W. Eric Martin: Christmas Present, or Games for Soldiers 2007

Ideally you will have unwrapped a new game or six this holiday season and encounter many chances to play them with family members and friends before you have to (ugh) return to work.

Thanks to the generosity of several BGN readers and a couple of businesses, U.S. soldiers serving in the Middle East and Afghanistan will receive a few gift games of their own. The Games for Soldiers drive that I ran back in November 2007 raised nearly $700 through BGN memberships and renewals (as I was donating $10 of each $25 fee) and outright donations.

Myriad Games in Salem, NH added another 30% to that total through game donations—then FRED Distribution slipped in two dozen more games, including a dozen copies of Wench. (Whether this was inspired thinking or a ploy to have the boxes seized at the Iraq border we won’t know for a few weeks.)

In 2006, I mailed out huge boxes of games to military units with 100+ members, along with a couple of smaller boxes to units with 5-15 members. This year I took a cue from FRED and divided the games into twelve piles, each with a copy of Wench along with one of the larger games and a variety of smaller ones. Every unit received a game for larger groups (Time’s Up, Say What!, Citadels, Incan Gold, Werewolf) and a trick-taking-ish card game (Wizard, Frank’s Zoo, Gang of Four) along with other games. Here’s most of what was mailed:

If you want to gift some soldiers yourself, head to AnySoldier.com, specifically the ”Where to Send” page. Click “Search,” then enter “games” or “board games” to find U.S. military units who are looking to play to relax during their time off.

Alternatively, you can visit the Department of Veteran Affairs website and click on a state to find military hospitals near you.

Thanks to everyone who participated for their generosity, and I hope your holidays are joyous and playful…

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