In theory, Nicole Aumais and Dany Tessier played with each of them. If you randomly point to a box in their collection, they'll have a good general idea, but homemade cheat sheets are written in many boxes.
“Now I try as much as possible to create summaries of my games so that on the day we want to release it I don't have to spend twenty pages to play it,” emphasizes Nicole Aumais, who works as a games consultant is health and safety in life.
She also takes care of putting dividers in the boxes to keep everything tidy. Playing cards are generally protected by small transparent plastic sleeves. It goes without saying that there are no chips on the table and drinks are kept away.
“Everyone has their own level of security, their own level of love for their games. Mine is a little too much, that's okay. I accept this and take full responsibility. But no, no cheese sprinkles, sweets are fine, drinks somewhere else,” she says humorously.
Dany Tessier and Nicole Aumais present you suggestions:
Dany Tessier and Nicole Aumais present suggestions for board games (Amélie St-Yves)
Nicole Aumais had the same passion as Dany Tessier of Shawinigan when they met eight years ago at an event organized by a game publisher. Since then, the woman from Saint-Polycarpe in Montérégie has moved to Mauricie and the games are increasing.
“I expect 34 board games. One comes from Italy, one comes from North Korea. “Some come from all over the world,” says Dany Tessier, an administrative technician at a hospital.
The investment may be a few thousand dollars a year, but it's a passion, like some people travel or mountain bike, they say. They still end up having to sell some just to make room.
“Of course, at some point there will be games that need to make room in the collection. The bat cave is limited. We won’t dig a second cellar, we get along well,” emphasizes Nicole Aumais.
YouTube and animation
The couple is invited to around ten events a year to host game nights organized by companies. They introduce the players and help them. In particular, last summer they took part in an activity at the Just for Laughs Festival.
Otherwise, they work together on the YouTube channel Les 2 Pions, where, among other things, they express their opinions on games. The channel, which has 2,000 subscribers, includes several videos that have been viewed several thousand times.
“We easily play 100 different games a year,” estimates Dany Tessier.
Holiday season
According to her, there are several factors to consider before releasing a game during the holiday season. One of the fundamental questions is the number and age of players.
Another factor is habit. If guests regularly spend evenings playing games, it is possible to move on to a more sophisticated concept. Furthermore, we should not put aside the Skip-Bo and the UN of this world because there are advanced scenarios, they insist. There is no judgment there.
“I'm going to visit my family this weekend for vacation. I bring a lot of small games because I know that big strategy games don’t work, and that’s okay,” explains Nicole Aumais.
She and her partner are convinced that there are board games that everyone likes and that you just have to know which ones to turn to.