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THE ULTIME WESTERN

Five days. A Wild West town. One character: You

An epic immersive adventure in which you are one of the heroes

This adventure lets you play a fictional character at the time of the conquest of the West. An adventure game in which you will solve riddles, carry out actions and quests, all while bringing your character and their stories to life! Below you will find some first answers to your questions.

An adventure in which you are both the actor and the spectator!

From the outside, this adventure might look like a historical re-enactment, a period-costume show or even a giant play. Yet you are going to live it and bring it to life, and there will be no audience to judge you: it is a game to be « lived for real » in which you – and all the other players – truly play the characters of a story.

Unlike actors playing a role in a play or a film, participants do not know the ending of the story they are about to live (it will depend partly on their actions). You do not know, at least not in detail, the stories of the other characters you will meet and live the adventure with. You have no lines to learn, apart from reading about the character you will play. It is up to you to improvise according to the events your character faces. All participants, including you, are therefore both the actors and the spectators of a story whose world and scenario, in which your character will evolve, have been imagined by the organisers. The story is built in real time, shaped by the interactions between players and their reactions to the plots and events planned in the scenario.

The aim of the game? To bring the game to life together!

So it is an adventure and a collaborative adventure game to be lived for real. But unlike a classic « game », the goal is not to win, to be the strongest or to play better than the others. It is a bit like a film in which you are one of the heroes, in incredible sets, simply to enjoy yourself and create unforgettable memories.

About the character you will play

To begin with, you will receive (well before the start of the game) your Character Sheet: in it you will discover a summary of their life story and personal history: their childhood, the town they come from, their job… You will also discover the important events they have lived through, who their allies or enemies are, the affairs they have been involved in and everything they have heard about. Your Character Sheet sums up everything that means « your character already truly exists », that they have things to do, to say, to find, but perhaps also to hide…

Everything written in your Character Sheet should be known only to you (and the same goes for the other players). During the adventure you will be completely free to decide whether you want (or need…) to reveal certain « secrets » of your story. But beware: other characters you meet may also, in their own personal history, know things about you… (and vice versa).

You absolutely do not need to learn everything in your Character Sheet. Just try to spot and remember the major facts and the names of important people or places mentioned in it.

To help you « step into » your role:

Read your Character Sheet carefully to understand their past and get a good idea of their motivations, and of the kinds of relationships or situations they might have with the other characters they will meet, etc…

Imagine how your character « speaks ». They probably do not express themselves the way you do every day! Your character is a cowboy, a lady, a gold prospector, a banker, a future sheriff?… Picture yourself in the American West in the 19th century (rewatch a few scenes from good old westerns if needed) and imagine how your character might speak and which turns of phrase or expressions might suit them.

Your costume will be one of your best allies! You will see that putting on a costume helps you get into your character’s skin. It is also essential for the immersion of all the other participants playing with you: « This woman wears elegant clothes, she must be a Lady who knows people high up in this town…»

That is why the costume you wear during the game must match the role you play. It must also be consistent with the Old West world and period of the adventure. For instance, try to avoid anachronisms: choose comfortable leather boots or ankle boots that look as little modern as possible, and do not wear « country »-style items, cowboy boots or leather hats that are not at all in the spirit of the period, …

Before the game begins

Once you arrive at the studios, just before the game begins, you will attend the organisers’ briefings: in addition to a reminder of the rules, they will introduce the members of the team (many of whom will play characters you will meet during your adventure).

It will also be a chance to meet the other participants and their « characters ». Don’t hesitate to say that you are a beginner: the regulars were once newcomers too and will be happy to advise and support you in this first experience. You will see, it will take you very little time to feel completely at ease in this playful adventure!

When the game begins

Here we go! The organisers launch the adventure: now it is up to you to navigate the plots you will play in for several days! And you can trust the organisers to get you into the action very quickly! Let yourself be carried along and live your character. Do what you think your character would do in your place. There is no choice better than another, no action that should be taken rather than another: there are only your choices.

And above all: enjoy playing!

How to play your character

In the Ultime Western, you will play one of the characters of the adventure. But for that you have no lines to learn and no rehearsals: you just have to act « as if what is happening were real ».

An example? You are at a bank counter, a desperado walks in and threatens everyone with his gun. The character you play must consider that this colt is a real weapon, and must act accordingly. You decide what you want to do and you must do it « for real ». Say you decide to calm the man down: your character will speak to him directly, finding the right words to negotiate. If you decide to run away instead: it is up to you to find a way to slip discreetly towards the exit without being spotted. But if the bank robber spots you and « shoots » you (with a blank 😉 in the leg to stop you leaving, you are allowed to scream in pain… which may even let a doctor character passing in front of the bank hear you and come to your aid! And so on…

In the same way, you will have to improvise everything that happens to your character, but also everything they decide to do… because your character can do anything (as long as it is consistent with their story and personality): lie, betray, charm, negotiate, spy… Have fun playing all of it… as if it were real!

The only thing that really matters? Playing your character.

At the Ultime Western, playing your role and « creating play » with the other players by playing it, in the spirit of the adventure’s world, is called Roleplay.
Not playing your character can really harm everyone’s game, because what the other players expect from you is to:

play your character with and for the other characters. It is by reacting (improvising) to another player’s action or words that you will feed the story and bring exchanges between characters to life… along with memorable scenes!
not break the game’s immersion by acting / speaking as yourself instead of as your character (by looking at photos on your phone or talking about your last ski holiday, for example). So if you are with players who are playing, stay in your role so as not to spoil their fun, or step away for a moment from the game to do what you need to do.

The limits of a game… without limits!

In the Ultime Western immersive adventure, your character can do anything (for real or through simulation rules). But doing anything does not mean doing just anything…
Remember that you must always play:

without taking physical risks for yourself or for others
without behaving towards other players in a way that could make them uncomfortable
with fair play and following the game rules set by the organisers

Once again, keep in mind that you are not playing to win, you are playing to live an experience.

Also, be careful not to ruin everyone’s immersion by saying things that are out of place, that is to say:

things outside the game’s world:

« I’ll look up the Sheriff’s address on the internet…» (ask the saloon owner instead ;-),

« Anyway, we know that in US history this president is going to be assassinated next year » (if you are playing in 1869, your character does not know what will happen in 1880 or the following years!…)

things meant to pass off as real things that do not exist in the game or that your character cannot / does not know how to do:

« Actually, let’s say I’ve got sticks of dynamite in my saddlebag » > no: either your character really has (fake) sticks of dynamite in their saddlebag that they found during the game, or your character has nothing in their saddlebag and is lying to make the other characters believe it…
« Actually my father was a doctor and when I was little I saw how he operated, so I can treat this guy » > no: either your Character Sheet really states that you have a particular skill (Medicine, in this example), or you really know nothing about it and your character is lying to the other characters.

things that spoil a game scene and the players’ immersion:

« Oh, but the dead guy has fake blood on his head! » > yes of course: it’s make-up… and thank goodness 😉

Can I sometimes stop playing?

Yes: you are of course allowed to take a break!

Your adventure will last several days, and you will be « in game » without interruption (except at mealtimes and when you go to bed). It is perfectly normal to want to rest at times, or even to make a phone call. In that case, simply step out of the game by moving away, so as not to break the other players’ immersion.

When and how does the game end?

The end of the game is planned during a final sequence. The organisers will clearly tell you that the story ends there… for now, because the Ultime Western is a complete universe and other adventures await you in other towns! (with the same character or another).

After the game, the organisers will debrief the adventure you have lived. It will also be an opportunity for them to gather your impressions and comments. You will then be able to chat with the other players and the actors at the Final Fiesta!

To conclude:

Interaction between players is the very foundation of this incredible adventure. Your character is autonomous during the game. You will be able to make them evolve freely while striving to respect the game rules and fair play towards the other players and actors.

And never forget that:

The aim of your live adventure is not to win or lose, but to have fun!

In this adventure, for physical and emotional safety, any truly dangerous act is simulated, using fake weapons and/or specific rules: take no risks and put no one at risk, and don’t hesitate to stop the game if necessary.

You play a character, and so do the other players. Do not take personally actions or words aimed at your character. If a desperado speaks rudely to you, or a rancher cheated you out of dollars at poker… your character is allowed to get angry « in game » and play it out, but there is nothing personal about it: don’t take it personally because, once again, it’s all just a game.

The Guide

Download the Ultime Western Guide

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