Editing Scenarios - Part 2

Our second day of editing our Hurtgen Forest scenarios went much better than our first. It often happens in education that the students do better on the second day of an activity because they know what to expect and they understand the task better.

We had time to play through 5 different versions of the battle on Thursday, April 2nd. One table played a long battle that took most of the time but the other two tables flew through their battles and were able to set up and play another one. Each student took notes while their battle was being played and I helped them work to improve the design and historical accuracy of each scenario.

Only one student had time to get on a computer and finalize his battle but the result turned out better than I had expected. I've posted it on the Jewell History Club User Page on the Days of Wonder web site for everyone to look at. As other scenarios are edited and completed, I'll make them available as well.

I know that the students would be thrilled to see people playing their battles. If you decide to try one (or all) of their scenarios, keep in mind that these students are 9-10 years old and this is their first effort. We worked on the historical backgrounds together so those will look remarkably similar but I allowed them full creative license with the map itself. As a result, you'll see some interesting terrain features in Hurtgen Forest that might not be realistic (a moat around one of the towns, for example).

After playing one of their scenarios, please take a moment to write a short AAR (After Action Report) so the students know that you played their scenario. If you would like you can also rate their scenario but again, I don't want them to feel discouraged because they got low ratings...so be gentle with them.

The students had a lot of fun designing these scenarios and are proud of their first efforts. They'll probably look back in a few years and shudder, but for now they're riding high.

This picture shows Francisco taking notes on his scenario while his group continues.
He is the only student who has finished his battle and published it for people to play.