Just a quick one before a proper post tomorrow.
Run my first 'Tabletop Gaming enrichment' session at School today.
As is the case now days, only two of the kids had heard of WHF or 40K before entering the room, but left the room foaming at the mouth and asking me where they could get the game!
Did not take any photos during the game due to Child protection reasons and if truth be told I would have struggled to take any photos anyway due to trying to get ten kids to boil through a game of Mordheim in under an hour!
Anyway here is the board.
In the end I settled for giving every kid a noble profile so they had half a chance of hitting stuff etc and everyone got 2 wounds so no-one was sitting out after the first turn.
I set the warbands and limited the amount of ranged weapons so the kids were forced to lock horns.
I gave each Warband the same varitey of equipment (i.e. one great sword, one archer, one swordsman etc) and each kid took one figure each and operated as a 5 man warband.
Followed the same turn sequence as Mordheim i.e. all the kids moved their figures at the same time, all kids shot at the same time, then we went through each combat.
This REALLY helped keep the pace of the game flying along.
This is a shot of the end of the game!
I will not let the kids make their own warbands due to the time constraints. What I figure I will do is keep the warbands as they are and set the kids missions to achieve each game (find the treasure, kill the Ogre, etc.).
The winning warband will then earn coins to buy and personalise their own equipment. I will also have them gain EXP over the games so their profiles will progress over the coming weeks.
On a side note B&Q are now doing 3m tape measures for 70p each! Cannot believe I walked out with ten tape measures for £7!
Nice! Sounds like a fun way to go about it - good stuff!
ReplyDeleteCheers, it was lovely to watch a bunch of kids who did not really know what they were getting into, foaming at the mouth to go out and buy some miniatures by the end of the session.
DeleteGreat way to introduce gaming to school kids, bet they had a blast. I'm tempted to start a model making club at my school...
ReplyDeleteThe cool thing about this was it only cost the school a couple of boxes of Frostgrave soldiers as I supplied the rest of the kit.
DeletePersonally I would be wary of a club that involves knives and super glue!
I was thinking of doing a couple of painting sessions where they paint the figures they create but the 50 minutes absolutely flies along.
Sounds like they had a lot of fun mate. Great job. Nice to see that they got excited about something that can be very creative. The mission plan sounds a great idea for the time issues that you have. Do you think down the line you would be able to let some of the group make their own mission once they get used to the game?
ReplyDeleteApparently they have been meeting up at break in their 'Warbands' to discuss tactics for next week ;0)
DeleteI was hoping to lead them into some creative writing about the games rather then have them make up missions but I will put it to them and see what they come up with.
That's a great idea. Good luck for next week.
DeleteWell done you, my attempt rather faltered and now run a generic model making club instead. Great fun, but I might have to rethink my approach given the success of your venture. What did you call the club?
ReplyDeleteCool, Staurt Bannister above was having the same idea. I'm sure he would welcome any tips.
DeleteI called the club 'Table top gaming'. No use of the word WAR anywhere near the title. I sold it as a tabletop strategy club where you have to use probability, accurate measuring and strategic thinking to out manoeuve and out think your opponents.
How's that for teacher speak!
The model club has been a blast, we designed infantrymen on a CAD program and had them laser cut in MDF for a skittle game with elastic band cannons. Then there was the ship in the bottle project and more recently fantasy creatures made out of rolled up newspaper covered in Mod Roc. I was worried about selling the WAR element too, so love your approach and the spiel is just genius!
DeleteThat sounds like a brilliant club!
DeleteAs for my spiel . . . . . I must be destined for middle management ;0)
Great to see a club getting under way, great stuff. One of my best memories is of running a 40K school club, for several years the best part of the job :-) but very tiring :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, hopfully I can inspire a couple of future gamers and will be mentioned in some blokes blog 20 years from now!
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