An intense and relaxed week-end!

The 2006 Ludo Plein-Air week-end was help april 1st and 2nd 2006 in the cozy base de plein-air Les Cèdres, a couple of kilometers west of Montreal. Over 70 players were there on saturday, and an important number of people slept over in one of the room directly adjacent to the gaming area. Few outdoor activities were proposed by the base, but a nice walk in the surrounding woods was enough to get some fresh air and change the beat.

The event lasted 2 days, as opposed to 3 last years, but the ambiance was still very friendly. The number and diversity of games that hit the tables is simply astonishing! Rarely have we seen so many players enthusiastically practicing their hobby. Nevertheless, it was always possible to relax in one of the couch or by going outside to play a game of Kugg, the legendary Viking game.

Again, we would like to thank the attendees and we wish to see you again next year!

The organizing committee: Julie Beauchemin, Philippe Beaudoin, Dominic Blais, Pascale Deschamps, Pierre Poissant Marquis.

In words and pictures

The sponsor table is very nice, and we would like to express our most sincere gratitude to the numerous and generous sponsors.

Naturally, these prizes were drafted... And for the first time, we have a group picture of the attendees, proudly displaying the game they just added to their collection. Some are obviouly pleased!

One must not forget to play... It may become difficult when there are so many games to chose from!

On one side, we play for the first time Ticket to Ride: Märklin Edition, on the other, players enthusiastically test some prototype. If we add the 5 home-made versions of Ticket to Ride, we can see that this week-end saw its share of novelties!

Heavy games did get played this year, and it's easy to guess from thes games of Mare Nostrum and Die Handler!

Games with a more reasonable playing time also hit the table, like Louis XIV and it's strage board, or the excellent Maharaja.

Lighter games we often seen on the low table surrounded by couches... This was a great place to play 6 nimmt! or Bausack.

Two players game also saw their share of table time. The mind-numbing Deflexion and its lasers rarely made it back to its box. We also saw Kahuna.

One must not forget the stupid game of the year... This year, it was Dragon Strike. Believe me, it's not only the plastic adventurers that are afraid of this disgusting motorized dragon!

From Merchants of Amsterdam to Princes of Florence, we travel across europe!

People relax by playing back the final scene of Reservoir Dogs with Ca$h & Gun$... Some gangsters are truly believable, even with their foam guns!

Elsewhere, allies try to escape a nazi prison in Escape from Colditz, while some adventurers wont be able to escape the hungry monster in Finstere Flure.

This wouldn't be a gaming event without hexagons, and we got'em! In the blockbuster Settler of Catan they create a large island, while in Carolus Magnus they rather assemble in numerous small isles, finally, in Tikal, players discover them while exploring the forest...


Other games use squares... It's hard to believe that the authors of Domaine or Descent do not know the superior beauty of the 6-sided shape! With such bits, however, it's easy to excuse them!

Manilla decided to use neither squares nor hexes. The board and pieces are still quite a sight, however!

The french author Bruno Faidutti has published his share of games, and we've seen some during this week-end. Here, some people look for the bad priest in Mystery of the Abbey, and other play the bad guys (not too bad, though), in the strange Terra.



Naturally, there are a couple a competitions. This year, the great kermesse crowned 2 winners! For the special tournament of Ticket to Ride, where the first round was played on 5 home-made maps, we had a final on the Märklin Edition. Congratulations to the 5 finalists and to the winner, and thanks to all who took part in the tournament!

Finally, here is a picture of the organizing commitee. From left to right: Julie Beauchemin, Philippe Beaudoin, Dominic Blais, Pierre Poissant Marquis. Only Pascale Deschamps is missing...

Some of the sponsored games...

Avalon Hill

Avalon Hill

Eagle Games

Eagle Games

Family Games

Family Games

FoxMind

FoxMind

Gladius

Gladius

Hasbro

Hasbro

Îlot 307

Îlot 307

Twilight Creations

Twilight Creations