It’s that time of year again! The clocks have changed, the leaves are turning, and the rain doesn’t seem to stop. For many couples, this is the season for hunkering down with a warm drink and staying cozy. Whether you’re just friends or madly in love, these games will keep you smiling no matter how dark and stormy it is outside.
Boop
This adorable 2-player game pits you and your opponent in a deadly game of… pushing cats off the bed? In Boop, each player is given eight Kittens to place on the bed. Each time you place a Kitten on the bed, all of the other cats – including yours – are “booped” one space away. If one of your cats falls off the bed, it goes back into your inventory. Lining up three of your Kittens in a row allows you to replace them with a single Cat, and lining up three Cats ends the game. Featuring one of the cutest game boards we’ve ever seen (a fabric “bed” that fits over the back of the box), easy rules, and quick games, this is the perfect way to break the ice with a new friend, or show your partner who’s boss.
Patchwork
In Patchwork, each player works separately to create the best quilt they can with the patches of fabric available to them within the allotted time. Managing the mismatched fabric tokens, each player builds their own personal quilt, trading their earned buttons for new patches until they each run down their turn-clock. Once the turn counter runs out, the player with the most beautiful quilt and the least amount of empty spaces wins! This is the way to go for couples who value parallel play or are looking for something more cerebral.
Ticket to Ride: New York
While the standard Ticket to Ride game is a full-on board game experience, Ticket to Ride: New York (or any of the other city-themed variations) is a slimmed-down, fast-playing variant that plays best with two players. Rather than planning and competing for large swaths of Europe, players are handed the more condensed map of New York City, where they must manage taxi routes rather than train tracks. Bringing the standard 30-60 minutes of Ticket To Ride down to around 15 minutes is a great way to play a classic while keeping things intimate.
Codenames: Duet
For couples looking for less competition, Codenames: Duet takes the basic concepts of Codenames, where players race to identify enemy agents, and reshuffles the deck to have both players work together to reveal all the agents on the board. One player guesses cards until they reveal a bystander, after which they swap roles to provide clues to their partner. Revealing an assassin results in a game over for both players, so be selective with the clues you provide! Like Ticket to Ride, this is a slimming-down of the classic Codenames game, so players of that will find this familiar ground. Couples can use their familiarity with each other to give good clues, and getting in that zone with a partner to work through these challenges makes Codenames: Duet a must-have.
Sky Team
Another cooperative game, Sky Team places two players in the roles of the pilot and co-pilot of an airliner on final approach. Players must work together to solve problems such as ensuring the landing gear is down, the runway is clear, and that the aircraft is on speed and doesn’t overshoot the runway. Each of the various airports featured in the game contain its unique challenges, and both players will need to be excellent communicators and planners to ensure everyone lands safely. Like Codenames: Duet, Sky Team emphasizes good communication and trust, where a successful landing depends on your ability to work a problem together.
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So, next time the weather outside is frightful, grab one of these delightful two-player games and make your cozy nights even more special. Whether you're laughing over a game of Boop or strategizing in Codenames: Duet, these games are sure to bring you closer together and fill your evenings with fun and warmth.
Stay snug, enjoy the company, and let the games begin!