Posted at 11:00 a.m.
Kiddi
Superbly illustrated little card game, an original discovery invented in Quebec which has the merit of being very simple, dynamic, and which can be replayed almost endlessly. The principle is charming: you must place one of the pretty cards from your hand on the card exposed in the center, by proposing a logical link between the two. If the other players deem the link satisfactory, we move on to the next player. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins. Be careful though, there are some special cards that disrupt the course of the game; tornadoes, showers or volcanoes can indeed come and shake the kingdom of words!
“I liked it a lot because there are very creative players who can suggest some crazy links, which is very funny, raises our teenage tester. However, there is a small ecological issue: the box is much too big for nothing…” The publisher however specifies that this space is reserved for additional cards which should arrive soon in new expansions.
“It’s a really good game, because it can be played with toddlers as well as with adults, supports the mother of our young tester. We can be more lenient with children, but more demanding with adults. Maybe there could be more special cards, because that can change the dynamics of the game.”
Number of players: 2 to 6 Age: 6 and up
Duration: 20 minutes
Level of difficulty: beginner Authors: Josianne St-Pierre, Anaïs Legrand and Louis-Noë Legrand
Illustrator: Amélie Martel
Publisher: Face4 Games
Price: $25
Caesar’s Empire
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Caesar’s Empire board game
Everyone (or almost) knows Asterix, the famous hero imagined by Goscinny and Uderzo. Except that here, it is not the irreducible Gauls who steal the show, but Julius Caesar and his armies of legionnaires. Indeed, players must conquer cities of Caesar’s empire by taking the famous Roman roads (you know, those that all lead to Rome!). In doing so, they accumulate different resources that will allow them to collect a few or a lot of points, depending on the diversity of the harvest.
This family game, fast – the parties rarely stretch beyond 30 minutes – and very easy to master is an excellent choice for those who are put off by too beefy titles. And Caesar’s Empire is not devoid of strategy either. It is for example possible to put a spoke in the wheels of the opponents by taking under their noses the resource which would have made their fortune. A very pleasant surprise, especially since the game board is magnificent (which explains its high price). Fans of Les Aventuriers du rail will be in familiar country, without having the impression of finding themselves in front of a pale copy.
Number of players: 2 to 5 Age: 10 and up
Duration: 30 minutes
Difficulty level: beginner
Author: Matthieu Podevin Publisher: Synapses Games
Price: $70
Kesse Tu Fa There? Ole!
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The board game Kesse-Tu Fa Là? Ole! from the Quebec publisher Ludik Quebec.
This is the kind of game that will make us miss the beautiful evenings spent with friends or family… But never mind, the good weather will return and Kesse-Tu Fa Là will certainly be able to liven up our next reunion. The Quebec creation refines the classic formula of mime and guessing games by offering different ways to help teammates discover words or phrases. Depending on the card drawn, you must take up the challenge sometimes by pointing to objects or people around you, sometimes by miming together with a teammate, the arms of one player replacing that of the other placed in front, sometimes by guessing an incomplete sentence using sounds. Each map has two or three challenges, the more difficult ones give more points – there are 192 challenges! The winning team is the one with the most points after five innings.
If we exclude the category of two-man mimes, it is possible to play four, forming two teams. However, some expressions are not appropriate for the youngest, which is why there is also a family version of the game. “We play again, in groups, but by choosing the most interesting categories”, supports our tester, who had trouble with the proofs of sentences broken down into inverted syllables… like his whole family, by the way!
Number of players: up to 20 Age: 16+
Duration: 30 to 60 minutes
Level of difficulty: beginner Publisher: Ludik Québec
Price: $22