Board games to discover this summer

Five tested (and approved!) board games to liven up long car journeys as well as your evenings with friends or family.

pocket quiz

On vacation, a question arises for many of us (and not only parents): how to occupy the long journeys by car, even by plane or train? Joël Gagnon, publishing director and game designer for Randolph, offers his fun solution with the Pocket Quiz quiz. Players are challenged to collect stars by answering general knowledge questions. The novelty ? They have an Adventure card to complete to complete the game with the highest possible score. However, the further the course progresses, the tougher the challenges become. And there’s better: some optional challenges require the player to ask questions to people he meets on his way.

For 1 to 8 players aged 10 and over. Price: $13

Stephanie Morin, The Press

That’s not a hat

Rest assured: in this little box with the English title hides a game accessible in all the languages ​​of the world. Here, it is the memory that is solicited. Illustrated cards pass from hand to hand, but beware! We must remember what we give and what we receive. Otherwise, you’ll have to bluff to convince the neighbor that you know exactly what you’re giving him. If he realizes it, we lose a point. Three points lost and it’s the end. It’s very simple, and yet… We quickly get tangled up, especially with several people. This game of party published by Ravensburger was cited in prestigious competitions in 2023, notably as game of the year at the Ace d’or.

For 3 to 8 players aged 8 and over. Duration: 15 minutes

Stephanie Morin, The Press

Tokaido Duo

Tokaido Duo (the two-player version of Tokaido) takes us back to the Japan of yesteryear, this time around the island of Shikoku, the smallest of the Japanese archipelago. We once again control our merchant, our artist and our pilgrim, the more active they are, the more points we get. “You have to analyze the objectives of the three characters well, to score as many points as possible,” explains our teenage tester. “I think you didn’t pay enough attention to your pilgrim,” he added to explain his narrow 79-78 victory. This is precisely one of the strengths of the game: you can use several strategies and continue to be in the game.

For 2 players aged 8 and over. Duration: 20 to 30 minutes. Price: $33

Pierre-Marc Durivage, The Press

Qawale

This abstract game for two players is inspired in its aesthetics by the piles of pebbles sometimes found on beaches. Here they must be distributed and stacked so as to create a vertical, horizontal or diagonal line of four pebbles of the color assigned to us. Obviously, the opponent will do everything to hinder us and finish his line first. A game as easy to understand as the good old tic-tac-toe, but much more tactical in its mechanics. To put in the pluses: its magnificent aesthetics, which makes you want to leave it lying around on the living room table.

For two players aged 8 and over. Duration: 15 minutes. Price: $47

Stephanie Morin, The Press

Skull King

This game, released in the United States several years ago and received with great praise, is (finally, some would say) offered in French. In this pirate-themed trick-taking game, you have to accurately predict the number of tricks you will succeed in each round. There are a lot of points to lose if you are wrong! However, certain special cards, like mermaids or the terrible pirate Skull King, can come to confuse the predictions. An easy to understand game (despite its rather complex scoring system) that knows how to keep you going until the very end thanks to many twists.

For 2 to 8 players aged 8 and over. Duration: 30 minutes. Price: $25

Stephanie Morin, The Press