Category: 1-2 Player Games

Chess

| T3d-1978

Chess is a two-player, abstract strategy board game that represents medieval warfare on an 8×8 board with alternating light and dark squares. Opposing pieces, traditionally designated White and Black, are initially lined up on either side of the board. Each type of piece has a unique form of movement and capturing occurs when a piece, via its movement, occupies the square of an opposing piece. Players take turns moving one of their pieces in an attempt to capture, attack, defend, or develop their positions. Chess games can end in checkmate (when the king cannot escape from the opponent’s pieces), resignation (when one player recognizes that defeat is inevitable and ends the game), or one of several types of draws.

Chess is one of the most popular games in the world, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments. Between two highly skilled players, chess can be a beautiful thing to watch, and a game can provide great entertainment even for novices. The 2020 Netflix series, The Queen’s Gambit was enjoyed by both chess players and non-players alike. There is also a large literature of books and periodicals about chess, typically featuring games and commentary by chess masters. Chess is so well known and highly regarded that it is often used as a metaphor in journalism, poetry, fiction, and film.

Chess has its origins in the Indian game Chaturanga, which became Shatranj when introduced to the Persians. The current form of the game emerged in the second half of the 15th century when the Persians brought Shatranj to Southern Europe. The tradition of organized competitive chess began in the 16th century. The first official World Chess Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, claimed his title in 1886. Chess is also a recognized sport of the International Olympic Committee.

Game Mechanics:

  • Abstract Strategy
  • Grid Movement
  • Pattern Movement

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • Variable Time
  • Difficulty Weight 3.68

Caverna Cave vs. Cave

| T3d-1978

In the two-player game Caverna: Cave vs. Cave, each player starts the game with only two dwarves and a small excavation in the side of a mountain. Over the course of eight rounds, they’ll double their workforce, open up new living space in the mountain, construct new buildings and rooms in which to live, and dig for precious metals.

In more detail, each player starts the game with an individual player board that’s covered with a random assortment of face-down building/room tiles and only one space. Some tiles are face up and available for purchase at the start of play. Four action tiles lie face up as well. At the start of each of the eight rounds, one new action tile is revealed, then players alternate taking actions, with the number of actions increasing from two up to four over the course of the game. As players excavate their mountainous player board, new building and room tiles are added to the pool; some rooms can be used immediately when acquired, whereas others require the use of an action tile.

After eight rounds, players tally their points for buildings constructed and gold collected to see who wins.

Game Mechanics:

  • Tile Placement
  • Worker Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 2 Players
  • 20 – 40 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.56

Bushido

| T3d-1978

Bushido is a game of dueling martial artists, testing their training against one another. One shall prevail and prove their techniques superior. The other will return to studying until they are strong enough to win.

Players begin with a card draft which represent the training of their fighters.

After training players play a series of round wherein they play technique cards from their hands, or change their guards, in order to create a pool of combat dice which they hope to use to strike their opponent or defend their attacks.

In this game damage escalates quickly so players must be able to block, evade, and strike simultaneously to try and keep the momentum of the encounter in their favor.

The game ends when one warrior has bested the other.

Game Mechanics:

  • Dice Rolling
  • Hand Management
  • Open Drafting

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • 30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.00

Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small 🟢

| T3d-1978

Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small is a new take on Uwe Rosenberg’s Agricola designed for exactly two players and focused only on the animal husbandry aspect of that game. So long plows and veggies!

In Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small, you become an animal breeder of horses, cows, sheep and pigs and try to make the most of your pastures. Players start with a 3×2 game board that can be expanded during play to give more room for players to grow and animals to run free. Sixteen possible actions are available for players to take, with each player taking three actions total in each of the eight rounds.

The player who amasses the most victory points through enclosing space with fences and acquiring the largest number and variety of animals and victory point-generating buildings will be the winner.

Four Standard Buildings and 4 special buildings are available in the base game. These buildings each provide unique special abilities during play and/or VP at game end. Balancing the tension between building infrastructure (fenced pastures and buildings) and acquiring animals (the single biggest source of end-game scoring) is the key to success!

Game Mechanics:

  • Tile Placement
  • Worker Placement

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • ~30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.35

7 Wonders Duel 🟢

| T3d-1978

In many ways 7 Wonders Duel resembles its parent game 7 Wonders as over three ages players acquire cards that provide resources or advance their military or scientific development in order to develop a civilization and complete wonders.

What’s different about 7 Wonders Duel is that, as the title suggests, the game is solely for two players, with the players not drafting cards simultaneously from hands of cards, but from a display of face-down and face-up cards arranged at the start of a round. A player can take a card only if it’s not covered by any others, so timing comes into play as well as bonus moves that allow you to take a second card immediately. As in the original game, each card that you acquire can be built, discarded for coins, or used to construct a wonder.

Each player starts with four wonder cards, and the construction of a wonder provides its owner with a special ability. Only seven wonders can be built, though, so one player will end up short.

Players can purchase resources at any time from the bank, or they can gain cards during the game that provide them with resources for future building; as you acquire resources, the cost for those particular resources increases for your opponent, representing your dominance in this area.

A player can win 7 Wonders Duel in one of three ways: each time you acquire a military card, you advance the military marker toward your opponent’s capital, giving you a bonus at certain positions; if you reach the opponent’s capital, you win the game immediately; similarly, if you acquire any six of seven different scientific symbols, you achieve scientific dominance and win immediately; if none of these situations occurs, then the player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Game Mechanics:

  • City Building
  • Civilization
  • Closed Drafting
  • Economic
  • Hand Management
  • Set Collection

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • ~30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 2.22

Codenames: Duet

| T3d-1978

Codenames Duet keeps the basic elements of Codenames — give one-word clues to try to get someone to identify your agents among those on the table — but now you’re working together as a team to find all of your agents. (Why you don’t already know who your agents are is a question that Congressional investigators will get on your back about later!)

To set up play, lay out 25 word cards in a 5×5 grid. Place a key card in the holder so that each player sees one side of the card. Each player sees a 5×5 grid on the card, with nine of the squares colored green (representing your agents) and three squares colored black (representing assassins). Three of the nine squares on each side are also green on the other side, one assassin is black on both sides, one is green on the other side and the other is an innocent bystander on the other side.

Collectively, you need to reveal all fifteen agents — without revealing an assassin — before time runs out in order to win the game. Either player can decide to give the first one-word clue to the other player, along with a number. Whoever receives the clue places a finger on a card to identify that agent. If correct, they can attempt to identify another one. If they identify a bystander, then their guessing time ends. If they identify an assassin, you both lose! Unlike regular Codenames, they can keep guessing as long as they keep identifying an agent each time; this is useful for going back to previous clues and finding ones they missed earlier. After the first clue is given, players alternate giving clues.

Game Mechanics:

  • Cooperative
  • Deduction
  • Limited Communication
  • Push Your Luck
  • Word Game

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • 15 – 30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.35

Cock & Bull

| T3d-1978

A fast paced 2-player dice game with cocks, bulls and monkeys on the faces of the dice. Players try to place six 2-sided chips on a wooden game board that has an antique feel. When you roll pairs of monkeys, cocks or bulls, you place down or flip over a chip in the appropriate spot on the board. Strategy comes in when you roll a cock & bull, you can either score one point on the pegboard, or remove one of your opponents chips. Bonus points are scored on the pegboard after you capture an area on the board with chips. When you roll 1 monkey your turn is over. There are two ways to win, either get all six chips on the game board, or move your wooden peg from start to finish.

Game Mechanics:

  • Dice Rolling

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • 5 – 15 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.00

Catapult Feud

| T3d-1978

Build your castles, set up your troops, load your catapults and use your cunning tactics to win the day! The War for the Floor has begun once more!

Catapult Feud (original series was named, ‘Catapult Kingdoms’), is a game of last person standing. Your objective is to knock down all your opponent’s troops!

Starting with the youngest player, choose your family: Chaufort or Cunningfields. Then, use your bricks to build a castle to fortify your troops. Using your catapult, launch boulders in an attempt to destroy your opponent’s castle and knock over their troops. When all troops of one family are knocked over, the battle is over. The winning family must have at least one troop standing upright.

The game is played in a series of rounds. During a round, starting with the youngest player, everyone takes a turn. Each player’s turn is divided into four phases: Tactics, Aim, Fire and Cleanup. Perform these phases in order, finishing each one before moving to the next. When all players have had their turn, the round finishes. You keep on playing round after round until there is only one player with troops on the table.

Warning! This is a game of construction/destruction of plastic bricks and figures… NOT your opponent, pets, or people who may foolishly pass through the field of battle! Please play fair and be careful not to hurt each other or damage anything… other than your opponent’s attempt at a impenetrable fortress!

In Mar 2022 – a special Ukrainian fundraising edition was added to several crowdfunding forums.

Game Mechanics:

  • Events
  • Movement Template

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • 20 – 30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.07

Caesar!: Seize Rome in 20 Minutes!

| T3d-1978

The Roman Republic is coming to an end, but not before a power struggle between Caesar and Pompey. Players will command their legions, strategically deploying them to key battlegrounds to try and seize control of the provinces and become ruler of the republic.

Players draw tokens from a bag to determine their starting forces and to replenish their losses. Players allocate their resources to each province, gaining tactical advantages and vying for control of the republic.

Three modules to expand the game are included: poison your opponent, deploy powerful Centurions and use underhanded tactics to gain advantages in the Expansions of Rome.

Game Mechanics:

  • Area Majority / Influence
  • Chit-Pull System
  • Simulation
  • Solo / Solitaire Game

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 2 Players
  • ~20 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.93

boop.

| T3d-1978

A deceptively cute, deceivingly challenging abstract strategy game for two players.

Every time you place a kitten on the bed, it goes “boop.” Which is to say that it pushes every other kitten on the board one space away. Line up three kittens in a row to graduate them into cats… and then, get three cats in a row to win.

But that isn’t easy with both you AND your opponent constantly “booping” kittens around. It’s like… herding cats!
Can you “boop” your cats into position to win?
Or will you just get “booped” right off the bed?

  • Approachable but challenging abstract game. Plays in 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Features a quilted, fabric board that lays over the back of the box, completing the miniature bed playing surface. 8 wood kittens and cats per player – 32 adorable cat pieces in all!

Game Mechanics:

  • Grid Movement
  • Pattern Building

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • 20 – 30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.39