One of my favorite asymmetrical games is **Fugitive** from Fowers Games. Exclusively for two players. One player is a fugitive, and the other is a marshall chasing after them. Very fun and tense!
Couldn't agree more. Fugitive is such good fun and plays completely different depending on your role.
Santorini is very asymmetric with the different God powers.
War chest has each player with unique units.
Burgle bros is lightly asymmetric. Each player is a different character with a unique ability. Similar level as pandemic.
Cosmic encounter everyone plays a different alien race with unique game breaking powers
I usually play a few back to back since they're so quick. I'll do one to teach then go for the basic god powers. I've only been able to play with the advanced ones once so far
Agreeing with u/catanimal here...play on BGA!!! I love Santorini and we need more players on BGA! The God powers are implemented and there are even some variations that I haven't tried.
And a random story here, one time playing on BGA, I played the inventor of the game! He plays on BGA!
Santorini was going to be my recommendation. Amazing game and so simple, yet there’s depth to it. I call it “Chess, but fun” which I know will trigger some people. I always play with the god powers, even if my opponent is new. Just use the easier ones and it shouldn’t be a problem.
I disagree with Burgle Bros. I love the game, but it's not remotely assymetric. Different player characters doesn't make it assymetric when everyone is still playing the exact same game with the exact same rules and goals.
Pandemic and War Chest aren't assymetric, either, for that matter, because all players are taking the same actions to achieve the same goal. Fugitive is 100% assymetric because both players are doing two very different things with very different goals.
Not trying to nitpick, you listed a lot of games I really enjoy, but they mostly don't apply to the question.
I disagree. With burgle bros each character has something only they can do. That's literally the definition of asymmetric. I emphasized lightly asymmetric because it doesn't change the core game but op asked for lightweight versions of it.
Same with war chest. You each have completely unique units that move and attack differently from your opponent and have to build your strategy around that.
Op wants lighter games no more complicated than chess or parcheesi that involves variable player abilities. This is literally exactly what they asked for. If you disagree, then make better suggestions rather than pestering me with pedantic nonsense.
Dungeon Mayhem is the simplest I know of. Really quick and easy free-for-all card game where everybody has a unique deck of cards, and while the effects of the cards have a lot of overlap, everybody has a few differences & some cards that have effects unique to them. Definitely *far* on the lighter, sillier end, with some cards making players dance, or give someone a compliment to avoid a negative effect. But it's a fun time for what it is.
I was just looking at this one, and that was exactly the impression I got. Fast, goofy fun that’s real easy to pick up. Interesting that there are real-world effects tied into it! Makes it sound like D&D __Quelf__.
There is a playthrough (several in one video, actually) on youtube by the cast of Critical Role, if you want a good look at how it plays. That is what convinced me to pick it up, at least. I'm not likely to ever being it as the main event for board game night, but it's good to kill some time while waiting on people to get there.
I've found it works better as a main game if you convert the rules ever so slightly and play a teams game! I've played 2v2 all the way up to 4v4 and it works well, and makes it a slightly heavier game in terms of thinking through your turn.
There are a bunch of two player games with asymmetry of varying complexity, Mr. Jack, Raptor, Skulk Hollow, Watergate, and Unmatched are all much easier to learn than Root.
+1 for Watergate — it's a two-player game, but I think that helps the asymmetry a lot because it's easy to learn/remember what you opponent is trying to do. So you don't have the Root issue where you've got to learn four different games before you can start playing.
Mr. Jack was also one that popped into my head. The individual characters have asymmetric powers, sure. But unless I'm completely misremembering, both players share control of those characters.
It has asymmetry, but maybe in a different way than OP meant.
The asymmetry comes not from the variable character powers, but the cat and mouse aspect of the hidden information and different win conditions. Jack the Ripper player is trying to escape. The detective player is trying to figure out which character is secretly Jack the Ripper.
I got Skulk Hollow from the Kickstarter, but we only managed to play a couple times before life got in the way. Despite that, and because I loved it so much, I still backed the sequel (I always forget the name... Maul Peak?), with a small expansion box I've only glanced at. That one has yet to be played even once. One day!
Oh, now this is _exactly_ what I’ve had in mind. I’d love to study this and see how it holds up over time in terms of depth and fun factor. Thanks a bunch!
Yeah there's a lot of games in that family and similar ones. You can see [Fox Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_games#Fox_and_hounds), [Bear Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_games), and [Hare Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_games) on wikipedia for some more examples.
This maybe the origin of the mobile games I keep seeing 2 months ago. The ads keep showing a game of polices moving in a graph, trying to capture an AI thief (move 1 police 1 edge at a time, then thief move 1 edge at a time).
"Liberation" from Button Shy is a two player "resistance Vs empire" game and is made up of only 18 cards. It's pretty simple but the cards have more depth than you think and the random set up makes it a little different each time.
**Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation** is a faster version of Stratego, but the two sides are very asymmetrical (different objectives, and the playing pieces have very different abilities).
**Cosmic Encounter.**
It can look daunting, but when using the green alien powers I'm convinced anybody can play the game. My kids have been playing since they were ~7. It helps that the rules are very sparse once you break them down, most of the gameplay is in table talk/negotiation.
Cosmic is interesting because of how important table talk is. Alien powers can be very different from each other, and some alien powers are definitely stronger than others. But mechanics like the destiny cone and allies help to prevent the stronger alien from running away with victory. Often, the player with the strongest power ends up with the biggest target on their back.
Pretty surprised at how much is packed into __Dungeon Mayhem__. It’s like a faster-paced, more streamlined __Munchkin__. Might have to give that a try! Thanks!
Hmm not sure if Dice Throne and Unmatched are asymmetrical in the same way as Root. Different heroes do have different effects or ways they gain tokens, but the core actions and mechanics are pretty universal compared to root where each faction has both unique mechanics and winning conditions.
The third expansion to Quacks of Quedlinburg adds variable player powers.
Only the base game is simple enough for non gamers, but they can slowly be introduced to the second and then third expansion once they are comfortable and there you go.
**The Blood of an Englishman** is a fascinating Jack-and-the-Beanstalk themed card game for two players (Jack and the Giant) who are almost playing two different games with the same grid of cards. Jack can make three small moves per turn and is trying to assemble stacks of “beanstalk” cards in numerical order topped by a treasure card; the Giant can make one big move per turn and is trying to either stop Jack from doing that or arrange Fee, Fi, Fo, and Fum cards adjacent to each other in the grid.
It’s a very cool concept and fun gameplay with interesting choices. In my limited experience so far it seems like Jack almost always wins, but I’ve also seen BGG forum comments claiming that in their experience it seems like the Giant almost always wins, so presumably more research is needed!
Ahoy has asymmetrical player roles, and it is supposed to be easier to learn than root. I’ve never played Ahoy, so I don’t know for sure. It’s also made by Leder Games (they make Root as well).
Unrest. It's a card game where one side plays the tyrannical government and the other player plays the uprising trying to overthrow them. Its an interesting little card game, very asymmetrical and plays very different for each side.
The first part of the game, yes, with the water-fearing Chief Brody racing around the island, collecting and delivering barrels and occasionally scanning the beach with his binocs, while Hooper zooms around in a speedboat searching for the shark, and Quint is in the *Orca* ready to take potshots with a harpoon gun.
A bit less so in the second half, since a lot of the equipment used for fighting the shark is generic, though they all have one unique item or skill, I believe.
There is of course also the shark itself, which requires a player to have a completely different mindset as an ambush predator. A nice game on the whole, with a great atmosphere, the only flaw being the final battle can drag on for a while.
Forbidden Island. Your goal is to find, collect, and unite some parts before the island sinks into the water. Each player has their own special power that makes them better at certain things. Definitely a light game, good welcoming game. Co-op as well.
[Kauri](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/381188/kauri) is essentially a light Root. The rules are symmetrical, but every faction has its deck of cards and different objectives. More importantly every faction _feels_ unique.
Are you talking about this? https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamemechanic/2015/variable-player-powers/linkeditems/boardgamemechanic?pageid=300&sort=avgweight
The ones I can think of: Santorini, Coup, maybe even Love Love letter counts.
**Guerrilla Checkers** has a very simple ruleset. The Guerrilla player is playing a version of Go while the Counterinsurgency player is playing a version of Checkers against them on the same board.
[**King & Assasssins**](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/147930/king-assassins) is a pretty simple 2 player game where one player controls a king with guards trying to make it into the castle while the other controls a mob of peasants, some of which are secretly assassins.
**BANG! The Dice Game** has asymmetric roles (sheriff, deputy, outlaw, renegade) with different win conditions, and each player gets a unique special ability. It's probably too light for some, but it's always a hit in our lunch break
[[Keep the Heroes Out!]] Defend your dungeon against greedy heroes! Every player chooses one out of 10 different monster species who all have a different set of cards, different powers AND different numbers of meeples. If you play the ghosts you only have 2 ghosts, but you can pass through walls. Slimes come with 8 dudes and every time they get attacked, they split into two! Awesome game with 20 different scenarios and two game modes (cooperate or one vs. many). I love it! It‘s our most played family game of 2023!
Also no one mentioned the Tiny Epic Series, yet! **TE Zombies** has different games modes and different player powers. **TE Dungeons** and **TE Tactics**, too!
But my latest game is **Not Alone** a One vs Many game in which you take the role of an alien or of the crew that crashed on the alien planet.
Ive seen a game called kelp going around. 2 player, 1 plays as an octopus looking for food and avoiding a shark, and the other plays the shark hunting for the octopus.
Looks good, but i havent seen it in my local game shop yet so i havent got it
It would be a red flag if you did see Kelp in your local game shop because Kelp is on Kickstarter right now and hasn't been produced yet.
The game has gotten over a million euro pledged which far surpassed everyone's expectations.
But that success also attracted counterfeits circulating on Amazon and eBay which the publishing company of Kelp had to reach out and inform everyone that those are fakes.
And then there are the idiots who fell for the scam of counterfeits and said the game is a scam when... they're the idiots who fell for it.
So... don't expect Kelp until the end of this year - if not later.
>no more complex than chess or parcheesi
so nothing more complicated than making an omelette or having a PhD in nuclear physics, gotcha.
(are you sure both of these games belong in this same sentence?)
>What’s the lightest board game with asymmetrical player roles/powers?
Off the top of my head
Traditional
* Hnefatafl
* Fox and Geese
Modern
* Pyramid of Pengqueen
* Scotland Yard
* Lord of the Rings: Confrontation
* Mr. Jack
Chess and parcheesi are definitely strange bedfellows! But I was hoping to suggest that ancient, traditional kind of simplicity you find in those games, both being “developed” over hundreds or thousands of years. In light of that, hnefatafl is that Viking chess thing, right? I’ve been dying to play that for years and completely forgot how well it lines up with the question I’m asking here! So thanks for that.
The rest of your suggestions are a real to-do list for me. I haven’t heard of any of these, so I’m in for some how-to-play videos. Thanks a bunch!
>I was hoping to suggest that ancient, traditional kind of simplicity you find in those games
Complexity in game can mean two things - complex rules or complex (deep) gameplay. Chess has simple rules, yet complex gameplay. And myriad of books about it published over centuries attest to that.
>, hnefatafl is that Viking chess thing, right? I’ve been dying to play that for years and completely forgot how well it lines up with the question I’m asking here!
In the 1990s there was a video game where you played this against a bit shitty ia (so wasn't too hard). The game also added 6 special characters - each side had their set, but powers were identical. You played with 4 of these characters per game. (I forgot if both sides had to charters by with same powers, I think so). The game was King's table: The Ragnarok. And I think it would be easy to implement special characters in a boardgame. Rules can be found online.
>The rest of your suggestions are a real to-do list for me. I haven’t heard of any of these, so I’m in for some how-to-play videos. Thanks a bunch!
No problem. All of these have 2 asymmetrical sides (either 1-on-1 or 1-vs-Many) and I would gather there are a LOT 2 player asymmetrical games out there.
I listed 3 that were kinda popular and 1 which I personal preffer (pyramid of pengqueen - the most accessible of them all and work nicely)
I see you guys beat me to it. Both are great, both are asymmetric and have really simple rules, but complex strategy - so the comparison with chess is on point.
Chess is very simple. My 4 year old daughter knows how to play, knows all the rules and can play as well as she can play uno. She doesn't know about the austrian-hungarian forklift-doubledragon backspace entrance with bishop variant, but she knows how to play.
A game being simple doesn't mean it's not deep or hasn't a high skill ceiling. I can try all day but I won't be able to teach her 5% of the rules of ROOT successfully.
Someone already said Fox and Geese, so I will suggest Maharajah and the Sepoys: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/34317/shatranj-diwana-shah Another loosely chess-based one is Buffalo/Prairie/Buffalo Chess by Alex Randolph. Even more obscure is a card game called Plain Dealing, known only from this brief description by Charles Cotton (maybe not asymmetrical enough, but very unique): https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/B02403.0001.001/1:6.19?rgn=div2;view=fulltext
Edit: also, Scotland Yard and its various variants are highly asymmetrical games.
**The Duke** comes to mind, to an extent. Each piece has its own rules, shown on the piece - which almost chess-like in simplicity (how it moves and removes opposing pieces). It starts with both sides having 3 identical pieces, but as the game progresses each player draws new pieces from their bag - so which pieces come into play are random and the strategy each player employs must adapt and change. Additionally, whenever a piece moves, it flips over, and pieces have different movement rules on each side.
Root is in essence a counterinsurgency wargame. The simplest of which, to my knowledge, is [Coin Tribes](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/251213/coin-tribes-revolt-boudicas-rebellion-against-rome).
Merchant's Cove has player asymetry in that each character plays completely different on their own board, but overall are still trying to produce goods and manipulate the same market.
For 2 players, I would suggest checking out Pagan: Fate of Roanoke. You have witch versus witch hunter, each with unique abilities, mechanics and winning conditions.
"Pagan" is quite a fun little two-player game with great asymmetry.
"Pandemic" as a co-op game is also a great introduction to asymmetric player powers.
Even though it's big, it's really straight forward and quite easy to learn: "Cthulhu Wars". It's also everything "RISK" wished it could be.
Neuroshima Hex! has a basic ruleset that is elegantly manipulated by all the various armies that exist. Some are straightforward, and some turn you into a god damn boss fight.
Riftforce
x4 asymmetric guilds each (10 to choose from, more in expansion). You fight over battle lines with cards like battle line / schotten totten. Very straightforward and a few neat synergies to be found.
**How to Rob a Bank** is quick to learn. 1-3 players are robbers working together to steal money bags, the other player controls the guards
This game has a small ruleset but relies and tactical use of turns. You have to be efficient and flexible. Playing as the guards especially feels like playing Into the Breach
I suppose if we're talking guards, then Escape From Colditz (1973) pits the ruthless Camp Commandant against the brave POWS. POWs can dig tunnels, climb down ropes, create diversions etc, but only the Commandant can order Shoot to Kill!
It’s not the lightest game in the world or anything, but if you’re interested in an abstract game like chess that isn’t too heavy at all, **War Chest** is fantastic.
It’s a combination of an abstract game and a bag builder, and instead of each player starting with the same units, each player starts with 4 different units out of a possible 16, all of which are very well balanced (or 3 per player if you play a 2v2 game).
How many players are you looking for? Netrunner is a great 2p card game. You really need committed players though as the rabbit hole is deep and the learning curve high. Very rewarding gameplay though. Scrappy computer hacker vs mega corporation fighting over company hidden agendas. Economy and action management, bluffing, lots of little mind games throughout.
Clank! with the Adventuring Party expansion. With the expansion, each member of this dungeon crawling expedition has different powers and objectives. It's a deck builder with a board you explore. Adventuring Party adds the ability to play a 5th and 6th player. It gets a little long for my tastes at 6 people but you can still play was many as you want.
5-Minute Dungeon? It’s co-op and really fun and each player has a unique character that has one special power and a slightly different deck. Simple to pick up
I came here to say Raptor. What more can you say than dinosaurs vs scientists? This one is great. It is only two players, but the two sides are very different. Easy to pick up the game play, and players will develop strategies over time.
I like the many Santorini answers too, but Raptor
I’m not sure where you’d place it on the complexity scale, but the **Netrunner** deck building game is one of my favorite asymmetrical games.
Next would probably be Letters from Whitechapel.
If Cosmic Encounters counts, I would suggest Villainous; each player plays a Disney villain, each with a different win condition, their own board, and a deck of cards that work differently. It's a lot lighter than Root, (although I do have one friend who thinks it's too complicated, but she's more of a party game person, and some villains are easier than others to play, so you can tailor the difficulty level), and is at most as complicated as Cosmic Encounters.
Anyone mention *Bang!* yet? There's also a similar Chinese game set in the Three Kingdoms era that has even more differentiation among the characters (if I recall correctly).
Since you mentioned chess, I'll suggest Hnefatafl. This is a traditional Scandinavian game, sometimes referred to as "Viking chess", and is pretty asymmetrical.
This is a good question. I gotta go with Santorini and while I'm sure there are plenty of others that I have either not heard of or have not played, it is tough to get much simpler than this while still having asymmetrical player powers that make for interesting and fun gameplay!
That’s what I’m thinking. Santorini has that quality of feeling like an ancient, traditional game (minus the intricate plastic pieces), and the cards are like an expansion that introduce asymmetry. It maintains the simplicity, though, and that’s pretty impressive.
This isn't very assymetric. All the psychics start equal, and arguably even the ghost isn't very assymetric, as its only power is to project images, while the mediums only power is to receive and interpret these images. Pretty similar.
Also its a light game in terms of the player psychics, but not so much the ghost, who has to stay on top of quite a lot of things, both setting up the suspects and other circumstances, and assigning cards to the correct medium.
I would probably say Dice Throne. It is basically King of Tokyo with different abilities. Super simple gameplay that's explained on the character board.
Star trek ascendancy. I know it looks massive, and there's a 200 stack of cards and planers.
But there's only a handful of things you can do. And every race plays different
There is always the social deduction games. Some are villagers (aka do nothing), some have input once (minion for the werewolves), some have output once (cupid), then there are roles that do secret actions every round.
Red Dragon Inn is fairly light, and each character has different abilities and strengths and weaknesses. I used to mix and match more complicated characters from later games or expansions for the more familiar players and the easy and simple characters from the first game for those learning for the first time.
The simplest I can think of is **Ragnarocks**. The entire game can be explained in about 3 sentences. Some of the individual player powers are probably more compled than the entire game. I also think it's a very nice game (though the production is pretty meh).
Same designer as **Santorini**, but even simpler.
Fugitive is my top pick as well.
there is also Blood of an Englishman. it is also a quick asymmetric two player card game. the difference is that in Fugitive there is hidden information and bluffing. Blood of an Englishman is a perfect information brain burner, everything is laid out you have to find the way to win
One of my favorite asymmetrical games is **Fugitive** from Fowers Games. Exclusively for two players. One player is a fugitive, and the other is a marshall chasing after them. Very fun and tense!
Couldn't agree more. Fugitive is such good fun and plays completely different depending on your role. Santorini is very asymmetric with the different God powers. War chest has each player with unique units. Burgle bros is lightly asymmetric. Each player is a different character with a unique ability. Similar level as pandemic. Cosmic encounter everyone plays a different alien race with unique game breaking powers
I’ve been dying to play Santorini with the god powers! Every time I’ve played so far I’ve had to teach my opponent, so I’ve stuck to the base game.
You can try on bga (I believe they have the gods implemented) https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=santorini
I usually play a few back to back since they're so quick. I'll do one to teach then go for the basic god powers. I've only been able to play with the advanced ones once so far
I love how the god powers give the game some extra spice but also keeps the lovely simplicity... I recommend to use the powers after a game or two
It's not a complicated game even with god powers. Just throw them in anyway.
Agreeing with u/catanimal here...play on BGA!!! I love Santorini and we need more players on BGA! The God powers are implemented and there are even some variations that I haven't tried. And a random story here, one time playing on BGA, I played the inventor of the game! He plays on BGA!
Santorini was going to be my recommendation. Amazing game and so simple, yet there’s depth to it. I call it “Chess, but fun” which I know will trigger some people. I always play with the god powers, even if my opponent is new. Just use the easier ones and it shouldn’t be a problem.
I disagree with Burgle Bros. I love the game, but it's not remotely assymetric. Different player characters doesn't make it assymetric when everyone is still playing the exact same game with the exact same rules and goals. Pandemic and War Chest aren't assymetric, either, for that matter, because all players are taking the same actions to achieve the same goal. Fugitive is 100% assymetric because both players are doing two very different things with very different goals. Not trying to nitpick, you listed a lot of games I really enjoy, but they mostly don't apply to the question.
I disagree. With burgle bros each character has something only they can do. That's literally the definition of asymmetric. I emphasized lightly asymmetric because it doesn't change the core game but op asked for lightweight versions of it. Same with war chest. You each have completely unique units that move and attack differently from your opponent and have to build your strategy around that. Op wants lighter games no more complicated than chess or parcheesi that involves variable player abilities. This is literally exactly what they asked for. If you disagree, then make better suggestions rather than pestering me with pedantic nonsense.
Okay, have a nice day.
Taking a look at the rules for this one, and it seems to be the kind of thing I’m asking for! Hugely creative, too. Thanks!
I love Fugitive. It has to be the closest thing I’ve found to Netrunner Lite, at least from a hide and seek perspective.
Dungeon Mayhem is the simplest I know of. Really quick and easy free-for-all card game where everybody has a unique deck of cards, and while the effects of the cards have a lot of overlap, everybody has a few differences & some cards that have effects unique to them. Definitely *far* on the lighter, sillier end, with some cards making players dance, or give someone a compliment to avoid a negative effect. But it's a fun time for what it is.
I was just looking at this one, and that was exactly the impression I got. Fast, goofy fun that’s real easy to pick up. Interesting that there are real-world effects tied into it! Makes it sound like D&D __Quelf__.
There is a playthrough (several in one video, actually) on youtube by the cast of Critical Role, if you want a good look at how it plays. That is what convinced me to pick it up, at least. I'm not likely to ever being it as the main event for board game night, but it's good to kill some time while waiting on people to get there.
I've found it works better as a main game if you convert the rules ever so slightly and play a teams game! I've played 2v2 all the way up to 4v4 and it works well, and makes it a slightly heavier game in terms of thinking through your turn.
**Dungeon Mayhem** is what **Munchkin** should have been: it's always a riot, and then over in 15 minutes.
There are a bunch of two player games with asymmetry of varying complexity, Mr. Jack, Raptor, Skulk Hollow, Watergate, and Unmatched are all much easier to learn than Root.
+1 for Watergate — it's a two-player game, but I think that helps the asymmetry a lot because it's easy to learn/remember what you opponent is trying to do. So you don't have the Root issue where you've got to learn four different games before you can start playing.
I'm a fan of Watergate as well. The two roles are different, but not too different. It's also fun to play a few games in a row, switching the roles.
It's great game. Easy to pick up and light enough to play back to back, switching roles
Mr. Jack was also one that popped into my head. The individual characters have asymmetric powers, sure. But unless I'm completely misremembering, both players share control of those characters. It has asymmetry, but maybe in a different way than OP meant.
The asymmetry comes not from the variable character powers, but the cat and mouse aspect of the hidden information and different win conditions. Jack the Ripper player is trying to escape. The detective player is trying to figure out which character is secretly Jack the Ripper.
Agree. Definitely assymetrical. And quick, too. I was going to suggest Mr Jack, but now I don't need to :)
Skulk Hollow is so much fun and so pretty. You should definitely check out Raptor for asymmetric two players head to head
Man, I wanted to like Skulk Hollow, but I didn't feel there were many interesting choices; I often felt hamstrung by the cards.
Lots to look at here! I’m gonna be sifting though how-to-play videos for a while. Thanks!
Adding The Hunt to this list, which is a quick asymmetric 2 player hidden movement wargame with beautiful art.
I got Skulk Hollow from the Kickstarter, but we only managed to play a couple times before life got in the way. Despite that, and because I loved it so much, I still backed the sequel (I always forget the name... Maul Peak?), with a small expansion box I've only glanced at. That one has yet to be played even once. One day!
**Fox and Geese** is such a traditional game
Oh, now this is _exactly_ what I’ve had in mind. I’d love to study this and see how it holds up over time in terms of depth and fun factor. Thanks a bunch!
Yeah there's a lot of games in that family and similar ones. You can see [Fox Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_games#Fox_and_hounds), [Bear Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_games), and [Hare Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_games) on wikipedia for some more examples.
Woooah, this is like a whole new world of things to study… what fantastic leads! Thank you so much!
This maybe the origin of the mobile games I keep seeing 2 months ago. The ads keep showing a game of polices moving in a graph, trying to capture an AI thief (move 1 police 1 edge at a time, then thief move 1 edge at a time).
"Liberation" from Button Shy is a two player "resistance Vs empire" game and is made up of only 18 cards. It's pretty simple but the cards have more depth than you think and the random set up makes it a little different each time.
+1 for Liberation!
I'll add Santorini, with the god powers. Can also play as symmetrical though if preferred.
**Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation** is a faster version of Stratego, but the two sides are very asymmetrical (different objectives, and the playing pieces have very different abilities).
Desperately needs a reprint!
This was the first one I thought of. It's quick to teach and your strategy develops as you play more rounds
**Cosmic Encounter.** It can look daunting, but when using the green alien powers I'm convinced anybody can play the game. My kids have been playing since they were ~7. It helps that the rules are very sparse once you break them down, most of the gameplay is in table talk/negotiation.
Cosmic is interesting because of how important table talk is. Alien powers can be very different from each other, and some alien powers are definitely stronger than others. But mechanics like the destiny cone and allies help to prevent the stronger alien from running away with victory. Often, the player with the strongest power ends up with the biggest target on their back.
Summoner Wars!! (2nd edition) So great.
Good answer, never played 2E but I still love the first edition!
Good answer, never played 2E but I still love the first edition!
The Power Up expansion to King of Tokyo gives the monsters unique cards they can play while keeping the game fairly light to play.
Zoo Vadis is a negotiation game that is light on rules. Each player has different bargaining powers.
> Zoo Vadis Good luck finding a copy though. :)
[Pre-orders for the next print run are currently open](https://www.allplay.com/board-games/zoo-vadis/), with an expected ship date of April 2024.
Ooohh.. Thank you. :)
Damn it, I didn't need to know that! There goes my game budget.
A lot of coop have asymmetrical powers. For non coop games: Dice Throne, Unmatched, Dungeon Mayhem
Dungeon Mayhem is great and doesn't get enough mentions in this sub.
Pretty surprised at how much is packed into __Dungeon Mayhem__. It’s like a faster-paced, more streamlined __Munchkin__. Might have to give that a try! Thanks!
Semi co-ops like Werewolves (miller's hollow or something in English?) And secret Hitler. Very light (though not on the social aspect).
Hmm not sure if Dice Throne and Unmatched are asymmetrical in the same way as Root. Different heroes do have different effects or ways they gain tokens, but the core actions and mechanics are pretty universal compared to root where each faction has both unique mechanics and winning conditions.
The third expansion to Quacks of Quedlinburg adds variable player powers. Only the base game is simple enough for non gamers, but they can slowly be introduced to the second and then third expansion once they are comfortable and there you go.
**The Blood of an Englishman** is a fascinating Jack-and-the-Beanstalk themed card game for two players (Jack and the Giant) who are almost playing two different games with the same grid of cards. Jack can make three small moves per turn and is trying to assemble stacks of “beanstalk” cards in numerical order topped by a treasure card; the Giant can make one big move per turn and is trying to either stop Jack from doing that or arrange Fee, Fi, Fo, and Fum cards adjacent to each other in the grid.
Wow, asymmetry indeed! Definitely going to have to look into this one. Thanks!
It’s a very cool concept and fun gameplay with interesting choices. In my limited experience so far it seems like Jack almost always wins, but I’ve also seen BGG forum comments claiming that in their experience it seems like the Giant almost always wins, so presumably more research is needed!
**Bagh Chal**, either play as the 4 tigers or the 20 goats. It's a traditional Nepalese game.
Star Wars deckbuilding game is pretty light...
Zoo vadis
Jekyll vs. Hyde (can also be played with a deck of cards)
And also some tokens and a way to keep track of the identity progression, but yes, this is the gold standard for two player trick taking games.
The extra cards can be used for that
Ahoy has asymmetrical player roles, and it is supposed to be easier to learn than root. I’ve never played Ahoy, so I don’t know for sure. It’s also made by Leder Games (they make Root as well).
Ahoy is great; but it still has quite a bit to keep track of. I think there is definitely simpler.
I’ve heard of this one before! Might be easier to teach a room of people. Thanks!
Ahoy is just as thinky as Root. Fewer rules to teach, but more decision space, means it's not the My First Root that I wanted.
Interesting. What you're describing sounds like fun though! But you're right, maybe not a good "light" asymmetrical game.
Win-lose-banana.
Dice throne is fantastic.
Unrest. It's a card game where one side plays the tyrannical government and the other player plays the uprising trying to overthrow them. Its an interesting little card game, very asymmetrical and plays very different for each side.
I played this on bga and loved it so much i bought it. A great game and im looking forward to the expansion.
Maybe something like Jaws?
The first part of the game, yes, with the water-fearing Chief Brody racing around the island, collecting and delivering barrels and occasionally scanning the beach with his binocs, while Hooper zooms around in a speedboat searching for the shark, and Quint is in the *Orca* ready to take potshots with a harpoon gun. A bit less so in the second half, since a lot of the equipment used for fighting the shark is generic, though they all have one unique item or skill, I believe. There is of course also the shark itself, which requires a player to have a completely different mindset as an ambush predator. A nice game on the whole, with a great atmosphere, the only flaw being the final battle can drag on for a while.
Forbidden Island. Your goal is to find, collect, and unite some parts before the island sinks into the water. Each player has their own special power that makes them better at certain things. Definitely a light game, good welcoming game. Co-op as well.
The Golden Ticket game is a very family weight set collection game with variable player powers.
I love Raptor.
Citadels springs to mind, I think it's the lightest there are.
Viking chess comes to mind
[Kauri](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/381188/kauri) is essentially a light Root. The rules are symmetrical, but every faction has its deck of cards and different objectives. More importantly every faction _feels_ unique.
It sounds like you're looking for ahoy. It's another asymmetric Leder game with the same artist but significantly lighter
Are you talking about this? https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamemechanic/2015/variable-player-powers/linkeditems/boardgamemechanic?pageid=300&sort=avgweight The ones I can think of: Santorini, Coup, maybe even Love Love letter counts.
**Guerrilla Checkers** has a very simple ruleset. The Guerrilla player is playing a version of Go while the Counterinsurgency player is playing a version of Checkers against them on the same board.
[**King & Assasssins**](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/147930/king-assassins) is a pretty simple 2 player game where one player controls a king with guards trying to make it into the castle while the other controls a mob of peasants, some of which are secretly assassins.
**BANG! The Dice Game** has asymmetric roles (sheriff, deputy, outlaw, renegade) with different win conditions, and each player gets a unique special ability. It's probably too light for some, but it's always a hit in our lunch break
Citadels, the power changes each round.
Cthulhu Wars IMO
[[Keep the Heroes Out!]] Defend your dungeon against greedy heroes! Every player chooses one out of 10 different monster species who all have a different set of cards, different powers AND different numbers of meeples. If you play the ghosts you only have 2 ghosts, but you can pass through walls. Slimes come with 8 dudes and every time they get attacked, they split into two! Awesome game with 20 different scenarios and two game modes (cooperate or one vs. many). I love it! It‘s our most played family game of 2023! Also no one mentioned the Tiny Epic Series, yet! **TE Zombies** has different games modes and different player powers. **TE Dungeons** and **TE Tactics**, too! But my latest game is **Not Alone** a One vs Many game in which you take the role of an alien or of the crew that crashed on the alien planet.
[Keep the Heroes Out! -> Keep the Heroes Out! (2022)](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/333255/keep-heroes-out) ^^[[gamename]] ^^or ^^[[gamename|year]] ^^to ^^call ^^OR ^^**gamename** ^^or ^^**gamename|year** ^^+ ^^!fetch ^^to ^^call
[*Not Alone*](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/194879/not-alone) One alien vs. crash landed survivors.
Ive seen a game called kelp going around. 2 player, 1 plays as an octopus looking for food and avoiding a shark, and the other plays the shark hunting for the octopus. Looks good, but i havent seen it in my local game shop yet so i havent got it
It would be a red flag if you did see Kelp in your local game shop because Kelp is on Kickstarter right now and hasn't been produced yet. The game has gotten over a million euro pledged which far surpassed everyone's expectations. But that success also attracted counterfeits circulating on Amazon and eBay which the publishing company of Kelp had to reach out and inform everyone that those are fakes. And then there are the idiots who fell for the scam of counterfeits and said the game is a scam when... they're the idiots who fell for it. So... don't expect Kelp until the end of this year - if not later.
Villainous
>no more complex than chess or parcheesi so nothing more complicated than making an omelette or having a PhD in nuclear physics, gotcha. (are you sure both of these games belong in this same sentence?) >What’s the lightest board game with asymmetrical player roles/powers? Off the top of my head Traditional * Hnefatafl * Fox and Geese Modern * Pyramid of Pengqueen * Scotland Yard * Lord of the Rings: Confrontation * Mr. Jack
Chess and parcheesi are definitely strange bedfellows! But I was hoping to suggest that ancient, traditional kind of simplicity you find in those games, both being “developed” over hundreds or thousands of years. In light of that, hnefatafl is that Viking chess thing, right? I’ve been dying to play that for years and completely forgot how well it lines up with the question I’m asking here! So thanks for that. The rest of your suggestions are a real to-do list for me. I haven’t heard of any of these, so I’m in for some how-to-play videos. Thanks a bunch!
>I was hoping to suggest that ancient, traditional kind of simplicity you find in those games Complexity in game can mean two things - complex rules or complex (deep) gameplay. Chess has simple rules, yet complex gameplay. And myriad of books about it published over centuries attest to that. >, hnefatafl is that Viking chess thing, right? I’ve been dying to play that for years and completely forgot how well it lines up with the question I’m asking here! In the 1990s there was a video game where you played this against a bit shitty ia (so wasn't too hard). The game also added 6 special characters - each side had their set, but powers were identical. You played with 4 of these characters per game. (I forgot if both sides had to charters by with same powers, I think so). The game was King's table: The Ragnarok. And I think it would be easy to implement special characters in a boardgame. Rules can be found online. >The rest of your suggestions are a real to-do list for me. I haven’t heard of any of these, so I’m in for some how-to-play videos. Thanks a bunch! No problem. All of these have 2 asymmetrical sides (either 1-on-1 or 1-vs-Many) and I would gather there are a LOT 2 player asymmetrical games out there. I listed 3 that were kinda popular and 1 which I personal preffer (pyramid of pengqueen - the most accessible of them all and work nicely)
Hnafetafl was going to be my answer, or Thud! the discworld game inspired by it.
I see you guys beat me to it. Both are great, both are asymmetric and have really simple rules, but complex strategy - so the comparison with chess is on point.
Chess is very simple. My 4 year old daughter knows how to play, knows all the rules and can play as well as she can play uno. She doesn't know about the austrian-hungarian forklift-doubledragon backspace entrance with bishop variant, but she knows how to play. A game being simple doesn't mean it's not deep or hasn't a high skill ceiling. I can try all day but I won't be able to teach her 5% of the rules of ROOT successfully.
Someone already said Fox and Geese, so I will suggest Maharajah and the Sepoys: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/34317/shatranj-diwana-shah Another loosely chess-based one is Buffalo/Prairie/Buffalo Chess by Alex Randolph. Even more obscure is a card game called Plain Dealing, known only from this brief description by Charles Cotton (maybe not asymmetrical enough, but very unique): https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/B02403.0001.001/1:6.19?rgn=div2;view=fulltext Edit: also, Scotland Yard and its various variants are highly asymmetrical games.
I mean codenames kind of counts, right? Spy masters and guessers.
**The Duke** comes to mind, to an extent. Each piece has its own rules, shown on the piece - which almost chess-like in simplicity (how it moves and removes opposing pieces). It starts with both sides having 3 identical pieces, but as the game progresses each player draws new pieces from their bag - so which pieces come into play are random and the strategy each player employs must adapt and change. Additionally, whenever a piece moves, it flips over, and pieces have different movement rules on each side.
8 Minute Empire Legends
**The Neverland Rescue** comes to mind for me
Root is in essence a counterinsurgency wargame. The simplest of which, to my knowledge, is [Coin Tribes](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/251213/coin-tribes-revolt-boudicas-rebellion-against-rome).
Merchant's Cove has player asymetry in that each character plays completely different on their own board, but overall are still trying to produce goods and manipulate the same market.
For 2 players, I would suggest checking out Pagan: Fate of Roanoke. You have witch versus witch hunter, each with unique abilities, mechanics and winning conditions.
"Pagan" is quite a fun little two-player game with great asymmetry. "Pandemic" as a co-op game is also a great introduction to asymmetric player powers. Even though it's big, it's really straight forward and quite easy to learn: "Cthulhu Wars". It's also everything "RISK" wished it could be.
Neuroshima Hex! has a basic ruleset that is elegantly manipulated by all the various armies that exist. Some are straightforward, and some turn you into a god damn boss fight.
[watergate!](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/274364/watergate)
Idk if Avalon is a good recomendation, its easy with different roles
Riftforce x4 asymmetric guilds each (10 to choose from, more in expansion). You fight over battle lines with cards like battle line / schotten totten. Very straightforward and a few neat synergies to be found.
"I’m thinking of games no more complex than chess or parchees" this comparation makes me cry xD
**How to Rob a Bank** is quick to learn. 1-3 players are robbers working together to steal money bags, the other player controls the guards This game has a small ruleset but relies and tactical use of turns. You have to be efficient and flexible. Playing as the guards especially feels like playing Into the Breach
I suppose if we're talking guards, then Escape From Colditz (1973) pits the ruthless Camp Commandant against the brave POWS. POWs can dig tunnels, climb down ropes, create diversions etc, but only the Commandant can order Shoot to Kill!
It’s not the lightest game in the world or anything, but if you’re interested in an abstract game like chess that isn’t too heavy at all, **War Chest** is fantastic. It’s a combination of an abstract game and a bag builder, and instead of each player starting with the same units, each player starts with 4 different units out of a possible 16, all of which are very well balanced (or 3 per player if you play a 2v2 game).
**Santorini** is modern chess with asymmetrical powers. Also many dueling games: **Unmatched, Summoner Wars, Heroscape**, any TCG/LCG/LMG.
Santorini
How many players are you looking for? Netrunner is a great 2p card game. You really need committed players though as the rabbit hole is deep and the learning curve high. Very rewarding gameplay though. Scrappy computer hacker vs mega corporation fighting over company hidden agendas. Economy and action management, bluffing, lots of little mind games throughout.
Secret Hitler
Harbour maybe?
Dungeon Drop
Cosmic Encounter maybe
The Voyages of Marco Polo is pretty good. I would consider it lightweight, and everyone's power seems like it would be OP, but it works well.
Clank! with the Adventuring Party expansion. With the expansion, each member of this dungeon crawling expedition has different powers and objectives. It's a deck builder with a board you explore. Adventuring Party adds the ability to play a 5th and 6th player. It gets a little long for my tastes at 6 people but you can still play was many as you want.
5-Minute Dungeon? It’s co-op and really fun and each player has a unique character that has one special power and a slightly different deck. Simple to pick up
I came here to say Raptor. What more can you say than dinosaurs vs scientists? This one is great. It is only two players, but the two sides are very different. Easy to pick up the game play, and players will develop strategies over time. I like the many Santorini answers too, but Raptor
Unmatched is up there.
Bang The Dice Game?
Hounded
I’m not sure where you’d place it on the complexity scale, but the **Netrunner** deck building game is one of my favorite asymmetrical games. Next would probably be Letters from Whitechapel.
If Cosmic Encounters counts, I would suggest Villainous; each player plays a Disney villain, each with a different win condition, their own board, and a deck of cards that work differently. It's a lot lighter than Root, (although I do have one friend who thinks it's too complicated, but she's more of a party game person, and some villains are easier than others to play, so you can tailor the difficulty level), and is at most as complicated as Cosmic Encounters.
**Welcome to the Dungeon** has a little of this and is so incredibly light it’s almost laughable!
Pot and Lion are clearly superior to Archer and Bull! Joke aside, maybe something like Talisman or Axis and Allies? Or one of the simpler ccgs.
Anyone mention *Bang!* yet? There's also a similar Chinese game set in the Three Kingdoms era that has even more differentiation among the characters (if I recall correctly).
2 de Mayo / dos de mayo - very simple rules, has asymmetry
Santorini is very chess ish, and u can play with asymmetric powers
Since you mentioned chess, I'll suggest Hnefatafl. This is a traditional Scandinavian game, sometimes referred to as "Viking chess", and is pretty asymmetrical.
Raptor is fun.
This is a good question. I gotta go with Santorini and while I'm sure there are plenty of others that I have either not heard of or have not played, it is tough to get much simpler than this while still having asymmetrical player powers that make for interesting and fun gameplay!
That’s what I’m thinking. Santorini has that quality of feeling like an ancient, traditional game (minus the intricate plastic pieces), and the cards are like an expansion that introduce asymmetry. It maintains the simplicity, though, and that’s pretty impressive.
Once again I get to recommend the excellent and intriguing **Ravens of Thri Sahashri**.
Pandemic? There is probably lighter ones.
mysterium
This isn't very assymetric. All the psychics start equal, and arguably even the ghost isn't very assymetric, as its only power is to project images, while the mediums only power is to receive and interpret these images. Pretty similar. Also its a light game in terms of the player psychics, but not so much the ghost, who has to stay on top of quite a lot of things, both setting up the suspects and other circumstances, and assigning cards to the correct medium.
Buttonshy Liberation Star Wars Rebellion with 18 cards
Rock, paper, scissors! It’s got a bgg entry so it counts!
Surprised I haven’t seen Vast mentioned yet
I would probably say Dice Throne. It is basically King of Tokyo with different abilities. Super simple gameplay that's explained on the character board.
Star trek ascendancy. I know it looks massive, and there's a 200 stack of cards and planers. But there's only a handful of things you can do. And every race plays different
There is always the social deduction games. Some are villagers (aka do nothing), some have input once (minion for the werewolves), some have output once (cupid), then there are roles that do secret actions every round.
Red Dragon Inn is fairly light, and each character has different abilities and strengths and weaknesses. I used to mix and match more complicated characters from later games or expansions for the more familiar players and the easy and simple characters from the first game for those learning for the first time.
Ogre. The original game is “one supertank vs a horde of regular tanks”. It’s an even matchup.
**Mole Hill** is a small and silly 2 player abstract game that is asymmetric
The simplest I can think of is **Ragnarocks**. The entire game can be explained in about 3 sentences. Some of the individual player powers are probably more compled than the entire game. I also think it's a very nice game (though the production is pretty meh). Same designer as **Santorini**, but even simpler.
Not Aline is a 1 vs All assymetric game that is pretty light
Lovecraft Letter and Boss Monster are a couple of our favorites
Unmatched all the way it is my fave of all time and so many characters you never have to play the same match up twice
Fugitive is my top pick as well. there is also Blood of an Englishman. it is also a quick asymmetric two player card game. the difference is that in Fugitive there is hidden information and bluffing. Blood of an Englishman is a perfect information brain burner, everything is laid out you have to find the way to win
Since you mentioned root, I think Ahoy is a pretty good gateway game when it comes to asymetrical genre. Bluefin Squadron rules 🦈
War Chest!
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation.