DM Cojo (Cory Gahsman) of THAC0s Hammer podcasting fame is a middle school teacher in Michigan. Corey recently started up a gaming club at the middle school he works in and has a GoFundMe seeking donations of cash or gaming material for the club.
I figured with the response to yesterday's post about downsizing my gaming collection, there might be a few others interested in helping the next generation of gamers transition solidly into the OSR ;)
Greetings!
I am a middle school teacher in Michigan. This year, I started a club to play tabletop role playing games (RPGs) with some of my students. What started out with two small groups at lunch has now expanded to five groups playing each week.
I have three groups playing Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG and two groups playing D6 Star Wars, right now. The kids in the club are having a great time, and have shown great interest in other types of RPGs.
The club has been a fantastic experience, and many of the kids in the group are interested in continuing the experience next year. The club has been a great social outlet for many kids who don't fit into the traditional social groups at the school, and new friendships are forming because of the game.
Role playing games help build social interaction, collaboration, problem solving, and math skills, as well as imagination.
Unfortunately, the school does not have resources to fund the club. I am happy to donate my lunch time and planning period to run the games, but I would love to see the club continue to grow and expand into other games.
My vision is to build a RPG library for the school, of both old and new types of games (and of course, dice!). Students could then check games out and play them on their own.
I would look to add copies of currently available games (5th edition Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy Flight Star Wars, Rifts, Swords and Wizardry, and Labyrinth Lord to name a few) as well as classic, out of print games that can be added for a reasonable price (Marvel Super Heroes, Star Frontiers, Gamma World, Car Wars, and older versions of D&D, for example).
The plan is for the club to continue meeting once a week during summer break, at the local library! Every donation will help and is much appreciated! You will be helping kids grow their imagination, make connections with other middle schoolers, and creating a library for kids to play with for years to come!Corey gives his shipping address on the GoFundMe page, which I am not repeating here for privacy sake. Simply go to the GoFundMe page and drop a few bucks in the kitty or send a few books and bring OSR joy to a new generation of gamers.
Awesome. Let me check what I have and don't use.
ReplyDeleteDone. Will ship something today if I can.
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ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the shout out! I have been overwhelmed (but not surprised) by the amount of goodwill I am getting from the OSR community on this fundraiser. The kids are having a blast checking out the books that are coming in (the 1e DMG is a very popular one that draws their attention!). Money raised will go towards filling in the gaps in the gaming library...and any books and/or dice are always appreciated and will get put to good use! My hope is that next year, the kids will do more of the GMing and I can supervise...so we can get even more kids playing many kinds of games! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThere's a stunning lack of post-apocalyptic gaming on that list! One set of Mutant Future and all three Savage AfterWorld supplements on the way!
ReplyDeleteIn fact, sounds like Cory's club is in Michigan and they'll be gaming every week during the summer. Anyone want to volunteer and run a game or two for his kids? Heck, I'd be wiling to drive up for a day of guest GMing.
ReplyDeleteI will see what I can spare as well...
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I've got some stuff I could send his way.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! We have some Rifts and another game I am not familiar with, but no other post apocalyptic games. I love Gamma World! Reid San Filippo also sent a bunch of his Crawling Under a Broken Moon zine for DCC RPG...but these look awesome too!
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone! Please know that I will continue to pay this generosity forward to my students and beyond! You all rock!
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