Plays Well With Two
Plays Well With Two
Kristen H
A pair of married board gamers are on a quest to find the games that work best with two players while also trimming down their collection so only the cream of the crop are left.  Plays Well with Two asks ... Can there be a balance between old classics and the new hotness? Will we find an engine builder that the wife likes and a real-time game that won't make the husband pull out his hair?  Expect strong opinions, playful banter, and interesting perspectives on board gaming every Wednesday (or therabouts)!
Nidavellir Review
Nidavawhat? Kristen and Spin put on their Dwarf helmets and get to work recruiting the best army money can buy in this bidding/set collection board game. Stick around for some ruminations on game expansions too! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playswellwithtwo/message
May 26, 2021
49 min
April Roundup... plus a Podcast Announcement
April was a busy, busy month for Kristen and Spin. Not a lot of games played, but some great new finds and surprises... and LOTS of new additions. Stay dialed in, though, because there's also a (hopefully) exciting new announcement about something coming soon for Plays Well with Two!  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playswellwithtwo/message
May 22, 2021
37 min
Review: Nanga Parbat
Kristen and Spin brave the heights as Sherpas setting up base camps and collecting sets of animals in Nanga Parbat, a two player game by Steve Finn. This semi-abstract game comes in a small box but is chock full of strategy... but will the lure of animeeples and the promise of a thirty-minute playing time be enough to help this game reach the highest peaks of our collection, or will it be left behind at base camp?  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playswellwithtwo/message
May 19, 2021
48 min
Talking Point: Digital Versus Physical Board Games
What do you prefer, a pile of cardboard or pixels on a screen? The pandemic has people flooding sites finding a place to game. Will the fad stick? Kristen and Spin discuss the pros and cons of playing board games online and the major platforms where they can be played: BrettSpielWelt, Yucata, BoardGameArena, and Steam. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playswellwithtwo/message
May 6, 2021
59 min
Spell Smashers : Bargain or Bust?
What happens when a game about fantasy heroes defending a town from monsters loves a word game very much? Spell Smashers. Kristen and Spin picked up this unique card-driven spelling/monster bashing hybrid for half off. Did they stumble on hidden treasure, or do the cards spell "wasted money"? Listen and find out!  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playswellwithtwo/message
Apr 23, 2021
21 min
Triple Threat: Three Roll and Writes Reviewed
Kristen and Spin take a looks at three more roll and writes. Yes, there are some we hadn't played yet! Be excited! Taking a look at Lanterns Dice, Bravo! and Rajas of the Ganges: The Dice Charmers. Be charmed and shout Bravo! while lighting lanterns ... OK, that fell apart. Should you add these into your collection? Do you hoard them like we do? Will one get a rating of 10??? 😲 Listen to find out now! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playswellwithtwo/message
Apr 21, 2021
39 min
Gaming Roundup for March 2021
It's roundup time again! Kristen and Spin discuss what we played last month. The surprises, the disappointments, and the "did we really play Cubitos that many times?" --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playswellwithtwo/message
Apr 16, 2021
30 min
Top 10 2 player only games
Top 10 time!!! What board games made only for two players are the best? Lots of games tout as being playable with 2 but these ones are MADE for only 2. Which ones should you check out? Does your favorite make the list? Which ones are we missing? SPOILERS: Games mentioned in the episode (not in order) are Kero, Memoir 44, Nanga Parbat, Klask, Keyforge, Magic, Watergate, Seastead, Stratego, Othello, Backgammon, Claim, Fox and the Forest, Santorini, Mancala and more! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playswellwithtwo/message
Apr 14, 2021
1 hr 17 min
Carcassonne: Star Wars Edition - Bargain or Bust?
Game companies using popular IP to make special editions of beloved games? This is the way. Kristen and Spin look at 2015's Carcassonne: Star Wars Edition. The task at hand in everyone's favorite galaxy far, far away is to build trade routes, assemble asteroid fields, and fight for control of planets as one of five classic characters, with some unique twists on the classic Carcassonne game formula. Is the force with this twist on the beloved tile-layer, or will a tie-in edition of the game have failed us for the last time?  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playswellwithtwo/message
Apr 9, 2021
17 min
Space Base Review and Welcoming Games Explained
ENGINE... BUILDERS... INNNNNN... SPAAAAAAACCCCCEEEE. John D. Clair's Space Base is going under the eye of Kristen and Spin today. Chewing gum-sized cards, tossing dice, and a surprisingly pleasing aesthetic definitely look like things that appeal to us, but is Space Base's beauty more than just skin deep?  Then,  we discuss what, exactly, a welcoming game is.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/playswellwithtwo/message
Apr 7, 2021
26 min
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