Blaze Aldrich | April 8, 2024
10 Best 2 Player Board Games You Must Play 2024
Putting together a game night with a bunch of friends can be very difficult due to unmanageable schedules, work hours, screaming kids, barking dogs, and aggressive pet turtles. Most times it's easier to set up a game night with just a best friend, sibling, or spouse. If you live in Alabama that could be all three. Only kidding! I wanted to provide 10 excellent 2 player board games that are not only popular but will provide a thrilling and enjoyable night. I have listed these board games from 10 to 1. Meaning that the #1 board game is the best of them all.
10. Cascadia (2021)
Cascadia board game is where puzzle tile-laying meets token-drafting chaos, featuring the quirks of the Pacific Northwest. In this game, you're basically playing Mother Nature's architect. You get to build your own little world filled with adorable critters. You start with three hexagonal habitat tiles. You've got to choose your next habitat tile wisely because it comes with a surprise wildlife token. Now, here's the kicker, you're at the mercy of whatever tiles and tokens are on display. It's like going grocery shopping on a Sunday afternoon, slim pickings, my friend. Unless, of course, you've got those fancy nature tokens to flex your authority and choose whatever you darn well please. This game is pretty laidback and not very complicated.
9. Mindbug First Contact (2022)
Mindbug First Contact game is where you summon funky hybrid creatures to battle. But watch out, your opponent might hijack your creature with a Mindbug. It's like Pokemon with mind tricks! Each player starts with ten crazy creature cards, from Compost Dragons to Snail Hydras. With Mindbug cards in hand, it's chaos. No resource gathering or deck-building—just pure, unadulterated fun. Everyone draws from the same deck, leveling the playing field. So get ready for a mind-bending battle like no other! Again, this game is easy to learn so you can go straight into demolishing your opponent.
8. The King is Dead (2020)
In the King is Dead board game the King has died. Now, it's like a medieval sitcom with Scotland, Wales, and England fighting over who gets to wear the crown. But wait, there's more! Foreign invaders are crashing the party, uninvited. Players must hustle their resources like they're trying to pass a final exam on a student budget. It's all about pulling strings behind the scenes to ensure the rising faction owes you big time. Welcome to the ultimate game of thrones, where the only rule is: chaos reigns supreme! Players are given the same 8 action cards that help manipulate the kingdoms. Utilizing chess like strategy and the best hand management will win the game.
7. Memoir 44' (2004)
Get ready to dive into Memoir '44 board game, where you can rewrite history, kind of. It's like taking a trip back to WWII, but without the pesky bullets flying past your head. Picture this: you're storming Omaha Beach, crossing Pegasus Bridge, and charging through the Ardennes like a boss. They even threw in a double sided board so you can experience beach chaos and countryside carnage all in one go. It's like a two-for-one deal, but with tanks instead of tacos! You're not just throwing dice and praying for the best. Oh no, you've got to channel your inner general Patton and strategize like it's your job. Command troops with slick moves from your Command and Tactic cards. Infantry, tanks, paratrooper, you name it.
6. Terraforming Mars Ares (2021)
Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition board game is the ultimate game of making Mars not just habitable, but profitable. Because why settle for just one when you can have both, right? You'll be playing as these mega-rich interplanetary corporations, throwing around mega credits like it's nobody's business. The goal? Invest in project cards to kickstart the terraforming process and rake in those sweet victory points. You're not just building a sandcastle on Mars; you're raising the stakes by boosting global parameters like oceans, oxygen, and temperature. Players will be utilizing cards to maximize their game play to ultimately make the most points.
5. Pagoda (2014)
Pagoda is a board game for two players where the goal is to construct multiple layers of up to six pagodas. Each player possesses five visible and two concealed colored cards, deploying them to erect pillars and levels of the pagoda. Once a pillar is laid on the ground level, subsequent pillars must match its color. When a player adds the fourth pillar to a level, they cap it with a floor tile of the same color, marked with dots to denote the allowable pillar color for the next level. The style of the art and the way the pagodas look on the board is awesome! Another nice easy but delightful board game to play with a spouse.
4. A Feast For Odin (2016)
A Feast for Odin is a board game saga immersing you in Viking culture, encompassing exploration, trade, and conquest. Vikings, known for their raids and exploration, were more than mere pirates; they were also renowned explorers and nation-builders. In the game, you raid, explore, and engage in day-to-day tasks to amass valuable possessions, aiming to secure your place in society. This board game is all about worker placement so if you love that mechanic you will love this game. In addition, A Feast For Odin is the most complex board game on this list and it may take a couple plays before you fully understand the game play. But when you do, its extremely fun!
3. 7 Wonders Duel (2015)
7 Wonders Duel, like its parent board game, revolves around card drafting and civilization building over three ages. However, it's tailored for two players. Players select cards from a display instead of drafting simultaneously. Timing is crucial as only uncovered cards are available, with bonus moves adding strategic depth. Acquired cards can be built, traded for coins, or used for wonders. With only seven wonders available, players vie for resources and dominance.
Victory comes through military advancement, scientific dominance, or accumulating the most points by game's end.
2. Star Wars Unlimited (2023)
Star Wars Unlimited is technically not a board game but a Trading Card Game, but this is my list and I get to put whatever game I want on it haha. This game just came available this year and is already sold out in most places. Star Wars Unlimited is a thrilling and dynamic game, blending ease of learning with strategic depth. Players can buy boaster packs to strengthen their 50 card deck to dominate their opponents. Yes, sounds like a money black hole...but hey! isn't this whole board game hobby? You can just try out the basic Two Player Starter Pack to see if you want to dive any deeper which I recommend doing.
1. Castles of Burgundy (2011)
Castles of Burgundy board game is set in High Medieval France's Burgundy region where players act as aristocrats expanding their princedoms by building settlements, castles, and engaging in trade. The game involves acquiring settlement tiles from the board and strategically placing them on player boards, triggering specific functions. Played over five phases of five rounds, players roll dice to determine actions and gain bonuses through acquired tiles, aiming to earn victory points by filling regions with settlements. If you've read any of my other blogs, you know I despise dice rolling because of the luck factor. But in this board game players are given workers to change the dice rolls which is really awesome. Also this game is my wife's favorite board game, and any game she is willing to play with me deserves to be on the top of this list. I HIGHLY suggest buying the Deluxe edition if you can afford it.
Final Thoughts
There are a bunch of other board games that are amazing at 2 players. I may continue the list, if there's a lot of interest in this post. I am curious what are your favorite 2 player games? I am always up for trying new board games. These 10 board games are a combination of my favorites, my wife's, and friends'. I look forward to playing a ton more. Happy Gaming!
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