Québec

About this board game

Québec is a strategy board game for 2–5 players, played in about 75 minutes, in which each player leads a rich family seeking to leave its name in history by helping build Québec City.

The game spans four centuries. During each century, players take 5–7 turns, choosing whether to start a new building with their architect, complete part of a building, send a worker to a zone of influence, or take a leader card.

Construction is only part of the challenge. By contributing to the city’s numerous buildings, players gain influence with the authorities of the era across five zones, including religion, politics, commerce, and culture. Players also help construct the famous Citadelle while competing to establish their presence in the great spheres of power.

• Start or complete buildings to develop Québec City in your colors.
• Place workers in zones of influence to compete for majorities.
• Use the distinctive majority cascade to turn influence into points.
• Earn final points for the buildings completed during the game.

At the end of each century, players score for workers placed in the five zones of influence. Québec introduces a unique majority rule: the player with the majority in a zone moves half of their workers onward to the next zone. If that player still holds the majority there, the workers can cascade again, creating a potentially devastating ripple effect and showing how the zones of influence are interconnected.

Players must balance the fight for majorities with the construction of the most prestigious buildings. After the fourth century, completed buildings provide additional points, and the player with the highest total wins. Québec won the Plateau d’or 2007 and was shortlisted at the 2007 Boulogne-Billancourt International Designer Contest.