Best 2-Player RPG Board Games Featured Image

Best 2-Player RPG Games

Two’s company and three’s a crowd. Sometimes a 2-player role-playing challenge is the best way to connect that also makes a great icebreaker between new buddies! We have a fabulous list of the best 2-player RPG games that are sure to make you eager to slip right into character.

🏆 Our Top Picks for Best 2-Player RPG Games

In a hurry? Take a quick peek before you go.

03/03/2023 03:25 am GMT

Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition 

Mage Knight Ultimate Edition RPG Board Game

Players: 1-5
Playing time: 150 min

In Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition, players are in control of one of seven powerful Mage Knights as they compete to conquer and explore corners of the Mage Knight universe controlled by the Atlantean Empire.

The game involves deck-building, and focuses on collecting powerful spells and actions, while the exploratory element sees participants checking out various caves and dungeons targeting powerful cities to enforce a take-over.

Mage Knight has both cooperative and competitive scenarios, however, the latter allows opposing players to be powerful allies to one another but only one is permitted to claim the land as their own.

What we liked:

Mage Knight is a perfect fantasy game for lovers of campaign-style board games, which provide a feeling of adventure throughout. It gives a nice role-playing element for 2 players, and the Ultimate Edition includes the base game; The Lost Legion, Shades of Tezla, and Krang Character expansions.

The quality of the components is excellent and the game really does have endless replayability once you get the rules sorted out.

What could be better:

Mage Knight is a very complex game, coming in at a 4.65 complexity level on BGG. You may find the rulebook overwhelming, that there is too much to choose from, and a lot to read on the cards, making the game particularly long. 

If you love a challenge, however, Mage Knight is definitely worth your time and effort if you give it a chance!

Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition
$124.99 $100.46

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03/03/2023 08:00 pm GMT

Star Wars: Imperial Assault 

Star Wars Imperial Assault RPG Board Game

Players: 1-5
Playing time: 60-120 min

There is a galactic civil war between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire following the destruction of the Death Star over Yavin 4.

Star Wars: Imperial Assault puts you in the middle of this war. In this tactical combat game, players compete in two different games in the Star Wars universe.

The campaign game and the skirmish game follow different eventual objectives, the first being to break the Empire’s hold over the galaxy, and the latter being a head-to-head fight regarding conflicting goals.

It’s a fantastic 2-player RPG game that allows participants to fully embrace their roles.

What we liked:

Imperial Assault is one of the best dungeon crawlers out there. Also, the option to play either cooperatively or competitively is great to mix things up with your gaming buddy. With Imperial Assault and its expansion packs, you can discover more missions that allow great replayability.

What could be better:

If you’re playing as the Imperials, you may start to feel left out. Your friends will have awesome abilities and you get to play the cannon fodder stormtroopers. You do get some awesome vehicles in a few scenarios, but if you’re not comfortable playing all vs. 1 games, it can get frustrating. 

Star Wars Imperial Assault
$109.99 $93.98

Buy on Amazon Buy at Noble Knight
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03/02/2023 06:26 am GMT

Legacy of Dragonholt 

Legacy of Dragonholt Overview

Players: 1-5
Playing time: 60 min +

Legacy of Dragonholt is a thrilling roleplay game that focuses on the act of creating a story rather than winning or losing.

A narrative and intuitive game that fuses aspects of adventure and open-world concept video games, Legacy of Dragonholt, allows players to choose their role as one of six humanoid races that reside in Terrinoth: humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, gnomes, and catfolk.

With no Game Master, this game gives a spontaneous experience ensuring that each player has ownership of their fate and can decide how their journey plays out. Players can battle goblins, expose an evil lord’s conniving plot, or create a unique, new tale.

Exhilarating dangers and mysteries await that you can experience in six different quests. Players must investigate strange occurrences around the mysterious village and make it their mission to delve into the wild parts and face unique challenges.

What we liked:

If you’re interested in storytelling, Legacy of Dragonholt has an epic one. It’s an easy way to get immersed in a story and fantasy world, without having to be a seasoned role player. 

What could be better:

Once you get used to the system, there will be times you want to do something outside of the designated script, and you won’t be able to. That’s when it’s time to play a traditional tabletop RPG.

Legacy of Dragonholt
$69.99 $43.91

Buy on Amazon Buy at Noble Knight
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03/03/2023 03:25 am GMT

Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth 

Journeys in Middle Earth Board Game box and Components

Players:1-5
Playing time: 60 -120 min

The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth, is a dynamic cooperative game that’s perfect for 2 players, allowing them to explore J.R.R. Tolkien’s renowned world of Middle-Earth through smaller adventures in a larger campaign.

Battle enemies and embark on your own adventure while flexing your survival skills and role-playing during these dangerous missions. This game is a digital hybrid board game with an app that compliments the game nicely.

What we liked:

Create your own legend! Whether you’re on a brave solo quest or with close allies by your side, you can write your own story regarding the history of Middle-Earth. Journeys in Middle-Earth lets you relive your Tolkien fantasies by taking on the role of some of Tolkien’s most iconic characters. 

What could be better:

Journeys in Middle-Earth relies heavily on an app for playing and setup. It’s nice to have a completely random setup or have a computer deal with a lot of the rules, but it does feel like a weird hybrid board game and video game. 

The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth
$109.99

Buy on Amazon Buy at Noble Knight
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03/04/2023 04:00 pm GMT

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game

Players: 1-4
Playing time: 90 min

The Pathfinder Adventure Card game takes the traditional tabletop RPG and turns it into a structured deck-builder. The world comes to life with the description on the cards, quests to hunt down enemies, and of course, gathering up loot and leveling up your characters. 

It’s an awesome example of how a traditional tabletop RPG can be reimagined into a unique modern-day board game.

What we liked:

The deck-building mechanics and leveling system make it feel like you’re actually building a tabletop RPG character. The customization and various cards you can fill your deck with make each character completely different.

What could be better:

The Pathfinder Adventure Card game takes a lot of set-up and is dependent on booster packs to continue campaigns. There’s plenty in the base box, but to get the most out of it, you’ll have to buy expansion packs. They are much cheaper, but it’s still another thing you’ll need to buy.

Pathfinder Beginner Box
$39.99 $35.99
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03/03/2023 03:40 am GMT

Gloomhaven

Gloomhaven RPG Board Game

Players: 1-4
Playing time: 60-120 min

In Gloomhaven, each player will adopt the role of a wandering adventurer with their own unique set of skills and reasons for their pilgrimage.

This tactical combat game is set in an ever-evolving world, where each scenario sees participants making vital decisions that will impact the future of the story.

This card-based game boasts an element of cooperation, as it is important to discover and explore new locations whilst clearing out old and forgotten ruins.

What we liked:

Gloomhaven is a massive fantasy world in a huge box. Two players could play once a week for a year and still not explore everything that Gloomhaven has to offer. 

What could be better:

The gameplay of Gloomhaven moves at a steady pace when used as a 2-player challenge. With 3 or 4 players, it can be much slower and the complexity of the game is on the heavy side. As a semi-legacy game, it’s more fun with a consistent group. 

Gloomhaven
$165.00 $105.98

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03/03/2023 09:30 am GMT

Mansions of Madness (2nd Ed) 

Mansions of Madness Board Game

Players: 1-4
Playing time: 120-180 min

Mansions of Madness (2nd Ed) is an app-driven board game set in the same universe as Eldritch Horror and Elder Sign.

Based on horror and mystery, eight investigators are confronted with four scenarios involving fear, solving complex puzzles, fighting monsters, and even death.

A game of survival and conquering demons that terrorize the town, players must use the immersive app to guide them through the haunted streets of Innsmouth, while they search for answers. 

What we liked:

The cinematic and narrative aspects of this Mansions of Madness make it stand out. It is well-designed with impressive attention to detail and it is worth hooking the app up to a big screen so all players can view the action.

What could be better:

The app works very well, but with anything tech-related, there’s always a chance that something could go wrong and disrupt the flow of the game.

Mansions of Madness (2nd Edition)
$109.99 $72.15

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03/02/2023 02:00 pm GMT

Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of Ashardalon 

Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath f Ashardalon Board Game

Players: 1-5
Playing time: 60 min

A red dragon lurks deep inside a monster-ridden labyrinth in this DnD cooperative adventure game.

In Wrath of Ashardalon, players select a hero to play, whether it be a rogue, thief, warrior, cleric, or wizard, and by turning tiles they are able to explore the dark dungeons while slaying vicious monsters en route.

Rewards are earned in the form of treasure, and numerous scenarios present various goals. Still, it’s important for players to stay focused on increasing their skills and power throughout the quest for survival.

What we liked:

The miniatures and variable dungeon setups create a ton of replayability on a gorgeous tabletop setup.

What could be better:

The DnD board games do take a fair bit to set up and tear down, and for 2-players, it can seem like a lot of work for a single game.

Wrath of Ashardalon
$64.99 $49.99

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03/04/2023 10:00 am GMT

Mice and Mystics 

Mice and Mystics RPG Board Game

Players: 1-4
Playing time: 60-90 min

Loyalty to the King prevails in this cooperative quest to save an imperiled kingdom.

In Mice and Mystics, players take on the roles of field mice racing through a gigantic castle and confronting cockroaches, spiders, and a threatening housecat.

As with many role-playing games, the storyline relies on the characters’ imagination, meaning the plot can change at any moment, making it an exciting adventure for 2 players or more, and expansion packs are available.

What we liked:

There is a Cheese System that allows players to retain crumbs of scrumptious cheese which boosts their abilities and sees them overcome all manner of obstacles. I love the cheese.

What could be better:

The instructions aren’t as clear as they could be and may seem overly complex, so players may find themselves returning to the rulebook more often than expected. After a few games, however, it all becomes second nature.

Mice & Mystics
$79.99 $59.73

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03/03/2023 06:30 pm GMT

Talisman (4th Ed)

Talisman RPG Board Game

Players: 2-6
Playing time: 90 min

Set in a medieval world of fantasy, Talisman is an adventure game where players have 14 interesting characters to choose from such as heroes, wizards, and villains whose goals are to move successfully from the outer world to the inner world.

The mission is to acquire equipment, weapons, and new companions while battling against creatures and opponents and improving their skill stats.

What we liked:

The gameplay of Talisman is simple enough, making it easy for new players to learn the ropes comfortably. It’s a classic for a reason and has been around since the 80s. It’s a perfect blend of nostalgia and classic 80s fantasy.

What could be better:

Although Talisman is a classic, its age is starting to show. It’s very luck-based and relies on a much-outdated roll-and-move system. It’s not the worst system, but many modern games have moved away from this and updated their game systems.

Talisman: The Magical Quest Game (4th Edition)

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Wrap-Up

We hope you enjoyed our list of the best 2-player RPG games! Have you tried any of the games on this list? Did we miss any of your favorites? Drop a comment below and let us know what you think! We’d love to hear from you.

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