dealtn wrote:Fluke wrote:I actually don't think I've ever bought one before but I'm after a board game, I barely know where to start, I have it on good authority that Carcassonne is good, anyone? I was thinking more Back Gammon. I'm after something that would keep 2 people happily occupied for an hour or two at a time. Must not cause too many arguments. I will consider any and all suggestions.
What are the relative skill levels of the 2 people? If they are likely to be different then I think you are going to struggle to keep both "happily occupied" for long with something other than an game with a high luck/skill ratio.
Keeping two people with very different skill levels both "happily occupied" isn't necessarily as simple as choosing a game with a high luck/skill ratio! Some people quite simply dislike such games, some people are perfectly happy playing against a more-skilled player because it gives them a chance to improve their skill, etc.
If Fluke can say anything about what games each of the two players already knows and likes (or dislikes), that might help people with recommending games (or games to avoid). For example, I generally like "competitive puzzle solving" games like Take It Easy!, but their lack of player interaction will be offputing to some. If one likes a lot of player interaction, there are a number of different types, e.g. games that basically involve attacks on other players and them defending themselves, or games that mainly involve forming alliances with other players and knowing when to break them, or purely co-operative games (Pandemic is one that springs to mind, though this might not be the right year to suggest it!), or games designed to get players to know their fellow players better (a particular dislike of mine - I play games to have fun, not to be psycho-analysed), or various other possibilities. If there's little or no player interaction, how long you typically have to wait for it to be your turn again can matter. As you indicate, the luck/skill ratio can be important - and it's not always obvious, e.g. backgammon involves a lot of die-rolling, making it appear pretty much purely a matter of luck at first sight, but there's actually a great deal of skill involved. Etc, etc, etc.
Gengulphus