Close Little Wars Simplified

Crossposted from my Man of TIN blog

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/15/close-wars-simplified/

A blog post all about American gaming librarian Jen B using simplified Featherstone rules with simple plastic 54mm figures to attract young or new entrants to the figure gaming hobby:

Photo by Jen B of her D-Day 75 simple drop-in library game.

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, Regular (Library User) and 70s Airfix kid 15 June 2019.

Fantasy Games, Boys’ Literacy and Gaming in The Library TES Article 2001

When Prussian invaders met Skeleton Knights …

Over the last few months I have been chatting on and off (through the  comments pages of my Man of TIN blog) to Jen Burdoo, a librarian and gamer in the USA.

Jen has been interested, like other library staff around the world, in bringing historical figure gaming or wargaming or miniatures gaming into the library.

I know that this happens in Australia having read of such things in Kaptain Kobold’s The Stronghold Rebuilt blog.

I knew somewhere that I had filed away an old teaching or education newspaper article somewhere about something similar being done with fantasy gaming in libraries in Britain, partly to encourage boy’s literacy.

In the interests of this discussion and for those interested in the general history of fantasy gaming, I have scanned this Times Education Supplement (TES) article of February 23 2001,  entitled War of Words by Elaine Williams.

 

 

Times Education Supplement TES February 23 2001

2001 stats on Games Workshop / Fantasy Games TES February 23, 2001.

I am not a fantasy gamer. I am not really interested in the ups and downs, ‘love them or loathe them’ relationship with Games Workshop that many fantasy gamers seem to have.

I know that children playing with the ‘scary’ or ‘supernatural’ warlock and wizardry, demons and dragons, sorcery and spells side of fantasy games  raises some concerns  for some people.

Interestingly about the same timesavers the TES article, there was a brief correspondence in 2002 about a similar project linked to the Lord of the Rings films and a letter regarding comments in the article on a Christian or religious angle on Tolkien and fantasy games.

Please note that I, Man of TIN,  does not wish to get into any religious arguments over reprinting this article on my blog and respects other people’s rights to their beliefs. Thank you.

TES November 29 2002

I hope that these couple of articles are of interest to (fantasy) gamers and those involved with library gaming.

As someone who spent much time in branch libraries researching uniforms, battles, history and borrowing Wargames books, it must have done much for my literacy.

I hope that reading  this article is of historical or current interest to some gamers.

Blogposted by Mark Man of TIN 20 January 2019.