The Non-Exclusive 2-Player Games I've Enjoyed Recently

It’s no secret we as gamers have been hampered by the global pandemic. Our gaming groups have given way to social distancing and quarantine, our conventions have shuttered its physical locations for digital ones, and our FLGS (friendly local game stores) have closed due to restrictions set by local governments trying to stop the spread of the virus (please wash your hands and wear a mask!). Our options are limited when it comes to high player counts, at least within the countries where the pandemic still has a foothold. Gaming isn’t a priority considering the situation we are in, but given our circumstances, we still need a constructive outlet, we still need to fill the time we suddenly have plenty of. So we play with whomever is available within our households, and for some people with kids, maybe it isn’t as bad, but for others, maybe we have just a single partner to break open a box and play a game or two.

With that in mind, what has graced my table and kept its gameplay core intact with a lower player count? These are the three games that I have found scale well as 2-player games.

Ganymede (1-4 players)

Ganymede is a game most people don’t know exists—and it’s a shame. Created by Sorry We Are French, Ganymede is set in the near future where humanity has started the process of expanding and exploring the outer reaches of our solar system and beyond. It sounds grandiose, even epic, but in reality the theme is rather a façade barely reaching the heights of what it’s trying to convey. Luckily, that doesn’t matter. Ganymede is a fantastic set collection and combo chaining game that will have you thinking tactically at every turn.

The overarching goal is to send your recruited workers from Earth, hopscotching on to Mars to their eventual destination in Ganymede using shuttle cards in a market row for each location in the path. If you can do it faster than your opponent and collect the most points at the end of the game, you win. The point of contention here is that all players are fighting for the same cards that allow them to send their workers to those destinations. As you recruit workers, of which their are four types, you must also have a card with specific criteria that allow those workers to be shuttled to the next destination in the path. The game then demands some quick thinking as to what combo of cards are in the market that you can find a path towards the final destination in Ganymede. Add the special abilities that allow for more actions to be done, and you have something that asks you to keep an eye for all possible combinations to maximize your turn.

It’s an easy game to teach, and whether two players or four, the game scales very well with most games coming under 30-40 minutes of play time. I highly recommend Ganymede for those looking for a game to introduce to new players or those looking for a filler game with more tactical consideration.

Teotihuacan (1-4 Players)

Daniele Tascini is on a roll. The designer has created some killer board games in recent years from the likes of The Voyages of Marco Polo, Tzolk’in and the next game I’m about to talk about, Teotihuacan. In Teotihuacan players assume the role of Aztecs trying to find ways to increase their renown within the kingdom by building the great Pyramid of the Sun. It’s an intricate game, full of variability and branching pathways to victory, but it’s the careful management of your workers (the colorful die each player gets) and how they are upgraded throughout the various sections of the board, and in turn how they interact with other player’s die that will rustle your brain.

The game as a 2-player affair scales pretty well, simulating the effects of having multiple players on the board as unused die are placed throughout and activating any costs and restrictions on those places. Even as a 2-player game, the tactics and strategies are intact, and the cost of doing business, mainly paying out cacao to do actions, still needs to be contended with. Overall, this is one of my favorite games of all time, and one I like bringing out at all player counts, but for this period of limited group gaming, it still has plenty of legs.

Puerto Rico (2-5 Players)

I almost put another Alea game here (Castles of Burgundy, if you must know), but I chose the title most people accept as the granddaddy of the “heavy” Euro, Puerto Rico. Obviously, what we consider heavy these days makes Puerto Rico tame in comparison. Its mechanisms aren’t as revolutionary as they were 18 years ago, but even in today’s standards, I can still point to Puerto Rico as a good gateway game into the medium-heavy realm of the tabletop hobby. People might argue that the game shines at the higher player counts (and they would be right), but my argument for Puerto Rico is that Alea has done a nice job of implementing the 2-player variant found in the Deluxe version, a version that also includes the expansions and “better” art work and components.

For starters, what is Puerto Rico? Well, to put it simply, it’s a role selection game. Typically, a player chooses one of the seven roles available to them, taking advantage of the bonus action associated with it. Then the remainder of players take the same action, sans the bonus. As players use their turns to take the remainder of the available actions, the game quickly evolves into maximizing the effectiveness of your chosen action while trying very hard to undercut your opponents, hoping your selection is useless within their plans, or better yet, trips them up completely. It’s the classic ‘screw the player on your left’, tactic. And you really need to do it. What buildings you choose, how much to push for specific plantation tiles, the type of roles you select trying to anticipate what will be available on the next go around—the machinations can be intense. Alea takes all of those complex decisions and manages to squeeze them down to their 2 player variant. It’s doesn’t exactly overtake the full 5 player romp most people prefer, but how it manages to distil the core essence of what makes Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico, it’s a small feat of design and working within the established greatness of this game.

I highly recommend it, and I also highly recommend the other games mentioned here. As we keep social distancing and doing the right thing in hopes to get back to normal, we can at least have the similar experiences we’ve been accustomed to, just situated in the familiar surroundings of our homes and loved ones.

Stay safe out there and keep on gaming.