Why do people like 2 player games?

[psitek]

I've been wondering this a lot, I see a lot more 2 player games than other combinations and I'm not sure why? Apart from it being shorter obviously, are there any other pros that make it a better option than 3 or 4 player games? Am I missing something?

[GTSchemer]

It's vastly shorter and quicker to find opponents. Some times I may not have an extra hour of life to spend waiting on the other players.

Also, there is only one player who might rage quit instead of three.

[Chivvy]

Arena skews it the average player account quite a bit since the player count is locked in a 2 there (or at least has bin to the best of my knowledge). So its probably not naturally ask dominated by 2 player games than if people all custom created their options. But even on BGG it lists 2 as the best player count.

I think playing via the internet leads to a more competitive environment as BGA has nearly no social interaction during gameplay. And you just have more influence on the game, controlling breaks, manipulating the available cards, and just understanding what you opponent is doing is all easier with fewer players. Also the more player the greater the skill level gaps can be which can lead to a bad experience for players at either end of the spectrum.

[demyurge]

2 player is just much more interesting strategically: it's less chaotic, you have more control over the pace of the game and the cards in the display, there's no kingmaking, and you don't fall asleep at the keyboard waiting for your opponents to play.

[bialix]

If your opponent is already winning - you can surrender in 2p game. I will never play 4p -- that's too long. This game is not designed for 4p IMO. 3p should be the sweet spot, but it could be too long as well.

[pimmerling]

Biggest reason is having control over the break - which indirectly reduces the luck factor of the game. That and well ofc the speed of the game (especially in turn based)

E.g. in 3 player games I've encountered a game where both opponents break on sponsor5, and cards are drawn, before I had the opportunity to play my first association move. This slows your gameplay down, and the annoying part is that you can't control it.

Also, venom/pilfering/... In 3 player games can be hard to dezl with and often out of your hands.

[ChrisKern]

In addition to the break you can also do tactical snaps of cards you don't want but deny them to the opponent -- in general it's just easier to focus on that kind of play when you only have one opponent to pay attention to.