, and works well at both ends of the scale.

Cheers!

 

[MerricB]

Settlers has a pretty good 2 player variant that comes with it. Considering the 1 hour playing time it can be prety fun.

I love Settlers, but I haven't seen the 2-player variant. (I've been playing a lot of 3-player Settlers online recently. )

Cheers!

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Carcassonne is probably safe because even if your wife doesn't like it, your friends will. (You do have friends, don't you? ) 2-5 players, and works well at both ends of the scale.

Cheers!

I'm a roleplaying geek/nerd. Of course I don't have friends!

I had thought about getting Carcassonne before to play with my gaming group on those occasions when a couple of people are missing. Plus it is relatively cheap compared to a lot of the other European type board games.

Olaf the Stout

 

[MerricB]

I'm a roleplaying geek/nerd. Of course I don't have friends!

I had thought about getting Carcassonne before to play with my gaming group on those occasions when a couple of people are missing. Plus it is relatively cheap compared to a lot of the other European type board games.

Definitely. Mind you, once you start getting the expansions for it, it isn't so cheap... but it's perfectly fun without the expansions.

The first Eurogame I got was Settlers of Catan, and my D&D group had a *lot* of fun playing it before D&D sessions. (Only problem is that it's a 3-4 player game by default, and the 5-6 expansion costs more). My copy of Settlers is now extremely worn.

However, then I got more friends, and Settlers was no longer the game of choice. Carcassone was the next game, and got played quite a bit. (The first expansion also adds a 6th player). And then we started getting heavily into boardgames. I've a sneaking suspicion that the group has over 50 board games now...

I'm just trying to organise the acquisition of the expansion to the World of Warcraft board game. Cool game. Lots of bits. Rather expensive. Takes 3-4 hours to play, and really likes having 6 players. My birthday's coming up, and I hope to play it then.

Cheers!

 

[DonTadow]

I love Settlers, but I haven't seen the 2-player variant. (I've been playing a lot of 3-player Settlers online recently. )

Cheers!

There are a few I have seen. One is in the back of the instruction book. The others are online at boardgamegeeks.com

 

[SHazle]

This is the correct answer.

Go to Funagaingames.com.
Use the 2-Player link in the middle of the green tool bar near the top of the page.
Browse Bestsellers List. The one on the left.
Enjoy.

Recommended.
LOST CITIES - GREAT GAME!!! Easy to learn and play.
Carcassone: TheCastle (the 2-player version of Carcassone)
Ceaser and Cleopatra - my girl and I love this.
Kahuna - great simple stratagy game.

Do Not Buy.
Hera and Zeus.
Catan The Card Game.
(Both disappointed)

Try others from the KOSMOS 2-Player series of games.

Most good local game stores will either carry or order any these games.

Good Luck.

-SHazle

 

[Fiery James]

Recommended.
LOST CITIES - GREAT GAME!!! Easy to learn and play.

-SHazle

I was just coming to post LOST CITIES. First "gamey" game I got my wife to play. Lead to Ticket to Ride, Chess, Loco, and some others.

Lost Cities is the one you want to go with, and the one that always comes up on gameboardgeek.com as the perfect game to intro girlfriends/wives to...

- JB

 

[Olaf the Stout]

I was just coming to post LOST CITIES. First "gamey" game I got my wife to play. Lead to Ticket to Ride, Chess, Loco, and some others.

Lost Cities is the one you want to go with, and the one that always comes up on gameboardgeek.com as the perfect game to intro girlfriends/wives to...

- JB

Yeah, I have read that Lost Cities is a good intro game. What is Ticket to Ride about? Is it a board game or card game?

Olaf the Stout