Five board games to try

Five board game suggestions to discover with family or as a couple

6 who takes!

Thirty years already since the German Wolfgang Kramer invented this card game which balances between strategy, chance and chaos. Here, players must place their cards in chronological order, but be careful, the laying rules are strict! The one who will pose the 6^e card in a row will collect points… and that is not desired! For this anniversary, the Quebec publisher Kikigagne? offers a limited edition with brilliant variants to play solo, in cooperative mode or simply to make the games more complex. Namely: in competitive mode, 6 wins! can be played by two people, but the real fun begins with 5 or 6 players! A simple gem to assimilate.

For 1 to 10 players ages 8 and up. Duration: 45 minutes. Price: $27

Stéphanie Morin, The Press

Mind Up!

In 30 years, 6 which takes! fathered a fine series of heirs. Mind Up! is the newest one in the running, and it’s certainly one of the most awesome. Here, the objective is to build collections of cards of the same color in the hope of scoring as many points as possible. However, the mechanics imagined by the authors Maxime Rambourg and Christine Alcouffe are frankly intelligent, the picking strategy becoming more and more cunning the more you play. Each player can choose their own strategy, but we must be aware of what cards have been played and what cards our opponents are looking for. A real favorite among the in-laws, “a beautiful marriage between a classic card game and a board game,” suggested the grandmother tester.

For 3 to 6 players aged 8 and over. Duration: 20 minutes. Price: $22

Pierre-Marc Durivage, The Press

Drawing is easy!

Certainly, this little box does not hide a board game strictly speaking. There is no competition and no winner. Rather, it is the pleasure that wins, since the cards and dice are used to create crazy characters as desired. Quebec designer Tristan Demers imagined this very fun way to stimulate the imagination (and the pencil stroke) of all those who like to create on paper. The various parts of the character’s face are added randomly, to ultimately form an astonishing creature. It’s very simple, but it works. Proof: the little testers really liked it!

For 1 to 8 players ages 5 and up. Duration: 15 to 20 minutes. Price: $25

Stéphanie Morin, The Press

Cafe del catto

In Cafe del gatto – game of the year in Austria in 2023 – each player puts themselves in the shoes of feline baristas who compete to create the best coffees possible. Each round, players can either collect money, buy ingredients (coffee or milk, with or without sugar), or prepare drinks. The quality of espresso, cappuccino, latte and mokacino is measured by the quality of their ingredients, represented by tiles numbered 1 to 4. Also, each ingredient is ideal for hot, cold or whipped drinks – use only one type of ingredient allows you to sell your caffeinated creation at a higher price. When a player manages to finish all their coffees first, the game ends – we were also tricked into wanting to concoct recipes that were too “high-end”! Very beautiful game, high quality, with pleasant mechanics; the theme particularly appealed to the youngest, but the teenagers would have appreciated more twists and turns.

For 2 to 5 players aged 8 and over. Duration: 30 minutes. Price: $57

Pierre-Marc Durivage, The Press

Trio

The card games follow each other and are not necessarily alike. In Trio, the latest from Quebec publisher Randolph, you sometimes have to be cunning to win. Here, the objective is to compose trios, but to do this, you can draw from your opponents’ cards. This interactivity between players – the strong point of the game – can however give headaches to those who thought they were in control of their strategy. An easy to master title for quick games. Perfect as an appetizer for game night with friends.

For 3 to 6 players aged 7 and over. Duration: 15 minutes. Price: $20

Stéphanie Morin, The Press