Im familiar enough with board games to know that I’m asking a lot here. My goal is to have a game that I can carry around with me, walk up to people I meet in public, and ask them to play.
The most obvious path here I thought of would be some type of game played with a standard deck of cards. While I’m not opposed to this, I fear the randomness that comes with that might not be what I’m looking for. I want the game to be strategic with minimal luck but simple enough that a first time player could reasonably win against someone experienced.
Something like Hive comes to mind, as it has the pocket variation and seems like it could be easy enough to teach, but I have yet to play it so I fear it might be daunting to newcomers in ways similar to chess.
Thank you in advance for any and all answers, and if you would like further clarification I’d be happy to elaborate!
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Hanamikoji could be a good option.
What’s funny is I own this game already and it’s in my top three yet the strategy is so deep I hadn’t even considered this until now! Now that you mention it though it is light and takes up little space, the actions are practically displayed on the tiles, and despite not having perfect information you’d have enough information to deduce what the best move would be while still having enough randomness that an inexperienced player has the ability to make a “comeback”. This game just keeps getting better lol
My goal is to have a game that I can carry around with me, walk up to people I meet in public, and ask them to play.
Is it just about portability or do you also need a small playing area?
I want the game to be strategic with minimal luck but simple enough that a first time player could reasonably win against someone experienced.
Those goals are at odds. If there’s minimal luck, there’s little room for the new player to win in a strategic game.
That being said:
- Azul can be quite portable (if you dump the box), but needs some playing space. It’s vicious with two players, the more experienced player will usually win, but the rules are simple enough for a first time player to at least understand what happens.
- Onitama is chess-like, with simple rules and some randomization that prevents the need to memorize start sequences and the like.
- Arboretum is a tight battle with two players. You constantly need to worry which cards to play in order to gain points, which cards to keep in order to even be eligible for scoring and which useless cards not to drop, because they might be useful for your opponent.
- Kahuna is a bit older, with simple rules but some strategy.
- The Fox in the Forest is a two player trick taking game I found rather enjoyable (and I don’t even like trick taking games).
Ideally it wouldn’t require a large playing area, but I am open to all options as long as it’s portable.
Also, you have reminded me of Onitama which somehow didn’t come to mind while thinking of games to match my description. It seems to be the perfect game in terms of strategic content, since the randomization provides minimal edge to an experienced player but it maintains all the strategy and perfect information.
Fox in the Forest is definitely a good option, and I’m interested in Arboretum but from what I’ve gathered it can be a lot to take in at first. I have yet to play it but from videos it seems like the rules are quite simple but the scoring (which is what you play to optimize) can be a bit to wrap your head around. It’s been a while so I might be misremembering, do you think it would be easy enough to explain quickly?
The only thing in Arboretun’s scoring that might be difficult at first is that you need to have the most points for a tree type in hand in order to score that tree type at all. And at the same time you need to have played some cards of this tree type, so you actually have something to score ;)
The details of scoring can be (and probably should be) shown in a player aid:
- “8” in hand counts as 0 if the other player has the “1”
- 1 point for each card in a path (2 if it’s all the same color and at least 4 cards long)
- +1 point if the path starts with the “1”
- +1 point if the path ends with the “8”
There’s an Azul Mini which would be more portable.
Give “Love Letter” a try.
@Lushed_Lungfish @umean2me I am seconding Love Letter. I think that, when played in two people, Tails on Fire is not too random either.
in Hive, there is no way a new player can challenge somebody who already knows the game + the movements of the insects confuses new players
do you know Set, it’s not a strategy game but that’s why somebody who’s playing for the first time can challenge a more experienced player. No luck either.
I’ve recently discovered Ninjan ☞ https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/425254/ninjan basics are from rock paper scissors (so everybody is familiar with the dynamics) It adds another level to this base
Ninjan looks really neat! After reading through replies I’m starting to consider having maybe a few games I rotate out, some more strategic and others simpler more social games. Ninjan is definitely getting added to that list.
Our portable goto is Star Realms, but other card-based games will work. Dominion comes to mind except for the deck size!
Star Relams is a great choice! Basically a deck builder where each player is building their deck throughout the game. There are factions, and economy, and expansions to extend the variability.
Dominion is also good, but you’d need to decide on the deck to use ahead of time (Dominion has multiple decks you can build for normal play, so most games only use a fraction of all the cards).
‘Mastermind’ is a peg-based two player game. Loved playing that when I was younger.
Hive Pocket is fairly easy to learn, maybe strangers would be down to play. I would also recommend a magnetic set of backgammon or maybe mancala.
If space isn’t limited, I really like Knarr. It’s pretty short and easy to learn, but it does basically require a decently sized table.
Splendor. If taken out of the box, it can be stored in a much smaller box. It is very easy to learn and a lot of fun for 2-4 players.
Also there’s Splendour Duel which is specifically for 2 players
I have never played it, but have heard it is not as good as splendor.
I personally prefer it, feels like it has way more options especially for 2 players
I feel the same
Actually plays a lot better, imo
Splendor Duel is more complicated to teach but has more agonizing decisions (lots of times when you can make a good move that also enables good moves for your opponent or you take a bad move and deny your opponent opportunities).
For some people both of those are positive changes, but I think both are negative.
I have travel versions of Guess Who, Connect 4, Operation and Battleship that I acquired from work (they were a Happy Meal toy line at McDonald’s a while back).
Guess Who and Battleship can technically be played on paper, or just verbally (Guess Who but with people you know or celebrities is basically just 20 questions). Connect 4 and Operation can be 3D printed, if you have a printer. Though Operation would also require some electrical parts if you want the full experience. And if you make it yourself, you can actually make it shock you if you touch the sides and not just buzz.
I also love me some Mille Bornes and Uno.
You might like the Pack O Game series, very small and portable. Hue would be a good one to check out but the rest are good too:
Oh this is cool! I’ve been familiar with Oink! games as tiny portable packages but Pack O Game has managed to escape me until now, thanks for the recommendation!
I’m designing a micro dexterity game (6 pieces) that I think would work here:
https://github.com/s3rvant/boardgames/blob/main/Leap Frog/Rules v11.mdI’m still tweaking a couple rules to fine tune the feel I’m after though pieces won’t be changing so I could send a set if interested in providing some feedback?
I would love to provide feedback! Been looking for a neat little dexterity game as well.
DM sent
Mr. Jack Pocket is the ultimate short simple 2 player game. The depth of gameplay is much greater than the size of the game or ruleset.
This actually looks incredible I’m not sure how I’ve skipped out on this game for so long. It seems perfect for what I’m going for. Thank you!
“Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza” is a card game that’s purely reaction based, and is very similar to “war” which you may have played with a standard deck of cards in grade school, but there are a few special cards to mix things up a little bit.
Since it’s reaction-based, it’s not very luck based and it’s not very strategic (edit: oops you asked for strategy, my bad … disregard?). After a round, everyone knows what the cards look like, so experience counts for very little as well.
And it’s surprisingly fun. We laugh a lot. Pro tip: remove wedding rings.
You need a flat surface to play on.
Reasonable options might be Cat Lady or Cascadia, maybe Codenames Duet and Welcome To.
I also second Splendor and Star Realms.
Heckmeck.
The version I have is in what I assume is German, but I’m pretty sure it has an English name. It’s probably more luck than strategy, but can’t possibly win without some sort of a plan. Roll some dice, decide what to keep, and get those worms!
Replacing the box with a bag would increase portability.
