o-player board game is one of the best remedies for a dull day. Whether you’ve chosen to stay home or found yourself stuck inside due to weather or sickness, a head-to-head board game is a great way for siblings, friends, and romantic partners to make their time indoors meaningful. Let’s tuck into some of the best two-player board games out there.
Undaunted North Africa
One of my favorite games, Undaunted North Africa employs the staggeringly innovative deck-building mechanics from Undaunted Normandy and adds to it a whole load of new features and asymmetry. Honestly, I’d recommend the entire franchise, but if you could only pick one, I’d choose North Africa.
Undaunted North Africa pits the LRDG (the precursors to the SAS) against the North African Italian forces. Across numerous scenarios, both sides will battle it out to achieve their own objectives to win. As the game progresses, you’ll be deck building on the fly as you reinforce your very limited supply of soldiers. Who you will bring into the battle and who you’ll leave out will dictate your strategy on the field. So choose carefully.
A head-to-head tense action game where every soldier counts, Undaunted North Africa will have you caring for your soldiers whilst also sending them into impossible positions for victory.
Hive
When you think of “fun things to do with someone you like,” anything involving bugs isn’t one of the first options that comes to mind unless you’re both into entomology. That might change after you’ve played a game of Hive.
Hive is a tile-based strategy game that puts both players in command of a colony of insects, with the end goal for both players being to capture the other players’ “Queen Bee.” Combining the gameplay of most one-on-one strategy games with the unique ability to position your pieces wherever you want at the start of the game, Hive is an addictive dose of competitive board gaming that will make you want to say, “Just one more round.”
Hive presents a strategic tactile game that you can bring anywhere you want.
War of the Ring
If you were looking for a big game to play with a buddy, then War of the Ring may be too big still. The set up of this game is arduous. The rule book for this game is long. The process of the game is complicated. Yet, damn it, it’s so good.
War of the Ring is as asymmetrical a game as you can get. Both sides have dramatically different rules. It’s like explaining two different games. One player will take charge of the forces of evil, and will be slowly pushing against the bastions and forces of good whilst on an underlying mission to corrupt the Ringbearers. The other player will be trying to take down the fortresses of evil whilst trying desperately to deliver the ring to Mount Doom.
This game is strategy to the ultimate max. Due to the vast differences in both sides, you’ll be having to account for different rules and processes when trying to anticipate and counter your opponent to achieve one of your two victory conditions. War of the Ring is a treat for those who enjoy drawn-out and complicated strategy games.
Splendor Duel
If you’re looking for a competitive engine-building game, then Splendor Duel may be the game you need. Although Splendor is a fantastic two-player game in its own right, this version of the game is more streamlined and fitting for a two-player head-to-head.
With three ways to win, your every move in Splendor Duel will work toward your set completion or engine of the game, which will serve to gain you discounts and an easier late-game as you develop it. With wonderfully tactile chips and cards, it’s a pleasure to play with, let alone being a pleasure to play.
Games of Splendor Duel are only quick, so you’ll be able to fit in numerous games with a friend before you’ve realized it.
Blitzkrieg!
World War Two in 20 minutes is what Blitzkrieg! promises, and that’s exactly what you get. I’ve yet to find someone who doesn’t enjoy Blitzkrieg!, especially when it’s so easy to tech and easy to play. Yet the strategic challenges it presents are not to be underestimated.
In Blitzkrieg!, both the Axis and Allied powers are vying control over the globe. The player mat consists of five theatres of war spanning the world, and you’ll be stationing your units into the different battles to fight for domination. Different tiles will provide powerful bonuses should you strike, however, making you choose to push back your enemy or claim a boon with every single placement.
For a quick yet tight and dramatic game that can be played over and over again, look no further than Blitzkrieg!
Summoner Wars
Look, once in a while, all you can do is look at someone and invoke Bugs Bunny’s age-old adage, “Of course, you realize this means war.” There are a lot of war games out there that allow you to live the thrill of combat without the accompanying destruction, but few are as built for one-on-one warfare as Summoner Wars.
Summoner Wars takes all the fun of deck-building fantasy combat games like Magic: the Gathering and distills it into a digestible, easy-to-pick-up experience that will delight those who might be scared to dive into the genuine sport. There’s even an online edition for those who find themselves drawn to the world of Itharia.
If you’re after something more fantastical yet non-stop action, the Summoner Wars should be your next pick.
Memoir ’44
I don’t subscribe to the notion that “old is gold,” but Memoir ’44 has stood the test of time for a reason. You and one other will be playing across a set of scenarios that simulate different real-life battles across the year of 1944 during World War 2.
Interestingly, the map of Memoir ’44 is split into three control zones, and you’re always at the mercy of whatever your cards allow you to do in specific zones. This allows for an ever changing game where sometimes certain zones will be writhe with action as others get neglected. The cruel whim of the dice will also provide the most enjoyable angst I think I’ve ever felt.
Pushing forth with your infantry, armor, and sometimes artillery units, you’ll each be vying for your own objectives in a tight bid to win in Memoir ’44. This game also comes with numerous expansions, so collectionists eat your hearts out.
7 Wonders Duel
7 Wonders Duel provides a thought-provoking game that will have both players slowly building civilizations bit by bit. The winner is the one who makes the greatest civilization, however, there are two other victory conditions present to force players into constant tug of wars.
You will pass three ages in 7 Wonders Duel, where the two of you will be pining over the same finite set of resources, represented through cards. The wonders and buildings you wish to construct rely on these resources, so every turn your opponent performs makes you die a little inside.
Whether you win through scientific advancements, military power, building all seven wonders, or simply by being the most accomplished civilization, you’ll have a stressful yet grand time picking apart 7 Wonders Duel.
Castles of Burgundy
Castles of Burgundy may not be strictly a two player game, but it is still a great pick for two players. A decently complex yet greatly satisfying game, Castles of Burgundy will see you both racing to get as many points as possible by building up your castle in 25 turns.
Interestingly, the core mechanic that dictates what you can and can’t do in Castles of Burgundy are dice, but not in the way you may expect. The face of each die corresponds to different actions and placements that you can make that turn, meaning you’ll have to adapt your strategy every round depending on your dice rolls.
This makes the abundance of actions you can take more manageable by limiting you, but that itself is a curse that you’ll grapple with every turn. Workers can be used to modify these dice rolls and silver can be used for extra actions, so you’ll need to manage your resources wisely to out-play your opponent.
Quacks of Quedlinburg
Quacks of Quedlinburg presents a unique challenge that may not be exclusively for two players, yet delivers a fantastic game all the same. Both players are medieval chemists that are in a bid to brew the best potion day after day, but the art of knowing what’s enough will be what saves you from a alchemical accident.
Players will be blindly rummaging through their bags to try and pull out the right ingredients for their potion – something dangerously addictive. With the funds they also secure through potion-making, players will go shopping to input the desired ingredients into their bag. Something that’s not guaranteed to come up when you need it the most.
Quacks of Quedlinburg is a charming yet hilarious game of chemical concoctions where you’re constantly gambling with every ingredient you reach for.
Now that you’ve got a fine selection of two-player games, why don’t you pick one and make the next game night something to remember.
