Experience Paris as a cardboard time-traveler, with board games spanning the French experience from culture and politics to art and architecture. Sorted by approximate time period, not my personal preference, or Heir of Frankenstein would be at the top for its top-notch blend of theme and great mechanics.
Top 10 Games Set in and around Paris
1. Rococo
As a dressmaker under Louis XV, you have seven days to make the upcoming ball a grand event. In this charming deck builder, you hire workers to fashion dresses and coats for the guests. Players gain additional prestige by providing musicians, fireworks, or decorations.
2-5 Players • Ages 12+ • 60-120 minutes • $112
2. Guillotine
This cult classic card game about the post-revolution Reign of Terror is a house favorite. Guillotine is a line management/set collection game where players control the line of nobles awaiting their demise. Using action cards, players reorder the line, chop, and collect. After three days of mayhem, tally the scores.
2-5 Players • Ages 12+ • 10-15 minutes • $13
3. The Scarlet Pimpernel
Also set during the Reign of Terror, this mission-based game follows the dashing (but fictional) Scarlet Pimpernel as he makes daring rescues of those destined for its blade. You play as his advisor, arranging hideouts and collecting resources to achieve his missions, which culminate with the removal of the Dauphin to safety.
2-6 Players • Ages 12+ • 60-90 minutes • $35
4. Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein
You’re in the very gothic Paris of 1819, with an opportunity to use Frankenstein’s research to assemble your own creature. This dark, thematic game has players scour the streets, cemeteries, and hanging squares of Paris to acquire the materials to build their creatures. Decisions affecting players’ Humanity and Reputation dials and an ever-watching Captain make for a long, absorbing game.
2-4 Players • Ages 14+ • 90-180 minutes • $60
5. Paris Connection
The train age comes to France as you build out from Paris. This light, fast-playing filler is more economic sim than rail builder, as players manipulate the price of stocks by placing locomotives on a colorful map of France. It’s an easy teach that has enough strategic depth to keep you coming back for more.
3-6 Players • Ages 8+ • 30 minutes • $24
6. Red Flag Over Paris
It’s 1871, and a revolutionary force takes over the French government. The short-lived radical Paris Commune is the subject of this two-player card driven game. Action is tense and fast. Players control factions vying for the support of the populace. The action cards feature historical figures and events that add to the overall flavor of this political area-control game.
1-2 Players • Ages 14+ • 20-40 minutes • $31
7. Paris
This handsomely produced game celebrates the Belle Époque, when Paris was transformed into a modern city with broad avenues, parks, and statues by the score. You play a real estate investor, buying property in historic districts and helping preserve the iconic landmarks of Paris. A messy endgame where players scramble for points detracts from an otherwise solid city-building, area-majority game.
2-4 Players • Ages 12+ • 90 minutes
8. Paris: La Cité de la Lumière
Paris and its new Eiffel Tower were brilliantly illuminated in 1889 for the Exposition Universelle. This quick two-player polyomino game has cool impressionistic art that adds to its theme. Players lay tiles to fill their board, then strategically place buildings to best illuminate them.
2 Players • Ages 8+ • 30 minutes • $24
9. Colors of Paris
Inspired by the Impressionists, players are artists in a painting competition in the arts district of Montmartre, Paris. Placing workers on a rotating rondel, players fill their palette with pigment cubes that will be used to complete paintings. The winner is the artist with the most points, scored from pigment cubes and completed paintings. Easy to learn, with plenty of strategy and great art.
2-4 Players • Ages 10+ • 40-60 minutes • $47
10. Get on Board: Paris & Roma
This light Flip ‘n Write is a pleasant excursion. Players lay routes across the city connecting to passengers and objectives while tracking their progress on individual sheets. It can get tense as you push your luck, expanding your route and trying to connect for the highest score. If you ever tire of Paris, simply flip the board over and explore Rome.
1-5 Players • Ages 18+ • 30 minutes • $22
