Hey Jambo Jambo

September 8, 2011 10:12 PM

My SO and I really enjoy playing a two-player card game called Jambo. If you are familiar with this game, what other two-player game would you recommend that a Jambo player would enjoy?

We enjoy Settlers of Catan as well; however, it isn't two-player. But recommendations for games in that vein and at a similar level of quality, fun and playability would be appreciated.

posted by Blazecock Pileon to sports, hobbies, & recreation (18 answers total)

Do you know Dominion? Everyone loves that stuff it seems.

Otherwise, I suggest Battle Line. It is classic two player Knizia goodness.

Also, Archaeology is kinda similar to Jambo, but can be played with 4 when you have company.
posted by Winnemac at 10:28 PM on September 8, 2011

The classics for 2 players that should be mentioned, because they rank with Settlers as "evergreen" games, are Lost Cities and Carcassonne. But more recent games that I suspect Jambo fans might like include San Juan, Race for the Galaxy, Innovation, and Ascension.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 10:34 PM on September 8, 2011

If you really want to disappear down the rabbit hole, here are some lists of well liked games for two players.
posted by Winnemac at 10:39 PM on September 8, 2011

There is a two-player version of Settlers of Catan, by the way.
posted by cardioid at 10:42 PM on September 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

Fluxx is fun with two players.
posted by The otter lady at 11:29 PM on September 8, 2011

We've been enjoying Qwirkle lately (kind of like Scrabble, but with shapes instead of letters). I'll second Dominion, Carcassonne and Race for the Galaxy too.

If you're looking for something a little different, check out koi-koi - It takes a bit to get the hang of, as it requires you to know the (beautiful, interesting looking) cards fairly well, but it's a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.
posted by soplerfo at 6:11 AM on September 9, 2011

Oh, one more: Pandemic!
posted by soplerfo at 6:15 AM on September 9, 2011

Stone Age works surprisingly well as a 2p game, Taluva is good with 2, and Fjords is a fun, fast 2p only game. Further votes for Pandemic, and I remember the one time I played it I really enjoyed the 2p Catan game.
posted by jeather at 6:32 AM on September 9, 2011

Shazamm!
posted by Garm at 8:10 AM on September 9, 2011

My wife and I have really been enjoying Dragonheart lately. It's a great card game that plays pretty fast. Some of her other favorites are Cartagena (Pirates!), Hey! That's My Fish (Penguins!), and Blokus.
posted by alienzero at 8:47 AM on September 9, 2011

I have not played Jambo, but agree with the above that Carcassonne, Dominion, and Lost Cities all play well as two player games. Additionally I have played and enjoyed Carcassonne Castle (a stand alone version of Carcassonne optimized for two players).

Lost Cities travels well and has a good replay value. It feels a lot like a traditional poker deck card game but I quite enjoy it and it is one of the few games my wife will play.

No one has mentioned it yet but MTG (Magic the Gathering) it excellent for two players. Avoid getting too many cards, but deckbuilding and gameplay are both very fun for two.

Not a huge fun of Blokus but the publisher bought a game called Rumis that I like a lot and released it as Blokus 3D. It can take up to four players but is excellent with two. Think Tetris the boardgame.
posted by BDoyon at 10:35 AM on September 9, 2011

I have not played Jambo, but it appears to be part of a long 2-player game series by Kosmos. Here's a link to BoardGameGeek's list of those games. You may also want to take note of the linked metalist at the top, What to Play with your Spouse.

I just picked up the Lord of the Rings LCG by Fantasy Flight Games, and I've been quite enjoying it. Not sure if cooperative games are what you're looking for, but if they are, this game is basically a 2-player coop Magic: The Gathering without the money sink of randomized boosters.
posted by Errant at 2:33 PM on September 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

I had no idea this question would be so popular. Thanks to all of you for your answers! We have a lot of games to investigate.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:39 PM on September 9, 2011

The two-player The Rivals For Catan game is a lot of fun, thanks for pointing us to it.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:05 PM on September 12, 2011

In a bit late, but have a look at Jaipur. Similar theme to Jambo, and a better, more streamlined game.
posted by liquidindian at 5:11 AM on September 26, 2011

We played Dominion last night. I'm not completely convinced about it, but we'll give it another shot.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:18 PM on September 28, 2011

I'm in a minority that thinks Dominion is awkward and a little tedious with 2 (I feel like a card-counting, alpha-beta pruning algorithm) but fantastic and deserving of the hype with 3 or 4 (I feel like I'm reading other people, doing more guesswork, and playing more opportunistically). If you might ever get to play with more people, it's worth holding onto.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 9:59 PM on September 28, 2011

Agreed: we played it with three people and it was a great deal more fun.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:54 PM on October 24, 2011