13 suggestions for “playing Quebecois”

Like every week in this column, I explore the fascinating world of board games for you. I tested a lot of them this year (not all, of course, but really, really a lot!) to recommend the most interesting of them, those that are likely to pique your curiosity or those that have completely become favorites .

Every Sunday in December, I publish a new fun list of games grouped into various categories. To be continued!

Let’s start with suggestions for Quebec board games released in French in Quebec in 2024, presented in no particular order. They are all easy to find (I checked!) in French version in several specialized stores in the province, in store or online.

Remember that this is the flight simulation game Sky Teamfrom the Montreal studio Scorpion Masqué, which won the Spiel des Jahres, the annual “Oscar” of board games, in July. It was launched in 2023.

Littoral

The ultimate beach game! Here, you draw wooden tokens from a bag, to throw them back into the sea or add them to your coastline in order to score points. Designed by Bryan Burgoyne and published by Randolph, The Portable Littoral turns out to be an accessible and dynamic game in which you have fun trying your luck.

For 1 to 5 beginner players aged 8 and over. Duration: 15 to 30 minutes. Price: $35

*****

Festival

Newcomer Masked Scorpion has fun with fireworks in the skies of major cities around the world. Here you choose, place and stack round, colored tiles to reproduce patterns and score points. A super-fast and lightweight game, perfect for the family.

For 2 to 4 beginner players aged 8 and over. Duration: 15 to 30 minutes. Price: $30

*****

Tree Society

The Quebec studio Next Move takes you into the bucolic world of Tree Societyin a city built at the top of the forest. A world where we finance the construction of tree houses through a fruit economy! This lively, pretty and friendly card game encourages you to adapt your strategy according to your opponents’ cards.

For 2 to 4 intermediate players ages 8 and up. Duration: 30 to 45 minutes. Price: $45

*****

Dead Cells

Roll up your sleeves and dive into the colorful world of video games Dead Cellstransposed into a table game by designers Star and Scorpion Masqué. Here you are a prisoner trying to escape from an island teeming with infected creatures. Like in the movie Groundhog Dayyou start a game, explore the castle, fight enemies, see your character die, then start again with additional skills in your pocket. A fun game for experienced players that deserves to be revisited often.

For 1 to 4 advanced players aged 14 and over. Duration: 20 to 60 minutes. Price: $115

*****

Hacktivity

Designer Stéphane Vachon has cleverly crafted a cooperative card game (in which everyone plays together) around a techno-futuristic theme. Imagine At the Matrix — with more colors — in which your characters deactivate viruses that threaten cyberspace. A colorful game, accessible and full of strategy at the same time.

For 1 to 4 intermediate-advanced players aged 14 and over. Duration: 30 to 60 minutes. Price: $75

*****

Tanuki

This adorable card game from Montreal publisher Synapses Games invites you to cultivate a bamboo garden. However, the low blows to get there are much less “country”, without ever being mean. Rich in surprises and deviousness, the almost childish Tanuki can be learned in two minutes. A good little game at a low price!

For 3 to 6 beginner players aged 7 and over. Duration: 15 to 25 minutes. Price: $20

*****

Square Canada

Geneviève Dupuis herself conceived, developed, designed and produced Square Canada for her children who she homeschools. Result: a card, travel and “draw in the bag” game in which you learn Canadian geography and (basic) math while having fun. A striking proof that an educational game can be interesting for everyone!

For 2 to 4 beginner-intermediate players aged 10 and over. Duration: 40 minutes. Price: $40

*****

Flashback: Lucy

Budding detectives will enjoy playing as Lucy, a young girl whose visions lead her to explore the troubled past of a mansion. You examine images taken from its story from all angles in order to elucidate its mysteries. Co-created by Marc-Antoine Doyon and published by Scorpion Masqué, Flashback: Lucy is a solid interactive experience with a comic strip feel.

For 1 to 4 beginner players aged 8 and over. Duration: 30 to 40 minutes. Price: $30

*****

Mimose & Sam and the fruit thief

Fans of children’s books Mimosa & Sam have the chance to have fun with their favorite characters here. In this game designed by Thomas Dagenais-Lspérance, illustrated by the author Cathon and published by Studio Locomuse, a player travels the board to steal fruit while the others chase him. Simple, adorable and colorful!

For 2 to 4 beginner players aged 5 and over. Duration: 15 to 20 minutes. Price: $30

*****

Now!

Publishers Randolph and Scorpion Masqué collaborated on this competitive card game that focuses on speed and a taste for risk. You and your opponents discard cards as quickly as possible in the hopes of revealing one whose number is closest to the targets on the table, without exceeding them. Now! is a dynamic option for card lovers.

For 3 to 8 beginner-intermediate players aged 8 and up. Duration: 10 to 20 minutes. Price: $20

*****

Antidote

Druide, the company behind Antidote language correction software, offers a quiz that tests your knowledge of language, history and geography. In total, 500 general knowledge questions invite you to solve anagrams as a team, answer questions, complete or mimic known expressions.

For 4 to 10 intermediate players aged 12 and over. Duration: 45 to 75 minutes. Price: $30

*****

Word Traveler

Another game from Quebecer Thomas Dagenais-Lspérance! In the cooperative title of limited communication Word Traveleryou share pictorial clues to help people guess your secret movements in one of four cities around the world. A great way to play tourist with the family!

For 2 to 5 beginner-intermediate players aged 10 and over. Duration: 30 to 45 minutes. Price: $50

*****

Finding Atlantis

This deduction game from Synapses Games propels you to the bottom of the seas in search of the mythical city of Atlantis. You explore the seabed using maps that you scan in front of the camera of a smartphone or tablet to obtain clues. A fusion between logic and technology.

For 1 to 4 intermediate players aged 14 and over. Duration: 30 to 60 minutes. Price: $40

Other Quebec games from 2024…

Obviously, I did not have the opportunity or time to test all the Quebec games released in 2024. Here are other “local” titles launched this year…

• Headhunter: the creator and publisher of the games GoblivionJean-François Gauthier, changes style with an ultra-recent cooperative atmosphere game for adults, in which you have to guess professions using funny cards.
• Dice-Papers: three creators (Benjamin Gauthier, Olivier Lamontagne, Antoine Lefebvre) have brought together in a single box their three creations which are played simply with paper, a felt-tip pen and dice.
• Very Bad Lands: Marc Larivière and the publisher Randolph revisit the extinction of the dinosaurs with two small card games (arm et T-Rex) fast and joyfully chaotic.
• Yokohama: this highly rated strategy game is neither from Quebec nor from the year, but as it was taken over by Synapses Games, we’ll give you a little mention of it here.
• Rallyman Dirt: same thing for this racing and dice game for which Synapses Games has recovered the rights.
• The Little Smarties: the most recent cooperative game from designer Anik Bois, published by Gladius, has fun with letters and numbers using dice, cards and adorable colored pieces.
• The Lab: the Montreal studio Flyos has released this card game for 3 to 6 players in which we fight infections. Designed by microbiology professor Patrick Fillion.
• Cake Master: a cake-making game in a pastry shop taken and redesigned by Studio Locomuse.
• Totem junior: a card game from the Totem company that “encourages children to express their gratitude”.

What are your favorite Quebec board games? Tell us which ones and why in the comments section at the bottom of this article.

Note: some of these games were provided free of charge for our tests by the distributors Asmodee Canada, Geneviève Dupuis Design, ÎLO, Pierre Belvédère and Randolph, who did not receive any right to review the content of this article.