This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
After an afternoon of crisscrossing mountains, rivers and forests, two questions arise as soon as we arrive at the refuge: “What do we eat?” » And once satisfied: “What do we do now?” We’re not going to go to bed with the sun after all…”
Fortunately, the experienced hiker has brought a few surprises in his backpack: some nice little games for a relaxing evening in the light of the headlamps, while a log crackles in the fire. First constraints for the recreational hiker: bulk and weight. Too bad for you, Mölkky ! You’ll come back when you have a version with cork pins. There is also no question of bringing games with too much equipment with pawns, dice, tokens or figurines. We know that there is always a tiny coin that ends up rolling under the table and disappearing forever into a dimension forbidden to humans (this is our only explanation). The great classics Skullz (363 grams), Jungle Speed (242 grams) and Love Letter (108 grams) all fulfill this mandate perfectly. As they have already been the subject of chronicles in these pages, these are two new features which caught our attention this time. Yes, we even weighed them for you: when hiking, every gram counts!
Far away (335 grams)
Let’s start with this wonderfully endearing little card game, whose theme corresponds perfectly to hiking, since it is a journey. It is also, unfortunately, one of those games that are an ordeal to explain, without the hardware in front of you. Let’s try anyway. Boasting charming illustrations, Far away takes us into an ever-changing world. Each of the pretty square cards that we place in front of us represents both a step in our walk, and an inhabitant of this mysterious country. In a language made of abstract symbols, we are given a quest (to discover certain places or mythical animals), accompanied by a reward in points. And the ride continues: we place a new card on our track, then we choose another one in the center of the table, which joins our hand. As soon as everyone has placed their eighth card in front of them, the game ends. It’s time to count down. And that’s where this little adventure which didn’t look like much reveals its absolute genius: we resolve the quests in reverse order, that is to say starting from the last card placed down to the first. As if, after having met all these inhabitants for the first time, we came back to see them to tell them the story of our trip. Planning a cascading chain of rewards, preferably in ascending order to acquire powerful relics, offers a real sense of accomplishment. Excellent from two players, Far Away seduces as much by its universe as by its original mechanics. A surprisingly strategic game as soon as you understand its audacious system!
Far Away2 to 6 players, 30 minutes, 10 years and over, approx. $30.
Courtiers (393 grams)
If you fear being overwhelmed by the combinatorial aspect of Far Awayso it’s Courtiers you need. It is a deck of 90 cards in tarot format, accompanied by an elegant fabric mat which represents the queen’s banquet in the style of a medieval tapestry. Each of the six families (boars, deer, toads, etc.) tries to attract his favors. It is you who will help them… or on the contrary, harm them, by drawing and then judiciously placing the three cards in your hand: the first in front of you, the second in front of an opponent of your choice, and the last at the banquet, i.e. – above (in light), or below (in disgrace). When the draw pile is empty, the game ends and we check the final state of each family at the banquet. Each card you have from a disgraced family causes you to lose points, while those in light gain you points. It is therefore a pretty waltz which takes place from turn to turn. We try to weaken the families whose opponents have the most cards, while highlighting our own. To make things even more complicated, certain cards have powers, such as the assassin, which eliminates another card, or the spy, which is played face down and whose family we discover at the end. It will be necessary to strike as well as to be diplomatic, to create alliances while knowing how to adapt, because the best strategy does not resist the worst blows of Jarnac. Courtiers amazed us with the simplicity of its mechanics, which forces you to surf the ambient chaos, while offering fast and tense games for all ages. Pleasure in bars, for only 393 grams!
Courtiers2 to 5 players, 20 minutes, ages 8 and up, approx. $30.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.