Board games to discover

Six games to discover, for fun evenings with family, friends and even alone

Sky Team

We really fell in love with this new cooperative game imagined by Luc Rémond and the Quebec publishing house Scorpion masque. Here, both players must work together to try to land their plane in different airports around the world. To do this, they must ensure that they use the landing gear correctly, deploy the flaps, manage their speed, their fuel level, etc. All these actions are controlled using dice that must be placed judiciously. And as if that were not enough, we must also take into account air traffic and the topography of the airport. We don’t land at Montréal-Trudeau like we do at Paro, in Bhutan, considered the most dangerous airport in the world! The further we advance, the more complex the missions become and the more tense the atmosphere in the cockpit. An immersive game that kept us in suspense for several evenings. An exclusive scenario inspired by flight TS-236 directed by Commander Robert Piché is offered in limited quantities.

Stéphanie Morin, The Press

Vivarium

Each player here puts on the wide-brimmed hat of a 19th century scientist^e century left to study the strange creatures that inhabit a vast underground continent recently discovered several kilometers under Siberia. The explorer who finds the most creatures, completes the most research objectives, or amasses the most items and riches wins this beautifully illustrated adventure. The game’s beauty received praise from all of our testers, although its mechanics are arguably more appropriate for players over the age of 14. “I like the fact that we had to think about the many connections to be made between the different aspects of the game,” confirms our teenage tester. Despite everything, there is no recipe to follow, the elements of the game are balanced, you can try different strategies and find what you want, which gives Vivarium an excellent degree of replayability.

Pierre-Marc Durivage, The Press

Carla Caramel

Another cooperative game using a dice, but this time aimed at toddlers. Carla Caramel is planted in the sweet world of ice cream merchants. To win, players must succeed in serving all the children lining up in front of the kiosk before the sun melts two cones. But beware ! Cones should never contain the same flavor twice. And the maximum balls allowed is three. Above all, you have to make sure that the sun doesn’t ruin everything by finding yourself above a three-ball cone… With its quality material, its colorful aesthetic and its easy-to-learn rules, Carla Caramel is a choice ideal for introducing those aged 4 and over to the world of board games. Please note: the game can also be played solo.

Stéphanie Morin, The Press

Oh yeah? Family Edition

This Quebec creation is inspired by the winning concept of the excellent Top 10, adding a personal touch that adds more spice, especially when playing with family or friends that you think you know well. Five statements are revealed and each participant must guess the order of preference of the player whose turn it is – the latter must also make their choices at the same time as the others. When everyone has made their decision, we reveal the results, which are every time astonishing. “We surprise ourselves and we surprise others, sometimes we see that we don’t know our life partners and our children well, and vice versa,” admits the brother-in-law with a laugh. “There is a little stress linked to the fact that you do not want to be the one who seems not to know the other”, adds the better half of the tester, adding that the game can also be an excellent tool for consolidating relationships. ‘team. No matter the circumstances, Ah yesnnn? generates its share of laughs, pleasure guaranteed.

Pierre-Marc Durivage, The Press

Rail Raiders Legacy – Legends of the West

The trend of the moment is undoubtedly the Legacy game mode, where certain actions taken in one game have repercussions on the following ones. Twelve different campaigns are offered and each time, new rules are added, the board expands, new secret material is revealed. It’s a real story that unfolds, a real journey that is offered in the confines of 19th century America.^e century ! What’s more, the journey takes place here in a universe that is familiar to many, that of the Rail Adventurers. This famous train game never stops reinventing itself, to the great delight of fans who number in the thousands. And the objective of the game in all this? Growing his railway company, part by part, until it becomes the most powerful in North America. This fun experience is not cheap, but it is undoubtedly a great gift to ask Santa Claus…

Stéphanie Morin, The Press

Campfire

Small, compact and simple game which consists of building the most beautiful and tallest campfire. Following the instructions on the cards drawn in turn, the players build the fire by stacking logs and embers using small tongs, without dropping the pieces already in place. To add to the challenge, you sometimes have to use the hand you are least comfortable with, and in some cases you also have to stack two or three pieces before adding fuel to the fire. “It’s a lot faster than I thought, but I imagine you get better the more you play,” says our teen tester. But we are quickly reaching a point where we are reaching the limits of physics. » The game is in fact not that easy, the pieces are very small and their handling requires great dexterity. Our testers even came up with more lenient house rules to keep the fun going!

Pierre-Marc Durivage, The Press