1212: Las Navas de Tolosa

A decisive medieval battle, resolved by two people in about half an hour.

July 1212, the Sierra Morena. A coalition of Christian kingdoms against the Almohad Caliphate, in an engagement that reshaped the Iberian peninsula. The game gives one player each side and a compact block-and-card system that gets to the fighting quickly rather than modelling the logistics of getting there.

It is a two-player historical game rather than a euro with a theme painted on — the asymmetry is real, and the sides do not play alike. Thirty to forty-five minutes, which is unusually short for the genre and makes it a rematch game rather than an afternoon. Good entry point if you have been curious about historical two-player games and put off by the six-hour ones.

Perfect for: two people who like Hive and 7 Wonders Duel and have wondered what the next step up looks like.

2 players | 30–45 minutes | Age 12+