Boardgames

象棋 (Xiàngqí or Chinese Chess) is a two-player game that I fell in love with despite hating International Chess. It moves faster, feels more dynamic, and is one of those rare games that I suck at entirely but still love to play.

I will always love Carcassonne, plain rules or with The River expansion, but none of the others, as a quick pick-up game as well.

Some of the old Kosmos two-player games were pretty great, the standout of which was, for me, Kahuna. Kahuna in particular is a game you can set up in not time flat, play in under half an hour, has enough mindfulness that it's interesting, while not being so analytical it's like taking your work home with you.

Mr. Jack Pocket was surprisingly decent. I didn't expect a lot from it, having purchased it on a whim when I found a cheap copy, but it held out to quite a few replays.