What better theme to talk about in February than some of our favourite board games designed for just 2 players. Maybe a gift idea, maybe something to cheer up a lonely friend (as a disclaimer they work equally well with friends who are not lonely), the choice is yours!
Whatever your reason, I have always been a huge fan of well put together 2 player games. Especially as it is far easier to get a game with one other than a group – in my experience.
As always with our lists, I have looked for 5 games with different themes and styles so there should be something for everyone. I have also listed a few special mentions. There are more great games that could have made the list but I can’t write about them all!
No player count required today; these are all great 2 player games!
Table of Contents
7 Wonders Duel
Categories: Card Drafting, Variable Win Conditions, Set Collection, Variable Set Up, World Wonder Construction
Play time: 30 mins
Age rating: 10+
7 Wonders Duel is a 2 player game that stands strong in this list, even though it was released in 2015, which by modern board game standards is pretty impressive! Adapted from a well loved classic, 7 Wonders Duel has you trying to beat your opponent in one of three very different win conditions; a military victory where you move the military marker all the way to your opponents capital, a science victory where you collect 6 out of the 7 different scientific symbols, or if you reach the end of the third age and neither of those have been achieved then the player with the highest victory points wins.
The game is played over 3 ages, each represented by its own deck of cards. Throughout the game you will be trying to draft and construct 'building cards' from these decks but in a way unlike many other drafting games. In 7 Wonders Duel these cards are laid out on the table in a predetermined structure which is different in each age. In the first age, for example, these will be laid out in a pyramid made up of 5 rows of cards, 6 on the bottom and up to 2 at the top. The clever part however is how you overlap them, meaning that the row below will partially cover the row above. They also alternate between being face up and face down so you might not always see which cards are coming up. The rule in the game is that you can only choose from the accessible cards, so if a card is in any way overlapped by a card below, you can not choose it! This creates clever and frustrating strategic decisions. You may really want to draft a card but it may unlock other cards below that actually help your opponent, leading to a lot of smugness.
These building cards could be military buildings which move the marker a number of positions towards your opponents. Though, they could also be science buildings, which, as you collect them, provide potential bonuses as well as a victory condition. Alternatively they could be other building types which might generate resources, carry points or allow you to access resources you are not able to produce, as well as creating unique scoring mechanisms.
As well as buildings, you have the opportunity to construct up to 4 wonders. These are either dealt or drafted during set up and, once you are able to meet the cost, provide you with points and other potential powerful bonuses.
7 Wonders Duel is a fantastic game of trying to build up your tableau, draft buildings that build on your strategy whilst also trying to frustrate and thwart your opponents plans. Rather than construct a building you can also draft it and discard it for coins. Nothing is better than the feeling of drafting a card vital to your opponents plans just to discard it in front of them. With different ways to play and win this game this creates a brilliantly replayable game where no two games are the same. This game is highly recommended.
7 Wonders: Duel
£20.99
£24.99
Description Experience an intense two-player struggle for supremacy in the ancient world! Designed by Antoine Bauza and Bruno Cathala, 7 Wonders: Duel adapts the game play and excitement of 7 Wonders for one-on- one battles. Choose the Wonders you aim… read more
Caesar!: Seize Rome in 20 minutes
Categories: Area Control, Token Drafting, Solo Mode, Seize Rome
Play time: 20 mins
Age rating: 14+
As it would suggest, Caesar!: Seize Rome in 20 minutes follows a battle for power between Caesar and Pompei vying for control of key provinces of the late Roman Republic. Sounds like an in-depth wargame right? But, no! In Caesar, you genuinely can seize Rome in 20 mins (well, possibly half an hour)!
As already mentioned, the board is divided up into provinces in and around Italy and you will be deploying legions, in the shape of influence tokens onto border spaces around the edge of the province with a matching symbol; ships, swords and shields. Each influence token is divided in half with a number on each side so as you place the token you are influencing two separate provinces. When the last space is filled in a province the player with the highest total around the edge gains control and adds their control marker to the central space. There is also a bonus token in each space which is collected by the player who placed the last token, not necessarily the person who gained control.
That may all seem very straight forward but the trick is that you are drawing tokens from a bag. Each player has exactly the same set of tokens but will only have 3 available to them at the start, nicely hidden from your opponent by a screen. Each turn, you will place 1 token and then draw a fresh one from the bag forcing you into some difficult choices and changing your strategy depending on what is available to you at the start of your turn.
As I said earlier, the numbers on the token influence two provinces, but often these could be heavily weighted on one side. It might be a 4/2 or a 4/0 or even 5/1. This can mean in trying to secure one region you are leaving another more vulnerable. The bonus tokens can give a tactical advantage in the game. Giving you an additional turn, increasing your hand size, allowing you to flip an opponent's influence token face down severely weakening them in two regions or even providing you with senate tokens and another victory condition. So sometimes the choice to complete a province in order to receive the bonus might be more tempting than taking control of the province itself. If you gain control of a region next to one you already control you get to add a bonus control token on the border, showing your overwhelming influence in that area.
The game finishes when a player places their last control token on the map or under a senate token.
The game is a superbly strategic little game. As you slowly build up your influence on the board and react to your opponents moves, you find yourself trying to set up your influence tokens in a way that will prepare the board for a grand sweep of provinces – only for your opponent to completely undermine your genius! It is one of those great games that is so quick to learn and play but provides a tactically challenging experience.
If you like the sound of this then why not look at Blitzkrieg, another 20 minute area control game from PSC.
Caesar! Seize Rome in 20 Minutes!
£26.75
£29.99
Description The Roman Republic is coming to an end, but not before a power struggle between Caesar and Pompey. Players will command their legions, strategically deploying them to key battlegrounds to try and seize control of the provinces and become… read more
Patchwork
Categories: Grid Coverage, Polyominoes, Rondel, Drafting, Buttons, Quilt Making
Play time: 15 - 30 mins
Age rating: 8+
Patchwork is another evergreen game that has stayed around despite new games being produced every year. This is still a popular game that shows a beautiful range of theming and style moving from an area control wargame to a polyomino patchwork quilt creation!
In Patchwork, you each have a 9x9 board in front of you and you take it in turns to purchase pieces of quilt (polyomino tiles) and add them to your quilt (grid). I don't know about you but this is one of those games where you can get great enjoyment from fitting the different shapes and tile configurations together in a satisfying alignment. Well, that, or sit there scratching your head realising you left a gap that is just impossible to fill!
When you set up Patchwork, you take all the tiles and arrange them into a circle, face up, placing a spool in the predetermined space between 2 of the tiles. On your turn, you are only allowed to purchase tiles from the 3 tiles clockwise of the spool. But, once you do, you move the spool to the space you just created, unlocking new tiles for your opponent. Buttons in Patchwork are key. They represent the currency which you use to buy tiles and at the end of the game it is the buttons in your possession that determine victory!
Each tile has a button cost to buy but also has between 0-3 buttons depicted on the tile – this represents your button income. This leads me to the time track. Every time you buy a tile you also have to move your marker the number of spaces on the time track shown on the tile. Every time you pass a button on the time track you receive button income – that's good! You add up all the buttons on your tiles and take that number from the central pot. If, however, you reach the centre of the time track, that triggers the end of the game for you! This can lead to tough decisions. Some tiles might be perfect for your grid, but do you want to move so many spaces on the track and end the game before you have built the perfect quilt?!
Patchwork is a brilliant game of trying to look ahead and visualise what tiles might fit into your grid whilst looking on in agony as your opponent nabs the very tile that brings it all together! This is another great game in the 2 player category and well worth playing.
Patchwork
£19.99
£22.99
Description In the past, patchwork piecing was a way to make use of leftover pieces of cloth to create clothing and quilts. Today, patchwork is a form of art, in which the designers use precious fabrics to create beautiful textiles.… read more
Quoridor
Categories: Abstract Strategy, Grid Movement, Walls, Race to the Other Side, Wooden Pieces
Play time: 15 mins
Age rating: 8+
Quoridor, if you have not seen or played it, is one of those classic abstract strategy games with nice wooden pieces and simple rules, but presents a fantastic strategic challenge as you try to outwit your opponent in your simple goal!
In Quoridor you play on a grid of raised squares. On your turn you can either move your piece one space or place a wall – I will come back to that. The objective of the game is simply to be the first player to get your playing piece to the opposite side of the board. The challenge comes with those walls I mentioned. Each player starts the game with 10 walls or fences, and on your turn you can choose to place a wall instead of moving. A wall will cover the length of 2 squares and is used to create an obstacle or block your opponent. The only rule being you can obstruct an opponents progress but never completely block their route to the other side, there must always be a viable route even if this happens to be the furthest point from them! My favourite part of the game!
This is where the clever strategy comes in. If you place a wall you cannot move. If you block their route you have to make sure you have a route through too. This becomes a game of who blinks first at times, as you push forward, looking for the best line through and avoiding the walls being thrown up in front of you. Walls can also be used tactically to limit your opponents wall placement options in a clever damage limitation type strategy. Either way, at some point, you will probably end up having to retrace your steps from the cul de sac your opponent has led you down.
This is a beautiful, short, tactical game that can be enjoyed by all ages and equally stay permanently on your coffee table as part of the decor! As well as the classic game they have released a mini version which is like a travel game. The latest news hot off the press is they now have the licence to release a Pac Man version of the game which will be out later this year. It will be interesting to see what they do with that. Watch this space for more information.
Quoridor
£29.49
£35.00
Description Quoridor is a must among strategy games. Its rules are amazingly simple: just make it through the labyrinths your opponent creates to get to the other side. This game requires strategy and quick thinking for two players and offers… read more
Splendor Duel
Categories: Drafting, Tableau Building, Contracts, Gems, Set Collection
Playing time: 30 mins
Age rating: 10+
The original Splendor is one of those games that has become a favourite for so many as an easy to teach, fairly lightweight game that has lots of replayability. Splendor Duel has taken a well loved game and adapted it as a solid 2 player game. I think it is worth saying that many would say Splendor is good as a 2 player game (and they wouldn't be wrong) but Splendor Duel brings new mechanics that improve the experience for 2 players, especially in how you interact with each other and compete for gems and pearls.
In Splendor Duel you are a master of a guild of jewellers and you are creating majestic adornments for the monarchy and influential folk. The challenge here is you have a rival trying to muscle in on your patch. You will be collecting jewels and pearls in order to make beautiful pieces that will bring you prestige (victory points) and ultimately try to impress royalty!
The key mechanic in Splendor is you need to draft gem and rare pearl tokens from the supply in order to purchase jewel cards. Each card has a gem cost which could be made up of one or a number of different gems. The jewel cards themselves come in 3 levels (decks) which you draw from at the start of the game to make a pyramid of cards you can purchase (five level 1, four level 2 and three level 3) with the higher level cards costing more but bringing a greater reward. The cards could represent prestige points, they could also represent permanent gems that can be used in the purchase of other cards. Finally, the cards may have crowns on them which, when you have 3, grants you your first royal card. 6 crowns gets you your second royal card and ultimately adds up as one of the 3 win conditions.
Speaking of win conditions, now is probably a good time to mention them! You can win in Splendor Duel and end the game if you have either reached 20 prestige points through your jewel and royal cards, if you have 10 or more crowns OR if you have 10 prestige points on cards of the same colour.
Where this game differs from the original Splendor the most is how you claim the jewels! In Splendor Duel the gem tokens are kept in a draw bag and at the start of the game you set up the gem board. Starting at the central point you randomly draw gems from the bag placing them out on the board in a spiral pattern, following the path on the board. As one of your actions on your turn you can take up to 3 adjacent tokens in any uninterrupted orthogonal or diagonal line. This can create difficult choices in the game as you will have to decide which tokens you need the most but also keep an eye on what your opponent is collecting. You can also replenish the board from the bag as an action but this gives your opponent a bonus in the form of a privilege scroll which can be spent for bonus actions.
Splendor Duel is an excellent game where you have to build up your tableau of cards, making choices on the kind of jewels you need to collect in order to unlock more powerful cards later on or focus on royal crowns in order to gain royal favour. Deciding which gems to collect can be painful, as the random set up means you may collect 3, leaving your opponent open to grab others you desperately need! I also really like the multiple win conditions meaning you can try new strategies or adapt depending on which cards are available.
It is another great 2 player game to add to your collection!
Splendor Duel
£20.49
£23.99
Description Confront your rival guild in a race for victory. Take Gem and Pearl tokens from the common board, then purchase cards, gather bonuses, royal favours, and prestige. Discover new twists and strategic opportunities derived from Splendor, the original best-selling… read more
Honourable Mentions
As I said at the start, I love good 2 player games, but I had to choose five for this article. Five decent games that are tried and tested. There were some notable absences I would have included, Run and Sky Team, which have become 2 of my favourite games. Similarly, Star Wars The Deck Building Game is a favourite, but all of these featured in recent Gathering Games blogs and videos, so would be better for you to read or watch them instead!
Here, I would like to give some honourable mentions of games that I would recommend that we haven't talked about recently:
Lost Cities - mounting profitable archaeological expeditions, Rivals of Catan - really hard to get hold of but in my opinion far better than catan, Crokinole - beautiful centrepiece but not one you can throw in a bag, Star Wars Rebellion - possibly one of the best 2 player games ever if you love Star Wars, Undaunted - for deckbuilding world war strategy, Fugitive - this is a brilliant game from the publisher of Run, Hive - chess like game with fantastic tactile pieces, Star Realms - deckbuilding space combat.
We have more great blog articles than time planned so why not sign up for the mailing list so you can receive these straight to your inbox, or check out all of the board games we have available at Gathering Games, including strategy games, family games, party games and children's games. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, hopefully it has inspired and interested you to pick up some more great 2 player games.
