W. Eric Martin: Giving the Gift of Gaming, or Games for Soldiers 2008

I don’t give gifts to my wife for Christmas – but that’s okay because Linda doesn’t give me anything either. Similarly we don’t exchange gifts with my family members or with most of her family, the niece and nephew being the sole exception. We’re all adults and can purchase what we want – and while the spirit of Christmas is supposed to be about getting somebody that special something, we have no idea what to get anyone. In the years before we adopted the “no gifting” policy, we relied on gift cards, but when Linda’s brother gave us the same gift card that we gave him – and (gulp) in a larger denomination – we acknowledged the futility of our efforts and embraced our inner Scrooge.

That said, I’ve enjoyed running a Games for Soldiers drive on BGN these past three years, putting together gift packages to spread the joy of gaming to those who are otherwise sitting around much of the time with nothing to do. As I noted in a December 2006 column that summarized the giveaway for that year, the game drive isn’t meant to reflect on U.S. policy; I want to steer clear of politics on BGN and keep the arguments solely about games, thank you very much! The drive is intended to spread the idea of games as entertainment, spread knowledge of new games to new players, and give idle hands something fun to do.

For 2007, the giveaway total rose from roughly $700 the previous year to more than $1,200. A picture of the goods waiting to be boxed and mailed can be seen in a December 2007 column. While I had aimed to package portable games to keep the shipping costs low and to make the games easier to transport in the field, FRED Distribution thwarted my plans by donating Conquest of the Empire, Blood Feud in New York, Bootleggers and other large items. Curse their generosity!

Donations in 2008 topped last year’s total, thanks mostly to Alfredo Nevarez of Thought Hammer, who offered to donate all proceeds raised from the Midnight Madness raffles at BGG.con in November 2008. More than $1,300 was raised that way, and combined with direct donations and the $10 that I was kicking in from every $25 BGN membership, I had more than $1,800 with which to purchase games.

Ready for packing!

• Pandemic
• No Thanks
• Cheeky Monkey
• To Court the King
• Escalation
• Colossal Arena
• Incan Gold
• Wizard

(In a note explaining why he was donating games, Dominic wrote, “When I captained a fishing boat in Alaska each summer, I got to experience being away from loved ones in the middle of nowhere for extended periods of time. It sucked. There were no roads in or out of the village, only three satellite telephone lines out, no entertainment options except alcohol, etc. Getting care packages was the highlight of any week.")

As for the games that I chose, I wanted to send a variety of smaller titles that had relatively easy rules and the ability to accommodate a wide range of players. Cheeky Monkey, Colossal Arena and Incan Gold all have a gambling feel to them, and To Court the King gives players plenty of opportunity to weigh odds and roll dice. Pandemic might provoke a “Whaaaaa?” reaction, yet the game is easy to get into and should offer casual gamers a different kind of gaming experience. Wizard, Escalation and No Thanks are portable and straight-forward. If you have suggestions for other games that would be appropriate for an overseas shipment, please let me know and I’ll keep them in mind for 2009.

Thanks again to all who donated, whether personally or by way of BGG.con. With luck, all this effort will generate a few more gamers down the road – at least that’s my thought after receiving this note from SSgt Jeremiah Uhl earlier this week:

On behalf of Marine Wing Support Squadron 273, Communication Platoon, I would like to say thank you. The games you’ve sent have definitely allowed us to fill the down time with entertainment and face time. In the past, down time meant watching a movie or playing a video game. These activities were done without any interaction with coworkers. I do appreciate your support and dedication to your country. Some of the guys here have actually called “dibbs” on some of the games you’ve sent.

Of course Boardgame News isn’t the only organization sending games to U.S. soldiers. GAMA, the Game Manufacturers Association, also organizes a game donation program, one that works directly with publishers. Trey Reilly, program director for GAMA, passed along details of its Games to Troops effort.

“Our program works a little differently than most donation programs,” says Reilly. “Rather than donating directly to the troops – to individuals or specific units – we donate instead to MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) for each of the four U.S. service branches. The MWR departments in the military supply troops with recreation buildings, supplies, activities, and more – smaller MWR stations may only be able to provide a Rec. room, while larger MWR stations may have movie theaters, travel agencies, and pool tables. It’s the smaller stations that need us the most, though none of the stations were equipped with what any of us would consider a decent stock of games.”

GAMA runs its Games for Troops drive once a year, and in 2008 all donations were sent to the GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas so that publishers could save on shipping costs by sending games along with the material for their booths. “Everything was shipped to the show site in Las Vegas, and our volunteers opened, re-boxed, and re-palleted everything in time for it all to ship out at the end of the show,” says Reilly. For 2008, eleven pallets of games – more than 6,600 individual copies – were shipped out.

Says Reilly, “Our goal is to create large and diverse permanent game libraries at each MWR station on the front lines, so that as units rotate in and out of deployment there are always games waiting for them to play when they arrive.” If you’re a publisher or designer who wants to contribute – and Reilly says that donations of as few as fifteen games are accepted – visit GAMA’s Games to Troops page for more information and contact details.

A final entry for most embarassing game of the year has emerged from first-time publisher Lindsay Lou Games: Stop & Kiss. Here’s a description of the game from the publisher:

Stop & Kiss is a unique card game designed especially for couples. Celebrate your relationship. Connect with the one you love. Take time out of your busy lives to relive memorable moments and focus on your shared future.

Whether you’ve been together for two years or two decades, Stop & Kiss is the perfect way to get even closer to the one you love. Explore each other. Celebrate your love. Have fun together…with Stop & Kiss: A Card Game for Couples.

You can visit the website for details on how to play the game. Rush those orders out if you want to get them in time for Xmas!

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