Help starting a high school club also looking for Dean Emmerson

Battlefront the makers of Flames of War has a dedicated teacher program and a specail forum for teachers to chat and share ideas, One thing that worked for me reaching the young folks was recommending movies of the period to spark thier interest one thing that I found amazing was the number of films they have never heard about or seen , Von Ryan's express, Saving private Ryan and Band of Brothers.Enemy at the Gates, are awesome to watch with someone who never heard of these movies, then you follow that with a simple demo using a tank vs tank format and your got some great new hobbyists recruited to the ranks....another idea is to do a History & Heritage project ask the kids to see if they have any relatives past or present who served during WW2 have them dig up some info and maybe use that as a base for gaming..... if you need anything just ask!
Gordon

Hi Matt,
     Congratulations on the "upgrade".  As usual Gordon is on the ball and correct, you should check out the forum : http://www.flamesofwar.com/Default.aspx?tabid=126&afv=topicsview&aff=76 
Where are you currently at?  If you are near a local game store you can likely get assistance and support from them if they carry Flames of War.

Hi, Matt.

Dean here.  I have found that vendors are very supportive of organized efforts to introduce wargaming to young players.  A well written email or letter outlining your hopes and plans (number of participants, ages, how often you will meet, for how long each session, will there be any possibility of competitions with groups at other schools) goes a long way towards giving them the impression that your club is for real, and that there will be a benefit to the kids and the hobby from their investment. 

I would be sure to have a web page for the club where you can share information about goings-on, and also recognize those vendors that support your club.  There is nothing better than pictures or videos of kids playing, having fun, and learning for a vendor.  If you dont have a membership at TMP (TheMiniaturesPage), go create one so that you can post about your club where there is a broad audience.  Same thing with TGN (TabletopGamingNews).  Also, the kids will love seeing their work online, and the comments that others make about their activities will put a charge into them.

I'm afraid that my advice is pretty basic, but its worked for me.  I'm no longer teaching, so my group has graduated and moved on, but a new club of strategy gamers has just started at the high school and I have hopes that it will thrive.

How is Jack?  He has a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and energy, and was a big help to us in preparing for our Sabis game at Huzzah! 2009, our first convention.  I was disappointed that he could not join us last year but am looking forward to seeing him at some future convention, maybe Huzzah! 2012?  He mentioned that others in his group had an interest in attending the convention- are you one of that group?  It would be great to have you guys join us for the weekend. 

Good luck!

Thanks for all the help gents.

I am going through the flames of war Teachers links as we speak.  Our local store does not stock Flames of War or any other historical genre.

Dean,

 I would very much like to set up a strong high school club that could be a showcase for the community. I do have a TMP account (Quadratus) and will put something up there soon.

My concern is the nuts and bolts of it. Wargaming takes a good 2-3 hours with setup rules discussion and playing the actual game.  That's a pretty hefty  time commitment for high school kids who may or may not have a way to get home.    A small tank battle seems like the way to go but I only have limited amounts of tanks. (2 STuH's & 5 Shermans are all the 15mm I own)

Jack is still going strong, we've discussed Huzzah 2012 as a possibility. I will keep you posted

Thanks again,

Matt W

Targan- were are you doing this? city town? Id be happy to be your "go to store" for this as we do a lot of mail order my FOW account manager would like to chat with you and has a toll free number I could give you just email me at adlerhobbyATyahooDOTcom and we'll get things rolling

Hi, Matt.

Time was certainly an issue.  I found that meeting on Friday afternoons provided an opportunity for the kids to stay a little longer after school, but anything over an hour to 90 minutes was a challenge.  Does your school have a late bus, or do kids have to find their own transportation if they stay late?

I kept the scenarios small and the rules simple, and we tried to run the same system for a few weeks in a row so the kids could get familiar with the rules. 

Does your school offer any enrichment or exploratory classes, or extended advisory periods?  Sometimes those can work, especially if there is any chance of having the set-up done in advance.  I always wanted to offer a series of history and wargaming classes through adult, History in Miniature, in which we would take a particular battle and learn about the period, the uniforms and arms, the tactics, all using toy soldiers as exemplars.  Then we would play out the battle at the end.  Have not made this idea happen yet...

I hope the talk of Huzzah! 2012 takes off.  It would be great to see you guys at the tables!

Hello gentlemen, I hope all is well in Maine. I see Matt has found you all. It is going to be tough for Matt. If we had a few gaming teachers/admin types/ or even a gaming janitor it might help. I would like to emphasize the importance of a profesional introduction letter. As you may or may not know that was a huge factor with the Wargames Factory sponsorship of Huzzah 2010. As well as Deans well organized, and supported plan. Also using the school calendar may help. An example would be Washingtons, or Lincolns Birthdays. In Massachusetts we have evacuation, or Bunker Hill day. Go to Halifax Gage!!! Prior to the Monday holiday have a intro game.