Skip to main content

Table for Two: Couples Gaming

Gaming as a pastime is often a solo venture. You pop in the cartridge, disc, or what have you, take the controller in hand and you’re off into the digital world. Likewise, with TTRPGs, you can find ways to game by yourself (we’ve even written about the very subject.) However, gaming, both digitally and at the tabletop, is often a multi-player pursuit. Modern digital games have even been criticized about not having much, or sometimes any, single-player content. What about when it's just two players though? Even board and card games are usually designed with more than two players in mind, so finding the right thing for you and your significant other can be tough. Before you dive right in to pick something out to play, let's do a broad review of potential options and some things you might consider before making your selections.

The Digital World

Two player games are not uncommon in the digital realm. This is especially true if you’re into indie games like Journey, Cuphead or It Takes Two. One important thing to keep in mind before choosing your two-player entertainment entry is deciding whether you want it to be a cooperative or competitive experience. Some couples can handle highly competitive games, and others will have a rougher time. This can also be a real challenge if there's a disparity in skill levels between partners.  If you’re unsure, lean toward something cooperative and develop the teambuilding and trust aspects of your relationship. Something else you might consider is controller hand-off. Playing the same game, and taking turns at the helm, can be a rewarding experience as you travel the story together. You can teach each other tricks you’ve learned, brainstorm solutions to mysteries, and make decisions together. Partners can focus on the parts of the game best suited to their skills and that interests them better. This can also be done with just one player taking the bulk of the control, but if this is the case, make sure you receive and maintain consent. The point, after all, is to enjoy it together. If you aren’t maintaining that consent, and checking in on the other’s enjoyment, this isn’t going to be an activity for you.

Board-walk

When it comes to board gaming, there are a multitude of options for you and your significant other to choose from. There isn’t just a Monopoly of Boardwalk and Park Place. You can pick something classic like checkers, chess, backgammon, or Battleship to name a few. Or you could select something with recent popularity like Codenames or Carcassonne. With the sheer variety of options, the hardest part will be deciding on something. That, in and of itself, can make for a fantastic couple’s date. If they offer board games, you might be able to try something out at your local library. Otherwise, Never Say Dice absolutely recommends your Friendly Local Gaming stores and game-centered establishments like board game cafes. You might also consider trading games with your friends, if your social group is also into the hobby. Find that common ground between you and your partner, and you’re sure to build up a collection of two player games you’ll love.

TTRPG

Tabletop Roleplaying Games are probably the least friendly to a pair of players. At the very least, when you think of tabletop games you probably consider a group of people at the table. We even wrote recently about finding the Right People for the Right Game. While you may think the only answer would be to include someone else in your solo games, you’ll actually find a surprising amount of things for two players. You can hunt down some classic game books where the experience would be like reading a Choose Your Own Adventure together, each with your own book making decisions that impact your partner. Or you can find something newer or indie like the copy of LEWD I just received. If you happen to really love fantasy games like Dungeons and Dragons (or Pathfinder) or even  sci-fi game like Star Wars, you can take regular multiplayer games and adjust them for two players. If you’re GMing something like this, consider giving yourself an in-game NPC hero to fight alongside your partner. You might also think about sharing control of one or multiple PCs. It's possible you could even trade off GM duties. This route might be a bumpier road, but if it's the preferred game for both you and your partner, you’ll find a way.

Now, after reading this,  you’re hopefully all ready to pick out a digital, board, tabletop, or even card game to try with your significant other. Keep in mind, as with anything else in a relationship, to maintain consent. Find the common ground of games between you and your character. Know that finding the right game together can be just as fun as actually playing it. It also doesn’t have to be a two player game to be fun for both of you, it just has to be fun. The reward isn’t only the stories you’ll be sharing, but in experiencing these things together, even if the path you take is a bumpier one. Until next week, have fun at your tables (or elsewhere) with your partners. Get out there, and break some dice!

- A

Send comments and questions to neversaydice20@gmail.com or Tweet them @neversaydice2 until Twitter breaks our lovelorn hearts.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Be a Grinch! (in a Tabletop RPG)

The Holidays may be almost over (for a while), and we hope you’ve all enjoyed your seasonal music and movies/specials. We here at Never Say Dice have covered the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special and the new LEGO edition a few posts ago. A common thing many of us into tabletop RPGS like to do is incorporate media into our games. After all, many of us have grown up with the blending of media and the holidays as a given. It provides us a framework to build on and a common touchpoint to the people at our tables, virtual or otherwise. One classic character featured in holiday specials and commemorated in his own song is the Grinch, the avocado-green villain with strange cardiac growth problems apparently linked to his personality. The Grinch, villain though he may be, has a slew of characteristics that would make the character an excellent one at the gaming table. Those of you not familiar with Suess-lore may really only know the Grinch from the How the Grinch Stole Christmas animated
Read more

Devouring "Roll for Sandwich"

Good timezone to Never Say Dice fans, adventures in Aardia, TikTok and beyond. No, I’m not the Roll for Sandwich guy (neither of us is), but if you haven’t heard of him already (or especially if you have), this week I wanted to talk about the TikTok/YouTube show Roll for Sandwich hosted by Jacob Pauwels. The premise is exactly what it sounds like: every episode, the host rolls dice to determine the various items that comprise a sandwich (except when the episode is about s’mores). He assembles the sandwich, then actually eats and critiques his random creation. If it sounds pretty niche to you... it is. You should  probably be both a bit of a foodie and a TTRPG fan in order to truly appreciate both the strange layered creations and the roleplaying references. My eldest son has been so interested in the web series that he decided he wanted to try doing it for himself. So, for the last week of summer this year, we took stock of our cupboards, made our own charts, and proceeded to consume
Read more

An Introduction to Risus

While roaming the internet in the late nineties/early noughties, I came across a TTRPG that was rules-lite and called itself “the anything RPG.” Want to play a high school cheerleader/samurai-in-training part-time goth enthusiast fast food cashier? The hot pink stick figure art glared back at me. Nah, not interested. But I was wrong. The stick figures were actually purple, and Risus is a surprisingly versatile, handy and down right fun TTRPG. I wouldn’t figure that out though till I discovered it again several years later. Even though it was written as a comedy system (and somewhat lighthearted response to GURPS) you really can use it for just about anything: space opera, high fantasy, pulp, vampires,western, any movie setting you could think of...seriously anything. You can read a far more detailed and interesting history in a number of other places should it strike your fancy. It is time for your Risus indoctrination introduction. Risus really is versatile and fairly easy to learn
Read more

Willy Wonka - Cartoonish Supervillian or Time Lord?

Every spring, in at least some of the religions practiced in the States, brings yet another holiday full of varied confections: Easter. For some reason, perhaps it’s the candy content or the garish colors associated with the holiday here, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory seems to be the movie that most often comes to my mind. While there are other pieces of media that are more “classically Easter” entries, Willy Wonka just seems to belong here. Perhaps there’s something to those giant eggs, as well. Whatever the reason, it’s in our common consciousness around this time of year, and that has had me thinking about a couple of common internet theories. One common thought is that the titular character Willy Wonka is an incarnation of Doctor Who ’s (only semi-titular) protagonist, the Doctor. The other would have you believe that Willy Wonka is a cartoonish supervillian originating in the DC universe, most likely one of Batman’s adversaries. For this post, let’s go over the arg
Read more