Back to School!

Here are some pics of a To the Strongest! game run at a school in the 'States by Jared Fishman.

"On Saturday, April 21st, Hackley’s game club (NYSGA- New York Student Gamers’ Association) ran a battle set in 1099 CE, during the First Crusade.  Eleven 6th graders, many of them novice gamers, took on the role of Saracen or Crusader in an epic game using “To The Strongest!”

In total, there were about 50 units present on the field.

The battle was dead even by the final turn. The Turks, having started on the flank, put immediate pressure on the Crusaders and delayed their advance, while on the opposite flank, a quick moving flank guard of allied Byzantines closed in, inflicting enormous damage.

The students learned a lot from the game.  Two memorable quotes were: “I liked that you had to use strategy and military tactics to win the game and succeed.” and “I liked that there was a lot of detail in the rules, and it simulated everything we learned in 6th grade history when we studied the Crusades.”

All in all, the students loved the game, with a rematch battle taking place in a few weeks. Jared Fishman, the GM who ran the game and painted all the miniatures, is a veteran gamer who has successfully blended gaming into his curriculum, using it as a conduit for learning and engagement with his students.  He currently teaches at Hackley School, in Tarrytown, New York, where he founded the school’s game club c.2008. He sought and received permission to post photos of the kids.

This is a splendid effort which I thoroughly applaud- kudos to Jared! If anyone else would like to run a school or youth project, I have a number of slight second copies of the rules that I'd be happy to donate for just the cost of postage.