Part of
Rummikub
of
Uno
or
Mille terminals
?
The modern board game market has exploded during lockdowns.
With more than a thousand new products per year, it's hard to navigate.
For Gautier Althaus, the head of public relations and game buyers at Philibert - a specialized online store - the second confinement confirms the trends of the first:
"The categories of games that have marketed the most on our site, as well as in click & collect , are the games for two, the new classics, the games for experts and the puzzles.
We even had to order new references ”.
Discover a selection of board games for the end of year celebrations.
Puzzle:
Escape Puzzle
The Escape Puzzle range currently has six different models.
Other models should arrive very soon.
Ravensburger
The publisher Ravensburger had the good idea to add an escape game dimension to its puzzles with the
Escape Puzzle
range
.
Composed of 759 pieces, each game offers first to complete the puzzle, then to solve a riddle using the numbered pieces and the game booklet. The astronomical observatory is the brand's best seller, and with good reason.
For all ages, clues are available via QR-code to conduct the investigation.
Escape Puzzle, Ravensburger, € 14.90
Read also: The best escapes games in Paris
Two-player games are the best-selling category of games during lockdowns.
Gautier Althaus
Games for two:
Patchwork
:
After knitting and sewing during confinement, what could be better than playing Patchwork?
Fun Forge
It is the ideal game to learn about modern game mechanics according to Gautier Althaus.
This game indeed offers a great depth of strategies behind very simple rules.
Each player seeks to make the most beautiful and strongest patchwork blanket.
To do this, he must buy tiles of various sizes and shapes, but be careful to invest your buttons well… From the age of 8, the games last about 30 minutes.
Patchwork, Fun Forge, € 19.90
7 Wonders duel:
One of the most famous “new classics” offers a high quality two-player gameplay experience.
Fun and non-repetitive parts.
Rest Production
The two player version of the new classic
7 Wonders
is the best-selling game on the Philibert site.
The players oppose each other by building their civilization, each with four wonders of antiquity (pyramids, lighthouse of Alexandria, etc.).
Over the course of three ages, to win they can bet on their military powers, their scientific advances or score the most points.
From 10 years old, the games last between 45 and 60 minutes.
Between chance and strategies, the game offers almost infinite replayability.
7 Wonders duel, Repos Production, € 22.90
Dice game
:
Trek 12:
A dice game, which behind simple rules turns out to be devilishly addicting.
Lumberjacks
Gautier Althaus's favorite.
Very simple rules, amazing editing work and addicting gameplay.
This "Roll and write" (game where you write a story with the results of a dice roll) allows players to play mountaineers and climb the Himalayas.
But the publisher is not satisfied with it.
He also tweaked the aesthetic.
With the records and the notion of history between games, the players have not finished having fun.
From the age of 8, the games last half an hour.
Playable from 1 to 5 players.
Trek 12, Lumberjacks, € 22.90
Kingdomino:
From 8 years old, from 2 to 4 players for games of about 20 minutes.
Kingdomino, Blue Orange, € 22.90
Build the most beautiful of castles by choosing the plots: wheat fields, lakes, mines, meadows ... Based on the principle of dominoes, this game is enriched with a very clever pickaxe system allowing players to build various strategies in addition on the random side.
Superbly illustrated, from 8 years old, from 2 to 4 players for games of about 20 minutes.
12 turns to build a kingdom, a great challenge.
Kingdomino, Blue Orange, € 22.90
The new classics
:
"The new classics are those games with modern mechanics which have become references in the gaming community,"
explains Gautier Althaus.
Small world of warcraft
:
One of the best examples of the symbiosis between a game and a license.
Days of wonders
For Gautier Althaus,
“having a good license is not enough to make a good game and vice versa.
The two universes must feed on each other.
Of course Fortnite Monopoly sells well, but it's not good Monopoly.
Conversely, games like Unlock Star Wars or Small World of Warcraft are great adaptations ”
.
A reference in the genre of strategic board game, the latter is brilliantly enriched by the universe of World of Warcraft.
Players set out to conquer Azeroth, choosing a specific people and power.
From 10 years old, plan two hours for a game.
Small World of Warcraft, Days of Wonders, € 53.90
To read also: "Corrupted blood", the unexpected virus responsible for the first digital confinement of World of Warcraft
Andor:
Andor is an ideal bridge between board games and role-playing games.
Its only flaw is the somewhat long installation time.
Iello
A cooperative adventure game for two to four players,
Andor
was awarded at the Festival International du Jeu in Cannes in 2013. It is at the crossroads of board game and role-playing game, and has since been joined by a dozen of extensions.
It has established itself as a classic of the genre.
Players take on the role of a warrior, dwarf, elf or wizard and must solve one of the scenarios.
If the first one is very linear (it serves as an introduction to the rules), the following ones are much more free and open the door to the world of role-playing games.
Allow two hours per game, from ten years old.
Andor, iello, € 43.50
Read also: From
Dungeons and Dragons
to Actual Play: role-playing games are on the rise
Perudo:
The “French teams” edition of the game honors the players of the French football team who have fallen in love with the game during their numerous trips.
Asmodeus
Possibly the most addicting dice game.
Made popular by the movie
Pirates of the Caribbean,
the
Perudo
is a reverse auction system.
Each player has five dice, the number 1 being replaced by a Toucan having the value of joker.
After a secret draw, a first player announces a combination.
It is up to the following players to outbid their respective draws or to denounce a bluff.
Lies, traps, challenges to logic and probability are on the program of this game which has established itself as a classic.
Even more since he accompanied the players of the French football team during their trips to Russia during the 2018 World Cup. Today the game has sold more than a million copies.
Perudo, from 2 to 6 players, from 8 years old, Asmodée editions, € 19.
Games for experts
:
Dream Runners
:
Dreamlike parts that combine speed and projection in space.
Hours of games await you.
Ankama
It's night, all the players are asleep.
Each turn a dream card is revealed.
The latter, composed of 9 boxes, can be a dream, a key or a nightmare.
Players using tiles of various sizes and shapes should best explore these dreams and avoid waking up.
A game as beautiful as it is interesting.
From 8 years old, games last 40 to 60 minutes.
Dream Runners, Ankama, € 22.50
Mysterium Park
:
Is the Clown, as in a Stephen King novel, the killer?
Libellud
This new universe based on the logic of the
Mysterium
game
is a success.
Quick to set up and very easy to understand,
Mysterium Park
is a collaborative game.
Together, the players will have to solve the murder of the circus director.
Each player is a medium who can communicate with the director's ghost.
The latter sends clues in the form of images.
It is up to the players to find the links between the images of the suspects and the places to solve the investigation.
From 10 years old, the games last half an hour.
Mysterium park, Libellud, € 22.50
Timeless classics
:
The Thousand Terminals:
The classic Mille Bornes is simple and easy to transport.
It is the publisher's best-seller, followed by the plateau version where players have a pawn and progress on a race track.
Of the garden
A great classic that always appeals to children and adults.
Alone or in a team, the goal is to be the first to reach the milestones.
But beware, your opponents will do anything to get in your way: red light, accident, punctured wheel, out of gas ... The simplest game mechanics and yet so addictive and fun.
From 6 years old, allow 30 to 40 minutes per game.
Milles Bornes, Dujardin editions, € 16.99
Rummikub:
Created in 1980, this number game for 2 to 4 players won the prestigious game of the year award in Germany in its first year.
Hasbro
Inspired by the card game Rummy (Rummy in English) and the Turkish game Okey, the Rummikub replaces the cards with plastic tiles.
At the start of the game, each player draws 14 tiles.
Each turn the players draw a tile from the draw pile.
To put your tiles on the table, you have to make a combination, worth at least thirty points, of three of a kind, square, suite.
Then each player can pose on the combinations of the other participants.
The first player to empty their easel wins the game.
The losers then mark the number of points remaining in hand.
From 6 years old, from 2 to 4 players, count 30 minutes per game.
Rummikub, Hasbro editions, € 35
Djeco card games:
Gold coins or pirates?
What cards will you draw to make your Piratatak ship?
Djeco
To play with the little ones, the Djeco card games collection is perfect!
Nicely illustrated, fun and accessible from 3-4 years old, they promise to have a good time.
Among the many games of 7 families, battles, pairs, tactical card games, observation and speed, atmosphere and memory, our favorites are the Piratatak, the 7 families of animals in the world, the Familou , the Batasaurus, the Batamo, the Pipolo, the Sardines and the eternal Mistigri.
In short, you can go there with your eyes closed.
Djeco, between 7.5 euros and 13 euros depending on the game.
Online card game:
Screenshot of an attack phase during a duel on Magic Arena.
Wizard of the Coast
Magic the Gathering the Arena
, the online version of the card game has continued to improve for two years.
It is one of the most popular card games today and gets richer with each new expansion.
He now has more than 4000 cards.
Bonus, its business model is a free game with optional purchase, which allows you to play for hours without having to break the bank.
Like
Blizzard's
Hearthstone
, its main competitor.
Accessible from 10 years old.