1930 Triboulet 'Isle au Trésor' Pirate Board Game Map

A most remarkable and unusual c. 1930 French game board map. The map is the board of Carte de l'Isle au Trésor, a game designed by Robert Habert and published in Monaco by Le Triboulet.

Gameplay

The map board consists of a half-realistic map of the Pacific. North and South America, at right, are loosely recognizable if out of proportion. At the far west, an island similar to Japan (Isle du Deuz) is evident. The remaining islands are fictious. Situated roughly mid-Pacific is the 'Isle au Trésor' itself. Gameplay is a straightforward race. Four players begin from various points at the extremes of the board: Hudson Bay (Port a Piment), the Gulf of Mexico (Port Margot), in the southeast (Baie de la Cortue), and northwest (Isle du Souelette). Players navigated along a numbered system through various hazards, including dangerous reefs, strong currents, and 'pirates espagnoles' towards the treasure island, where additional challenges await. Although we have only the board here, the full game would have additionally consisted of tokens shaped like ships and a 'treasure chest' to be placed on the island. At the beginning, each player placed written phrase of wit, crude remark, or some other joke, inside the chest, which the winner reads aloud on gaining the prize

Publication History and Census

This gameboard was drawn by Robert Habert and published by Triboulet in Monaco. It is undated, but we believe it to be from the 1930s. We know of only one other surviving example, which is held in a private French collection.