About 20,000 fans of the trading card game Magic: The Gathering are spending the weekend at the RAI for MagicCon.
The international festival has taken over halls in Amsterdam South with card trading, casual and competitive matches, and plenty of fantasy costumes.
Visitors describe a lively, welcoming floor where people buy and sell rare cards, catch up on strategy, and sit down for long games.
One attendee summed up the mood simply: it is a bit nerdy, and that is part of the appeal.
Play across the halls
Tables are busy throughout the day as groups of four settle in for multiplayer rounds.
A Welsh player wearing a dragon on his hat walked newcomers through one common format.
Each person chooses a general and builds an army around it, he explained, then tries to eliminate the other three players.
Some visitors call the rules demanding, yet regulars keep the basic idea straightforward for anyone watching.
Costumes and characters
The game has deep ties to fantasy worlds and role-playing, so elaborate cosplay is everywhere.
One visitor appeared as Professor Dellian Fel from the Strixhaven set, complete with long nails and finger armor he described as a little ominous.
Colorful outfits from many different card sets move through the aisles between matches and dealer stalls.
Where to begin
A British visitor said the open atmosphere works for whole families: his son played cards while his daughter sat drawing nearby.
Several people advised that the easiest entry point is still a neighborhood game shop rather than a large convention floor.
Local stores often lead to regular play groups, national tournaments, and eventually bigger championships.
Jumping straight into the deep end at the fair itself is probably not the gentlest introduction, one regular cautioned.
For this weekend, though, the focus stays on the packed halls in Zuid, where collectors, competitive players, and costume fans share the same space.
