Top 10 Casual Two-Player Games
Mike 10 – 06:42
Zee 10 – 10:30
Tom 10 – 13:22
Mike 9 – 15:27
Zee 9 – 18:50
Tom 9 – 20:40
Mike 8 – 22:40
Zee 8 – 25:50
Tom 8 – 28:03
Mike 7 – 31:09
Zee 7 – 33:22
Tom 7 – 35:57
Mike 6 – 38:24
Zee 6 – 40:15
Tom 6 – 42:55
Mike 5 – 45:18
Zee 5 – 49:08
Tom 5 – 51:12
Mike 4 – 53:49
Zee 4 – 56:26
Tom 4 – 59:30
Mike 3 – 1:01:30
Zee 3 – 1:04:05
Tom 3 – 1:06:38
Mike 2 – 1:08:35
Zee 2 – 1:10:36
Tom 2 – 1:12:40
Mike 1 – 1:14:40
Zee 1 – 1:17:11
Tom 1 – 1:20:10
People’s Choice 1:22:22
Outro 1:25:40
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BGG Link:
I don't hate the BGG weight rankings. Sure, I disagree with some of them in either direction (I really don't think Spirit Island is a 4 – morelike a 3.5 or even a 3 without the expansions, but maybe I just naturally grok it better than some other folks), but I don't think the stat is worthless.
Zee, you could maybe try and find some merchandise for Zagreb, maybe they might shorten to ZG 😀
What about Android: Netrunner? —- That should be a No Brainer! 🙂 That's actually the game that my wife and I "cut our teeth on" when we got into gaming… LOL Would NOT go that route now though…. Great Vid!
Toms eyes at @8:00
Risk Star Wars…the one based on Return of the Jedi
The hits for me were –
Mike – Klask, Odin's Ravens 2nd ed., Patchwork, and Lost Cities.
Zee – Century (Spice Road/Golem), Tatsu, Kariba, and Lost Cities.
Tom – #crickets None of these choices resonated with me.
A notable exception from all lists was Kingdomino! 5×5 as an intro to new players is fast and easy breezy. Advanced casual 2 player gamers can enjoy the 7×7 which is still fairly casual despite the meta that surrounds it. Same can be said for Patchwork and advanced players though.
Tides of Time is a GARBAGE game. It is a blight on the board gaming industry. Absolute trash. But you might like it.
Yeah, 7 Wonders Duel and Targi are slightly too complex to be labelled "casual" and while some would say they're too light to be "strategic", they can compete with any two-player strategy game (especially with expansions).
When I think casual, I'm thinking Fox in the Forest, Archaeology, Point Salad, Conspiracy: Abyss Universe, PARKS…The most "complex" game that I would put on this list is Unmatched because everything about it is easy to grasp, it has a very casual feel and is lightning quick to set up and take down.
Top ten list suggestions:
-game designers (updated)
-games where mechanisms and themes mesh well
I actually know someone that wasn't using god powers in Santorini. They also were not using the re-roll and +1 powers in Gan schon clever.
I was quite surprised not to see Circle the Wagons in any of the lists here. And also surprised that Mike said the most games in my collection (five): usually I tend to have more in common with Zee.
No love for Fluxx Nature? 😥
Okay, everyone loves Mike… But let's not forget zee. I really like what zee brings.
Finally Odin's Ravens getting some much deserved love!
Is Hive no longer in style, bc it deserves to be!
Brave Rats is also missing from this list imo.
When you started talking about “casual“ games I had the exact same thought as Mike. I would’ve used BGG‘s complexity rating and not going above a two. I was so happy when you said that Mike because I had the exact same thought before you said it. Good source and a good cut off
Uhh….I almost exclusively play Santorini without the God Powers. They muck up the elegance and the balance of the game way too much in my opinion. It’s a solid game without them.
A good old game I still enjoy is Rummy. I can teach it in 5 minutes. It can be very thinky or played simply wether you want it or not. It can be played up to 4 players but it is very enjoyable 1 vs 1.
Casual gamers to me are mostly defined by not wanting to learn a lot of rules. It would be easier to teach a casual gamer Go than many euros that are much less strategic compared to Go.
what about Haba game co. out of Germany? tier auf tier is a great game! great for kids and adults. Check out Haba.
Top 10 Games where you don't know who's winning until the very end.
Sam's list if he were here, 8/10 super rare old expensive games that only had one small print run lol
Wingspan is my favorite game, but no way does it belong on this list.
Arboretum would definitely be on my casual 2-player list.
I really like their lists… but unpopular opinion: I hate how they’re always being mean to each other. Makes me cringe every time. Their “joking” just reminds me of the kind of gatekeepy nerds that have to constantly argue and be right all the time. You can have different opinions that are valid and not “stupid”. 🙄 guess what: You can have disagreements without telling the other person they’re an idiot.
I am missing Hive in this list. My favorite casual 2 player game. Easy to carry around, easy to teach and playable on almost any table/surface.
My wife's favourite 2 player only game…Memoir '44. I agree with you Tom, it is a great game.
Zindorf, Germany. You're welcome Zee
someone should place that cable properly behind the TV!
With 2, the cards in Century do not cycle fast enough.
No hanimikoji damn that game is so good….
Nevermind atleast they mentioned it at the end
I like fugitive for a simple two player
I know Mike has been around a while now, but I have to say that when Sam left I was really bummed, but Mike has been a fantastic new addition ever sense. He fit in so well and really kept these top 10’s as the same very entertaining hour of banter and game knowledge that they always were.
Tom points out that there are BGG users that rank games as low weight because they play heavy games. Then he proceeds to essentially do that with half of his list here. 😂
I expected Zee to have Unmatched on there.
If Klask is casual, but there are international championships about it, then chess is casual.
I taught 7 wonders duel to a 12 year old in like 5 mins. Agree with you Tom!
Tom you got such good hair! I think you shouldn't hide it with those hats… as awesome as they are.
Mine was on fire in this one. Zee usually has some great moments, but loved Mike in this episode. Great lists, all three.
Wot no Hive?
Surprised Hive isn't on the list
Zee casually mentioning the hand limit rule of Jaipur made me realize I played over 30 games completely wrong. I think it will make it even better.
Spirits of the wild is a great little two player game. And I agree with the other commenter on Roam. And Tussie Mussie!
Trambahn would definitely be on my list. I highly recommend it as a fun light card game for 2.
Man…what a great list!! As someone married to a "casual at best" gamer….always on the hunt for more quality games that don't take hours to teach and play. Jaipur is a favorite of ours, I love Memoir 44, agree with Tom it's a great 2 player casual wargame. My wife LOVES 7 wonders duel, so it's definitely a casual game. 🙂
New list: “Top 10 games with the most misrepresented BGG weight numbers” 😂
I would've included Stratego in my list.
Morels and Kingdomino missing imo.
How in the heck is Tsuro not on anyone's list? Not good enough maybe?