Nathan T
United States
New York
-
Thinking of putting one of the following games in my pocket: Hanamikoji, BraveRats, Tides of Madness... thanks in advance!
-
Clayton Stewart
United States
Annapolis
Maryland
-
Me and my boys have had a lot of fun playing various forms of Love Letter, so I picked up BraveRats earlier this year. Since they're both designed by the same person, I figured it was worth a shot. We played the game for about a week, and then quickly forgot about it. There's just not much of a game there to hold your interest for very long.
-
Nathan T
United States
New York
-
Thanks for the advice -- and especially as you are a Love Letter fan I can assume that you would have picked up on any potential nuances for bluffing and/or metagame and still lost interest.
I saw a couple different reviews saying that Love Letter was actually BETTER than BraveRats even at 2 players, but I would put myself in the camp that Love Letter simply doesn't work for me at 2 players -- which is why I'm shopping!
-
Casey Clark
United States
Centerville
Ohio
-
I haven't played any of the games you listed but I would put in a vote for
13 Minutes: The Cuban Missile Crisis
For such a small game I think this game has a lot of depth. Ten dollars well spent in my book.
-
Jordan Fraser
Canada
Edmonton
Alberta
-
Khmer or its new version Elements is awesome.
-
Nathan T
United States
New York
-
Poserdisposer wrote:
I was rather stymied looking into this one. There are reviews around, but has there ever been a US version of either game? It seemed wildly unavailable (at least for new copies).
-
Nathan T
United States
New York
-
casinatorcxc wrote: I haven't played any of the games you listed but I would put in a vote for 13 Minutes: The Cuban Missile CrisisFor such a small game I think this game has a lot of depth. Ten dollars well spent in my book.
This game looks incredible, maybe permanently raising the bar for microgame size/depth ratio. But I'm concerned simply that the theme isn't something I'd always want to pull out of my pocket at a moment's notice. And normally I'm not one who minds/cares about theme at all, it's just for this particular niche that I'm trying to fill, this particular theme REALLY seems off. But I will try this game soon!
-
Curt Frantz
United States
Pennsylvania
-
I'd vote Hanamikoji. Every game has interesting decisions and only takes 10-15 minutes.
-
James C
United States
McLean
Virginia
-
My guess would be Tides of Time/Madness. But in general I dislike micro games so I can't really say.
Let me through out an oldie: Beat the Buzzard.
baronholbach wrote: Poserdisposer wrote: I was rather stymied looking into this one. There are reviews around, but has there ever been a US version of either game? It seemed wildly unavailable (at least for new copies).
The Elements version is a multilingual German/English release. I was able to get a cheap used copy, but maybe if you can't do that, try Game Surplus. I love the super thick cards (they are almost tiles!)
-
Jordan S.
United States
Plano
Texas
-
I like Hanamikoji but as 2-player microgames go, I also recommend Dragon Punch...and it's designed to fit in your pocket.
-
Eric
United States
Illinois
-
Hanamikoji is a great game. Tides of Time is a good, quick game but the gameplay is not near as interesting as Hanamikoji in my opinion.
Khmer can be played with a rage deck or 2 regular decks of cards. It simply requires two each of cards 1-5 and six of 6. Rules are available in the files section of boardgamegeek.
-
Dan Durkin
United States
Corte Madera
California
-
We've had a lot of fun with BraveRats. It's the closest I've played to a 2 player Love Letter. It's a lighter game and has generated some great moments.
Hanamikoji is a great game, but it's also a brain burner. We're not talking much while playing this one. We're too deep in thought.
Get them both!
-
-
-
+1 for 13 Minutes.
Note that a very similar but also different game has just come out from the same designers: Iron Curtain.
-
Nathan T
United States
New York
-
I found a couple reviews in English of Khmer (again, incredibly sparse info) and I think I got all the rules. Seems wonderfully simple and elegant. Definitely a game to try with my own deck of cards, until a new edition or decent secondhand is available.
-
Jin Juku
United States
Florida
-
The Fox in the Forest - my favorite trick taking card game for two
Pixel Tactics - one of my favorite two player games, a lot of game in a small deck of cards. Several versions available, including some themed with Mega Man characters
Button Men - a fun little vs. dice game. I think the card versions of the older characters are still available to print for free
Micropul - fun little tile-laying game, print and play
Hive Pocket - my wife and I have played this more than any other game because of its portability and replayability
Hey, That's My Fish! - a close follow up to Hive Pocket
NOIR: Deductive Mystery Game - a great card-based deduction game with multiple two-player modes
Spellcaster - a fun two-player wizard-fighting-wizard card game
Star Realms or Hero Realms for pocketable deck building
-
-
-
For the record, BraveRats is nothing like Love Letter.
If you like a micro two player game where you and the other player are playing the game as well as the meta-game, I would highly recommend it. Plus, there are a few different variations to the game that keep it fairly fresh.
If you are trying to decide between this and Hanamikoji... the decision is easy... get both. They are both great!
-
Mike Smith
United States
Logan
Utah
-
Below are my recommendations...
Hive Pocket
Mr Jack Pocket
Battle Line aka Schotten Totten
Jaipur
Hero Realms or Star Realms
Lost Legacy is a more enjoyable two player version of Love Letter IMO
Slightly larger boxed games, but still very portable...
7 Wonders Duel
Lord of the Rings the Confrontation
Patchwork
Honestly I love the art with Tides of Madness, but found the gameplay just okay.
-
Josh Bodah
United States
Cambridge
MA
-
baronholbach wrote: Thinking of putting one of the following games in my pocket: Hanamikoji, BraveRats, Tides of Madness... thanks in advance!
Lots of good games mentioned here but I'll also put in two cents around these:
Hanamikoji is a tricky game with a lot of subtlety. It's pretty tight and will likely stick around the longest. If you like tight games as opposed to swingy games then this is for you
BraveRats is the total opposite. It is swingy and wild. It's a bit samey after awhile as - like Love Letter - there are only so many combinations of cards you will see
Tides of Madness is on the thinkier side too. I found it a little dry for my tastes (pretty generic scoring options) but it's probably the best two player pick-and-pass game I've played. The wife didn't care for it and found it boring though
In summary:
* Do you want a swingy, silly game? If yes, get BraveRats. Else, continue
* Do you want to analyze a starting hand and try to play out a strategy? If yes, get Tides of Madness. Else, continue
* Do you want a knife-fight style back and forth game with a lot of interaction? If yes, get Hanamikoji. Else, try one of the other fine games mentioned here
-
-
-
Eminent Domain: Microcosm
If Star Realms size still counts as micro, then obviously that, but also Dale of Merchants and Valley of the Kings.
-
Craig Somerton
Australia
North Ryde - Sydney
NSW
Duplicitous!
I don't play to win - I play for enjoyment and social interaction.
-
Battle Line is definitely my wife's favourite (because she can beat me). Small, light, quick to play, portable and besides the standard version, I even printed a lovely PrinterStudio version of the Star Wars re-theme from the files section.
-
-
-
Me and the missus are on our third packet of UNO.we take it everywhere even holidays.
Passport.check
Tickets.check
UNO.check.
EDIT . If restricted to your choice BraveRats is great fun.
-
Julian Wasson
United States
Washington
DAD JOKES
Never trot when you can prance.
-
Came to mention Eminent Domain: Microcosm
It's relatively dense, with each card having both scoring fodder and scoring conditions PLUS its effects, but that means you get a lot out of a tiny pack of cards. If you like games with tricky valuation decisions (think Race for the Galaxy) and multi-use cards (Glory to Rome/Eminent Domain), this is both excellent and meaty. This might be in a similar vein to Tides of Madness, which is on my shortlist but I haven't played it yet so unfortunately I can't weigh in on which is better.
I can vouch for Hanamikoji. It's great for trickery and second-guessing your opponent. If you like that aspect of Love Letter but want something that works well with 2 (and also is incredibly beautiful for such a little game), then this might be a good choice.
I think fundamentally you're looking at two different types of games here, and if you want to stick to your list, you can make the decision based on what you like better slash want more right now. Do you want something crunchy where the person who's better at playing the game will win? Go for Tides. Do you want something more social where the person who's better at playing their opponent will win? Go for Hanamikoji.
-
tom tom
United States
Springfield
Missouri
-
Check out Fugitive. It is a great game.
-
|
|
