Games

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bluemarlin08
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Games

Post by bluemarlin08 »

Any recommendations for games for a couple? So tired of TV
psteinx
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Re: Games

Post by psteinx »

Be more specific.

Video games?
Computer games?
Card games?
Euro-style board games?
Older American style board games?
Party games?

What games do you like now?
livesoft
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Re: Games

Post by livesoft »

Jigsaw puzzles are good for a couple. Chess, not so much.
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Watty
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Re: Games

Post by Watty »

My wife and I play Carcassonne - The Castle on a regular basis.

It take about an hour to play and it does not take a lot of detailed strategy so neither of us tends to win all the time which makes repeatedly playing it enjoyable. It is not just shear luck either.


http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/7717 ... nne-castle

This is strictly a two player game and there are many other games(probably too many) in the Carcassone series if you want find one that that you can play with other people, including older kids.
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rob
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Re: Games

Post by rob »

* Lots of 2-hand card games
* Quiz game called Mind Trap (asks questions in a way that includes a perspective trap)
* Ball game called Abalone
* Backgammon or Chess is god but you both have to be into the game as they both take commitment (especially chess)
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pdc3610
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Re: Games

Post by pdc3610 »

doubles wild
FedGuy
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Re: Games

Post by FedGuy »

"Pandemic" is a great game in which the players cooperate to thwart the spread of four plagues throughout the world. It's fun, but rewards fairly deep strategy that can shift suddenly as a result of random luck within certain constraints. Best of all, it's a cooperative game--both/all players are working together to achieve the same goal, and no score is kept. It's great for couples if you want to avoid the awkward dynamic of beating (or losing to) your partner.
Mingus
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Re: Games

Post by Mingus »

I hear role playing can be fun.
Pizzasteve510
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Re: Games

Post by Pizzasteve510 »

If you haven't tried it and want to invest rock star and guitar hero are surprisingly fun if you want to splurge of a game unit.
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LadyGeek
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Re: Games

Post by LadyGeek »

I removed some off-topic posts. As a reminder, see: Forum Policy
We expect this forum to be a place where people can feel comfortable asking questions and where debates and discussions are conducted in civil tones.
We also maintain a family-friendly environment, meaning things you can say in front of the little ones.
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Tom_T
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Re: Games

Post by Tom_T »

If you both have smartphones, try Trivia Crack. It's not something you play together at the same time -- it's a take-turns kind of thing. i.e. You answer some questions, and when you get one wrong, it's the other person's turn, but they simply get notified on their phone, so they can respond immediately, the next day, or whenever. It's a fun way to pass a few minutes (or more!) when you get a break in your daily schedule. It is all the rage with teenagers right now, but it's actually a better game for adults; teens are probably not going to know too many cultural and trivia references of prior decades.
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Zapped
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Re: Games

Post by Zapped »

Banagrams is great fun for a couple and also accommodates many more players. It's like Scrabble but there's no board and no tile-scoring. Much quicker than Scrabble & the gameplay is simultaneous.

Boglehead tip: retails is US$15 ($US14 at Amazon currently) but I've often seen it in the toy aisle at Walgreen's pharmacy for about US$10.
- Jim in Austin, TX
Jack FFR1846
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Re: Games

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

Risk


It teaches you geography too. Probably better with 4 players but 2 can play
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HomerJ
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Re: Games

Post by HomerJ »

Jack FFR1846 wrote:Risk


It teaches you geography too. Probably better with 4 players but 2 can play
Also teaches you to never get involved in a land-war in Asia. :)
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SmileyFace
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Re: Games

Post by SmileyFace »

Backgammon is a great game for 2. Spouse and I used to play it frequently.

Chinese Checkers, Chess, Card Games.
1000 or 2000 piece puzzles can also be fun to do together.
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HomerJ
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Re: Games

Post by HomerJ »

There's a board game called Sequence which is fun for two people.

My wife and I also play Ping-Pong a lot... We're almost exactly the same skill level, so it makes it fun.
nordlead
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Re: Games

Post by nordlead »

We have played:

Rumikub - Rummy with tiles and a few twists on the Rummy style of card games
Carcassonne - Base Game + Inns & Cathedrals + Traders & Builders
Lords of Vegas - You build casinos and try to own the vegas strip. Lots of gambling with easy to calculate (or aproximate anyways) odds. Very thematic, lots of fun.
Phase 10 - A contract rummy variant
Ticket to Ride - You collect sets of cards to complete train routes. I have both the US and Nordic maps.
Backgammon - self explanatory

possibly others. You can go to http://boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgame and browse hundreds of games and search based on optimal number of players, type of game, themes, etc...
a
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Re: Games

Post by a »

Guitar Hero and the like are a great activity, though
I am not sure of the long-term replayability. However
the active nature of it is really a fun experience worth
trying once.

Dominion is a fun board / card game. It's easy to learn:
pretty much one practice game gets anyone going.
I think all ages can learn it. It has pretty good replay
value. A game takes 15-20 minutes if you aim to play
fast. It's good for 2 players, and more fun with more.

Dominion motivates you to engage your brain pretty
well.
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ryuns
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Re: Games

Post by ryuns »

There are a million great board and video and app-based games, though, since the OP is a little vague, it's hard to know for sure. My wife and I play pretty well together at games like Scrabble and chess. Though I'm heads above at trivia games (like watching Jeopardy), we're pretty evenly matched at things like Scrabble or chess. We're also competitive enough to make it interesting, but no one gets too frustrated. That's not going to be the case with everyone, so you just kind of have to experiment with what you have the most fun doing. You're also not going to be in the mood for intellectual games all the time. We have an old Wii that someone gifted us, and we occasionally put on Mario Bros for Wii, if we're feeling extra mindless. Two player mode is pretty great, actually.
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Shlag
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Re: Games

Post by Shlag »

Games! Board (table top) games are one of my hobbies, though I love video games and backyard games. We are currently in a golden era of table top gaming and there are thousands of games out and more on the way. We no longer have to played flawed games such as Chess or Risk.

If you are looking for good two player games:

For more casual players
Carcassone (woot! previously mentioned) ... The Castle expansion is designed for two players.
Jaipur -- card game of resource trading; plays fast, easy to learn.
Lost Cities -- had a lot of fun with this one; goal is build expeditions based on card numerical values. Has some press your luck elements ... risk adverse bogleheads might find that interesting

For more tatical based play:
Neuroshima Hex -- my current fav 2 player game; can be brutal on new players

For more than 2 people :
King of Tokyo -- dice rolling king of the hill game; beyond fun, probably the most requested game in my collection; the new version King of New York is good also; best with 4-6 players. Not great with 2.
Ticket to Ride -- my wife and I always start new people on this one; fun, easy to learn; I prefer 1910 expansion. Best with 4 people.
Settlers of Catan -- resource trading and building; best with 4 people

I could go on and on! There are a ton of great games out there! As previously mentioned -- http://www.boardgamegeek.com
sramina
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Re: Games

Post by sramina »

Shlag wrote:We no longer have to played flawed games such as Chess or Risk.
Chess isn't a flawed game!

But I agree with Jaipur and Lost Cities, they are great starter board (card) games for two people and may inspire you to delve further into the board gaming scene. My wife's parents love Ticket to Ride as well.
hq38sq43
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Re: Games

Post by hq38sq43 »

Card Games: Ely Culbertson's Jo Jotte, Gin Rummy, Canasta

Board Games: Scrabble, Checkers

All easy to learn and fun to play

Happy New Year,
Harry at Bradenton
Fallible
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Re: Games

Post by Fallible »

bluemarlin08 wrote:Any recommendations for games for a couple? So tired of TV
Good board games for two: Scrabble, chess, and checkers. You can also set up a puzzle in one area of the house and work on it as you wish. Since I was a kid, these games (plus Monopoly, but better with more than two) have been perennials at our family holiday gatherings. Some of the more fanatical among us would play two or even three of the board games at the same time (playing Scrabble with three or four, chess and/or checkers with others, all of us seated at or near one large table. Went on forever, of course.

I haven't played cards in quite awhile, but gin rummy was one of my favorites and it's easy to learn.
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lightheir
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Re: Games

Post by lightheir »

Chess is great for singles - not so great for couples.

But for singles, it's got everything. You can study it hard, play it casually, go all hi-tech with computer analysis, or total old-school analog with only a board and pieces, and with the internet you can find capable competition at your level 24/7. It's the best thing out there for a competitive brain game.

Not so good for couples, though. Chess tends to draw a heavily male population, like upwards of 95%+ of players being male at adult tournaments (probably closer to 98%+). But that's not the main reason - it's just that when you lose, you can feel pretty down since there's very little luck involved for the most part. Like it or not, it's a very antagonistic game between opponents - you're not working together to a common goal, and in reality you're trying to destroy the opponent's position with everything you got. Not so great for couples looking to unwind for a pleasant evening!
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Epsilon Delta
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Re: Games

Post by Epsilon Delta »

You might also want to look at some traditional "pub games".

Cribbage is a good two handed card game.

There are some physical skill games that might appeal. These require some equipment, but it can be home made.

Shove ha'penny
Skittles

Pool or darts would require more commitment to equipment.
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Clever_Username
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Re: Games

Post by Clever_Username »

FedGuy wrote:"Pandemic" is a great game in which the players cooperate to thwart the spread of four plagues throughout the world. It's fun, but rewards fairly deep strategy that can shift suddenly as a result of random luck within certain constraints. Best of all, it's a cooperative game--both/all players are working together to achieve the same goal, and no score is kept. It's great for couples if you want to avoid the awkward dynamic of beating (or losing to) your partner.
Second on Pandemic, which is great as long as no players strive to be alpha, at which point it's like watching one person play a video game that requires observers to talk periodically.

There's also Fortune and Glory, which can be cooperative, and is Indiana Jones like.

Also a suggestion for OP (or anyone interested in games): check out "Tabletop." It's an online "TV" show where Wil Wheaton and three friends (varies over episodes) play a board game and explain the rules. It's a lot more entertaining than it sounds and is a great way to discover new games. Sometimes, my friends will find a game they like on that, but will request people to view a particular episode before coming to a games night where they plan to feature the new discovery.
"What was true then is true now. Have a plan. Stick to it." -- XXXX, _Layer Cake_ | | I survived my first downturn and all I got was this signature line.
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BeerMoney
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Re: Games

Post by BeerMoney »

Mobile (tablets/smartphones):

Spaceteam (even better with more than two players)
Bam Fu
The Room 1 and 2 (single player, but you can take turns and the person watching can still help solve the puzzles)
The Walking Dead (again, single player but you can take turns and it can be a good experience together)

Console:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers:_ ... f_Two_Sons
This one is on PC too, a great way to play co-op is to share the controller. Each person gets one of the brothers to control, and as a bonus you have to sit very close to make it work!

The Wii U has a ton of excellent multiplayer games, many of them cooperative.

Game & Wario. Lots of cute, quirky minigames here such as one that requires one player to be good at blending into crowds while the other has to be observant in order to figure out which person in the crowd is being controlled by the player who is the "thief".
Super Mario 3D World
Mario Kart 8
New Super Mario Bros U
Nintendo Land
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
Pikmin 3
Kirby Super Star

WarioWare Smooth Moves (Wii)
Boom Blox (Wii)


PC (actually most of these are on certain consoles too):

Minecraft. Build together!
Castle Crashers
Magicka
Portal 2
Dungeon Defenders
Tanelorn
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Re: Games

Post by Tanelorn »

Zapped wrote:Banagrams is great fun for a couple and also accommodates many more players. It's like Scrabble but there's no board and no tile-scoring. Much quicker than Scrabble & the gameplay is simultaneous.

Boglehead tip: retails is US$15 ($US14 at Amazon currently) but I've often seen it in the toy aisle at Walgreen's pharmacy for about US$10.
You can also play it with the Scrabble tiles - no need to buy a new game at all if you already have the other. I think it's better with the scoring values on the letters, but you could ignore them if you want.

For those who haven't seen/played Banagrams, each person takes 10-20 tiles and everyone simultaneously and independently tries to built a free-form crossword grid using as many as possible (with unused letters counting against you). You can play it on a short timer for 2-3 minutes, until the first person calls "done" having used all their tiles, or whatever you prefer. If you want to take the luck out of it (from getting lots of easy/hard letters), you can keep the tiles you used together after the hand and pass them all to the next player until each person has played one round with each set.
Mudpuppy
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Re: Games

Post by Mudpuppy »

Settlers of Catan and its variants are popular around here. It's originally a board game, but there are now many electronic versions. There's even card games based on it.

On the card game side, I travel in geek circles, so the card game choices tend to follow along... Chez Geek, Killer Bunnies, Munckin, and the like would be the more family-friendly ones.

Edit: The mileage may vary on these games when just playing with two people.
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Clever_Username
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Re: Games

Post by Clever_Username »

Mudpuppy wrote:On the card game side, I travel in geek circles, so the card game choices tend to follow along... Chez Geek, Killer Bunnies, Munckin, and the like would be the more family-friendly ones.
I'd like to echo Munchkin -- get your preferred variety. There's classic (fantasy), martial arts, western, zombies, vampires, and a ton more. They all mix and match well too.

There's also any of the varieties of Flux. And that game... oh my, how it varies. I prefer Star Flux myself.
"What was true then is true now. Have a plan. Stick to it." -- XXXX, _Layer Cake_ | | I survived my first downturn and all I got was this signature line.
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obgyn65
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Re: Games

Post by obgyn65 »

"The two most important days in someone's life are the day that they are born and the day they discover why." -John Maxwell
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VictoriaF
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Re: Games

Post by VictoriaF »

My current favorite games are Set and Qwirkle.

Victoria
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Lilly
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Re: Games

Post by Lilly »

We like to play Scrabble.

Lilly
Caduceus
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Re: Games

Post by Caduceus »

If you are retired or have a lot of time, you could try video games. I saw some younger folks playing a game together on a huge tv screen just last weekend and the graphics and gameplay experience blew me away. Definitely not like anything I played as a kid and much more interesting. This is one area where tech has definitely caused a revolution in experience.

Also, be sure to choose games you will both enjoy. My ex and I were both ultra-competitive, and it made for some particularly awkward evenings :)
sls239
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Re: Games

Post by sls239 »

We like to do little adventure games on the PC together. Good ones lately have been The Longest Journey series - which just released it's 3rd, and The Book of Unwritten Tales. We've also been known to crank up the difficulty on a game like Civilization and play as a team.

With most games the difference in interest and ability is too great to make it fun just between us, even though we will play lots of games with a group of people. When you play repeatedly with one person, it becomes easier and easier to take a slight skill advantage and turn it into a win.

The other thing we do together, mostly on long car trips, is crossword puzzles.
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climber2020
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Re: Games

Post by climber2020 »

Anyone ever play Blokus? It's kind of like Tetris, but a little different.
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VictoriaF
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Re: Games

Post by VictoriaF »

climber2020 wrote:Anyone ever play Blokus? It's kind of like Tetris, but a little different.
I played Blokus. Qwirkle is the same type of a game but is more fun.

Victoria
Inventor of the Bogleheads Secret Handshake | Winner of the 2015 Boglehead Contest. | Every joke has a bit of a joke. ... The rest is the truth. (Marat F)
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Clever_Username
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Re: Games

Post by Clever_Username »

Caduceus wrote:Also, be sure to choose games you will both enjoy. My ex and I were both ultra-competitive, and it made for some particularly awkward evenings :)

Co-operative games are key here, I think. My current favorite within this realm is Scott Pilgrim Vs The World on X-Box 360. Well worth the $10 or so.
"What was true then is true now. Have a plan. Stick to it." -- XXXX, _Layer Cake_ | | I survived my first downturn and all I got was this signature line.
fareastwarriors
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Re: Games

Post by fareastwarriors »

My gf and I play Clash of Clans on our phones. :D
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