For a year and a half, the Léo-Lagrange club in Saint-Dizier has had a section dedicated to playing board games: Les Joueurs de la Grange. Every Friday evening, around ten members meet to try out new media, in a spirit of fair play.
“When you look back fifteen years, you could say that it was old-fashioned.” Like many board game enthusiasts, Clément Georges has witnessed the positive evolution of the practice in recent years. “Covid has also helped,” observes the young man. “Even before, there was a certain momentum with increasingly substantial proposals. There are more publishers, the graphic aspect is more valued and the games are suitable for both children and adults,” adds Kévin Cartier.
Practical
Both are members of the Joueurs de la Grange, the board game section of the Léo-Lagrange club that was created a year and a half ago. “There was already a role-playing game section, but board games were only part of the activity. And I love that! We could go further, why not by creating a specific section?” recalls Kévin Cartier, co-manager of the section with Yohann Dessaux.
Today, there are about ten members who meet every Friday at the club, starting at 6 p.m. “We often start with small, simple games, about 30 minutes long. Then we eat and move on to longer games,” explains Clément Georges. With the players immersed in exciting games, some evenings sometimes end at midnight. But there is no obligation: “Everyone comes when they can and want to. It’s really open to everyone, there is no need to master all the games. The goal is mainly to discover them together,” insists Kévin Cartier. It’s a great opportunity to try out everyone’s latest acquisitions, making the evenings systematically different.
Variety
While Monopoly and Scrabble are essential, there is very little chance of seeing them at the Joueurs de la Grange. The organization prefers to focus more on games where the mechanics are important, rather than leaving your luck to chance. “It’s so good to be fully involved, to think about strategies, to anticipate moves, to immerse yourself completely in a universe and share a good time,” says Clément. Enough to control your destiny more: “We are the only ones responsible, so it’s easy to accept a defeat,” smiles Kévin.
In addition to Fridays, members participate in external events. There was the gaming festival in Chamouilley in February, the Gaming Festival for the 60th anniversary of the Léo-Lagrange club on 1is June, an afternoon in a bragard bar… Others will follow. “We want to develop group outings, like at the national OctoGônes festival (in Villeurbanne). In the future we would also like to export ourselves to villages, to offer entertainment for an evening,” projects Kévin Cartier. A mobile guinguette in the style of board games, now that’s a great idea!
Louis Vanthournout
The contribution is free, only membership in the Léo-Lagrange club is mandatory. More information on their Facebook page: Les joueurs de la grange.
