You want something easy: Want to avoid raising your blood pressure? It's probably better to stay away from this one - part of the fun in Pandemic is that it forces you to strategize on the fly as you work to manage a constantly-evolving situation. The bottom line: So long as you have the patience to learn its rules, you'll find a smart and engrossing 2-player board game that can keep you busy for a long time. As we mentioned in our review, there's "enough depth and spice to keep you playing for months." Basically? It's more than earned its place on our list of the best board games, and numerous expansions (starring a werewolf or revolving around twisted Christmas tales) should keep that magic alive for even longer. You want something with loads of depth: Although it's a great strategy game, 7 Wonders Duel isn't the meatiest option out there in terms of tactics. To make it suitable for 2 players, certain options have been removed. This simple but satisfying blend makes Jaipur 2nd Edition a highly accessible choice – I have played it with a wide range of family and friends. It comes in a compact format with a highly attractive design and great production values. It comes out at home, at the pub and on holiday – a game for all seasons. I strongly recommend adding it to your collection.

Not that this is only for kids, of course. It'll be a hit with all ages, and is a great warm-up game before moving on to something with more depth. You're expecting it to be exactly the same as 7 Wonders: Because certain features have been taken out or tweaked to accommodate fewer players (not to mention a lower run-time), Duel may disappoint if you're expecting the same breadth of options offered in the original game. Some of these cards are worth a lot right away, others provide multipliers, and yet more require you to collect a set for bigger payouts.This means that there are multiple approaches you can take on your path to victory. (Just don't forgot about Puddings, which are only scored at the end of the game and may tip your score over the edge.)You don't like randomness in games: While it's pretty excellent in every other regard, Splendor Duel can be at the mercy of its randomly-drawn card market. If you're looking to win by collecting gems of a single color (one of the new victory conditions), you're stuffed if it doesn't come up - and it won't be your fault. You can’t buy or sell camels, only use them for this swap, but they’re easy to get. If you take one from the market, you actually get to take all the camels currently there, giving you a big pile of cards to make swaps with later. But beware, because this also means your opponent will get an extra-rich selection of new cards to choose from. There's also a bonus at the end for whoever has the most camels left in front of them. This leaves you with a difficult choice: research a cure by collecting cards (at which point the game stops placing infections for that particular disease), or remove infections at a local level so you can keep things under control. There are a couple of answers to this question, and the one you get depends on your criteria. If we're talking about the #1 board game in terms of sales, it would have to be chess. This old-timer shifts roughly 3 million units each and every year, eclipsing almost everything else on shelves. What you need to know: Think you can handle Jurassic Park better than its creators? The Legacy of Isla Nublar lets you give it a good go. Along with tense gameplay and consequence-driven mechanics, it improves on the 'legacy' format (where your decisions follow you) by providing something so much more replayable than its peers. Hold onto your butts, because few cooperative board games can match it.

The bottom line: Yes, The Legacy of Isla Nublar leans on ideas we've seen before - there are hidden mechanics and branching character upgrades, namely. But thanks to a wealth of extras scattered throughout the campaign (like its mini-games and the ability to create your own dinosaurs), it has a flavor all its own.When taking cards, a player may take just one single good (one card), take several goods (these must be exchanged for in-hand cards, camels or both) or take all the camels; camels are the key to this game and if played correctly will give a player an excellent chance of victory. Oh, and don’t forget to spot the hidden Panda hitching a ride on one of the camels! There’s a surprising number of strategies in Jaipur, and you’ll find yourself trying out new approaches as you gain experience – while also learning to respond to an opponent’s style. It’s fast-paced and portable too, which makes it the ideal lunch break or filler game, outside of large groups. There’s limited options each turn, so you’ll never spend much time umming and ahhing over a move and you can easily get in a best-of-three game within half an hour. Playing in a pair only enriches that mood. It's the best way to avoid a 'too many cooks' scenario where everyone's struggling to be heard. However, just be aware that these adventures aren't exactly replayable - once you know the solution, you'll probably not be able to repeat the experience unless you have a very short memory.

Note: the latest version of the available games list is available here: https://boardgamearena.com/gamelist Cut your losses– If you are holding out for a bonus but your opponent also starts taking an interest in the same good as you, consider selling early, especially if high value, rare cards are as stake. It’s a risk worth considering, and games can be won and lost on it. Jaipur is like the Schrodinger's Cat of games; you never know whether a round will be an easy win or more of a thinker, a high scorer or an epic battle for points, until you play. No strategy works the same twice as your opponent and you battle it out for large hauls or high-value items and of course, the camels. Jaipur is amazing at being a really simple entry point into the world of strategy-based games whilst still having many levels of depth that allow the game to be accessible to novices and pros alike. Give it a try and get yourself hooked. Outline Sure, its theme hits closer to home nowadays. But there's something cathartic about giving a pandemic the boot… even if it's only in this tabletop world of tokens and cards.You already have Splendor: We'd argue that this is the superior game, but it might be a little too similar for anyone that already owns its predecessor.

The game's rapid-fire nature makes it a winner with little ones that don't have much patience, too. Matches don't take long and are easy to set up, so you can happily run an encore without much trouble. A common question asked by the board game community is “what two-player games would you recommend?” Well it’s a question that we have asked too. Jaipur is a two-player only game that has accompanied us on many vacations. You want something with lots of strategy: There's not a huge deal of strategy to speak of here, so anyone hankering after deeper tactics should look elsewhere. We've never seen two games go the same way, for instance. Each factions' quirks (and the cards that can influence them) provide a wealth of options each turn, and while this is overwhelming at first, such flexibility makes Root truly compelling in the long-term. It's very replayable.Gameplay: Is it better to buy and trade cheap items as fast as possible? Or should you collect expensive goods for a bigger payday? There isn't a 'correct' way to go about things in Jaipur, and that flexibility helps the game stand out. On a side note, Jaipur is a great example of a game that plunges you into a completely new and captivating atmosphere and story. It’s a great representation of Indian culture – a bustling market in the sun-bleached Thar Desert, colourful bazaars selling local oddities, satins and silks, and priceless gems; it’s an area of the world which we see all too little in our media and games. Jaipur is a homage to a quintessentially Indian environment, which makes it really interesting to play as you put yourself right in the busyness and energy of the market. What’s not to like? What Could Be Better?