LISTS & QUICKIES

compiled mostly from rec.games.board

Starship Catan
Kupferkessel Co.
Saint Petersburg

[Stven Carlsburg, '04]

I wholeheartedly recommend Ticket to Ride. It plays great with 2, 3, 4, or 5 players. Another good choice is San Juan, which plays well with 2, 3, or 4. If you want to try out something a little more complex, Tikal is a deep game that plays wonderfully with 2, 3, or 4. I've found it to be quite easy to teach. Quite a few of the latest crop of games scale well from 2 to 4 players. These include St. Petersburg, Attika, and Goa (which is the heaviest of the group). Finally, Puerto Rico is a tremendous game for 3, 4, or 5 and the official two-player variant is excellent.

[Larry Levy, '04] - (multiple entires here)

Here are my favorites (in alphabetical order):

Big City (OOP)
Carcasonne: Hunter & Gatherers
Clans
Ebbe & Flut (2P only)
Europa Tour
Goldland
Kahuna (2P only)
Kingdoms / Auf Heller und Pfennig
La Citta (soon to be OOP)
Lord of the Rings (Knizia)
Mississippi Queen + Black Rose (OOP)
Piratenbucht
Puerto Rico
Quarto (2P only)
Ra (OOP)
Samurai (OOP)
Starship Catan
Stephenson's Rocket (OOP)
Ta Yu (OOP)
Tikal
Wyatt Earp

[Joe Casadonte, '02] - (multiple entires here)

It's great when a game can play moderately well with two and then becomes more terrific with 3-6 players (depending on the game). I have learned that the "master" at this two player to more players (in my opinion) is the great designer, Knizia. Here is my list - my wife and I still play all of these as two player and often with more: Knizia Games:

Through the Dessert
Tabula Rasa
Samurai
Tutanchamun
Royal Turf (lighter fare)
Flinke Pinke (lighter fare) Others that work for us:
Attika (GREAT game!!)
Hare & Tortoise
Take It Easy (lighter fare) Please remember, these are not necessarily the BEST 2-player games (those DESIGNED for just two players are often better).

[Norm ?, '04]

We play two-player games during lunch at work as well. Babel is probably our favorite; it's a little more involved than Lost Cities and Balloon Cup, but it plays very well and can usually be finished in 45 minutes or so. Schotten Totten is a very good "play a card, pick a card" game. If you like Lost Cities, there's another Knizia game, Tabula Rasa, with a similar feel. Mystery Rummy 1, Jack the Ripper, plays great with two; if you want something a little less involved, MR3, Jeckyl and Hyde, is a good choice. The latest Mystery Rummy (MR4, Al Capone) also plays very well with two. We really like Katzenjammer Blues with two players, although it doesn't seem many others agree. If you feel like putting your thinking caps on, Kahuna is excellent. Finally, if you have space to play more than just a card game, I'd recommend StreetSoccer.

[Larry Levy, '03] - (multiple entires here)

The following games I find as good with 2 players, as with 3 or 4, although they can seem quite different depending on the number of players:

Kings & Things
Block Mania (you need Mega Mania to play with 3 or 4 players).
The Fury of Dracula
Samurai
Citadels (Ohne Furcht und Adel), but you must use the 2nd edition German rules.

[Lars Wagner Hansen, '03]

Pirateer - Excellent for two, three, or four players. Very nice components. Great balance between strategy and luck.
Sequence - Card/Board game. Plays well with two, three, or teams. Good balance between strategy and luck, but a bit more on the luck side I think.
Othello - Maybe it's "solved" for computers, but people can still have fun with it. Nice components. Very simple rules. Pure strategy.
Backgammon - Everyone should know how to play this game. Better than Chess in my opinion.
Carcassone - Great "German style" game. Most of the others of this genre are for three or more players. Great components, simple rules.
Scrabble - Not a kids game. Some people take this game very seriously. Females tend to do well at word games. Some luck, but lots of strategy.
Pente - Excellent two player (or teams) game played on a Go board. Get five in a row (like Go Moku) or capture five pairs of stones. Pure strategy.
Monopoly - Good game when you play by the rules.
Parchessi - Similar to four-player Backgammon. Less strategy and more luck than Backgammon. Easy rules.
Mancala - Good two player game. Great tactile component. Everyone likes to play with the stones. Simple rules. Fun game play. Lots of strategy if you use the correct rules, that is, with capturing and only getting another turn if you put your last stone in your mancala.
Stratego - A proven two player game. Nice components. Simple rules. Strategy.
Wordspin (by Geospace) - Spin magnetic dials to make scoring words before the time runs out. Switch some of your disks, try again. Lots of fun. Excellent tactile component. Everyone loves to spin the magnetic dials. Plays well as a solitaire game also.
Dominos - With a double-six set you could play many of the simple block or draw games playable by two, three, or four people.

[Gabriel Velasco, '03]

Lost Cities, Caesar and Cleopatra, and Carcassonne, and when you get your wife hooked, go in for the kill with Battle Cry, even though its a bit expensive.

[Thomas Helvard, '03]

Multiplayer games that scale well to two:

FrachtExpress (Hellrail)
Get the Goods/Reibach & Co.
Citadels (Ohne Furcht und Adel). Best with 2 or 3 using 2 characters each, IMO
Expedition
Metro
Tabula Rasa
Katzenjammer Blues
Atlantic Star
Puerto Rico (I've played with the official Alea 2 player rules from the Geek and they work very well)
Clans (a bit better with 3 or 4, but good with 2)
Wyatt Earp
Mystery Rummy--Jack the Ripper
Stephensons Rocket
Formula De (multiple cars per player)
M

[Dave Vander Ark, '03] - (multiple entries here)

Puerto Rico works well out-of-the-box for 3-5, and there are a number of excellent 2-player variants available, some of them collected at the Boardgamegeek: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/viewitem.php3?gameid=3076 This includes the "official" variant from the designer, which is at http://www.boardgamegeek.com/viewfile.php3?fileid=1583 (warning: PDF file).
Euphrat & Tigris (aka "Tigris and Euphrates") and
Auf Heller und Pfennig (aka "Kingdoms") both work very well for 2, 3, or 4, although in both cases the 2-player game feels very different from the multi-player game.
Can't Stop and
Wyatt Earp both work quite well for 2, 3, or 4. (Can't Stop actually works well for 5, but you'll have to provide your own set of counters for the fifth player.)

[Kevin J. Maroney, '03]

You could try Serenissima. I've only played 2 player, but I really like it, and it was designed as 2-4 players.

[Caleb Diffell, '03]

Cartagena (finally available again!)
Acquire
Africa
Clans
Transamerica
Luxor
Sequence
Star Wars Epic Duels
Through the Desert
Knights

[Jeff Abramson, '03] - (multiple entries here)

My girlfriend is not a gamer and generally doesn't care for games, but these are the ones she has enjoyed and will even ask to play on occasion:

Lost Cities (if you could only pick one, this would be it!)
Carcassonne
Caesar & Cleopatra
Metro
Jenga
Balloon Cup
Odin's Ravens Here are some other choices that she hasn't played, but I'd recommend trying:
StreetSoccer (if she likes sports)
Black Box
Can't Stop
Kahuna

[Eddy Bee, '03]

Simple 2 player games that have enough to make them appeal to gamers too:

Lost Cities is a real winner. It strikes a nice balance between luck and control and the cards are really nice so it doesn't feel like a card game.
Cartagena is another great simple game, easy to learn and play and light
Take It Easy - thinking person's bingo and easy to play with friends
Morisi can be fun with 2 and one of those games that almost appears to have a puzzle element to it
Tom Tube- A recent favourite (played twice last week - lost both times :-( )
Hare and Tortoise - A nice variant of the roll a dice, move the dobber in which you move the dobber without rolling the dice - works well with 2 if you play 2 pieces each. If I were starting to win over a non-gamer I'd get Lost Cities (2 player only) and Cartagena (works well with 2 and with more) and then take it from there.

[Brian ??, '03]

The best two-player games (with 1-10 rating) that aren't "portable" Atlantic Star (8) Battle Cry (10) E&T (9 with 2, 10 with more) Entdecker (7) Expedition (10) Samurai (8) Through the Desert (9)

[Dave Vander Ark, '03] - (multiple entries here)

Ones with asterisks are multi-player but great with two: Babel Carcassonne* Formula De* Hare and Tortoise* Lord of the Rings - The Confrontation (I don't like it but others do) Lost Cities

["Blackberry," '03] - (multiple entries here)

Girl Genius: The Works is a great 2-player card game, and can be played with more players too. And the cards are by Phil Foglio.

[Petri Maaninen, '03]

King of the Elves
Ohne Frucht und Adel
Durch die Wuste
Carcassonne
And the Settlers card game. The other games have the advantage in that they don't take as long as the Settlers card game. We usally do not have that much time to play a 2 player game.

[August de Vries, '03]

One that has been quite popular with my normally non-abstract strategy gaming wife is Quarto. The rules are simple, and it plays fast enough that you can get a nice series of games into a half hour.

[Josh Adelson, '03] - (multiple entries here)

I'd say the ones below work great for 2-4 players. I've played them all with many different combinations of players.

Atlantic Star (showmanager)
Citadels
Richochet Robot
Expedition
Can't Stop
Take it Easy
Elfenland
Hare & Tortoise
Robo Rally I think Atlantic Star is a must. Richochet Robot is good also as a solitare puzzle-like game, but some people just can't stand the game though. Citadels is a controversial choice, as the game play is changed a bit when played with 2 or 3, but I think it's great. Also, some people swear that Elfenland and Robo Rally just don't work with few players, but I like the mechanics/theme enough enjoy both.

[Mike Mayer, '02] - (multiple entries here)

Very good from our perspective are Hera & Zeus, (it takes several games to absorb the possibilities), Battleline, Babel, Caesar & Cleopatra...I could go on and on..but those few are good for the moment, I guess.

[Jeff Binning, '02]

My wife and I like 2-player Wyatt Earp. Our other favorite games for two players are:

Settlers of Catan Card Game
Babel
The Reef
Lost Cities
The new Lord of the Rings Confrontration
Tally Ho Other games we like that are good for 2 or more than 2:
Luxor
Africa
Entdecker
Quiddler
Guillotine

[Jeff Abramson, '02] - (multiple entries here)

I've tried Dragonland, Mamma Mia and Samarkand, all of which play well with 2 as well as with more.

[Alan Kwan, '02] - (multiple entries here)

I was actually surprised how well Mamma Mia worked with two players. It seems almost as much fun as with a larger group. If only there were more cheesy Italian accents, then maybe it would be as much fun.

[Paul Sauberer, '02]

I know that opinions may vary regarding Wyatt Earp as a two-player game--I prefer my rummy games with more than two players, personally. One game that I think works just fine with 2-5 players is Ivanhoe. I also recommend Through the Desert as a game that fits your criteria. If you don't like Reiner Knizia's games, I give up! :-)

[Josh Adelson, '02] - (multiple entries here)

Hera and Zeus
Battle line
Lost Cities
Citadels.

[Lin Parkh, '02]

I'm a wife who got sucked into the German/designer game hobby along with my husband so I can offer up a few suggestions:

Carcassonne
Settlers of Catan Cardgame
Kingdoms (I've played the old version-Auf Heller und Pfennig) These have already been suggested and are excellent choices. The Settlers cardgame was one of the first German games I played and I was instantly hooked. Early on, I really enjoyed tile-laying games and a few others that were lighter and more tactical in nature. Some of my favs were/are:
Cafe International
Ta Yü
Metro
Streetcar
Flower Power (Kosmos)
Big City If you want something a little more challenging, these are good:
Through the Desert
El Cabellero
Samurai
Torres

[Susan Rozmiarek, '02]

We think El Grande works fine with 2 if each plays with two colors. Of course, El Grande works best with 5, but this version is about as good as a 4-player game.

[David B Eggleston, '00]

Games we've been happy with 2-player are (in approximate order of complexity/newbie friendliness):

Flower Power
Bohnanza
Tabula Rasa
Wyatt Earp
Carcassonne
Starship Catan
Knizia's Lord of the Rings
La Citta
Puerto Rico

[Joe Casadonte, '02] - (multiple entires here)

My wife and I enjoy to play:

Lost Cities (her favorite)
Carcassonne
flowerpower
Hera & Zeus

[Robert Martin, '02]

It's not German, but Titan works well with 2, 3, 4 or 6 players. Also RoboRally - 1 board, 3 flags, 2+ players works well

[Eric Gorr, '02]

Bohnanza (special 2-player rules come with Rio Grande version)
Carcassonne
Puerto Rico (using the variant on Alea's website. I think it's now on the geek.)
Mystery Rummy 2 (Jack the Ripper)
Settlers Card Game
Lost Cities
Starship Catan
Settlers of Catan (nearly any variant that doesn't involve bidding)
Cribbage
Formula De (using either two or four cars per player) We've also played Wyatt Earp (it'll get back into that list at some point), Battle Line, Labyrinth the Card Game, and a few other that aren't coming to mind at the moment. We tried We the People and my wife found it a bit bland, so we may try Hannibal next. And I'm trying to get her into Blood Bowl, but that's a whole different genre.

[Eric Landes, '02]

Lost Cities
Guillotine
Carcassone
Knights
Fluxx
The Reef
Kahuna
Cribbage
Luxor
Africa
Hera and Zeus

[Jeff Abramson, '01] - (multiple entries here)

Lost Cities has a 100% success rate with everyone I've exposed it to, and that has been mostly non-gamer types.
Star Wars : Queen's Gambit also has a 100% success rate for me. Keep in mind though, it's a big game with a lot of pieces, whereas something like Lost Cities can be taken with you on a plane trip.
Caesar & Cleopatra has done well. I usually break this one out with the Lost Cities players who are looking for a change of pace.
Hera & Zeus has also done well except that it really doesn't seem to have much appeal to the non-gamers I've tried it out on. I think it's because it's slightly more involved than the other 2-player card games.
Star Wars : Clash of the Lightsabers is a good, quick filler and you can buy it really cheap.
Zertz: I've only played a few times, but it's good if you and your friend are into the abstract strategy games.

["Michael" <Cavalier@aol.com>, '01]

Carcassonne plays well with 2, plays up to 5 equally well, is fairly quick, and does not have complex rules.
Chrononauts (from Looney Laboratories) I like with 2 players. It plays up to 6, but I wouldn't really recommend it for more than 4 players. For light fun:
Tally Ho / Halali
Lost Cities
Schottentotten Slightly more complex:
Babel

[Stefanie Kethers, '01]

Tikal, exploring the jungle with 2 gives a strategy boost
Carcassonne
Cartagena
Isis & Osiris (though being a bit easy)
Robo Rally (not all boards, and use crossing routes)

[Jeroen, '01]

Lost Cities. Probably not my very favorite but it is addictive, and everyone seems to take to it very happily.
Hera and Zeus. A little more involved, but not a whole lot, and a heckuva fun game.
Pacal. I knew I'd like this, and I thought my girlfriend would find it dry and irksome but she loved it, too. Simple rules and rewards thought.
Buried Treasure, IMHO, plays best with two people because you can calculate the consequences of your moves. We play that the person who is losing gets to go first each round.
Quoridor is a good abstract strategy game for 2.
En Garde is a fun little, an idle diversion but one that I like because it rewards a memory of what's been played.
Battle Cry if you're willing to take the time to set it up.
Carcasonne
Upthrust eventually wears out on replayability but is a fun little abstract game.

[rstloup@aol.com, '01]

Two-player games:

Settlers Card Game - a looong 2 player game, a bit solitaire-ish
Caesar & Cleopatra - decent game
Hera and Zeus - if you get past having to remember all the special powers, there's apparently good replayability
Lost Cities - fast, quick game, good for 30 minutes between doing other stuff where you don't have to think much
Clash Of The Lightsabers - 30 minutes, fun theme to muck around with if you get over the corn
Zertz - engrossing deep thought 15 minute game
Rosenkonig - 40 minute, limited decision tree where the luck of the cards is illusionary
Kahuna - 40 minute memory skill game (what cards haven't been played, meaning that's what she's got, meaning ...) Games that work for two (in order of approachability):
Carcassonne - works pretty well up to 5, still good with 2
Durch Die Wuste - best with 3, very good with 2, 4 or 5
Samurai - best with 3, good with 2 or 4
Euphrat & Tigris - best with 3, still excellent with 4 and 2

[Patrick Brennan, '01]

Here are a few games my wife and I enjoy as 2-player:

Lost Cities
Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper
Battle Cry (amazingly, she enjoys this "light" wargame)
Battleline
Hera and Zeus
Caesar and Cleopatra

[Chuck Smith, '01]

Metro
Carcassonne
Durch die Wuste
Upwords
Quinto
Scrabble I've also heard that Tikal, Euphrat & Tigris and Samurai play well with just 2 players, but I've not yet played them that way.

[Greg J. Schloesser, '01] - (multiple entries here)

Daytona 500: though I haven't played with 6 players, but 2-5
Mamma Mia: 2-5
Robo Rally: uh-oh, I've opened up a firestorm on this one. But yes, I enjoy it with two players as well as more. But use a timer!
Pick Two: if word games are your thing. Great crossword game with a time limit.
Expedition: great with any number from 2-6 I could list many others. But I'm the sort of person who doesn't mind a multi-player game played with just two players, as long as I like the game's system or theme. And if the game simply won't work with two players, I invent a quick variant to force it to work.

[Mike Mayer, '01] - (multiple entries here)

Titan plays very well for between 2-6 players. It also has quite a lot of depth of play.

[Ray Tsai, '01]

In addition to the others' fine suggestions, I'll suggest Samarkand on the lighter end, and La Citta on the heavier.

[Alan, Kwan, '01] - (multiple entries here)

Carcassonne (2-5)
Expedition (2-6)
Hare & Tortoise (2-6; with 2, each player uses two tokens)
Master Labyrinth (2-4; unusual because it is best with 2, then 3, then 4)
Ricochet Robot (2-however many people can fit around the table)
Samurai (2-4)
Through the Desert (2-5)
Tigris & Euphrates (2-4)
Tikal (2-4)

[Jim Bolland, '01]

Carcassonne is the best game IMO that scales well from 2-5 players. Another game that scales well from 2-4 is Tigris & Euphrates. Carcassonne is definitely the lighter of the two, but both are very good at any number of players.

[Michael Godfrey, '01]

Torres
Through the Desert
Carcassonne
Streetcar
Bosworth
Samurai

[Keith Ammann, '01]

My wife and I got started with Lost Cities (some 85 games ago). We were always looking for good 2-player games to fill in the time. The absolute BEST games we found for two players (in order):

Tabula Rasa
Samurai (Plays with 2-4 but works fine with 2)
Stonehenge
Cartagena (Plays with 2-4 but works fine with 2)
Ferkelei (an old OOP Knizia game that's fun)
Schotten Totten
Lost Cities
Carcassonne (Plays with 2-5 but works fine with 2)
Take It Easy Others we play with two though far better with more are:
Through the Desert
Hare & Tortoise
Carolus Magnus
Torres

[Norman S. Pollack, '01] - (multiple entries here)

Amoeba Wars
Axis & Allies
B-17
Blackbeard
Car Wars
HeroQuest
Merchant of Venus
Monsters Ravage America
Robo Rally
Sanctuary
Star Fleet Battles
Tai-Pan
Third Reich

["Blackberry", '01] - (multiple entries here)

Big City (my favorite), Durch die Wuste, Samurai, and Master Labyrinth.

[Stu Macher, '01]

I second the nomination for Samurai & Through the Desert. My wife and I have played the following and enjoy them thoroughly (They are in the order of "enjoyability"):

Tutanchamun
Hare & Tortoise
Ferkelei (A Knizia OOP)
Cartagena
Carcassone
Torres
Carolus Magnus
Take It Easy

[Norman S. Pollack, '01] - (multiple entries here)

Tikal makes a decent 2-player game, but as you might expect is better for more. A few games that my wife has enjoyed for two are Caesar & Cleopatra, Mystery Rummy (the Jack the Ripper version), and Lost Cities (all are card games). Some others that I have played with two and enjoyed are Torres, Union Pacific (better than you might expect) and Battle Cry.

[Dennis Murray, '00]

Titan the Arena - a superb card game by the old Avalon Hill. While it's stated for minimum three players, it is also a lot of fun with two.

[Tom Alaerts, '00]

Up Front
Knightmare Chess
Fight City
Master Labyrinth
King of the Elves
Button Men
Brawl
Attack Sub
Bosworth
Carabande (takes up a lot of room though)
El Caballero
En Garde
Rise of the Luftwaffe/Eighth Air Force
Robo Rally
Safari Jack
Scrabble
Set
Settlers of Catan Card Game
The Very Clever Pipe Game

[Hunter Johnson, '00]

If you want an "old school" game that's also fun and wacky, try The Awful Green Things From Outer Space (Steve Jackson Games).

[Justin B. Green. '00]

How could I forget The Awful Green Things? Great game.

[Scott Reeves, '00]

Wildlife Adventure - Each player has much more control than in a 3+ player game. Plays quick - about 15 or 20 minutes. Lots of fun!
Elfenland - The lack of player interaction makes it a different game. It's a lot harder to make it around the board. I think this adds more challenge and doesn't detract from a great game. Plays quicker with 2 - about 30-40 minutes.
Iron Horse - A great game no matter how many players.
Drunter and Druber - I like this one best with 2 players. A few others that I think work well with 2 players:
Union Pacific
Tikal
Can't Stop
Freight Train

[Scott Tullis, '00]

There are a number of very good 2 player games out at the moment. If you are looking for card games try the Kosmos 2 player line.

Lost Cities
Caesar & Cleopatra
Kahuna
Settlers of Catan Card Game (also available from Mayfair in an English edition I would also recommend Schotten Totten which is a 2 player card game similar to Lost Cities from the German company ASS. There are two board games for 2 players well worth looking at too.
Carolus Magnus (plays for 2, 3 or 4)
Isi (by Cwali Games)

[Craig Massey, 00]

Samurai (2-4),
Siesta (2-4)
Ta-Yu (2-4)
Ricochet Robot (2+)
Tikal (2-4)
Torres (2-4) all of which play well with 2 players. We have also recently enjoyed 2-player ZERTZ (not quite a German game, but a good 2 player abstract). More recently I'd have to add Carcassonne.

[Dave Bernazzani, 01]

Here are my suggestions (I have limited to card games since you mentioned those specifically above):

Lost Cities - Excellent Reiner Knizia little card game. It plays in 20 minutes an provides great replay value.
Caesar & Cleopatra - Nice card laying gaming that plays sort of like War with special features.
Kahuna - This game comes with a small board where players must gain control of islands by building the most bridges (played by placing cards) on an island.
Katzenjammer Blues - Another card game we enjoy very much. This is also a Reiner Knizia release and can play in 20 or so minutes.
King of the Elves - Alan Moon's card version of his Elfenroads/Elfenland game. Involves card management where you try to travel across as many villages to gain the most gold.

[Justin Berman, '00]

Currently, my favorite 4 player games that work well with 2 are:

Auf Achse (I have a soft spot for this game, even though it is family fare)
Wildlife Adventure (the WA rules work well with 2, expedition is not as interesting)
Euphrates & Tigris
Billabong
Double Quick (this totally rocks with 2 competitive word hounds)
Scotland Yard
Big City (better with 2 than four, since the size of luck can be shrunk by the increased power each player has in possession half of the property)

[Dave Green, '00]

WarChest is a two-player boardgame from Lance & Laser. I think WarChest is more likely to appeal to boardgamers, even though it happens to use pewter miniatures as its playing pieces.

[Jeff Dee, '00]

Shotten-Totten: Better and more strategic then Lost Cities.
Pacal: Generally unknown but well worth it.
Corner: Old Sid Sackson game that looks cool and plays great. Try to find it.
Revolution: Early Knizia, embryonic version of Samurai.
Brawl: Newest Cheapass is one of their best efforts.
Mystery Rummy: If you haven't tried it yet, what are you waiting for?
Sphinx: Another older Ravensburger title that is fun filler.

[Ben Baldanza, '99]

Iron Horse (DB Spiele) - this is really designed for up to 6 players, but plays great with 2 players.
Upwords (Milton Bradley) - my favorite of the crossword style games.
Mystery Rummy (US Game Systems) - Rummy variant using a Jack the Ripper theme.

[Greg Schloesser, '99] - (multiple entries here)

My best 2-player good games are:

Master Labyrinth (actually better than 3 or 4 player!)
Maestro (though better with 3 or 4)
Spectrangle (best with 2)
Mysteries of Peiking (it's OK with 2, although better with more)
Formule De (if you play with 2 cars each)

[Carl-Gustaf Samuelsson, '99]

Quirks by Eon Products does as well with 2 or 3 players and can take from 30 minutes to an hour and a half. Trying to build the perfect beast no matter what type of climate.
Source of the Nile by Avalon Hill. Almost two solitaire games going on at once as you explore and map out Africa.
Blackbeard and Titan, both by Avalon Hill are long and fairly complicated. As for card games - Skip-Bo, Casino and Canasta.

[Randy, '99]

What I like to play with my husband:

Kahuna
Caesar and Cleopatra
Samurai And the stand-bys:
Boggle
Backgammon I also like Fluxx, just for fun. Other games that look promising, but that we've tried only once so far: En Garde & The Very Clever Pipe Game

[Shari Jackson, '99]

Auf Heller und Pfennig
Billabong
Cafe International
Doctor Faust
Favoriten
Serenissima
Tutanchamun All work well with two players, and even better with more.

[Dietmar Logoz, '98]

Entdecker (Goldsieber) by Klaus Teuber .. works very well with just 2.
Settlers Card Game by Klaus Teuber
Caesar & Cleopatra (Kosmos) by myself .. is also a nice 2-player card game

[Wolfgang Lüdtke, '98]

Historical Wargames: the "wooden block games" from Columbia Games; Blue Max from GDW; Hannibal & We the People from AH; Ancients from 3W; The Last Crusade from CEE; Swashbuckler from Yaquinto.
F&SF Games: Full Thrust from GZG; Space Empires from Mayfair; The Awful Green Things from TSR/SJG; Monster Derby from Gamesmiths; Deep Space Navigator from Tactical Templates.
Abstract: Scoozi from Rich Maiers; Chess from SJG; Chase from TSR; Double Morphus from Lost Horizons; Octiles from Kadon; Knots from Jolly; En Garde from Abacus; Pirateer from Mendocino; Trax from D. Smith; Can't Stop from various.
Sports: Pursue the Pennant from PTP; Wrasslin' from AH. Some of these are reviewed on my web page, SOS Gameviews: http://www.io.com/~sos/gviews.html

[Steffan O'Sullivan, '98]

One of my favorite two-player games is GOOTMU, which was probably intended to work best at 4-6 players. It doesn't work well at all with 4-6 players, alas, but is a great two-player game!

[Steffan O'Sullivan, '98]

Blockade: each player moves a pawn and places a wall each turn, attempting to reach his goal while blocking his opponent.
Upwords: Scrabble-type word game in which you score extra by replacing letters.
Twixt: 3M/Avalon Hill classic in which you try to connect your sides of the board before your opponent.
Abalone: Push your opponent's marbles off the board before he does the same to you.
Scotland Yard: Mr. X versus the detectives. I won't play this with more than two players.
Shuttles: Get your pawns through the adjustable maze before your opponent.

[Sjöholm, '98]

Master Labyrinth (Ravensburger): a real brain burner with two players, this is a simple looking game of sliding maze tiles to allow you to reach a series of tiles increasing in value. And this is available in the US.
Headquarters: very cool and short two player game involving putting wooden blocks into a giant wooden head trying to form groups of color. Each player has his own side, and you are allowed to place blocks to hinder your opponent. The only downside is the price, which is about $75-$80.

[Frank Brahham, '98]

The Awful Green Things from Outer Space - definitely not a traditional war game, and loads of fun.

[Mark Thomas, '98]

Abstract 2-player games - Pure skill

Gipf (Kris Burm; DonCo(www.gipf.com)/Blatz)
Gyges (Claude Leroy)
Avalam Batika (P. Deweys)
Lines of Action (Claude Soucie; Hexagames)
Pyraos(Pylos) (David Royffe; GiGamic) Skill/luck/bluff
Entropy (Dr. Eric Solomon; Skirrid International)
Quantum (Meg & Peter Aleff; Kadon (www.gamepuzzles.com))
Plateau (J.W. Albea; (advicom.net/~jwalbea/plateau))
Knightmare Chess (Bernard Faidutti; Steve Jackson Games) Family Games
Die Mauwurf Co. (Bertram Kaes; Ravensburger)
Durch die Wuste (Reiner Knizia; Kosmos)
Hare & Tortoise (David Parlett; Intellect/Waddingtons/Gibsons)
Billabong (Dr. Eric Solomon; Amigo)
Snit's Revenge (Tom Wham; TSR)
Awful Green Things... (Tom Wham; TSR/Steve Jackson Games)
Take it Easy (Peter Burley; F X Schmidt)
Roborally (Richard Garfield; WotC (www.wizards.com))
Man-Eater (Macrory & Young; Footloose)
Elfenroads (Alan R. Moon; White Wind)
Fluxx (Andrew Looney; (www.wunderland.com/looneylabs)) Word Games
Pass the Bomb (Los Rodriguez; MB)
Scrabble Deduction Games
Mastermind: when you get bored of normal mastermind, allow the codemaster to lie once each game!
Runes (Eon)
Code 777 (Bob Abbott; Jumbo) Story Telling Games
Tales of the AN (West End Games)
Dark Cults (Kenneth Rahmen; Dark House) Dexterity
Carabande (Jean Du Poel; Goldsieber)
Jenga (MB)
Sack of Bricks (Lord Carter) Card Games
Spite and Malice: can be found in most good books of card games; it lives up to its name!

[Stephen Tavener, '98]

In no particular order except how I see 'em in the closet :-)

Settlers card game
Fury of Dracula
Tutankhamun
Santa Fe
Master Labyrinth (but use a chess clock)
McMulti
En Garde
Palmyra
Chaos Marauders
Airlines
Spanish Main
Wildlife Adventure
Bazaar
Bridgette

[David Kuznick, '97]

Dixie
* Eagles
Iron Dragon
Sorcerer's Cave
Talimsan
Space Hulk
Air Baron
Auf Heller Und Pfennig
Australia Rails
British Rails
Detroit/Cleveland Grand Prix
Die Ausreisser
Die Siedler Kartenspiel
* Dinosaurs Of The Lost World
Drunter Und Druber
* Elfenroads
Enchanted Forest
* Entdecker
* Euphat & Tigris
Formula De
* Fury of Dracula
Goldrausch
* Mississippi Queen
Mole Hill
New Games From Old Rome
Palmyra
Serenissima
* Scotland Yard
* Shark
* Sinbad
Spanish Main
* Take It Easy
Tutanchamun
* Twixt (* more likely to be played)

[Doug Adams, '97]

Raj
Quoridor
Terrace
Pente
Quixo
Upthrust
Field Command (long game, but enjoyable)

[mpetty26@tir.com, '97]

Igel Ärgen (made in Germany, but includes English rulebook).
Formula De
Wiz-War

[Frank Wimmer, '97]

Two-player only games:

Die Siedler von Catan Kartenspiel
En Garde
The Awful Green Things from Outer Space
Breakthru
We the People (OK, it's a bit wargamey, but not too bad at all)
Knightmare Chess
Netrunner
Pico
Mole Hill
New Games in Old Rome (2 or 3 of them) Multi-player games that work reasonably well or better with two:
Auf Achse
Auf Heller und Pfennig
Can't Stop
Drunter & Druber
Entdecker
Manitou
Mr. President
Santa Fe
Die Schlangen von Delhi
Sisimizi
Wildlife Adventure
Zug nach Westen/Rock Island

[Joe Huber, '97]

Stratego still works well.
Conquest is a good game.
Axis & Allies is a good 2 player war game also.

[Ralph Boerke, '97]

In two letters: Go

[Mike Hayman, '97]

Mille Bournes (Parker Bros.) It's a great little card game.
Enemy In Sight (Avalon Hill) is another great little card game. It's set in Napoleonic times and is a sea battle. Good for ages 8 +.

[Roger Eriksen, '97]

Backgammon
Cribbage
Crokinole
Cathedral
Halma (Chinese Checkers)
Morris
Fox & Geese (a favorite of Victoria & Albert)
Dominoes
Mancala
Gin Rummy

[Glenn Kuntz, '97]

En Garde ... fast 'n fun
Mississippi Queen works very well with 2, use 2 boats per person. Lots of fun.
Detroit/Cleveland Grad Prix is another good race game.
Backgammon is the only "classical" game we've liked much.

[Chuck Messenger, '97]

My favorite two player games at this time are:

Knightmare Chess (I'm one of the authors, so I can recommend it! Absolutely chaotic)
Geister (the best of Alex randolph's game, a very nice mix of strategy and bluff). One of my all times favorites.
Mole Hill (the only Knizia game that I like. I don't know why!)
Quarto (abstract strategy game, fast paced, very funny)
Dino Hunt (more luck than strategy, but very nice to play)
Badabum, Bausack, Jenga... and all the games about buildings which have not to fall down
Batik (strange "two player tangram') And when you want something heavy, try Axis and Allies.

[Bruno Faidutti, '97]

I recommend Go, Xiangqi (also known as Chinese Chess), and African stone games.

[John Baker, '97]

One of the best abstract strategy games to come along in recent years is a two-player gamed called Fibonacci.

[Steve, '97]

Also: Drünter & Drüber and Tutanchamun

[Bob Scherer-Hook, '97]

Knighmare Chess - simple (if you know Chess) and fun.

[Magnus Lundgren, '97]

Fast Food Franchise is similar to Monopoly without deals. It is a better game and works two player.

[Bruno Wolff III, '97]

My personal favorite is Games Workshop's Space Hulk. It plays quickly, is only of medium complexity, and a complete hoot!

[Kirk Botula, '97]

These are all games I enjoy playing with two players; none of them were designed strictly as two-player games:

Auf Heller & Pfennig (Reiner Knizia; Hans Im Gluck)
Drunter & Druber (Klaus Teuber; Hans Im Gluck)
Entdecker (Klaus Teuber; Goldsieber)
Wildlife Adventure (Wolfgang Kramer; Ravensburger) Favorite games designed for two players:
We the People (Mark Herman; Avalon Hill)
Abalone (Laurent Lavi & Michel Lalet; Abalone Games)
Kick-Off/Gazza (Unknown; Milton Bradley England)(A two-player soccer card game)
Twixt (Alex Randolph; 3M)
and Chess isn't bad either, although I've never been particularly good at it.

[Bob Scherer-Hoock, '97]

Take It Easy is wonderful regardless of the number
Palabra is a superb, fast moving word card game
Bali is, too
The Settlers of Catan Card Game works very well
Colliding Circles is a great abstract game
Spectrangle, too See David Parlett's "Dictionary of Card Games" (penguin) for a terrific list of card games for two players. See Sid Sackson's "A Gamut of Games" (Dover) for an assortment of excellent two player games. And then there the following out of print games (if you can find them)
Marrakesh
Deal Me In

[Mitchell Thomashow, '97]

Dark Tower (1-4 players) her favourite
Talisman (2-8 players best with 4-6)
Family Business (2-6 best with more than 2, but playable with two) my mom also likes Family Business a lot
Wiz War is fine with two people, but the games tend to be short and you sometimes argue about the rules. (don't know why, maybe it's just me)

[Jae 'Polar Bear', '97]

My wife & I enjoy Spielkarten (the Settlers Card Game), Take 6, and Linie 1/Streetcar. Another recent addition is Freight Train, which my wife REALLY likes because I haven't been able to beat her at it (yet!).

[Mark Jackson, '97]

Auf Heller und Pfennig (Hans im Glück)
Drunter & Drüber also by HiG.
Um Reifenbreite/Demmerage by Jumbo (if you like bicycle racing).
Cude/McMulti also is a decent 2 player game.

[Peter Wotruba, '96]

Ghosts (many publishers, mine is Schmidt, but I think it's another one now).

[Bruno Faidutti, '96]

Athos (Kosmos) - another Knizia game
Billabong (Amigo)
Spiel der Turme (Schmidt) Basically, the more abstract games tend to have two-player options.

[Paul Evans, '96]

Two Player List homepage

Multiplayer Board Games That Also Work For Two

Games Designed Just For Two

Lists & Quickies

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Last modified: 17 Jan 2005