Our board game suggestions

Three suggestions for board games to discover as a family, group or couple

Pierre-Marc Durivage
The Press

Stephanie Morin
The Press

CrazyTower

Pretty Quebec creation which is an interesting variation on the theme of the essential Jenga. Crazy Tower, however, adds a few subtleties that allow it to stand out from the mass of block stacking games; we build here based on cards that determine where we can place our blocks. There are also special squares on the cards that trigger certain specific actions that complicate the players’ mission, i.e. succeed in using all their blocks, or at least stay with the fewest pieces in hand if the tower had just collapsed. We are of course eliminated if we are responsible for the disaster. It is possible to play Crazy Tower against other players or in collaboration against a saboteur whose objective is to cause the collapse of the tower by one of his opponents. You can also play alone by taking up one of the 20 challenges offered.

Cautious in the first games, the players then become much more daring, which quickly jeopardizes the balance of the tower. “The saboteur mode is very pleasant, because there is a player who comes to fuck the mess, rightly raised our mom tester. Also, it’s more strategic and demanding than Jenga, although it may appeal to people of all ages. (Pierre-Marc Durivage)

Taco, Hat, Cake, Gift, Pizza

New livery of the original French Taco, Chat, Bouc, Cheese, Pizza (Taco, Chat, Poulet, Poutine, Pizza in its Quebec version), with Taco, Hat, Cake, Gift, Pizza. We don’t change anything in the essential, except that the cake and gift cards look devilishly similar, the same thing for pizzas and hats. All this to add even more spice to this little game that is sure to cause laughter! The name of the game is in fact the sequence of words that we must repeat in turn, while simultaneously depositing a card from our deck in the middle of the table. When the drawing on the card matches the spoken word, all players must get their hands on the card as quickly as possible. The last player to do so picks up the deck from under the stack. The player who loses all his cards first wins, but watch out for the three special cards, which command you to make special gestures while putting your hand on the center card – the marmoset gave us a lot of trouble!

Our judges, aged 11 to 74, were unanimously won over, some pleasantly surprised by the fact that it was a game for everyone – Simon Douchy’s drawings are indeed rather “cute”. Grandma’s warning: avoid playing with nails that are too long, it can cause problems when you rush your hand towards the center of the table! (Pierre-Marc Durivage)

7 Wonders Architects

The range of 7 Wonders games — including the initial game being the most awarded in the world — has grown! Indeed, the creators have managed to offer a more family game, with simplified mechanics, while keeping the theme of the wonders of the world. The name of this pearl: 7 Wonders Architects.

Here, players must build their Wonder of the World (think Pyramids of Egypt, Lighthouse of Alexandria, and Gardens of Babylon) by amassing the necessary resources. But be careful: the goal of the game is still to collect points. Sometimes starting a war or betting on scientific discoveries can pay off. In short, there are several ways to win, which adds to the interest of this title. It is not surprising that this game, which will especially appeal to novices, won the prestigious Ace d’or for game of the year at the Cannes International Games Festival last February.

Note: the equipment is of high quality, with plastic storage compartments for each of the seven wonders offered. A plus which, however, explains the high price of this very well thought out game. A word of warning, in closing: the game is hard to find these days, but a return to shelves is slated for the end of April. (Stephanie Morin)