Lost-Cities

Two-player board gaming has never been in better shape. The last decade produced a wave of games designed explicitly for two - not two-player variants of games that really want four, but titles built from the ground up for one-on-one play. And the best of them sit comfortably among the highest-rated games on BGG overall. Whether you’re looking for something fast and light for a weeknight, a competitive engine-builder for a dedicated session, or the most acclaimed strategy game ever made, there’s a two-player option that fits. Here are seven of the best, spanning every weight class and occasion - all BGG-verified. ...

There’s a certain type of board game designer who gets discussed in reverential tones on forums and podcasts - the auteur, the artist, the visionary. And then there’s Reiner Knizia, who has designed over 700 games, holds a doctorate in mathematics, and approaches game design with the precision of an engineer solving elegant problems. Knizia doesn’t get the same breathless devotion as some of his contemporaries. There are no “Knizia weekends” the way there are Lacerda marathons. Nobody calls his games “experiences.” And yet, when you look at what the man has actually produced - the sheer range, the mechanical brilliance, the staying power - the case for Knizia as the greatest board game designer who ever lived is startlingly strong. ...