The power’s out. Or you’re sitting on a plane. Or maybe your parents just won’t let you go online. Whatever the reason, you’ve found yourself with nothing to do, and nothing to entertain yourself but a piece of paper, a pen, and a friend. What to do? You could try to start writing the next American novel, but then you’d have to run the gauntlet of publication, and that’s its own headache. Also, maybe you hate writing. Instead, check out some of these two-player pen and paper games which you can play at any time, in any setting. All you need is two players, a piece of paper, and a couple of pens.
Unique Pen and Paper Games
Want to play a game you’ve never heard of before? Check out these unique two-player pen and paper games.
This fun game is similar to Wordle, but with digits instead of letters. In this game, one person comes up with a hidden 4-digit number. Other players must guess that number. After each guess, the first player tells them how many digits are correct and in the right place, and how many are correct but in the wrong place. However, they don’t tell them which digits are correct. The other players must race to guess the correct number as soon as possible, or before the set number of guesses runs out.
In Boxes, each player draws a grid on a piece of paper. Then, everyone goes around in the circle and picks a letter. When a letter is picked, everyone has to put it on the grid, with the ultimate goal of filling the grid with words, like a word search. This game is definitely more challenging than most pen-and-paper games, but that makes it perfect for adults killing time at a doctor’s office or during a boring meeting.
- Sim
In this game, players try to connect dots inside a hexagon by drawing lines between them. However, when connecting these dots, they cannot make a triangle. If connecting any two dots creates a triangle, then the player who drew the line loses.
In this game, players also try to connect dots on a piece of paper, but these dots are drawn in a grid. The goal of players is to create a box by connecting their dots before their opponent creates a box. At the end of the game, the player with the most boxes wins.
- SOS
In this modified Tic Tac Toe game, players compete on a grid to complete the phrase ‘SOS’ by alternately playing S and O. The person to get the most SOS symbols wins!
Modified Board Games
While the above games all sound fun, maybe you’re searching for something a little more nostalgic. If that’s the case, here are a few ideas of classic board games that can be modified to be played on just pen and paper.
This game is extra-fun when playing on the Battleship board, but it can be easily modified to be played with pen and paper as well. Simply set up a 7×7 grid, labeling the columns with numbers and the rows from A to G. Then guess where your opponent’s ships are by guessing squares. If you guess a square correctly, you’ll get a “hit” and if you guess incorrectly, you’ll get a “miss.” If you hit every square containing a ship, the ship sinks. The goal is to sink all your opponent’s ships before they can sink yours.
This is one of the most famous games of all time. Simply draw images on paper and ask your opponent to try to guess the images. Two-person games can be hard to score, but this game will keep you entertained nonetheless.
Similar to Tic Tac Toe, Connect 4 asks players to put together a string of their own tokens. However, instead of marking spots anywhere on a grid, players must place tokens at the bottom of a board. Modify this game for paper by drawing a grid, and be sure to follow the rules of Connect 4 that all marks must be dropped to the bottom of the board, or must stack on top of other tokens.
Pen and Paper Games for Kids
Looking to entertain your kids during a blackout – or just trying to find a way to entertain them that doesn’t involve the omnipresent iPad? Try teaching them some of these classic two-player pen and paper games.
- Tic Tac Toe
One of the most classic games of all time, Tic Tac Toe starts with a simple 3 x 3 grid. One player marks Xs, and one player marks Os. Each player alternates putting down a marker, with the goal of getting three of their own marker in a row.
- Hangman
Sometimes called Flower or Astronaut, this game is as fundamental as they come. One player comes up with a word, which the other player must guess, letter by letter. When the player guesses an incorrect letter, they have to add a body part to the man hanging from the gallows. When the man’s body is complete, the game is lost, so the goal is for the second player to guess the word before the man is hanged.
- Paper Soccer
If your kid is laid up from a broken ankle he got defending his goal from the enemy, this might be just the game for them. Simply draw a rough soccer field on a sheet of grid paper, then take turns drawing lines to move the ball towards your opponent’s goal.
Other Games
If you’re a game aficionado, make sure to check out some of our other game offerings! Check out our Activity Room, with all of our games and activities. Or try our Play Hangman or Play Sudoku games if you’d like a simple online game.
