Into the Wild...Wild World of Games

December: Veteran gamer Peter Anderson, an award-winning GM from HMGS (Historical Miniature Gaming Society), visited the club with over 10,000 Napoleonic miniatures. He and Jared Fishman, along with consistent helper Mike Putorti, ran a refight of the Battle of Austerlitz. There were 15+ players, and a massive 16 foot board. The kids had a blast, and got a real education in the Napoleonic period, given that Mr. Anderson has produced a few supplements on the topic. This was the largest game NYSGA has ever put on. The gamemasters were very proud of how well the students handled themselves and their responsibilities in the game.

January: Sid S. and Carter H. ran a pretty fantastic 25mm Colonial game that focused on a Victorian Sci-Fi setting. “The Lost World”, as well call it, is a place where anything goes. In this case, British, Afghan, and Indian troops fighting somewhere near Kabul were somehow transported to the “Lost World,” where they had to work together in order to fend off a horde of unruly Beastmen. This was a game that meant a lot to a number of students, including the GMs, as it was one of the first rulesets they learned how to play back in 4th grade.

Also, Jared Fishman ran a 10mm WW1 game based on the Battle of Cer, one of the earliest battles in the Balkans. The team play-tested some new rules that transformed a single miniatures battle into more of a campaign feel. It certainly represented the grind of what early WW1 battles were like.

February: Thomas D. and Carter H. ran a WW1 trenchfight on Mr. Fishman’s 3D, modular board. This was the group’s first outreach day, for 6th graders interested in joining NYSGA next year. Eight students in all attended, and rumors abound that several other 6th graders will be attending a session later in the year. The game went very well, with the students getting a first hand look at how much fun dice rolling can be.

In the afternoon, Mr. Putorti and Mr. Fishman each ran a role playing game for NYSGA members. For many months, the students have been asking them to get some D&D together. Mr. Fishman reports, “It is amazing to me that this game is still around, having been developed in the mid 70s. I attribute this to Stranger Things! (If you haven’t seen it, you should!)”

So, with Mike Putorti the D&D expert, six students entered the fictional world of elves, dwarves, barbarians, sorcerers, and just about anything else one could imagine. Jared Fishman, on the other hand, took a different approach to the game. Using a rules system called Dread, he transported his own group to a place called Noronea, a fictional world in which the players took on the roles of teachers and students at an adventuring school called Adventurer’s Academy. Players quickly got hooked on the mystery of a missing ranger named Mrs. Crane, who met her students each day at a small grove of trees in an outdoor classroom. He reports, “With Jenga as the game mechanic, you can imagine the tension. Each time a student wanted to influence the game (I want to search the woods for any clues of Mrs. Crane’s whereabouts) a pull from the tower is necessary. This made for great fun! The kids enjoyed both games so much that the plan is to continue them in March.”

Until next time!