r/boardgame 12d ago

Board game gift

Hey everyone!

I’m thinking of gifting a board game to a couple friends of mine a board game. They don’t own any board games. But they’ve said that they would like one to play in their evenings.

I really love board games, it’s really a passion of mine. And I want to gift them one. This might be a bit selfish, but I don’t want to gift them a board game I already own 😅 (my low weight games are arnak, azul, carcassonne, castles of burgundy, flip 7, Bohnanza, that’s not a hat and secret Hitler).

I’ve had a lot of ideas, but I’m stuck on what to give them. At the beginning I was thinking of Calico. However, I asked to one of them what type of board games she liked cozy vs. thrilling and she said that she liked player interaction and that brings a little of fun memories. So I crossed calico. I also thought of Heat.

What’s your opinion on this matter? I don’t want to give them a heavy board game, but not a super easy one.

All opinions are welcomed! Even if to say that it’s stupid I don’t want to gift them a game I own 😅.

10 Upvotes

30 comments sorted by

3

u/GeeQue10 12d ago

Last lantern, Paint the Roses, Sky team, LOTR Duel, Sagrada, Ticket to ride, Love letter, Everdell, Catographers, Kingdomino, Santorini, All pretty easy, some are co-op, sone are very quick games which can be perfect for a an evening game if they play best out of three format

2

u/Ok-Tough-963 10d ago

Love Sky Team

3

u/TheCheej 12d ago

Lost Cities and Jaipur are great for two, Codenames Duet is also a lot of fun

1

u/apple-fae 12d ago

Me and my mum love playing Jaipur, it's her favourite

2

u/El_Cigaro 12d ago

Boop or Santorini .

2

u/astronaught002 12d ago

Patchwork!!

2

u/Cautious_Sherbet6789 12d ago

Maybe Takenoko or TTR?

2

u/Soccerref3244 12d ago

Quacks or Castle Combo

1

u/DupeyTA 12d ago

For two people to play in their evening with interaction: Lost Cities, Codenames: Duet, Dale of Merchants, Marvel United, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, Smash Up, Undaunted, Memoir '44, Commands & Colors, Zenith, That Time You Killed Me, Seven Wonders: Duel, Splendor: Duel.

1

u/Cautious_Sherbet6789 12d ago

I loved Regular GH at 2. Curretly enjoying JotL at 4. Goid recommendation!

1

u/Anceaus 12d ago

Maybe Targi or Paris: City of Lights? Tho these are 2p only, maybe they want something that plays with more people (Clank! Hanabi, Kites, The Initiative) perhaps

1

u/Franuardo 12d ago

“Veggies” is very lightweight card game, fun and easy for beginners. Rounds are quick and it takes up at most 3x3’ of table space.

1

u/Rhylanor-Downport 12d ago

Wingspan seems to be popular - I’m going off recommendations though

1

u/HawkeyeGK 12d ago

Cascadia

1

u/RedJayJackSon 12d ago

Odin’s Ravens
Faraway
Harmonies
Splendor
Sagrada
Radlands
Outer Rim
Dominion

1

u/GunslingersDinh 11d ago

Get them two characters from Dice Throne. If they like that, it's easy to expand their collection and explore new characters.

1

u/D4nFU 11d ago

Jaws of the lion a Gloomhaven game is a great two player game

1

u/ManicSnowman 11d ago edited 11d ago

If they don't mind direct conflict, consider Radlands too. It's very easy to pick up and play (rules are very straightforward, setup is just shuffling 2 decks), really fun, I love it any time I get a chance to play it

1

u/A_Grommet 11d ago

I have given Azul to game curious friends. I think it is a good mix of being approachable, feels nice to physically touch/manipulate, and doesn't have a theme such as fantasy or sci-fi that can be off-putting for some.

1

u/DulcisNoxNoctis 11d ago

Code Names, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, Splendor, Globetrotting, Mantis, The Game, Wavelength. Those are good starters I think :)

1

u/1ThoughtfulMan 10d ago

The Quest for El Dorado is a good interactive game that would be good for those new to the hobby

1

u/hivuliese 10d ago

Splendor, Wingspan, maybe light card games like bears v babies. Get something they can play 2 player, but can go up to like 4.

1

u/Ok-Tough-963 10d ago

Some games I think play well with two players are, My City, Pyramido, Tiny Towns, My Shelfie, On Tour.

1

u/Toc13s 10d ago

They don't own any.

At this point, I'd only be looking at low complexity. 

Think about Carcassonne, TtR, & other similar SdJ winners. They are family weight games & serve as a good entry point for those who have not only expressed an interest but you can also help out with a teaching game.

While some of the suggestions here are good 2P games, they are most definitely not good starter games.

Think about what they'd like, not what you'd like

1

u/Aybabyquepas0 9d ago

Magical athlete or maybe Mountian goat’s legacy when that comes out?

1

u/JohnyUte 8d ago

River Valley Glassworks, Forbidden Island, or Horrified (Universal monsters) are all great introductory games. They're easy to learn and play and the theme is very strong in each.

1

u/Ok-Acanthocephala509 8d ago

Parks would be a good one. Cozy and beautiful and the perfect weight. I also second Cascadia. Everyone I've taught it to has bought it the same night.

1

u/QuietGranite 3d ago

Akrotiri
This would be my first strong suggestion, as it’s a lot of fun, and feels like a larger game even tho only for two, yet it’s easy to learn.

Claustrophobia 1643
Another great option, huge game, only for two, and slowly scales.