Ars Technica’s ultimate board game buyer’s guide

Two-player games

While the majority of modern board games can be played with two players, the best head-to-head experiences are generally those that are designed specifically for a duet. Here are our four top picks for this year (and be sure to check out our feature on our favorite two-player games).

7 Wonders Duel

2 players, 30 minutes, age 10+, $24 on Amazon

Can you make a functional two-player version of the modern classic card-drafting game 7 Wonders? 7 Wonders Duel proves you can, and the game is not only functional—it’s fantastic. Eschewing the pass-and-pick drafting of the original game, Duel sees two players fighting over a spread of cards arranged in various configurations on the table. You’re competing to build up the best ancient civilization, complete with constructing as many world wonders as you can manage. The game’s three win conditions—civilian, scientific, and military—ensure that you're always juggling several plates, and the whole thing plays like a lightning-quick, board-less match of Civilization. Also, check out the very cool expansion.

Jaipur

2 players, 30 minutes, age 12+, $25 on Amazon

Beside CCG-type card games like Magic or Android: Netrunner, Jaipur is probably our favorite two-player card game. On your turn, you're presented with a deceptively simple choice: acquire new goods from a central market of five cards or sell the goods you already have. If you decide to sell, you discard all the goods of a certain type and are rewarded with tokens representing money. The value on the money tokens goes down as more and more goods are sold, so you want to sell quickly to get the best price. But if you sell a bunch of goods at once, you’ll get a big bonus. Jaipur is an excellent tug-of-war that provides a surprising amount of tense moments within a small decision space. If you know a gamer couple that doesn’t own this game, buy it for them.

Patchwork

2 players, 15-30 minutes, age 8+, $16.99 on Amazon

Master board game designer Uwe Rosenberg is best known for his heavy strategy games like Agricola, Caverna, and A Feast For Odin, but his collection also boasts a sizable stable of lighter fare. Patchwork—a game about quilting—is perhaps his best title in this category. You and an opponent fight over Tetris-like “fabric” tiles, which are placed on grids to eventually form quilts. The theme sounds odd—especially when you factor in the currency (cute little buttons)—but this game has been a massive hit with everyone we’ve introduced it to. Patchwork is quick playing, easy to teach, and filled with a surprising amount of tactics and strategy in each session. For a 1-4 player version of the same concept, check out Rosenberg’s Cottage Garden.

Schotten Totten / Battle Line

Schotten Totten: 2 players, 20 minutes, 8+, $16 on Amazon
Battle Line: 2 players, 20 minutes, 8+, $19 on Amazon

I love me some Schotten Totten. A terrific two-player card battle, the game features crazed Scottish Highlanders battling each other across a central set of cardboard “stones.” Players add one card per turn to any given stone, hoping to build a more powerful set of three cards than the competing set across the stone. If they can do so, they win the stone; win enough stones and the game is over.

A Reiner Knizia classic, the game is typically light on both rules and theme, but it delivers compelling choices and a great sense of tension as you work to win your stones. Like another Knizia game, Lost Cities, Schotten Totten encourages you to hold cards in your hand for as long as possible, the pressure building until you finally draw the card that will validate your plan to finish a color run on stone seven... or to start a mono-color run on stone eight. Rounds are over in 15 minutes, and this one can be successfully played by smart kids. (Sadly, my daughter regularly beats me.) A set of additional “tactics” cards in the box provides a more advanced variant. If you prefer stoic Bronze and Iron Age warriors to maniacally grinning Scots, get Battle Line—same game, different theme.

Schotten Totten / Battle Line

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Ars Technica’s ultimate board game buyer’s guide

Need to buy a board game? Our 2017 guide has you covered.

Two-player games

7 Wonders Duel

Jaipur

Patchwork

Two-player games

7 Wonders Duel

Jaipur

Patchwork

Schotten Totten / Battle Line

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Channel Ars Technica