Jeux Descartes was a French publisher of

roleplaying games A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, eithe ...

and

board games A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...

. Their most popular lines included:

Eurogames The EuroGames are an LGBT+ multi-sport event in Europe, licensed by the EGLSF (European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation) to a local city host each year and organised (most often) by one or more of the federation's member clubs. Similar to the G ...

, a set of serious board games, previously published by Duccio Vitale's independent company; Blue Games, small card games for larger groups; and Games for Two. Jeux Descartes was founded in 1977 and went out of business in 2005. Their assets are now owned by former rival

Asmodée Éditions Asmodee (formerly known as Asmodée Editions) is a French publisher of board games, card games and role-playing games (RPGs). Founded in 1995 to develop their own games and to publish and distribute for other smaller game developers, they have si ...

, and are sold under the ''Descartes Editeur'' imprint.

Products

Role-playing games

* Malefices (1985-1994): An investigative horror roleplaying game set in

Belle Époque The Belle Époque () or La Belle Époque () was a period of French and European history that began after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era of the Fr ...

France. * L'Appel de Cthulhu (1984-2005): A French translation of the Second Edition Call of Cthulhu rules.

Boardgames

Card games

Wargames

*'' Napoléon à Austerlitz'' (1977): A simulation of the Napoleonic

Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV French Republican calendar, FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near t ...

*''1870'' (1978): A division-level wargame simulating the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

. * ''Amirauté'' (1979): A set of tactical or strategic ship-level

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

naval warfare miniatures rules. The rules simulated ship-to-ship combat, torpedoes, naval bombardment, and naval aviation. *''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

'' (1979): A wargame based on the

book series. Players play one of the factions: Bene Gesserit, Emperor Shaddam IV, Fremen, House Atreides, House Harkonnen or the Spacing Guild. * '' La Bataille de Valmy'' (1981): A Napoleonic simulation of the

Battle of Valmy The Battle of Valmy, also known as the Cannonade of Valmy, was the first major victory by the army of Kingdom of France (1791–92), France during the French Revolutionary Wars, Revolutionary Wars that followed the French Revolution. The battl ...

* ''Les Aigles'' (1990): A set of

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

miniatures rules. The ''Boxed Set'' edition (1987) came with the wargame rule booklet and cardboard scenery pieces that could be assembled. The ''Rule Book'' edition (1990) was just the rules booklet by itself. The ''Supplement Number 1'' (1990) came with army lists for Austria and Russia, 14 scenarios, and colored cardboard unit chits. * ''Serenissima'': An economy and warfare simulation set in an Italian seaport during the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

External links

Jeux Descartes
official website * Board game publishing companies Game manufacturers {{board-game-stub