I have inherited a games club at school. It was originally a Warhammer club and I have opened it out to be any form of war gaming, modelling, board games, terrain making and painting (but not computer games).

I have had some success in attracting new members and we have had a bit of fun making boards, terrain and some short battles (mostly LOTR based).

My aim is to encourage teamwork, planning, strategic thinking, maths etc and have some real fun at the same time.

Some of the lads have never really played games before or made stuff, a couple are hard nosed 40k players who simply get on by themselves, a couple are really timid lads and one lad has blossomed over the last year, looking after some of the new/young members. It’s a mixed bag.

If anybody has experience of a club like this or any ideas or activities, I would welcome any kind of advice or suggestions.

(It’s a UK based secondary, members are all 11 to 13 and, at the moment, all boys).

Cheers

PS Hi mods, if this is in the wrong forum, just let me know and I'll do the decent ...

_________________
"Naur an edraith ammen!", no thanks, we have central heating.

Nope this is the right place for your thread, It sounds as tho your doing everything right already as the key word in here is "Fun" . If your members are having fun they will be back for more. Good luck Mark!

_________________
Commission Availability : BOOKED SOLID (again lol)

More of my work at

www.ShadowandFlame.co.uk

I wish there had been something like this at my school when I was younger. My buddies and I were always looking for something fun to do that would not get us in trouble.

_________________
Respectfully,
Jonathan

Do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly

Battle Companies

Sounds like you are doing fine. Now I did hear of a school in the midwest where the gaming club puts on a big exhibition game in the gym.

Exhibition game ...
I'll add that to the list
Cheers

_________________
"Naur an edraith ammen!", no thanks, we have central heating.

It could give the guys a focus for the painting and terrain building. Good Luck.

Earlier this year I sold my massive Minas Tirith model to a school group, which was intended to be the centrepiece for a school gaming group project. It was to restore/tweak it, rather than start from scratch but the idea remains sound.

Why not select a part of Middle Earth and have the group build terrain that would suit it. For instance, you might choose The Shire and have the gang build some templates for woodland, some fields, a Hobbit hole, some workshops and barns, hedges, etc. Once a small collection of terrain oddments has been assembled then it's possible to think about scenarios involving the terrain pieces - Farmer Maggot's farm under attack, perhaps, or a raid on Bree. Same terrain but different scenarios will get the creative juices flowing during downtime (hopefully not lessons!) when they can't put paint to miniature or roll dice.

Keeping things fresh is always important plus - unlike GW - competition is often king. A league or campaign will stimulate interest (and possibly an arms race, as participants scramble to obtain the best mix of troops and characters). Ensure that there are mechanisms to accomodate losing generals or doomed armies, since no-one likes to watch from the sidelines. Encourage trading of ideas and miniatures between group members, and share advice on sources of materials or models. While the focus is on the group nights you might also want to consider something like a Yahoo Group to maintain contact when not meeting in person.

These guys are in college I think. But they have a map campaign that's interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sRXokpOaK0

Gentlemen, a big thank you.

When I first took over the club, I rang all the local schools to see if anybody else had a club (found myself thwarted by dull receptionists "warhammer! whats that?"), I think I'll have another go in the new year.

Love the idea of building a part of Middle Earth and not just generic scenery (as we have been doing).

Thanks again.

More, more, more ...

_________________
"Naur an edraith ammen!", no thanks, we have central heating.

If you've never tried Battle Companies, you might check out the link in my signature, as well. I've found it quite an easy introduction to playing/collecting.

_________________
Respectfully,
Jonathan

Do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly

Battle Companies

Hi Jonathan

A quick scan over this and I'm interested, will give it a good read this afternoon. The page page is bookmarked.

Thank you.

_________________
"Naur an edraith ammen!", no thanks, we have central heating.