While Omicron forced some cancelations in the Next Gen community, we're proud to say that programming has resumed in full force. Most recently, we went back to one of our familiar haunts- the Gardiner Library. Gardiner has a budding gaming community, and has been the benchmark for the kind of programming we're looking to carry out.
This past weekend, our facilitators ran two games- one set during the Boxer Rebellion, and one set during WW2. The games were awesome, and real "eye candy" in terms of setup. We hope you enjoy the photos. Let's start with the Boxer game, set in and around Peking (Beijing), and more specifically, the legations made famous by the movie, "55 Days at Peking".
The Boxer Rebellion was a response to Western imperialism in China during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Boxers, as they became known, were a movement designed to evict any "foreigners" from China, and their initial target was the legation district in the city of Peking. For nearly 3 months, the Boxers, supported by the Chinese government, laid siege to the several hundred soldiers, diplomats, and civilians inside the quarter.
As you can see, the miniatures and terrain are award winning in caliber. The interesting thing about any Boxer game is the fact that they are so vibrant, given the uniqueness of the western uniforms and lavish colors of the Boxer garb. By all accounts, the players had a great time.
The second game was a classic WW2 Bolt Action scenario, with plenty of troops and tanks to go around. Bolt Action is one of those rulesets that can be polarizing amongst gamers, but I've always found them to be a wonderful ruleset for students. Here are some photos of all the action:
Finally, in addition to our game day, we also treated some of our Yale gamers to a painting/modeling day, hosted by Next Gen facilitators and our friends. In so many regards, this is exactly what Next Gen was designed for- to help gamers get gaming! Whereas many of us had to come to gaming almost by chance, Next Gen has the mission of being a helping hand in that process.
Over the next few months, we'll be announcing more and more events here on the blog. We have presentations lined up for Binghamton University, Connections 2022, and the CLA Conference held in Hartford, Connecticut. In each case, we'll get the word out about Next Gen and what we do, and continue to build up the partnerships we have in and around the Tri-State area. We also have some game days set up with old friends and new locations. Huge thank you to all the facilitators and friends that made these events possible. Thanks for reading!