Hello Gaming Library Family!
It takes two to tango, and the magic of the dance comes particularly from the chemistry between both partners.
There’s a particular romance to the tango; the steps, the movements, the back and forth mingling of both partners. There’s an initial aspect of leading and following that historically was what made the dance work, but as it has grown in popularity, the roles have equalized. There’s a silent, almost competitive edge to the way the dance works now; a battling of wills.
The same can be said of the electricity in an intense board game between two players. You know this well, GL Fam. The thrumming intensity and extreme concentration attributed to the desire to win. The keen eye for strategy comes from a need to understand how your opponent thinks, in order to play two steps ahead of them. It’s what drives us players to keep playing, think smarter, aim higher.
What better way to get to know your partner then, than to play against them?
For this love month, Gaming Library brings you our Top Two-Player Board Games for 2023. A rousing round or two of any of these games can be played before or after a romantic date, to keep the romance going with a little bit of… more than friendly competition!
Board games for couples can provide the ideal activity for celebrating Valentine's Day, an anniversary, or simply planning a romantic evening. Playing a board game with your date, partner, or even a friend can be a surprisingly intimate experience, requiring players to connect with their opponent or ally and figure out what makes them tick.
Tapple
Tapple is a fast-paced word game that’s great for parties. In each round, a player draws a topic card, then starts the timer. In the next ten seconds, that player must give a word that relates to the topic, press down the letter key that corresponds to the first letter of that word on the game’s electronic device, and restart the timer. The next player must then think of a word for the topic that starts with a different letter; wash, rinse, and repeat. Players that go past the timer are out for that round, and new topic cards are drawn if all players but one are out. Depending on eliminations, the stakes get higher with each round, and the more exciting the game gets! Whoever collects the most topic cards wins.
Klask
KLASK is a board game where players compete for points on a board shaped like a sports field with two deep holes functioning as goals on each end of the field. In the middle of the field, three white magnetic pieces serve as "obstacles" – NOT to be attracted to your own gaming piece! Your gaming piece is a black magnet. Players control it by holding a large magnet under the board. This magnet is connected to a small magnet placed on the field. Players push the small, red ball on the field, using their assigned magnet and game piece to shoot the ball past the obstacles and into their opponent’s goal hole (or Klask). It’s plenty of chaotic, yet precarious fun when an opponent suddenly is covered in white obstacles or you drop your gaming piece into the goal – something which is known to happen, so don’t get too eager!
Quoridor
Simple yet deep, the abstract game of Quoridor has players fighting to move their pawns to their respective opposite ends of the board. They do so by either moving their pawns or erecting walls to hinder their opponent’s movements, but not completely blocking them off. The first pawn to reach their opposite end wins, so expect a battle royale of wits and strategy in this award winning game that spawned multiple competitive tournaments around the globe!
Codenames Duet
Codenames is a fairly simple party game. Players are divided into teams of red or blue, and respective leaders must prompt their team members of the colors they select from a pile of twenty-five cards. Each card has a corresponding word and color, and these words are the key to the leaders’ successes in helping their teammates select all the cards that correspond with their team color and win.
7 Wonders Duel
In 7 Wonders Duel, two players acquire cards that provide resources or advance their military or scientific development from a display of face-down and face-up cards in order to develop a civilization and complete Wonders. As in the original 7 Wonders game, each card that a player acquires 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. Winning 7 Wonders Duel happens in one of three ways: by reaching the opponent's capital, by acquiring six of several different scientific symbols, or by accumulating the most points by the end of the session.
Wingspan Asia
Wingspan is an exciting nature-themed board game that won Game of the Year multiple times in 2019. Its expansion Wingspan: Asia has also just been released to great fanfare! Players compete to build and maintain thriving bird habitats that attract more bird species and hopefully score them the most points. Known for its unique approach to strategy, gorgeous game design, and stellar replay value, Wingspan is great for both seasoned players and newcomers alike.
Cascadia
In Cascadia, players take a journey through the Pacific Northwest to compete in creating the most harmonious ecosystem. In building the game, the makers of Cascadia accomplished what many strive to create: a game that appeals to casual players while also appeasing the needs of more hardcore board game hobbyists.
Parks
In Parks, players trek through different trails across four seasons, taking actions and collecting memories of the places they visit. If you’re looking for a game that hinges on claiming certain locations early and vying for various small bonuses, Parks is your game.
Looking for a fun and unique date night idea? Drop by All Aboard XP in Uptown Mall and play board games. We have hosted Date Night at All aBOARD XP from the 13th to the 15th of February, where couples got to play all day, and was guided through a curated selection of two-player board games!
Play board games for two to increase the passion and cooperation in your relationship.
About Gaming Library
Gaming Library aims to be the go-to resource for board games, providing not only titles that can be enjoyed by families, but also to be enjoyed by friends both newcomers and veterans alike. By pulling from different resources from all over the world, we at Gaming Library curate an impressive collection of games for consumers to choose from, suitable for anybody from casual players to hardcore hobbyists. In doing so, we hope to provide the best means to foster activities that strengthen family ties and friendships, while teaching relevant skills and practical critical thinking that can be applied to your everyday life.
