May 2014 Games of the Week

By Margaret Duncan, Ed.D.

The Histocrats support the idea of incorporating board-games into your personal life as well as in the classroom.  As such, we support and participate in a local board-gaming group.  Any and all board-game enthusiasts are welcome to join the Game Nights that are held every first and third Friday night of the month.  As part of our gaming group initiative, we also recommend history centric games that are fun to play each week to all of our followers.  The selected games receive our “Game of the Week” distinction.  Recommended games are a mix of cooperative, card games, as well Euro style games.



Yoda the Jedi Master Game (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back), Kenner
Be the first player to become a Jedi Knight, defeat the Dark Side of the Force and win! Travel to the Dagobah System where Yoda, the ancient Jedi Master, will teach you the ways of the Force. Acquire Jedi merit as you successfully accomplish the difficult tasks and trials Yoda sets for your training. Once you've obtained sufficient merit as a Jedi, enter the Jedi Knight circle and out-spin the Dark Side of the Force to win.



Clash of the Gladiators Board Game, Rio Grande
Players first recruit groups of gladiators from a pool of hopefuls with five different abilities. They are fighters, shield bearers, spear throwers, net casters, and trident carriers. Then, players assemble 2-4 groups of 4 gladiators. When the groups are ready, the players move them around the arena to challenge the animals or other players' groups. When only one player has gladiators left, the players score for the gladiators they retained and the animals and gladiators vanquished during the game.

The Builders Middle Ages, Asmodee
Recruit workers and create buildings to prove that you are the greatest builder. You'll have to start small, with cottages and stables, but you'll be building your name as you build your masterpieces and before long, you'll complete the cathedral! Hire worker cards, pay them to build your buildings and balance your income with your expenses. You can't do everything on your turn - but you'll want to! From wells and shacks to castles and churches, use your resources to create structures that will stand the test of time.



Once Upon A Time, Atlas Games
Tell your own fantastic tales of brave heroes and daring adventure! It is a storytelling card game that encourages creativity and collaborative play. One player is the Storyteller, and begins telling a story using the fairytale elements on her Story cards, guiding the plot toward her Ending Card. The other players use their own cards to interrupt her and become the new Storyteller. The winner is the first player to use all their Story Cards and play the Ending Card.

*All product descriptions are from the manufacturer.

DIY Tips for Gaming in your Classroom.

By Nina Kendall

Looking for inexpensive ways to introduce gaming to your classroom? Here are a few tips:

·   Try the Dollar Tree. The Dollar Tree has small board games for sale in the education section. The simple game boards and game pieces can easily be repurposed and adapted to other topics in your classroom.

·    Repurpose old game boards and pieces for other uses. When I moved into my last classroom, there was an old trivia game board and pieces but no instructions. One day in an effort to engage a small group in review, I pulled out the game board and created my own rules to play a simple trivia game with this board. To my surprise they asked to play again.

·   You can also design simple boards of your own with a word processing program like this one.

Got Boards? Need Game Pieces? Try these suggestions:
·   different colored pieces of foam
·   old marker caps
·   cap erasers of different colors
·   Small pieces of paper with players’ names or initials.
·   Small binder clips with decorated with paint or tape.

Like trivia games? Need more content specific cards? Design your own.

What am I?	What am I?	What am I?	What am I?
first government of the United States.	gave president power to send troops into action without declaring war	protected in individual rights	Declared independence from Britain
did not have the power to tax.	Written at the beginning of the Vietnam War	Protected individuals from aristocracy	borrowed John Locke’s ideas about individual rights and government
Was very weak - had no authority over the separate states	Allowed for escalation of war	Written in England	Written by Thomas Jefferson
Answer	Answer	Answer	Answer
Articles of Confederation	Gulf of Tonkin Resolution	English Bill of Rights	Declaration of Independence

Simple templates like this one can be used to make sets of cards. Designing the front and back of the cards will make it easier to sort and track categories of cards.
 

Want to better monitor student progress in games?
Have students take photographs of game boards at the end of play and uploads with basic notes to programs for assessment like ThreeRing.

April 2014 Games of the Week

By Margaret Duncan, Ed.D.

The Histocrats support the idea of incorporating board-games into your personal life as well as in the classroom.  As such, we support and participate in a local board-gaming group.  Any and all board-game enthusiasts are welcome to join the Game Nights that are held every first and third Friday night of the month.  As part of our gaming group initiative, we also recommend history centric games that are fun to play each week to all of our followers.  The selected games receive our “Game of the Week” distinction.  Recommended games are a mix of cooperative, card games, as well Euro style games.

Expedition Northwest Passage, by Asmodee
In 1845, Sir John Franklin led an expedition to discover the route that would connect the Pacific and Atlantic. When he disappeared, explorers from Britain and America set out to find the missing voyage and succeed where Franklin failed - by finding the Northwest Passage. Carefully place exploration tiles, maneuver around ice floes, discover islands and send your crews on sleds across solid land. Be careful - as the seasons progress, the North gets colder and the last thing you want is to find yourself stuck in the ice, losing crews and equipment. Be the first to discover the route to the Pacific to earn the Prestige you need to bring victory for your team!

Kingsburg, Fantasy Flight Games
Players adopt the role of governor, and vie for resources to build up their province, military power to defend their homes, and above all the influence of the King. Over five years (five turns) players rely on various advisors to the King for resources. From tangibles like gold, wood, and stone to soldiers and portents, each acquisition will shape the future of your community.



The Road to Canterbury, Gryphon Games
Greed, Pride, Gluttony, Wrath, Luxury, Idleness, and Envy - the infamous "Seven Deadly Sins". For the faithful, they instill horror. For you, on the other hand, they present a wonderful business opportunity! In The Road to Canterbury, you play a medieval pardoner who sells certificates delivering sinners from the eternal penalties brought on by these Seven Deadly Sins. You make your money by peddling these counterfeit pardons to Pilgrims traveling the road to Canterbury.  To keep your services in demand, you will actually need to lead these Pilgrims into temptation yourself! The Seven Deadly Sins live up to their name: each sin that a Pilgrim commits brings Death one step nearer, and a dead Pilgrim pays no pardoners!  So much to forgive, so little time. Will you be able to outwit your opponents by pardoning more of these Pilgrims' sins before they die or finish their pilgrimage to Canterbury?

Upon a Salty Ocean, Rio Grande Games
At the beginning of the XVI century the city of Rouen is the main French port. The Citys wealth is dependent on fishing and trading salted fish. Salt produced in the mines has to be loaded onto ships and used to preserve herring and cod fished in the Atlantic Ocean. Every week ships full of salt barrels leave Rouen for the fishing grounds of the Atlantic Ocean, and, once back, the goods are sold in the city markets. The players represent City merchants: they invest in ships and City buildings to try to get rich. Who will be the richest merchant of Rouen, when Francis I, King of France, comes to visit the City?

*All product descriptions are from the manufacturer.