At the bend of each aisle, laughter breaks out, dice roll and cards are proudly shown... Time seems to stand still: welcome to the Alchemin du Jeu festival in Toulouse! From Friday May 3 to Sunday May 5, 2024, families and friends, young and old, will meet with pleasure at MEETT around countless board games to (re)discover.
A multitude of board games with free access
The Toulouse Alchemy Game Festival is above all a story of the heart, since the organizers are all volunteers, some of whom come from all over France. Several gaming associations in the Toulouse region join forces each year to offer this completely free event for the general public. Strategy game enthusiasts, Sunday Scrabble players or complete neophytes, there's something for everyone! Moreover, more than 20,000 people were present last year, to mark the festival's twentieth anniversary.
You got it , this long weekend will above all be an opportunity to test (very) many board games, giant games and wooden games, but not only that. The festival also offers fun entertainments, exhilarating tournaments, meetings and autograph sessions with the authors of popular games... Young creators will take advantage of the opportunity to show in preview their new "baby" to enthusiastic players.
A games exchange to make room
Those who want to buy new board games, but who already have their cupboards full to the brim, will take a quick detour to the games exchange. The good idea: register online, then drop off your boxes at the start of the day, before going to have fun. At the end of the festival, you pocket the amount of the sale (- 20% management fees) or recover your game if it has not found a buyer. A good “second hand” plan for save money!
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Role-playing game sessions for novices
In addition to the many board games that the public will be able to discover, an entire space will be devoted to a vast universe: role-playing (or JDR for short!). Quesaco? This is animmersive game, in which participants are invited to play the character of their choice. The game master assigns the roles and tells the players the main plot: it is then up to them to make their own choices, which will lead them to different crossroads in the story... Heroic fantasy< /strong> (the famous Dungeons and Dragons), horror (Ctulhu), science fiction (Star Wars)... The wide variety of genres strong> guarantees that everyone will find what they are looking for.
Anne-Charlotte, volunteer at the Alchemin du Jeu festival for the second year in a row, is delighted to share her passion for RPGs during these three days... "There will be something for everyone tastes: 15-20 minute introductory games for novices and two-hour games for those who are already practicing. In practice, it will be enough to register for the part of your choicewhen you arrive at the festival. The scenarios and character sheets will already be prepared and placed on the tables, in order to get straight to the heart of the matter.
How to take full advantage of your discovery of role-playing games strong> ? According to Anne-Charlotte, "the ideal is to come with friends, to feel immediately at ease". She recommends “not being afraid to take the plunge, because no one is going to judge you”. The atmosphere within the festival is "family and good-natured", enough to encourage relaxation and curiosity. “The role-playing game could almost be compared to improvisation theater!”, assures the volunteer, who has already “mastered” (guided the players during their adventure) multiple games.
"You shouldn't be afraid to take the plunge" - Anne-Charlotte, volunteer at Alchemin du Jeu
A pinch of curiosity, a bit of open-mindedness, a touch of humor... and the magic of role-playing should work.