Spring break | Board games for young and old

Is school on break for the week? It’s time to get the board games out! To inspire you, five specialists (including our journalists) offer you tried and tested games that will appeal to primary or secondary school players.

Stephanie Morin
The Press

Pierre-Marc Durivage
The Press

For primary school students

Draftosaurus

Rachael Hardies, store manager at Valet d’Cœur in Montreal, offers this Jurassic-themed game, where players must build the most beautiful dinosaur park to win. “In this game of drafting, it’s not cards that you pass from hand to hand, but little wooden dinosaurs. You have to know which dinosaurs to keep and which ones not to give to your opponents so as not to give them too many points… It’s a really fun game, for children, but also for parents. I even tested it successfully with 5 and 6 year olds. »

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

Secret agent

Suggested by Caroline Goulet, manager of the games department at the Imaginaire Laurier Québec store, Secret Agent is an investigation game from the Mont-à-Mots family; it is a question of finding in which country the traitor hides among the spies of the agency. Players roll the dice, from which they must formulate mathematical equations that ultimately allow them to decode the whereabouts of the trickster secret agent. “The children have fun, but it also helps them to apply their notions of mathematics,” says Caroline Goulet. This is an excellent game to have fun playing with math, to learn in a fun way. »

For 2 to 4 players aged 8 and over; Duration: 20 minutes; Price: $35

Unlock! Kids

This cooperative tabletop escape game has won over many adult players, but, according to Michel Bédard, co-owner of the two La Revanche stores in Quebec, the children’s version is also a safe bet. “The publisher simplified the concept and eliminated the need for an application to play. However, the presence of an adult can help to read the text on the cards. To solve the six adventures contained in the box, children must combine symbols, find numbers hidden in illustrations and use their sense of deduction. »

For 1 to 4 players aged 6 and over; Duration: 20 minutes per scenario; Price: $40

Stéphanie’s suggestion: Recto Verso

Formerly marketed as La Boca, this construction (and speed!) game puts players’ 3D spatial perception to the test. The objective does not seem complicated: build the building drawn on the map as quickly as possible, using all the wooden blocks available. The problem: the construction is done in tandem and each player only sees one side of the facade of the building. So you have to communicate carefully to put the parts together correctly. Only, while we rack our brains, time flies…

For 2 to 6 players aged 8 and over; Duration: 30 minutes; Price: $32

Pierre-Marc’s suggestion: Bandido

A simple cooperative tile placement game that is easy to learn and play. The common objective for all players is to block the passage of Bandido, who is trying to escape by digging tunnels. Collaboration is essential for success, so it’s very easy to integrate toddlers into the mission. As our youngest tester pointed out, the first games can be more difficult, because you don’t know the cards, “you don’t know where to place them for it to be really effective”. Preventing Bandido from slipping through our fingers is indeed a good challenge, especially for the games played at the most difficult level. We will want to take revenge for sure. You can play on the floor or on a large table.

For 1 to 4 players aged 6 and over; Duration: 15 to 20 minutes; Price: $15

For secondary school students

King of Tokyo

“This game is always one of my first choices when it comes to suggesting a game for teenagers,” says Jean-Philippe Giguère, advisor at the Imaginaire Laurier Québec store. “It’s important to get them with a good theme, it’s easier to bring them to the table. “Precisely, King of Tokyo is a dice game that borrows the mechanics of Yathzee where players embody mutant monsters or gigantic robots with an aesthetic straight out of 1950s films. “It’s a bit like a game of the king of the mountain, and who says spring break precisely says battles on mountains of snow, exclaims laughing Jean-Philippe Giguère. The difference is that we come out with fewer bruises! »

For 2 to 6 players aged 8 and over; Duration: 30 to 45 minutes; Price: $50

Destinies

This beefy competitive narrative game – suggested by Michel Bédard, of La Revanche – immerses players in five different scenarios where each must complete a different (and secret) mission to win. “This game looks a bit like a role-playing game, but the game master has been replaced by an application that allows you to interact with the characters you meet. The map is also revealed as the game progresses. It was very well received when it was released in 2021.”

For 1 to 3 players aged 14 and over; Duration: 120 minutes per scenario; Price: $75

MicroMacro Crime City

“This game is a real Where is Charlie ?, but for adults,” says Rachael Hardies, manager of Le Valet d’Cœur, who immediately thought of MicroMacro Crime City as a suggestion for teenagers. “You have to solve crimes by observing small drawings on a giant map. The stories are a bit gloomy. It is for this reason that the publisher released a second version of the game titled Full House. There are warnings for children. This version will be a better choice if you want to play with younger people. »

For 1 to 4 players aged 10 and over; Duration: 15 to 45 minutes per survey; Price: $40

Pierre-Marc’s suggestion: B-Movie

This is a very original, extremely simple, user-friendly and compact bluffing game, with a frankly appealing theme for teenagers. We take on the role of a B-movie director who is looking to recruit actors for his next horror film. Advice is sought from other players, who are also looking to achieve the next dubious horror masterpiece. The challenge here is that we don’t know the value of the actors whose CVs we hold, it is only visible to our competitors. The latter will sometimes want to recruit them, sometimes try to trap us by trying to convince us to hire the most clueless actors. This is where the bluff comes into play. The basic version can get a bit redundant, so two variants are included, we recommend to use them from the start, especially since they don’t really add to the complexity of the game.

For 3 to 5 players aged 10 and over; Duration: 15 minutes; Price: $16

Stephanie’s suggestion: The Crew

This title with minimalist material succeeds in what we thought was impossible: reinventing the traditional game of tricks (where the strongest card of the requested suit wins). The big news here: players work together to complete missions, such as making sure player X wins the trick with card Y. Or ending the game without player Z picking up a single trick. In all, 50 increasingly difficult missions are offered. But to win in this diabolical game, it takes time, perseverance and a bit of luck! The Crew is offered in two versions (in space or underwater), but the principle remains the same.

For 2 to 5 players aged 10 and over; Duration: 10 minutes per mission; Price: $30