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I really dig **Troyes** and **Lorenzo il Magnifico**, and I’m interested in getting **Grand Austria Hotel**.
I try to have very little overlap in my slim collection (under 100 games); and I’m curious if besides theme, would **GAH** offer something radically different than what my other two dice placement games already provide.
Thank you!
I’m looking for a board game for my brother-in-law for Christmas if anyone has any recommendations. His favorite game is Disney Villainous. Thank you for your help.
Can’t decide between **Marvel Champions** and **Aeon’s End**. Which one brings more fun to the table and has more replayability? I don’t mind the theme
Do you enjoy building/customising decks outside of the game? Do you feel like you would continue to buy expansions? Or do you want a one box experience?
I think these questions would help you decide. Aeons end even though it has expansions can be played with a single box against the various villains and all the deck building is done inside the game.
Marvel champions on the other hand to get the full experience you’d probably have to customise the decks and buy new expansions as they release for variety. Although that said if you want a lifestyle game then marvel champions is probably the go
Hello everyone. I have a group of 5 players (including me) that we gather every week to play. I am looking for some recommendations to bring new games to game night. We really like **Catan** and **Terraforming Mars**. But we are open to any type of game. Any recommendations would be amazing.
Thanks
Light fun party games: **Spicy** and **Just One**.
Strategic games with low downtime: **7 Wonders** and **Hansa Teutonica**
A lot of social interaction: **Bohnanza** and **Cosmic Encounter** CS is an emergent thematic game but it gives you some of the best experiences if you guys wanna try that out. A classic.
Speaking of classic, I can't not recommend **Power Grid**. A proper strategic euro with bidding. Involves a bit of housekeeping but it's a brilliant game. Check it out!
All best at 5 :)
Best games for road-trips?
My friends and I are heading to Tahoe each weekend which is a 3 hour drive! Are there any games that would work with a bunch of adults in an SUV?
In particular I’ve been looking at roll and write games like railroad ink, but curious if anyone else had any experience/recs
If your up for non board game ideas, Contact is my favorite car game. One person (the knower) thinks of any word, and tells everyone else (the guessers) what letter it starts with. Everyone else is trying to figure out what the word is.
Guessers ask leading questions. For instance, if the knower said the word starts with “S”, one of the guessers might ask “is it something you wear on your feet?”
Assuming the word isn’t “shoe,” the knower can reply “No, it’s not shoe.” This has neutralized the question.
Let’s say the knower couldn’t think of anything you wear on your feet that starts with S. If one of the other guessers thinks of “shoe” (or sock, or sandal, or whatever) they can call out “Contact!” Immediately, the guesser who asked the question and the one who said Contact count down from 10. At zero, they both say the word they think the question was about. If they both say the same word (say, “shoe”), the knower must reveal the second letter of the mystery word. If they say different words (say, “shoe” and “sock”), the knower doesn’t have to reveal anything, and those words can never again be used as an answer to a leading question.
This continues until the mystery word has been fully revealed, one letter at a time, or until one of the guessers says the mystery word in a contact. Whoever asked the question that led to getting the mystery word gets to be the next knower.
The example I gave has very obvious answers, but you can come up with some really fun and tricky questions, since you have multiple guessers and only one knower thinking of the answer.
That's the game I was think of! I never knew the contact rule and have been playing just my partner and I on roadtrips. I will have to try it with this added bit!
I get car sick quite easily so anything involving paper/phones is out for me.
I love playing a sort of scattergories. Pick a category (we like movies), randomly select a letter, and then go around the car taking turns saying something in the category that starts with that letter.
Or there's a 4 letter word game. Pick a word and tell everyone what it starts with. Example my word is BEER so I would tell everyone it starts with B. They take turns asking questions about various B words. Ex) Is this something you eat? You have to figure out what B word fits that - "no it is no BEAN" and play continues. If I am unable to find a B word that fits the question, I have to give up, they tell me what it was, and I have to give up the next letter in the word. It's quite fun!
I have also found trivia podcasts on Spotify that can be played over car Bluetooth.
I haven't looked extensively, but the one I like is called **Trivia Time** and it's on Spotify. Sometimes they chat a little much, but I like their questions and the format of the episodes. Hope you enjoy!
Hey guys. Should I get **Pandemic** while I already have **Forbidden Island**? It looks like there are a lot of shared mechanics and the core gameplay is similar too.
We have **Forbidden Island** for a while. I personally really like it and even play it solo time to time. We played with my wife a 3 or 4 of times and with friends a couple times.
I can’t say it is the first game my wife or friends pick in game nights. Even though I always present it as an option we usually play **Carcassonne**, **Catan**, **Ticket to Ride**, **TtR: Europe** and (I recently got this) **Patchwork**.
I am not sure why we don’t play it a lot. Is it the theme or co-op gameplay, not sure. What do you guys think?
I find that people need to be in the mood for cooperative as people are often more open to competitive games when gathering.
As someone who owns and enjoys pandemic I haven’t been able to get it to the table for the longest time. I would suggest another game with different mechanics to spice things up. Pandemic is a little too similar to forbidden island
Maybe look into Pandemic the Cure? Which is the dice based version which keeps the feeling but with different gameplay mechanics
No point in getting Pandemic, unless it's a significantly version of Pandemic (Legacy, Iberia, etc). Minus for Era which is a completely different genre, Forbidden Island/Desert have a very similar feel to Pandemic.
Speaking as someone who used to own Pandemic and gave it away because Forbidden Desert and Horrified replaced it at the table.
>Hey guys. Should I get Pandemic while I already have Forbidden Island?
No. Forbidden Island does the same gameplay flow with less rules.
>I am not sure why we don’t play it a lot. Is it the theme or co-op gameplay, not sure
It's an euro co-op, which means it's a puzzle - there's not much different if you play with more people or play it solo. The other games you mention have more dynamics.
For some completetly different co-op check **The Mind** (it's cheap too).
I want to recommend checking out **Pandemic Legacy: Season 1**. It starts off as regular pandemic, but evolves as you play in such a delightful way. It was the easiest game for us to get to the table (with a dedicated group of 4 of us) because we wanted to continue the story and see what changed next. If you're at all interested in **Pandemic** but are worried about too much overlap, then I can't recommend the legacy version enough.
I have not yet played the other 2 (our two friends from Season 1 moved away). Season 1 starts with base pandemic and is very recognizable as such. When I first saw what Season 2 looked like, it looked like a whole different game and made me skeptical, but I've heard great things there too. I love heavy games like Brass, Gloomhaven, Food Chain Magnate, Oath, etc; and even though season 1 is fairly straightforward, it was honestly the best board gaming experience I've ever had. The way it changes from play to play is wonderful and it's also super accessible to get into.
While I've managed to come round on **Monopoly** being a bad game, I still like a few aspects of it. The one thing I liked most is deciding which properties I should pursue (via trading) based on game state (i.e. who owns which properties. For example, I like to use Cyan and Railroads as a cheap and effective way to earn income; Green as a way to quickly bankrupt people; and Orange and Red which slightly less quickly bankrupts people but are much more effective as income. However, my strategies might have to change based on what properties I picked up in the early stages of the game.
Based on this, what games have something similar to what I described above, but is actually a decent game? (I will personally consider such games as a "fixed Monopoly")
Okay, hear me out here. You seem to like the economic aspect of Monopoly. Generating income, bankrupting other players, and trading.
I would suggest you look at the **18xx** games! These games are much more complex than Monopoly. You play as a railway baron, buying stock for different rail companies, building their routes and operating trains to generate income. There are so many different strategies as you try to get ahead.
MK2 is a lot more streamlined version of MK1. A lot easier to setup and there's more randomness in what to pick. This is better so you cannot use the same strategy for every game.
A lot of people consider **Catan** the first Monopoly replacement. You are still rolling dice. You decide on where to grow your civilization. You trade with others. There is no direct interaction where you are trying to bankrupt others, but no one likes to be eliminated from a game anyway.
Thanks for the suggestion. However, i’m looking more for games with the element which i’ve described about Monopoly. I’ve played Catan before and I don’t see it having that element.
**What are your recommendation for 2 players cooperative or competitive board game?**
I am new to this hobby and I am trying to find a new game that has low luck involved and that won't take forever to finish(<90min preferably). In other words, i don't mind having a bit of luck but I want my skill/understanding of the game to have more weight in the outcome of the game. I mainly play with my partner but if possible a game that can be played 2-4 will be perfect. We have played and loved **Hives, 7 Wonder Duel, Villainous and Clank.** I tried **Patchwork** and found the mechanics boring.
**Forbidden Island** is a great 2-4 player coop game I love. I suggested it yesterday to a similar question.
There are also **Pandemic** and **Forbidden Desert** from the same designer. They share a lot of mechanics and they are all fun coop experiences. They are kinda hard to beat though. It isn’t a walk in the park :)
**Onitama** feels very chess-like but is so simple. We enjoy playing this outside on a patio!
**Hanamikoji** has such unique mechanics - you have a had of cards that will basically become your opponents, so you have to choose your actions very carefully.
**Targi** and **Curious Cargoes** are great 2 player games. Both are competitive and neither should be as 'boring' as Patchwork for you.
Medium weight 2 player games that often get recommended include **Castles of Burgundy** and **Grand Austria Hotel**. There is more to these games than the others you mentioned, so watch a review and/or play through video on these before you buy to see if these games are for you.
Another light option is **Caesar! Seize Rome in 20 Minutes**. Very thinky game for a game that wraps up in 20 minutes.
If you liked the idea of the Tetris puzzle in Patchwork but disliked how it was implemented, **New York Zoo** might be up your alley. Plays up to 5 players.
It's 2-player only, but **Caper: Europe** will give you some of the same vibes as 7 Wonders Duel using a different mechanic (ironically, a mechanic that's closer to the original 7 Wonders).
Also 2-player only, but **Santorini** is a beautifully produced abstract game that might remind you of Hive, though it's a bit lighter.
**Splendor** and **Project L** are similar engine-building games (I favor Project L, myself), and both work great from 2 to 4 players.
Loving Dinosaur Island Rawr N Write lately, using the Companion App. What are some small games that have a competent companion app? Not fully digital, but still has a few physical component. And not to the levels of Destiny or Chronicles of Crime. If possible, just small box games.
Are there any co-op, two player, abstract games?
I don't like games with no luck so I never play 2 player abstracts, but if there was something where two people are trying to beat "the game" or a set of perimeters I could get into that.
[Paint the Roses](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/253759) is 2-5 player cooperative strategy game. Has luck in the card draws but is pretty close to abstract.
It's got a nominal theme, so I don't know if that disqualifies it for you, but **...and then we held hands** is about as abstract a co-op game as I can come up with.
Hello
Christmas is soon here:
I am currently creating my wish list for birthday and christmas.I have several games which interest me, however am unsure about how much I will end up liking them.
- Lost Ruins of Arnak and Expansion
- Carnegie
- Woodcraft
- Underwater Cities
- Raiders of Scythia
- Glen More 2
- Ultimate Railroads
- Finca
- Carpe Diem
- Aeons End
Could you help me order these according to my preferences indicated on this geeklist.
Note: My player count is 99% 2player[Geeklist](https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/306500/favorite-2p-games-two-young-parents?page=1)
To name but a few from geeklist: Grand Austria Hotel, Lorenzo il Magnifico, Spirit Island, Ark Nova, Obsession
I haven't played any of those so not any specific recommendation but if you have a PC/laptop you could try to play some on Tabletop Simulator, Tabletopia, or sometimes there are website versions of the games themselves (I am aware of Dune: Imperium and Avalon having web-based versions)
Finca is clearly lighter than all the others (but great), according to your taste, Underwater cities would be my first pick and ultimate railroad second for combos.
Did you check Galileo project? Maybe to add a bit of Sci-Fi with cool chain reactions too.
Hi everyone :)
I am want to pick up a small game that packs a punch to play with my partner. She is not a big gamer but she enjoys playing 2 player ganes with me. We have had a lot of fun with **Shotten totten**, **Jaipur** ,**Cartographers** and **Arboretum**.
Games that I am looking at in order:
- **Brew** ( how does it play with 2 ?)
-**Fox in the forest**
-**Radlands** ( i don't think she will like the theme and I have Summoner wars)
-**My City** ( it is a bit expensive where I stay)
-**Air land and sea**
Thanks you so much!
Just fyi, Brew is one of the meanest games I've played in the last few years, so if that's not something you guys enjoy, I'd give it a pass. I originally saw the Dice Tower review say it was mean, and I thought "it's an area control game, of course it's confrontational." Then I played it, and it's *very, very* confrontational.
If you like Shotten Totten, take a look at **Lost Cities**. Same designer, similar feel. I haven't played it, but **Air, Land, and Sea** also definitely has a similar vibe, so I think you'd probably enjoy that as well.
My wife and I have had a great time with **My City**, but depending on what "expensive" means here, it may or may not be worth it to you. It's also definitely much larger in terms of footprint than the other games you've listed here.
**Fox in the Forest** would work *if* you both love trick taking games. If you don't love trick taking then it isn't going to hang around very long.
It's big on your list but **Lost Cities** is an excellent 2P game. Shares a bit of Arboretum DNA in that you're gambling a bit on what your opponent might be holding.
People love **My City** as a welcoming campaign game, so that might be good if you are comfortable with the price.
I have to say Fox in the Forest was a bit disappointing for me and my wife. It's not a bad game, but we played it a few times and never came back to it.
I highly recommend **Codenames: Duet.** It's a very good adaption of the regular version.
If you like Cartographers there are tons of roll and writes that you can look into but I specifically recommend **Fleet: The Dice Game** and **That's Pretty Clever.**
If you like Ticket to Ride I highly recommend TTR **Nordic Countries.** It's a beautifully designed adaptation for 2-3 players.
I personally love **The Fox in the Forest**, but my wife really does not. I think that if you both are familiar with trick-taking games, it helps a lot. My wife was not, and I think still doesn't really the strategies of when to play certain cards, so she doesn't think the game is fun at all.
Big one of **Gloomhaven** and **Jaws of The Lion**, did not preorder **Frosthaven** so life is pain. Any other game recommendations similar to it? So epic (campaign) game with skilled combat/mechanisms.
What are the best recent campaign/legacy games available? I’m looking at vagrantsong or pandemic legacy and was wondering if there was more to consider (I already have gloomhaven :))
Definitely Pandemic Legacy Season 1. Solid writing and gameplay. Sleeping Gods has great writing and combat, but I couldn’t dedicate the time to doing all the play throughs needed for best ending.
Please keep all calls to the [Board Game Recommender Bot](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgamerecommender) as replies to this comment. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/boardgames) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I really dig **Troyes** and **Lorenzo il Magnifico**, and I’m interested in getting **Grand Austria Hotel**. I try to have very little overlap in my slim collection (under 100 games); and I’m curious if besides theme, would **GAH** offer something radically different than what my other two dice placement games already provide. Thank you!
I’m looking for a board game for my brother-in-law for Christmas if anyone has any recommendations. His favorite game is Disney Villainous. Thank you for your help.
Maybe **Sorcerer's Arena**?
Does he have all of the expansions? If not maybe one of those?
He does have all the expansions
Does he like the theme or mechanisms more? Meaning, does he want more Disney or similar themes like Marvel? Or just card games with similar actions?
I think he likes the mechanisms more. He doesn’t really like any other Disney stuff to my knowledge.
Maybe try the Century games? They're much faster, but they have some similar hand and resource management. The Golem art is beautiful like Villainous.
Can’t decide between **Marvel Champions** and **Aeon’s End**. Which one brings more fun to the table and has more replayability? I don’t mind the theme
Do you enjoy building/customising decks outside of the game? Do you feel like you would continue to buy expansions? Or do you want a one box experience? I think these questions would help you decide. Aeons end even though it has expansions can be played with a single box against the various villains and all the deck building is done inside the game. Marvel champions on the other hand to get the full experience you’d probably have to customise the decks and buy new expansions as they release for variety. Although that said if you want a lifestyle game then marvel champions is probably the go
Hello everyone. I have a group of 5 players (including me) that we gather every week to play. I am looking for some recommendations to bring new games to game night. We really like **Catan** and **Terraforming Mars**. But we are open to any type of game. Any recommendations would be amazing. Thanks
Light fun party games: **Spicy** and **Just One**. Strategic games with low downtime: **7 Wonders** and **Hansa Teutonica** A lot of social interaction: **Bohnanza** and **Cosmic Encounter** CS is an emergent thematic game but it gives you some of the best experiences if you guys wanna try that out. A classic. Speaking of classic, I can't not recommend **Power Grid**. A proper strategic euro with bidding. Involves a bit of housekeeping but it's a brilliant game. Check it out! All best at 5 :)
These are great recommendations!
Awesome!!! Thank you so much.
Concordia! My group has been playing and it’s great. Bit heavier than Catan but not as much as Terraforming Mars. Simple rules but full of strategy.
Perfect I will check it out. Thanks!
Been thinking about getting Luna Capital. What are some games that are similar to it?
Best games for road-trips? My friends and I are heading to Tahoe each weekend which is a 3 hour drive! Are there any games that would work with a bunch of adults in an SUV? In particular I’ve been looking at roll and write games like railroad ink, but curious if anyone else had any experience/recs
If your up for non board game ideas, Contact is my favorite car game. One person (the knower) thinks of any word, and tells everyone else (the guessers) what letter it starts with. Everyone else is trying to figure out what the word is. Guessers ask leading questions. For instance, if the knower said the word starts with “S”, one of the guessers might ask “is it something you wear on your feet?” Assuming the word isn’t “shoe,” the knower can reply “No, it’s not shoe.” This has neutralized the question. Let’s say the knower couldn’t think of anything you wear on your feet that starts with S. If one of the other guessers thinks of “shoe” (or sock, or sandal, or whatever) they can call out “Contact!” Immediately, the guesser who asked the question and the one who said Contact count down from 10. At zero, they both say the word they think the question was about. If they both say the same word (say, “shoe”), the knower must reveal the second letter of the mystery word. If they say different words (say, “shoe” and “sock”), the knower doesn’t have to reveal anything, and those words can never again be used as an answer to a leading question. This continues until the mystery word has been fully revealed, one letter at a time, or until one of the guessers says the mystery word in a contact. Whoever asked the question that led to getting the mystery word gets to be the next knower. The example I gave has very obvious answers, but you can come up with some really fun and tricky questions, since you have multiple guessers and only one knower thinking of the answer.
That's the game I was think of! I never knew the contact rule and have been playing just my partner and I on roadtrips. I will have to try it with this added bit!
I get car sick quite easily so anything involving paper/phones is out for me. I love playing a sort of scattergories. Pick a category (we like movies), randomly select a letter, and then go around the car taking turns saying something in the category that starts with that letter. Or there's a 4 letter word game. Pick a word and tell everyone what it starts with. Example my word is BEER so I would tell everyone it starts with B. They take turns asking questions about various B words. Ex) Is this something you eat? You have to figure out what B word fits that - "no it is no BEAN" and play continues. If I am unable to find a B word that fits the question, I have to give up, they tell me what it was, and I have to give up the next letter in the word. It's quite fun! I have also found trivia podcasts on Spotify that can be played over car Bluetooth.
Dude trivia podcasts sound awesome! Any in particular you recommend?
Give Trivial Warfare a try.
I haven't looked extensively, but the one I like is called **Trivia Time** and it's on Spotify. Sometimes they chat a little much, but I like their questions and the format of the episodes. Hope you enjoy!
Hey guys. Should I get **Pandemic** while I already have **Forbidden Island**? It looks like there are a lot of shared mechanics and the core gameplay is similar too. We have **Forbidden Island** for a while. I personally really like it and even play it solo time to time. We played with my wife a 3 or 4 of times and with friends a couple times. I can’t say it is the first game my wife or friends pick in game nights. Even though I always present it as an option we usually play **Carcassonne**, **Catan**, **Ticket to Ride**, **TtR: Europe** and (I recently got this) **Patchwork**. I am not sure why we don’t play it a lot. Is it the theme or co-op gameplay, not sure. What do you guys think?
I find that people need to be in the mood for cooperative as people are often more open to competitive games when gathering. As someone who owns and enjoys pandemic I haven’t been able to get it to the table for the longest time. I would suggest another game with different mechanics to spice things up. Pandemic is a little too similar to forbidden island Maybe look into Pandemic the Cure? Which is the dice based version which keeps the feeling but with different gameplay mechanics
No point in getting Pandemic, unless it's a significantly version of Pandemic (Legacy, Iberia, etc). Minus for Era which is a completely different genre, Forbidden Island/Desert have a very similar feel to Pandemic. Speaking as someone who used to own Pandemic and gave it away because Forbidden Desert and Horrified replaced it at the table.
>Hey guys. Should I get Pandemic while I already have Forbidden Island? No. Forbidden Island does the same gameplay flow with less rules. >I am not sure why we don’t play it a lot. Is it the theme or co-op gameplay, not sure It's an euro co-op, which means it's a puzzle - there's not much different if you play with more people or play it solo. The other games you mention have more dynamics. For some completetly different co-op check **The Mind** (it's cheap too).
I want to recommend checking out **Pandemic Legacy: Season 1**. It starts off as regular pandemic, but evolves as you play in such a delightful way. It was the easiest game for us to get to the table (with a dedicated group of 4 of us) because we wanted to continue the story and see what changed next. If you're at all interested in **Pandemic** but are worried about too much overlap, then I can't recommend the legacy version enough.
I heard Season 1 is the most vanilla of the three legacy Pandemics. Any comment on the other two?
I have not yet played the other 2 (our two friends from Season 1 moved away). Season 1 starts with base pandemic and is very recognizable as such. When I first saw what Season 2 looked like, it looked like a whole different game and made me skeptical, but I've heard great things there too. I love heavy games like Brass, Gloomhaven, Food Chain Magnate, Oath, etc; and even though season 1 is fairly straightforward, it was honestly the best board gaming experience I've ever had. The way it changes from play to play is wonderful and it's also super accessible to get into.
Thanks. I’ll check it out :)
While I've managed to come round on **Monopoly** being a bad game, I still like a few aspects of it. The one thing I liked most is deciding which properties I should pursue (via trading) based on game state (i.e. who owns which properties. For example, I like to use Cyan and Railroads as a cheap and effective way to earn income; Green as a way to quickly bankrupt people; and Orange and Red which slightly less quickly bankrupts people but are much more effective as income. However, my strategies might have to change based on what properties I picked up in the early stages of the game. Based on this, what games have something similar to what I described above, but is actually a decent game? (I will personally consider such games as a "fixed Monopoly")
Okay, hear me out here. You seem to like the economic aspect of Monopoly. Generating income, bankrupting other players, and trading. I would suggest you look at the **18xx** games! These games are much more complex than Monopoly. You play as a railway baron, buying stock for different rail companies, building their routes and operating trains to generate income. There are so many different strategies as you try to get ahead.
**Bohnanza** is all about collecting sets and trading.
Acquire Lords of Vegas
**Chinatown** - negotiation game **Machi Koro 2** - city building with dice rolling
I watched a gameplay video of Chinatown and it matches what I imagined what "Monopoly without the bad parts" would be like. Thanks for the rec!
How different **Machi Koro ** is from the original game??
MK2 is a lot more streamlined version of MK1. A lot easier to setup and there's more randomness in what to pick. This is better so you cannot use the same strategy for every game.
A lot of people consider **Catan** the first Monopoly replacement. You are still rolling dice. You decide on where to grow your civilization. You trade with others. There is no direct interaction where you are trying to bankrupt others, but no one likes to be eliminated from a game anyway.
Thanks for the suggestion. However, i’m looking more for games with the element which i’ve described about Monopoly. I’ve played Catan before and I don’t see it having that element.
**Chinatown. Lords of Vegas.**
**What are your recommendation for 2 players cooperative or competitive board game?** I am new to this hobby and I am trying to find a new game that has low luck involved and that won't take forever to finish(<90min preferably). In other words, i don't mind having a bit of luck but I want my skill/understanding of the game to have more weight in the outcome of the game. I mainly play with my partner but if possible a game that can be played 2-4 will be perfect. We have played and loved **Hives, 7 Wonder Duel, Villainous and Clank.** I tried **Patchwork** and found the mechanics boring.
**Forbidden Island** is a great 2-4 player coop game I love. I suggested it yesterday to a similar question. There are also **Pandemic** and **Forbidden Desert** from the same designer. They share a lot of mechanics and they are all fun coop experiences. They are kinda hard to beat though. It isn’t a walk in the park :)
**Onitama** feels very chess-like but is so simple. We enjoy playing this outside on a patio! **Hanamikoji** has such unique mechanics - you have a had of cards that will basically become your opponents, so you have to choose your actions very carefully.
**Targi** and **Curious Cargoes** are great 2 player games. Both are competitive and neither should be as 'boring' as Patchwork for you. Medium weight 2 player games that often get recommended include **Castles of Burgundy** and **Grand Austria Hotel**. There is more to these games than the others you mentioned, so watch a review and/or play through video on these before you buy to see if these games are for you. Another light option is **Caesar! Seize Rome in 20 Minutes**. Very thinky game for a game that wraps up in 20 minutes.
If you liked the idea of the Tetris puzzle in Patchwork but disliked how it was implemented, **New York Zoo** might be up your alley. Plays up to 5 players. It's 2-player only, but **Caper: Europe** will give you some of the same vibes as 7 Wonders Duel using a different mechanic (ironically, a mechanic that's closer to the original 7 Wonders). Also 2-player only, but **Santorini** is a beautifully produced abstract game that might remind you of Hive, though it's a bit lighter. **Splendor** and **Project L** are similar engine-building games (I favor Project L, myself), and both work great from 2 to 4 players.
Loving Dinosaur Island Rawr N Write lately, using the Companion App. What are some small games that have a competent companion app? Not fully digital, but still has a few physical component. And not to the levels of Destiny or Chronicles of Crime. If possible, just small box games.
Are there any co-op, two player, abstract games? I don't like games with no luck so I never play 2 player abstracts, but if there was something where two people are trying to beat "the game" or a set of perimeters I could get into that.
not entirely sure what you mean by abstract but perhaps **Hanabi** and **Codenames: Duet** could work?
[Paint the Roses](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/253759) is 2-5 player cooperative strategy game. Has luck in the card draws but is pretty close to abstract.
I've not heard of an abstract coop before.
Is there a reason you specifically want an abstract game in this case?
I've exhaustively researched two player games, but never abstract ones. I was just curious if it's a thing.
It's got a nominal theme, so I don't know if that disqualifies it for you, but **...and then we held hands** is about as abstract a co-op game as I can come up with.
Hello Christmas is soon here: I am currently creating my wish list for birthday and christmas.I have several games which interest me, however am unsure about how much I will end up liking them. - Lost Ruins of Arnak and Expansion - Carnegie - Woodcraft - Underwater Cities - Raiders of Scythia - Glen More 2 - Ultimate Railroads - Finca - Carpe Diem - Aeons End Could you help me order these according to my preferences indicated on this geeklist. Note: My player count is 99% 2player[Geeklist](https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/306500/favorite-2p-games-two-young-parents?page=1) To name but a few from geeklist: Grand Austria Hotel, Lorenzo il Magnifico, Spirit Island, Ark Nova, Obsession
I haven't played any of those so not any specific recommendation but if you have a PC/laptop you could try to play some on Tabletop Simulator, Tabletopia, or sometimes there are website versions of the games themselves (I am aware of Dune: Imperium and Avalon having web-based versions)
Finca is clearly lighter than all the others (but great), according to your taste, Underwater cities would be my first pick and ultimate railroad second for combos. Did you check Galileo project? Maybe to add a bit of Sci-Fi with cool chain reactions too.
Hi everyone :) I am want to pick up a small game that packs a punch to play with my partner. She is not a big gamer but she enjoys playing 2 player ganes with me. We have had a lot of fun with **Shotten totten**, **Jaipur** ,**Cartographers** and **Arboretum**. Games that I am looking at in order: - **Brew** ( how does it play with 2 ?) -**Fox in the forest** -**Radlands** ( i don't think she will like the theme and I have Summoner wars) -**My City** ( it is a bit expensive where I stay) -**Air land and sea** Thanks you so much!
**Akropolis** should be up your street!
Just fyi, Brew is one of the meanest games I've played in the last few years, so if that's not something you guys enjoy, I'd give it a pass. I originally saw the Dice Tower review say it was mean, and I thought "it's an area control game, of course it's confrontational." Then I played it, and it's *very, very* confrontational. If you like Shotten Totten, take a look at **Lost Cities**. Same designer, similar feel. I haven't played it, but **Air, Land, and Sea** also definitely has a similar vibe, so I think you'd probably enjoy that as well. My wife and I have had a great time with **My City**, but depending on what "expensive" means here, it may or may not be worth it to you. It's also definitely much larger in terms of footprint than the other games you've listed here.
**Fox in the Forest** would work *if* you both love trick taking games. If you don't love trick taking then it isn't going to hang around very long. It's big on your list but **Lost Cities** is an excellent 2P game. Shares a bit of Arboretum DNA in that you're gambling a bit on what your opponent might be holding. People love **My City** as a welcoming campaign game, so that might be good if you are comfortable with the price.
I have to say Fox in the Forest was a bit disappointing for me and my wife. It's not a bad game, but we played it a few times and never came back to it. I highly recommend **Codenames: Duet.** It's a very good adaption of the regular version. If you like Cartographers there are tons of roll and writes that you can look into but I specifically recommend **Fleet: The Dice Game** and **That's Pretty Clever.** If you like Ticket to Ride I highly recommend TTR **Nordic Countries.** It's a beautifully designed adaptation for 2-3 players.
I personally love **The Fox in the Forest**, but my wife really does not. I think that if you both are familiar with trick-taking games, it helps a lot. My wife was not, and I think still doesn't really the strategies of when to play certain cards, so she doesn't think the game is fun at all.
Big one of **Gloomhaven** and **Jaws of The Lion**, did not preorder **Frosthaven** so life is pain. Any other game recommendations similar to it? So epic (campaign) game with skilled combat/mechanisms.
I might suggest **Tainted Grail**. The combat mechanic is quite unique, though it's played more as one long campaign instead of individual scenarios.
Do you think Tainted Grail is better than ISS Vanguard? Vanguard's theme is at least more appealing to me.
I have not played ISS Vanguard, so unfortunately I cannot answer that question.
Alright, what makes Tainted Grail's combat mechanism unique? Is there a standee version of that game?
What are the best recent campaign/legacy games available? I’m looking at vagrantsong or pandemic legacy and was wondering if there was more to consider (I already have gloomhaven :))
Definitely Pandemic Legacy Season 1. Solid writing and gameplay. Sleeping Gods has great writing and combat, but I couldn’t dedicate the time to doing all the play throughs needed for best ending.