Welcome to the winter issue of the newsletter! There's plenty here, for your response has been growing steadily. The range of material is impressive too. I shall address below some questions and issues which have been raised by publishers and retailers as they have sought a place in the educational market. The resource columns have expanded to two pages. There is an extended article by Peter L. de Rosa on his uses of wargames in history classes. We also have lots of reviews. Check them out. What is useful for you? Please, do send in any changes to your address.
It may be helpful to use this newsletter as a place for teachers to seek similar information. If anyone wants to send me a description of a course or topic, I will be happy to print it in the summer issue. If this is useful, we can continue it. Let me know what works for you.
I am now listing some educational catalogs in the resources on page two. Try these and, please, do let me know what results they bring.
You may have to translate some of your materials for the educational field. If you use the word "gaming," many people will think of Las Vegas long before Diplomacy, GURPS, or even Dungeons & Dragons come to mind. This translating does not have to require reworking the product's entire text and layout. It can be a cover letter, an insert, or a supplemental text.
Some publishers have sent in products for reading, testing, and review. We can't describe it if we don't see it.
Through donations, guidance, and visits, others have supported projects and courses at one or more local schools. These have usually proven very successful, generating positive press and allowing publishers to test a product in an educational setting.
More and more publishers are sending in information about discounts for educators. That's a great idea.
What else are you doing? What works?
Kevin Fitzpatrick of Games, Crafts, Hobbies & Stuff in St. Louis has assembled an impressive package for schools and teachers. It includes a listing of free and discounted games, information on and benefits of games, and even his own personalized Sim City card. This sort of presentation can take some time to prepare, but it could result in your store being the local source of games for teachers, a population dwarfing that of area gamers. I had a look at Kevin's package as he prepared it, and I am willing to go over ideas with others.
It is also important to keep in mind your store's appearance. Posters for bloody computer combat games and cards or books splashed with images of buxom barbarianettes may draw your young males, but most teachers won't consider a second visit.
*****
A few months ago Atlas Games demonstrated Once Upon A Time at a local school, a Montessori magnet school, and the reception was hugely positive. The sales manager is actually working with them now to sell the game as a fund raiser. He mentioned the idea when he was there showing the game; two days later the teacher who had arranged for them to demo there called back to say she had sixty two orders already! Once Upon A Time may have some potential as school fund raiser and a marketing ploy. The 50% that goes to the school is better than some fundraising items deliver. Atlas Games, P.O. Box 131233, Roseville, Minnesota 55113 (612) 638-0077 fax: (612) 638-0084 < atlasgames@aol.com >.
Avalon Hill offers a 40% discount for teachers. Avalon Hill Game Company, 4517 Harford Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21214-9989 (410) 254-9200 or (800) 999-3222 < ahgames@aol.com >.
Chaosium offers a 20% discount on any purchase of five or more books. You can mix and match as you see fit. Chaosium, 950-A 56th Street, Oakland, California 94608 (415) 547-7681 < chaosium@aol.com >.
Global Games offers a 50% discount on games, plus $5 shipping and handling. Global Games, 1647 St. Clair Avenue West Unit 215A, Toronto, Ontario M6H 1H7 CANADA (416) 516-9118 fax: (416) 516-4690.
Mayfair Games will send FREE train games to classrooms. Simply request this on school letterhead. Mayfair Games, P.O. Box 48539, Niles, Illinois 60648 (708) 647-9650 or (800) 432-4376 fax: (708) 647-0939 < mayfair@aol.com >. [Web note-- since publication of the paper copy of this newsletter, Mayfair has gone up on the market and will either have a new owner, or no longer be in business.]
Raven Star Game Design offers a 50% discount when purchase requests are written on school letterhead. Raven Star Game Design, 31600 Schoenherr - M1D, Warren, Michigan 48093.
Strunk Games offers discounts for the educational market. They carry such games as Stack, Abalone, and Omnigon. Strunk Games, PO Box 64, Eustis, Maine 04936 1-8000-669-3315 fax: (207) 246-4263.
*****
If you submit an article or review, please send as email, simple text files on disk, or clearly written or typed on paper in descending order of preference. Thanks.
I am sure that the requirements and expectations vary among these educational publishers. Please, let the rest of know how helpful or not these resources are.
*****
Creative Publications, 5623 West 115th Street, Worth, Illinois 60482-9931
This catalog offers puzzles, manipulatives, and problem solving activities.
Education Publishing Service, 31 Smith Place, Cambridge, Massachusetts
02138-1000
EPS lists activity books and books about the teaching craft.
Interact, 1825 Gillespie Way #101, El Cajon, California 92020-1095
1-800-359-0961
Interact produces clear, structured, educational simulations.
Social Studies School Service, 10200 Jefferson Boulevard
P.O. Box 802, Culver City, California 90232-0802
This catalog is everything social studies, from geography to adolescent
interpersonal skills
Worldwide Games, P.O. Box 517, Colchester, Connecticut 06415-0517
1-800-888-0987
Worldwide Games lists beautiful puzzles, games, models, and toys. West
End Games advertises Sherlock Holmes here.
*****
Games of various sorts have received some bad press in the last few months, most of it simply hysterical. If you find yourself in one of these confrontations, do take advantage of several supporters. GAMA has its Industry Watch Committee, which is listed on the back page. The Committee for the Advancement of Role Playing Games has extensive archives and print materials. I have some of these as well, so sing out if you are in need.
The CAR-PGa Newsletter is published by the Committee for the Advancement of Role-Playing Games. Originally founded to address attacks on gamers, gaming, and the hobby, it has evolved into a more general support organization, promoting a variety of projects, including our own. You can reach Paul Cardwell, Jr., the chairman of the group, at 1127 Cedar, Bonham, TX 75418. Membership in the group is free, though supporting work is expected, and subscriptions to the newsletter are $7.50 for the USA and $12.00 overseas.
CAR-PGa needs people in all parts of the USA and the world to monitor the media's presentation of games and other issues arriving around games. This is not a challenging role, mostly just reading the newspaper and listening to what other gamers have noticed. And if a large confrontation arises, you can always get help from other members of the group or from other organizations like GAMA.
Dragonsmoke is a newsletter published by Bob Albrecht and George Firedrake and is dedicated to toys and tools for teaching math and science, project based learning, and "Whatever else come to mind." It's full of ideas, insights, and helpful connections. Just send them a SASE at PO Box 1635, Sebastopol, CA 95473-1635, and they'll have the latest issue back to you.
Interactive Fantasy is a quarterly publication out of Britain. It explores games as a serious pursuit, while remaining aware of their inherently playful nature. Topics have included game styles, game history, future games, game design, mythology, sexuality, narrative, education, technology, and censorship. It is fascinating reading at many levels and accessible to anyone. Subscriptions are f20 in Europe, $32 in the USA, and $40 elsewhere. Andrew Rilstone can be reached at Interactive Fantasy, 2 Sainfoin Road, Tooting Bec, London SW17 8EP, Great Britain.
Paper Mayhem is a bimonthly magazine dedicated to Play By Mail Games like Star Webs and Feudal Lords. Bob Albrecht, among others, recommends it, and PBMs could allow your students to meet the challenges of games in a much broader context than a single classroom or school can provide. A one year subscription is $31.00, and you can contact them at Paper Mayhem, Department PM, 1518 Adams Street, Ottawa, IL 61350-4770.
Simulation & Gaming is a professional publication of the Association of Business Simulation and Experiential Learning (ABSEL), the International Simulation and Gaming Association (ISAGA), the Japanese Association of Simulation and Gaming (JASAG), and the North American Simulation and Gaming Association (NASAGA). It is scholarly and rarefied and can be very interesting. It is aimed primarily at academics and business or military simulators. If interested ($50), contact Sage Publications, 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320.
*****
GAMA Newsletter: L. Lee Cerny (Stellar Games), P.O. Box 602, Swanton, Ohio 43558 (419) 826-4262 (419) 826-4242 (fax) stellarlc@earthlink.net
GAMA WWW page: Charles Ryan (Chameleon Eclectic), P.O. Box 10262, Blacksburg, Virginia 24062-0262 webmaster@blackeagle.com
Industry Insights Newsletter: Ann Dupuis, P.O. Box 838, Randolph, Massachusetts 02368-0838 ghostgames@aol.com
The Rose: Paul Myer (Crazy Egor's), 1699 Hamlin Parma TL Road, Hilton, New York 14468-9715 crazyegor@aol.com
Any teachers looking for something in particular or having a general idea of what they want - a game about the Civil War or examples of evolution or other educational topics - can e-mail them, and they will do their best to help you find what you're looking for. Comics OnLine want to help the teachers who use unconventional methods to excite the students. They feel that gaming is one of the greatest ways to learn.
Comics OnLine http://www.comicsonline.com/
To date, I have used wargames as a teaching aid in history courses at three Massachusetts colleges. These include Merrimack College, a small Catholic school in North Andover, Bridgewater State College, a medium-size public institution, and Newbury College, a junior college in transition to four-year status. This article presents some conclusions drawn from using board games in three different environments.
Simulations bring several advantages to history courses. First, they illustrate certain problems faced by historical leaders. Even with hindsight, students find that running a country is not all that easy. Still, it offers them a chance to learn history by actually doing something historical. Wargames are an alternate means of presenting historical information, thus reinforcing course material. The game format can help students develop decision-making, negotiating, and analytical skills. finally, they represent a welcome break in the traditional lecture format for both the instructor and the students.
The first game tried was Origins of World War II (The Avalon Hill Game Company, 1971) in a Twentieth Century European History course at Merrimack College. This class consisted mostly of upper division history and political science majors who tended to be good students. Using Origins linked well with their assignment to read A.J.P. Taylor's The Origins of the Second World War. Prior to the exercise, each student received a packet containing a rules summary, schedule, grading information, playing hints, and forms for deploying Political Factors and recording diplomatic contacts with other countries. The class was divided into three playing groups, with the democracies getting multiple players.
The simulation ran for five fifty-minute periods. The first class consisted of a lecture on historical simulation and a dry run to familiarize students with game mechanics. Essentially, they were walked through the first two turns. This process clarified virtually all of their rules questions. Two turns were then played in each of the next three classes. The last period was a discussion of the exercise. The students received discussion questions, historical information, and a summary of each group's game before this class. The summaries benefitted from my requirement that students record their diplomatic contacts and submit their records to me when they were done. As expected, player plans and negotiations often misfired due to treachery, misfortune, or better opposing play.
The students reacted enthusiastically to the whole process. On written evaluations, twenty out of twenty-two participants rated it an A, with comments on it being "enjoyable," "hands-on look," and "new perspective" on the 1930s, "fun," and a useful lesson on diplomacy and "back-stabbing." Overall, Origins worked well in a moderately-sized, upper-division course for history and other related majors.
While Merrimack offered an ideal situation for an initial foray into classroom simulation, most history teaching loads include large introductory courses. Western Civilization classes at Bridgewater State College are fairly typical of these. They consist of forty or so average, somewhat apathetic but generally cooperative students meeting some type of distribution requirement. I had not used Origins in the Merrimack version of these classes, believing that the rules were too complex for freshman and the mechanics too awkward in a bigger class.
Large numbers of teenagers, counters, and dice did not seem to be a great combination. I would be interested in hearing otherwise. Still wanting to use wargames in these classes, I designed Stratagem, a simple military and diplomatic game with only limited historical pretension. Essentially, it is a paper and pencil wargame based loosely on the Origins system, especially Origins of World War I, also designed by James Dunnigan and found in Sid Sackson's A Gamut of Games and possibly in The Avalon Hill General.
Stratagem has two pages of rules plus scenario instructions which provide player strengths and objectives, a chart for recording moves and attacks, and historical information. So far there are scenarios for the Age of Discovery, the period before World War I, and the Appeasement Era. The class plays in groups, usually four to seven depending on class size, each with five players and a moderator. The latter chairs the group and records player activity on the scenario chart. Because the moderator runs each group's game, the instructor is free to wander around the classroom and observe, give advice, answer rules questions, and generally be a nuisance. When it is over, the moderator's chart is a good record of the group's game. I tried Stratagem in only one course at first, figuring that it would be better to botch one group than all of them. Again, however, wargame use was successful. They are now part of all of my courses.
Finally, I use wargames in a World Civilization course at Newbury College. This is an adult education class taught at a satellite campus. The course is required and student quality varies immensely. Classes are small and usually meet one night a week. It is an ideal situation for experimentation.
Generally, the better classes get either version of Origins, while the others play Stratagem. All three have worked so far.
(1) Distribute the rules and other supporting materials to the students in advance.
(2) Introduce simulations by explaining how they are used in the military, business, and other fields. The employment of jury simulation firms in the O.J. Simpson trial is something they may have heard of.
(3) Review the rules.
(4) Conduct a dry run by having the class as a whole play two or three turns. Record their moves on the blackboard and point out historical similarities and possibilities. Assign students to groups.
(6) Instruct each group to play a practice turn or two to increase rules understanding.
(7) Start playing. Depending on the amount of negotiation, it usually takes about ninety minutes to play either Origins and roughly seventy-five minutes to do Stratagem.
(8) Close the exercise with a discussion. Give questions to them in advance. Start the discussion by summarizing each group's actions and comparing them to what happened historically. The moderators, if you use them, can be helpful in analyzing player activity.
(9) Grade the exercise. This ensures that the students will approach the simulation seriously. Grading can be done leniently. My students are told that all they really have to do is humor me for a week or so before reverting to normalcy. Attendance, participation, and discussion are all suitable grading criteria.
(1) Classroom gaming has been very popular so far, normally getting a ninety percent approval rating from the students, regardless of the college or type of class. Sometimes students who have vanished from the course appear magically for the simulation, prior to disappearing permanently. Conversely, it is irritating to realize that students prefer playing games over listening to my lectures.
(2) Most students think they learn something from the exercise.
(3) Students react to these in a variety of ways. There are rules lawyers, loose cannons, double-crossers, and those ruled by indecision. Some trust all, others no one. Many take it very seriously, down to constructing perfect plans for each country before playing. Those experienced with computer games, Risk, Chess, wargames,and military simulators like it the most. Some act totally out of character. It is not unusual to see mild-mannered types turn hyperaggressive or treacherous during the course of a game.
(4) The biggest problem is rules comprehension. Many do not read the rules carefully if at all. They often treat this like any other assignment and do as little as possible. Others cannot make the necessary conceptual leaps on their own. This is not surprising in that most people learn games by playing others. Volunteers for moderator are often those who feel totally lost. This can bring confusion to their group. Overall, about one-fourth learn the rules by reading them, another quarter after listening to explanations, a third group from attending the dry run, and the rest by playing the game.
(5) A secondary problem is the limited amount of negotiation. Many groups work out deals early and stay with them regardless of circumstances. fortunately, someone usually breaks an alliance and creates havoc with these arrangements.
(6) Other faculty members show at best a polite interest in what you are doing. They are sympathetic but not really interested in this type of approach.
(2) Be ready for skepticism. Students expect nothing but misery in required courses, so they assume that this exercise will not be any different. Normally about half believe they will dislike it. Explaining that it is intended to be fun and more importantly that it is an easy grade helps. Conversely, the moderator position is good for those who hate playing games. In addition, simulation's mathematical aspects interest business, science, social science, and computer majors.
(3) Assume nothing. They will not necessarily do what is logical or historical. Games can produce really strange results.
(4) Anticipate rules comprehension problems. Expect to explain and re-explain constantly.
(5) Use simple games. With a commercial product, give them a rules summary written in plain English as opposed to wargamese.
(6) If circumstances permit, use simultaneous submission of orders and moves, a la Diplomacy, and require them to keep a record of their negotiations. Both help in post-exercise analysis.
(7) Schedule a dry run. This is essential.
(8) Encourage them to use their bad personality traits. Remind them that engaging in power politics is a good excuse for being a miserable specimen of humanity.
(9) If class size permits, use board and counter games. It is easier for the students to visualize matters, and rolling the dice is fun. Stratagem sacrifices these advantages for simplicity and ease of use.
(10) Have some type of evaluation of the exercise.
(11) Make further information on wargaming available for anyone who is interested. You never know when you are going to convert someone.
This year I am teaching an elective class at my school called "Games and History." In this class, the students learn and play games concerning historical events and topics. Anyone can take the class, though it was a last minute addition to the schedule and therefore only has a few kids. The games are used to serve as a writing prompt for students who do not normally enjoy writing. One of the required bits of writing is a review of each game they play. These kids are pretty creative, and the reviews might be helpful to teachers, giving them a kids-eye view of each game.
*****
Several of the reviews from David Smith's students are printed in this issue. Their language is clear, and their comments are useful. The games sound good too. Is anyone else doing anything like this? Hey, David, can any of the rest of us come take the class?
Kendall / Hunt Publishing Company, 4050 Westmark Drive, Dubuque, Iowa 52004-1804
In the past, I have used this game to successfully teach 11th grade students about the stock market and about the Crash of 1929. The game is easily understood; students buy and sell stocks while minding the market's rise and fall. Much of the action is based upon the "supply" of types of stock and the "demand" of the players. The game uses types of stocks (blue chip, bonds, and so forth) rather than artificially created stocks. This ensures students will learn more about the market than which artificial stocks will help them win the game. It enables students to understand the real stock market more than any game I have ever seen.
I used the game to open every day of my Roaring Twenties unit, getting students into the spirit of the time. The transactions took about ten minutes each day. Towards the end of the unit, I switched over to the 1929 scenario included in the game and made the market crash to open my unit on the 1930s.
The game is very teacher friendly. Its booklet contains sections on how the stock market works, how to use the game in class, and how to run a 1929 scenario. For Mac users, one of my former students, Sage Statham, has created an aid using Hypercard which tracks the stock action of 30 students. This means you can use Avalon Hill's game in class without any paperwork. The Shareware/Freeware costs $5.00 and you can get it from SR Designs, PO Box 942, Mendocino, California 95460. Make checks out to Sage Statham. WARNING: The program takes quite a bit of memory and will not run on LCs or older Macintoshes.
Avalon Hill Game Company, 4517 Harford Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21214-9989 (410) 254-9200 or (800) 999-3222 < ahgames@aol.com >.
Maharaja (copyright 1994) is a game based on the history of India. This Avalon Hill offering was designed by Craig Sandercock. Maharaja shows the warring cultures of India between 1500 BCE and 1850 AD.
The game is played by first setting up your pieces as illustrated in the rules. After this you are allowed movement across one, two, or three areas. Conflict occurs if any two different cultures occupy the same areas. Conflict is resolved by a die roll according to the number of armies each side controls.
Each culture moves in turn according to a chart at the side of the playing board. Also certain events take place each turn which are in dictated on the turn table at the bottom of the board. Such events include introduction of new cultures, losses and gains in army strength, and the ability to make boats.
The game is won by having more victory points than any other player. Victory points are awarded by completing certain goals, including the destruction of specified cultures, occupying certain lands at certain times, and the destruction of certain leaders. Goals match historical events, so the closer the game follows what really happened, the more points a player can score.
The historical section of this game takes up half of the rule book. This section explains what historically occurred in each game turn. Because the game follows history so closely, the historical section becomes more interesting and more important; the more you read it, the better you will do in the game. Sometimes doing what you are supposed to do becomes difficult, and in one instance this caused the Greeks to survive an extra 1550 years. Loop holes like this don't happen all the time but are possible.
This game would make an excellent teaching aid for anyone teaching about India. This game is fun, easy to learn, and informative, and it forces students to develop a familiarity with Indian cultural and geographical names. For best results, we recommend playing the five player short game. This leaves less chance for historical inaccuracy and a more playable game for classroom use. For a class of thirty, you would need six copies and four (one hour) class periods.
This is a delightful and educational card game published by Steve Jackson Games and approved by the Dinosaur Society. In the game, players are assumed to travel through time to capture dinosaurs to return to modern zoos. The cards themselves are colorful and loaded with the very latest facts and theories concerning these ever fascinating animals. Special cards - e.g., Ms. Fixit, Extinction: Volcanoes, and Puny Humans! - bring variety and excitement into play.
Steffan O'Sullivan has written an educational supplement for the game, and it includes activities for the primary grades in writing, geography, geology, art, and math. It's a strong addition to the game. Lots of adults would have fun with these activities too! If you are teaching or enjoying dinosaurs, this is the game which you have been seeking! But look at the next review too.
Steve Jackson Games, PO Box 18957, Austin, Texas 78760 < http://www.sjgames.com/dinohunt/ >
I am getting the felling that the people at Steve Jackson Games like dinosaurs. This is a supplement for their popular Generic Universal Role Playing System, and it provides game data and the latest paleontological theories on life forms from the Paleozoic to the earliest humans, from the ammonites, early fish, and insects to later thunder lizards, birds, and mammals. It is also recommended by the Dinosaur Society. If you play with GURPS, then this supplement is a must have item. If you are hoping to lead a simulation with your students in which they might encounter such beasties, then this book will feed your creativity and your understanding of the science beneath the vast museum displays and Hollywood movies.
Many pages are devoted to game system data on the various animals, and many teachers might find this extraneous or offputting, but the other material within these covers is rich and well presented. This book also includes ideas for encountering such creatures. Much of the later material also ties in well with Steve Jackson's GURPS Ice Age, providing a host of other possibilities for simulations and encounters. Send your students off to explore distant times; have them live as the Neanderthals did (or might have); even have them investigate stories of creatures surviving into our own times from long ago. Armed with the ideas in this book, their discoveries will be earthshaking!
Steve Jackson Games, PO Box 18957, Austin, Texas 78760 < http://www.sjgames.com >
*****
Help! Help! Help! We've received a copy of Cosmo Engineering's Asura, a fantasy roleplaying game in Japanese. Can anyone out there help with translation?
This game, authored by P.R. Reid, the historian who wrote The Colditz Story, takes place in the infamous Colditz prisoner of war camp in an historic castle in Eastern Germany during World War II.
In this game, one person playing the guards tries to keep one to five players, representing different Allied nationalities, from escaping. Escapes are performed by positioning pawns about the castle in order to acquire proper equipment, devise a plan, and execute an escape while avoiding prison guards. The game ends when one player has successfully exited two pawns from the board.
The games provides a fairly accurate simulation of Colditz prison camp, a POW camp for high ranking officers, high security prisoners, and hardened escapees. It was the Alcatraz of POW camps. The game provides historical notes, not only in the back of the rules but also on most game cards. The game especially illustrates the desire and frustrations experienced by would be escapees. No sooner do you ready an escape when the guards announce yet another roll call. Players move around an historically accurate bottom floor of the actual castle. The Game Guys feel that players learn quite a bit about conditions in the castle.
It is, however, only a game. Some inaccuracies include the ease of collecting proper equipment, papers, and costumes. The real guards constantly harassed and searched the prisoners. In the game, guards are prohibited from entering most rooms, except by using "security cards." There were no automobiles in the castle, so the possibility of escape by car, unlike in the game, was nil. There were more spontaneous breaks for freedom in real life than in the game. All of these elements have been sacrificed in order that the game play more fairly.
The rules are fairly simple; a 10 year-old could easily learn them. The game (2-4 hours or about 45 minutes per person) kind of drags at the beginning as players try to collect the equipment, but the game picks up later as escapes are executed. This lag, however, gives beginning players a chance to learn the rules before the real action occurs.
The game might be used in the classroom to show the difficulties of Allied prisoners during World War II. More than one person can play each nationality, creating a team effort for each escape plan. The teacher should play the guards, lest someone or a group of people be alienated from the class. This game emphasizes organization, preplanning, and interpersonal skills.
It's probably too narrow of a topic to use in a general world history class, but if a teacher was conducting a class on World War II or a long unit on World War II, we would highly recommend this game.
Ratings very poor * poor * * average * * * good * * * * excellent * * * * * Historical content: * * * * Playability: * * Appropriate for class: * * Simplicity: * * * * Fun: * * * * Overall: * * *
Star Struck is a collection of drama activities, ranging from warm ups to character development and staging issues. It has a number of helpful, flexible ideas, and the full version comes with cards and other props to support the teacher. In the past, Gorski and White has both offered discounts for educators and made the game available as a fund raiser for schools and drama departments. You should inquire about these offers.
Gorski & White Games, 3190 West Black Hills Court, Westlake Village, California 91362 (805) 379-0767
When writing reviews, write as neatly and as completely as you can. It will be frustrating to both of us if your writing has to be heavily interpreted or partially rewritten before it can be presented. I have had to return the occasional submission for further clarification or information. Keep in mind what someone unfamiliar with the product will need to know.
If you have any questions, please contact David Millians at Paideia School, 1509 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA. You can leave a phone message at (404) 377-3491, and he will return your call. David's email address is drakon@mindspring.com .
Date
Your Name
Your Address
Your Phone Number
School
School Address
School Phone Number
Age & Subjects Taught
Game
Publisher & Address
Game Description - Please give a basic sense of what is included or how the
game is played, or what it offers as a resource.
Use - Please include age of students, topic taught, schedule, and modifications of the game itself.
Evaluation - Please include accessibility for you and for students, appropriateness, applicability, enjoyment, and suggestions.
*****
Games & Education is a semiannual publication sponsored by the Game Manufacturer's Association (GAMA) and is dedicated to furthering communication regarding the use of games of all types in educational settings. It is distributed free to anyone interested in any facet of this pursuit. Everyone is encouraged to participate in this communication by sharing their games, discoveries, insights, and critiques. We all benefit from each other's ideas. Be sure to keep us current on your addresses.
Games & Education is distributed through the US Postal Service and is posted to a number of USENET newsgroups, including alt.games.dice, alt.games.live-action, rec.games.abstract, rec.games.board, rec.games.diplomacy, rec.games.frp.advocacy, rec.games.frp.misc, rec.games.mecha, rec.games.miniatures, rec.games.miniatures.historical, rec.games.miniatures.misc, and rec.games.playing-cards. Current and past issues of the newsletter are available on the worldwide web at < http://rpg.net >. GAMA's web page can be found at < http://skynet.bevc.blacksburg.va.us/gama/ >.
Readers are encouraged to contribute materials to this publication. We assemble the newsletter during the months of June and December. The size of the newsletter depends on what is submitted.
Permission is granted to copy anything in the newsletter, provided it does not have anyone else's copyright on it.
GAMA Officers and Division Chairs are listed below.
Executive Director: L. Lee Cerny (Stellar Games, Inc.), P.O. Box 602, Swanton, Ohio 43558 (419) 826-4262 (419) 826-4242 (fax) stellarlc@earthlink.net
President: Paul Myer (Crazy Egor's), 1699 Hamlin Parma TL Road, Hilton, New York 14468-9715 crazyegor@aol.com
Vice-President: Jim Atkiss
Secretary: Robert Carty (Liberty Hobby Distributors), 1627 Gary Road, Lakeland, Florida 33802 rtclhd@aol.com
Treasurer: Bruce Neidlinger (I.C.E.), P.O. Box 1605, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 naug@aol.com
Wholesale Division Chair: Bob Boyle (Greenfield Hobby Distributors), 32660 DeQuindre, Warren, Michigan 48092 GHDJBL@aol.com
Retail Division Chair: Paul Myer (Crazy Egor's), 1699 Hamlin Parma TL Road, Hilton, New York 14468-9715 crazyegor@aol.com
Industry Watch (contact Executive Director Lee Cerny)
Retailer Hotline: Winston Hamilton (GRD)
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David Hamilton Flewellen Swanson Millians
Paideia School, 1509 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30307 USA
404-377-3491 (telephone) 404-377-0032 (fax)
drakon@mindspring.com
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GAMA Education Group
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