Risk

“The classic strategy board game of diplomacy, conflict and conquest for two to six players. The standard version is played on a board depicting a political map of the world.... Turns rotate among players who control armies of playing pieces with which they attempt to capture territories from other players, with results determined by dice rolls.... The goal of the game is to occupy every territory on the board and, in doing so, eliminate the other players. The game can be lengthy, requiring several hours to multiple days to finish. European versions are structured so that each player has a limited "secret mission" objective that shortens the game.”

“Risk was invented in 1957 by Albert Lamorisse,... and it became one of the most popular board games in history, inspiring other popular games such as Axis & Allies.... The simple rules but complex interactions make it appealing to adults as well as children and families.” - (source: Wikipedia)

Combat games like Axis & Allies, Memoir 44, and Undaunted have become more popular than Risk becuase of their more complex play features.

There is a good video explaining game play:

Click to view video

There are a few variations on Risk that change the game play, some considerably: Risk Europe, Risk Legacy, and Risk Star Wars. 

Firefly: The Game

Based on the cult TV series Firefly, the board game follows the theme of the show. In Firefly: The Game, players captain their own Firefly-class transport ship, traveling the ‘Verse with a handpicked crew of fighters, mechanics and other travelers. As a captain desperate for work, players are compelled to take on any job -- so long as it pays. Double-dealing employers, heavy-handed Alliance patrols and marauding Reavers are all in a day’s work for a ship’s captain at the edge of the ‘Verse.

There is a large selection of expansions for the game:

Blue Sun expansion

Kalidasa expansion

 

 

 

Firefly expansions: Esmeralda, Jetwash, Pirates & Bounty Hunters, and Artful Dodger

Vera expansion game mat

Produced by GaleForce Nine Games.

Duels and Duets

Although some games are only played with two people, such as chess, backgammon and checkers, most games including board games are created with three or more players in mind. A few currently popular games have introduced separate two player versions. These include 7 Wonders, Catan, Codenames, and Imhotep. Card based two player games like Fugitive, Star Realms and Saboteur: The Duel are popular, and other small format games like Hive Pocket are also popular.

A few review videos (here , here and here) provide lists of their favourite two player games: Chai: Tea for 2, The Fox in the Forest, Fungi, Lost Cities, Onitama, Schotten Totten, Sobek: 2 Players, Splendor Duel, Jaipur, and Watergate. The recent game, The Shores of Tripoli, is also popular.

Most war games are two player. Check out my review of War Games here.

They also recommend some multi-player games that are considered to be very good for two players: Arboretum, Azul, Carcassonne, Castles of Burgundy, Dice Throne, Disney Villainous, Everdell, Fort, Gloomhaven & Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, The Initiative, Innovation, Pan Am: The Game, Lord of the Rings: Confrontation, Patchwork, Res Arcana, Roll Player, Santorini, Seasons, Silver Bullet, Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective series, Tiny Epic Galaxies, and Twilight Struggle.

Carcassonne

Carcassonne is a German-style board game designed by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede. It received the Spiel des Jahres award in 2001. It is named after the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne in southern France, famed for its city walls. Carcassonne is a tile-laying game where players collectively construct the area around the medieval French city of Carcassonne while competing to place followers on various features and score the most points.

There are many expansions available:

Click images to enlarge

The Big Box version contains the base game and all the current expansions:

Carcassone Big Box

See a video of game play here.

Click to view video

Carcassonne is a product of Z-Man Games.

Star Trek Catan

Catan (originally called Settlers of Catan) has been was one of the biggest selling board games of all time that has sold over 20 million copies. I am a fan of Star Trek so I am interested in the Start Trek Catan version.

In Catan, players in the game represent settlers establishing settlements on the island of Catan. Players build settlements, cities, and roads to connect them as they settle the island. In the Star Trek version you explore space with your starships and build outposts and starbases near valuable planets. There you extract important resources such as the coveted dilithium, but the Federation also sends out other expeditions. Also, you have to be wary of competitors — and of the Klingons — who want to give the players a hard time. You keep the adversaries in check and outperform your competitors. 

 

Star Trek Federation Space is an expansion for Star Trek Catan consisting of 2 maps. These maps allow you to settle worlds of Federation Space using pieces from your Star Trek Catan base game.

See a video on the game play:

Click to view video

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong is a game of deduction and deception for 4-12 players that plays in about 20 minutes.

In the game, players take on the roles of investigators attempting to solve a murder case – but there's a twist. The killer is one of the investigators! Each player's role and team are randomly assigned at the start of play and include the unique roles of Forensic Scientist, Witness, Investigator, Murderer, and Accomplice. While the Investigators attempt to deduce the truth, the murderer's team must deceive and mislead. This is a battle of wits!

The Forensic Scientist has the solution but can express the clues only using special scene tiles while the investigators (and the murderer) attempt to interpret the evidence. In order to succeed, the investigators must not only deduce the truth from the clues of the Forensic Scientist, they must also see through the misdirection being injected into the equation by the Murderer and Accomplice! (Source: boardgamegeek.com)

An expansion is available called Deception: Undercover Allies that adds more clues and means cards, more scene tiles, and three new roles.

Here is a good video showing an explanation of the game and a full game being played:

Click to view video

A product of UltraBoardGames.

Catan (Settlers of Catan)

Catan (formerly, Settlers of Catan), invented by German Klaus Teuber, won the Speil des Jahre in 1995. It is one of the most popular board games in the world, selling over 32 million copies and is available in 40 languages. This is a trading and resource development game where players build settlements, cities, and roads to connect them as they settle the island of Catan. A few expansions are available, and many variations of the game have been produced based on different themes.

Expansions available for Catan base model: Seafarers, Explorers & Pirates, Traders & Barbarians and Cities & Knights.

Additional scenarios for the base game: Crop Trust; Oil Springs; Big Game, Big Honor; Helpers of Catan; Frenemies; and eleven regional varieties.

Alternate stand-alone games: A Game of Thrones Catan, Starfarers, Rise of  the Inkas, Family Edition, Settlers of America, and Rivals for Catan (which has its own particular expansions: Age of Enlightenment and Age of Darkness).

There are also a few portable versions: Catan Traveler, Struggle for Catan, Catan Dice Game, and Catan Logic Puzzle.

See a video on game play of Catan here.

Click to view video