I can't exactly recommend this game as I haven't played it... but it has high ratings and I know some of you here will love it!

I just got a promo for Stet! from the NYT Book Review but it is also on the Big A for a little less.

The Nightmare Before Christmas game of Clue is beautiful and creepy and perfect for this time of year into Christmas... but 8 yo nephew had a hard time choosing between this one and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid version.

I am sorry, your second paragraph didn't post. I saw nothing.

As to the first, we are big game players at the beachhouse. Most of the games, though, are for 4+. What about dominoes? We play a game called "chicken feet" and at first it seems silly but then you realize it can be pretty complex. Plus i love the tactile nature of dominoes. They have some very pretty sets.

Do you have pretty decks of cards? I give Caspari playing cards as gifts. Our new card game this season is Yaniv.

You can also play a 2 person version of Codenames.

LOL Mtn! I shop for both my mom and myself-- and my work team. I haven't counted how many but I am sure it is approaching 30. That takes time -- esp because a precedent was set long ago that the kids get multiple gifts. I am tired just thinking of it.

I have a huge pile of pretty caspari cards-- and some others. Funny thing is, I don't play cards-- or haven't in a million years. My favorites are the Great Wave -- I will pack them to take! Great idea-- thanks!

I am also a fan of the Gipf Project abstract strategy games. They can be hard to find but the Big A has the best of them. They are very simple on the surface-- but they become more complex if you are a strategy nerd (we are)

I picked up Zertz

This is not a board game but a relaxing hanging-out activity. When my friends and I get together I often bring jewelry kits. Etsy has some cute, easy, adult versions. I know I sound like a Swifty but I swear I have been doing it long before Taylor made it popular.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/547283452/diy-bracelet-kit-crafts-for-adults?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=bracelet+kit+adult&ref=sr_gallery-1-7&sts=1&referrer_page_guid=65663821-2a96-4f1f-95dc-e3557b60fa77&organic_search_click=1

I just realized that you didn't say that your friend is female. Never mind about the jewelry advice :)

LOL Dee... this is a thread for all to share in. Honestly, I am probably set on games for my trip since I have committed to learning to play chess (beyong the basics which i do know). I think the few I have already ordered will do BUT i have a billion people to get gifts for ...

Can someone tell me about Go? We've talked about it many times and it seems like our kind of game ... I understand it is challenging but is it hard to learn?

Quiddler is a family favorite. Banagrams? Scrabble? Do you think I might be a word nerd?

My friend and I went away last winter and she brought Rummikub. I rolled my eyes at her at first, but we ended up bringing it down to the hotel bar and playing it while having a cocktail and it was so fun! I have since bought my own game.

Jenga is good for two people. Maybe don’t play on a delicate surface, though.

Board games at the bar? Sue, you are my kind of friend.

PS.. I discovered i looooove pinball on the last trip-- pinball + bar = best fun ever!

Rummikub looks like a good contender ... and yes! "We" love scrabble -- well mostly me because I always win but it is a winter tradition for us! He indulges me because I always make a snack board.

One if my grandson’s favorites is Labyrinth. I enjoyed playing with him, as did the other kids. Age 6 or 7 to adult.

Code Names Duet. My husband and I play endless hours of that.

Pandemic and Forbidden Desert are both wonderful but there's a learning curve. My husband and I have also spent hours and hours playing those.

Some of the Escape-room-in-a--box things like the Exit games are pretty fun.

Hanabi is a fun card game for 2.

Ah one of my nieces asked for a "date night" package to include one or more of the Exit games-- she and her DH also like the Sherlock Files mystery games. Is there one of the Exit games you especially recommend, @beaglesdoitbetter? or any to avoid?

Box One. here is a link if it works https://www.target.com/p/box-one-presented-by-neil-patrick-harris-game/-/A-79810129?ref=tgt_adv_xsp&AFID=google&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012544494&CPNG=PLA_Toys%2BShopping%7CToys_Ecomm_Hardlines&adgroup=SC_Toys&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=m&location=1025197&targetid=pla-378621605173&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&gbraid=0AAAAAD-5dfZBL9j-om0cAea71-vVvBzu3&gclid=CjwKCAjw-KipBhBtEiwAWjgwrKJqYDvgv_e-Y8c5fl8pVlVqLnsZx4O_8TBIp7zARk5LhET7uuyj4BoC-6EQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

In re the *other* topic. I was in a cute shop the other day and saw Emma Shipley candles. I know candles are sooooo overdone, but these were in wonderful ceramic jars. I am def getting some for the girls.

https://emmajshipley.com/products/caspian-scented-candle?_pos=10&_sid=b893d8c87&_ss=r&variant=36865765343398

DH did not enjoy board games at all, so I have no recommendations of games for 2. However, I found this Wirecutter article. Perhaps some here have played some of these games and can add their own reviews. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-two-player-board-games/

Cribbage, backgammon, dominoes are our go toos.

We like Take Two. It's fun and fast paced and easy to learn:

Take Two

Take Two (also called Speed Scrabble[8] and similar to Bananagrams) is a fast-paced, non-turn-based Scrabble variant played without a board. Tiles are placed face-down in the middle of the table in a communal pool and each player is given a small number of face-up starting tiles. From their starting tiles, each player tries to build his own valid Scrabble grid—players do not use each other's grid or tiles. When a player successfully uses all of his face-up tiles, he shouts "take two", and every player takes two more tiles. Play continues until there are no more tiles left to draw. In some variants, the person who creates the first complete grid when all the tiles run out is the winner. In others, a calculation based on word length is used to determine the winner.

I was going to suggest cribbage too. We used to play a lot of Othello. Upwords is an interesting version of scrabble where you get to stack the letters and change the word.

Also, you might want to do some coloring. Adult coloring books can be very relaxing and fun especially with gel pens and other markers and pencils that are available these days. And of course putting together jigsaw puzzles is great fun for any number of people...it allows for conversation while puzzling.

Unfortunately DH is not into playing cards or games, so my fun with those has gone to zero since Mom passed. I can remember she and I used to play gin in the a.m. while waiting for the school bus.

Many good ideas-- thank you all. I think we are covered for my trip but also still looking for gifts so please feel free to keep sharing. Hopefully others get ideas from this thread also.

Mtn, the candle is beautiful-- the whole site is! I think I need a lamp shade lol!

Annie, a number of my family members enjoy the coloring books and jigsaw puzzles-- but I am not in that camp. I need to find some fun whimsy puzzles for mom-- the ones where the puzzle shapes reflect or are related to the image.

I will get a Sherlock Files and an Exit (escape room) game for niece and her DH. They love them! Not sure about what I will pick up for others. I did get a Harry Pottery scrabble game for the Hogwarts obsessed 8 yo. I think it is a good age for him to start playing and his parents are scrabble players. What I loved about this game is that it has a card twist-- I thought it looked fun, a few examples ... I hope you can read them.

Thank you all! So many great ideas here for 2 and for groups of all ages!

We just had a fun night with a group of friends playing Tripoli- very old game! It's spelled many ways? I learned this game in high school, and still love playing it!. You can play with poker chips or money.

A great game, that has been around for years, that can be used by kids or adults (because you can make it a drinking game) is Shut the Box. Our kids, grandkids and visiting children learned basic math without realizing they were doing math. The adults make their own rules when used as a drinking game. Our game was purchased at a craft show, maybe 40 years ago? We have the single player game, there are fancier ones.

https://www.mastersofgames.com/rules/shut-box-rules.htm

Sigh. I love board games, but the only ones I play now are Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. In a few years, I imagine we will add Clue, Sorry, and Parcheesi. ;-)

Just another plug for Quiddler (I don’t work for them haha) — we introduced DD’s BF to it last night. This morning he said he really enjoyed it. Our family ranges in age from 22 to 62 and everyone likes it.

We also played Tenzi, a very simple dice game that was new to all of us, and enjoyed it.

My favorite two-handed card game is Pinochle. I've also played Cribbage, Gin Rummy, and Casino in the past and liked those also.

It's good to have a book of card rules for reference, so that you can play according to Hoyle.

Just another plug for Wordle (I don’t work for them haha)

Sue.. did you mean quiddler?

We do still play wordle daily -- haven't tried the board game. Has anyone played it?

Hahaha…word games on the (old) brain! Yes I meant Quiddler!

No help here, Funky…..I didn’t see the plus sign in the header and thought you were looking for games for your NYC trip with the SO…..I was going to suggest strip poker😎

and here I'm trying to find a good gift for my youngest grand who is turning 2 and I thought Wow- what a perfect thread for me. (It's all how you read it).

NOT. :)

LOL Kswl .. I literally just choked on my coffee when I read your post!

This question was posted prior to my Dec/January trip with SO when we hunkered in for a cozy 10 days with movies and games.

we may play chess while in NYC (I learned to play on the previous trip and am now hooked) but there's too much going on in the city (and the hotel room) to play games!

Since this popped up again, I will mention that I brought a new-to-us game called Herd Mentality on our trip to Iceland last month and everyone really liked it. There were 7 of us, ages 24-63, and we had a lot of laughs.

LCR is a great choice for a larger family gathering because the rules are simple enough for almost anyone to join. I also like the idea of using coins or small bills to make it a little more exciting without making the game complicated. For two people, though, 50+ years of nightly gin sounds like a pretty impressive tradition!