[Archive] Teaching through gaming - Rome [Final update: Game end]

Bloodbeard:

In the real world I earn my living as a teacher in the elementary school.

I’ve always played many board games, roleplaying, LARP, been interested in history … pretty basic nerd stuff I guess.

I try to implemted gaming and playing a lot in all my classes (I teach 4th, 5fth and 9th grade), you can learn a lot of math and mathmatical thinking through gaming.

In this week the normal classes have been turned upside down, we do this a couple of times a year. In week 41 we had a whole week that was all about health, exercise and sports.

When I was hired, my colleagues were pretty fast to give me responsibility for a “roleplaying themed” week. This week. Of cause some of the colleagues have been involved in the process. Now it’s pretty hard to teach through roleplaying, to none roleplayers. Especially since there’s three 4th grade classes, two 5fth grade classes and three 6th grade classes. That’s roughly around 160 students.

So I came up with something else. And I just wanted to share with the world, how teaching can also be done - thankfully it’s still a possibility to do stuff like this in the public school system.

Romerriget på Spil - The Roman Empire

So we decided teaching all the kids about the Roman Empire - good and important history. The most important of any antique empires.

First up we mixed and match all the students into ten teams. So the student are on a team with 1 ot 2 regular class mates and then the rest from other classes.

The Setting

The setting for the week and the game was just after the murder of Caesar - Et tu Brutus?! So wikipedia helped finding 10 different historical figures from that time. Each team got a colour and a “leader”.



Every day a team has to spend the entire school day in a workshop - where they’ll be taught something about the era. In one workshop they hear about weaponry and build swords and shields. In another the learn about the Gods and make pictures of them. And so on, so forth.

Every morning all 160 students start together, hearing a small lecture about something interesting. I told them about gladiators yesterday, today a history nerd told them about famous legions, tomorrow about the gods. After this they go to their workshops.

Now all this is pretty standard (and already so many words). Here’s the interesting part.

Everything - the entire week- is centered around a large boardgame. Advanced RISK you might call it.

The board



Board - end day 1

A large black board was used to paint a map of the central Roman Empire and the ten teams started with a single territory.

The rules

Mostly like Risk. The basic unit roles 1d6 for attack and defence - a Centurie, costing 1 denare.

Then theirs cavalry (trumae) attacking with 1d8 and defending with 1d6, costing 2 denare. Catapults 1d10/1d4, 3 denare.

Castles costing a lot but allowing to denfend with 1d8 for all units in the area.

Bringing a general into combat is risky, but it allows you to pick 1 of your kills - otherwise it’s just centuries that die.

And a few other units. Ships, generals, NPC (me) raiders, bandits, praetorians.

A territory is worth a single point, star marked (famous cities) territories are worth two points, having a living general 1 worth one and Rome is worth 4. The ones with most points come the end of Friday gets elected Emperor of Rome.

The day

During the day, the game is flowing, controlled by me. So the different teams can come and take actions when they want. Is more than one team want to do an action or many in a row, I control the flow for fairness.

All the other teachers, at the different workshops have been giving denarii. They hand out between 20-30 denarii to a team depending on their work i the workshop. They also have 10-15 extra denarii for individual students who do something beyond expectations.

The result has been bag carrying, high polished red apples and a lot of compliments for the entire staff.

When a team has earned denarii, the spend them at the board, take actions and return to their workshop. Depending on dice, luck and strategy some teams really have to work harder in their workshop - earning money for the war.

Well… That a lot of text. My hopes for this week has already been met more than I could have hoped. Been able to add rules to the game along the way.

And it’s pretty cool seeing 160 students aged 10-14 in 10 different teams fighting for power, backstapping, making alliances, working with new friends to win - and they all want to win!

The end of the day

Every day is ended together as well. I put a picture of the map on the projector, tell the points, tell it in a storytell way, what wars, battles have been foght during the day and so on.

Friday, when an emperor is chosen, will tell the students what really happend in the war after Caesar was murdered in 44 BC.

School can be cool!



Dio Cassius and Ciceros armies in the alps. Cicero (orange) can near a complete wipe out after fighting Markus Antonius (blue). The green team offered them a protectorate.

They’re centurie, trumae, a legatus (general rolling 1d10/1d10, but very expensive and max one) and a dromon (ship) in the picture.



Board end day 2

The green under Dio Cassius, started to get worried. A lot of orange troops in the protected zone



Starting out I placed some marauders, raiders, bandits in some territories. Rolling between 1d4 or 1d6. Bad troops. But just a symbol of unrest - when there’s no roman soldiers around. I en areas where they havn’t been dealt with, there’s now more and more. Passive, they don’t attack, only defend territories. Also if a team completly leaves an ares, raiders will appear.



Sicily beeing worth two points, changede hands 6 times yesterday. Both Labenius (ppink) and Sextus (black) wanting it. There where also some rather large ship battles.



Agrippa (purple) has another strategy than the other teams. They’ve been very passive, not having many troops on table. But they’ve saved all their denarii, having lots of money. Manipulating other teams, they wait to strrike in a gigantic force. Today the lunch an attack, taking massive amounts of land.



End day 3

Today was a great day. Lots and lots of action, large wars. Dio Cassius (green) has had the lead the entire week. Having double the points of other teams. Today an alliance between four other teams tried to balance it out.

Rome was finally conquered (NPC praetorians roll 1d8 in defence), but the cost was high and Hirtius (white) now only control Rome - they losot everything else. Went from 15 to 5 points. Never seen anyone so unlucky with dice in my life - a bit sad for the kids. War is hell I guess.

Some of the stuff the students has done



Pompeii workshop.



Mosaik workshop.



Gods, gods, gods.





Other workshops are athletics. Spear throwing, wrestling and other stuff. Here to teams face off against eachother and win denarii based on performance.

It’s not a bad way to earn your pay check I’ll tell you that.

Iacta est alea!

Bloodbeard:

It can be pretty hectic when five teams all want to do stuff at the same time. But it’s really cool too, since now they start to get the real strategy in the games.

“But what about the girls?”… It’s my estimate taht around 80-90 percent of the students are into and get the board game, come and look, make descisions and play. The last 20-10 percent either don’t get it, aren’t interested in the war and are generally hard to motivate. But they still enjoy the creative workshops (maybe not the sports or roman math) and some off them still want to help the teams.

Denarii are just milk carton lids by the way. Have many hundreds in rotation everyday.

Really gald my colleagues are so cool and just went onboard with it. Perry different from anything done before at the school. There’s been themed weeks before of cause. But having a lot of dice, gameboard and tokens as a centre is new.

Fuggit Khan:

Very very cool…school should always be fun and engaging, students will always learn more when they are given a license to enjoy and apply themselves outside of the standard ‘read a book/lecture’ box.

Not only are your kids learning some history (yes, I’m a huge history nerd), but you’ve given these kids the opportunities to learn about resource management, working together as a team, application of proactive thought process (to help counter things not going the way they planned)…as well as creative art skills.

The world needs more teachers like you…you’ve given them lots of real life skills as a head start in their lives.

:hat off

Bloodbeard:

Very very cool...school should always be fun and engaging, students will always learn more when they are given a license to enjoy and apply themselves outside of the standard 'read a book/lecture' box.
Not only are your kids learning some history (yes, I'm a huge history nerd), but you've given these kids the opportunities to learn about resource management, working together as a team, application of proactive thought process (to help counter things not going the way they planned)...as well as creative art skills.
The world needs more teachers like you...you've given them lots of real life skills as a head start in their lives.
:hat off

Fuggit Khan
Well thank you very much. I "just" do the gaming, organizing. My collaegues lead the workshops.

But most importantly we might get some kids hooked on large complex miniature wargames.

MadHatter:

a bit sad for the kids. War is hell I guess.

Bloodbeard
Oh you, I splurted my tea all over my laptop. :)

This is amazing, I'll forward this link to a headmaster I know and hope it will inspire her to start smth like this.

I remember participating in 2 major rpgs in school, one were the UN where my group represented Sweden (and for some reason hated alot on Egypt) and another one about environment, how garbage is sold, traded and used.

Admiral:

Bloody brilliant! This is the kind of thing which helps make history interesting and fun for pupils. Kudos to you, Bloodbeard. Have some slaves.

For the old writing part it also helps if the teacher is engaging and likes to teach the lessons to the kids. A teacher who can come up with something like this is bound to be nice to learn from at the whiteboard too. :slight_smile:

Bloodbeard:

a bit sad for the kids. War is hell I guess.

Bloodbeard
Oh you, I splurted my tea all over my laptop. :)

This is amazing, I'll forward this link to a headmaster I know and hope it will inspire her to start smth like this.

I remember participating in 2 major rpgs in school, one were the UN where my group represented Sweden (and for some reason hated alot on Egypt) and another one about environment, how garbage is sold, traded and used.


MadHatter
Feel free to do. Have a few documents with thoughts, info for teacher team an such. I send it along if wanted.

Started roleplaying back in school, but don't remember doing it as part of school.

Spend my last internship at �~sterskov Efterskole. A school for 9th and 10th grade where everything is game based and week long themed. Sometimes boardgames, other times LARPing. That was a hugh inspirstion. Seeing how allmost all the teaching was 'played'. And theie exam grades where the same as normal schools.

Dînadan:

Interesting idea - sounds fun; wish I’d had that when I was in school lol.

The concept of having the students fight the campaign their way, then at the end telling them how things actually went down reminds me of a TV program that was on years ago on the BBC.  Don’t remember the name of it but it had a similar(ish) premise - instead of a table top game, it used Rome Total War (unless I’m mistaken it aired before RTW was released so it probably used a beta version or some sort of licenced mod) and it focused on a single battle each episode.  

Each episode a group of four people would command a historic army in a historic battle; two would be generals and had to plot the battle on a table with coloured blocks to represent troops, while the other two would be lieutenants and were in direct control of the units (iirc each had control of certain units, eg one controlled the cav while the other the infantry).  The ‘Generals’ could issue orders to the lieutenants, but because the Generals could only follow things on their map rather than having an omniscient view of the battlefield like you have when you play RTW at home, and because the lieutenants had limitations on what info they could relay back there was the possibility of miscomunication or the Generals ordering units to head to the wrong part of the battlefield/attack the wrong place at the wrong time just like in a real battle where the actual Generals would have had to rely on runners and other haphazard forms of communication to relay their orders.  

Then at the end of the show, two historians who had been watching the team (and commenting on their performance to each other/the camera) would show how the actual events occurred.  It’s worth a watch if you can find it somewhere (will try and find out/remember what it was called).

Edit: it was called Time Commanders

snowblizz:

I’ve actually seen it done in another program as well. Because I remember one American player and a British one (both experienced officers) who were playing the sides.

NoisyAssassin:

This is a super cool idea! Thanks for sharing, and it’s great to hear that the kids are really getting into it.

Bloodbeard:



Interesting idea - sounds fun; wish I’d had that when I was in school lol.

The concept of having the students fight the campaign their way, then at the end telling them how things actually went down reminds me of a TV program that was on years ago on the BBC.  Don’t remember the name of it but it had a similar(ish) premise - instead of a table top game, it used Rome Total War (unless I’m mistaken it aired before RTW was released so it probably used a beta version or some sort of licenced mod) and it focused on a single battle each episode.  

Each episode a group of four people would command a historic army in a historic battle; two would be generals and had to plot the battle on a table with coloured blocks to represent troops, while the other two would be lieutenants and were in direct control of the units (iirc each had control of certain units, eg one controlled the cav while the other the infantry).  The ‘Generals’ could issue orders to the lieutenants, but because the Generals could only follow things on their map rather than having an omniscient view of the battlefield like you have when you play RTW at home, and because the lieutenants had limitations on what info they could relay back there was the possibility of miscomunication or the Generals ordering units to head to the wrong part of the battlefield/attack the wrong place at the wrong time just like in a real battle where the actual Generals would have had to rely on runners and other haphazard forms of communication to relay their orders.  

Then at the end of the show, two historians who had been watching the team (and commenting on their performance to each other/the camera) would show how the actual events occurred.  It’s worth a watch if you can find it somewhere (will try and find out/remember what it was called).

Edit: it was called Time Commanders



Dînadan




I’ve actually seen it done in another program as well. Because I remember one American player and a British one (both experienced officers) who were playing the sides.



snowblizz




Would love to see something like that. If one of you happen to find it, please share the name of the program.



This is a super cool idea! Thanks for sharing, and it’s great to hear that the kids are really getting into it.



NoisyAssassin


Thanks for the compliment. They’re really into the game part. Today been really boody.

Thursday



Todays been really violent, loads of war and massacre. Rome has changed hands three times to different factions.

The points are more even now. So I’m really looking forward to seeing how it ends tomorrow.

Any questions, feel free to ask.

Dînadan:

Would love to see something like that. If one of you happen to find it, please share the name of the program.

Bloodbeard
It was called. Time Commanders

Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Commanders

Link to the first episode on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkGVh102Tlw

snowblizz:

Would love to see something like that. If one of you happen to find it, please share the name of the program.

Bloodbeard
It was called. Time Commanders

Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Commanders

Link to the first episode on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkGVh102Tlw


Dînadan
That was not the one I saw though. Because those people are schmucks.

HA!
"Decisive Battles"
This:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cax2vIb22nc

Search youtube for this "decisive battles history channel" and they all come up.

Edit: Although I'm not 100% that was it either. I've watched a fair bit and I remember two professional officers played the scenarios out too.

gIL^:

Would love to see something like that. If one of you happen to find it, please share the name of the program.

Bloodbeard
It was called. Time Commanders

Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Commanders

Link to the first episode on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkGVh102Tlw


Dînadan
As a kid i wished there was a video game like that, Then i found Rome Total war which is the engine it uses :D

Admiral:

Your students will remember this for as long as they live. I could’ve payed to participate in such a thing.

If they also stumble across Rome: Total War, some Roman novels, Gladiator, and perhaps TV-series about ancient Rome, your students will invariably become future amateur experts on Rome in the first century BC. :smiley:

Bloodbeard:

It was called. Time Commanders

Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Commanders

Link to the first episode on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkGVh102Tlw



Dînadan
Thanks fo the share, will have a look at some point.
That was not the one I saw though. Because those people are schmucks.

HA!
"Decisive Battles"
This:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cax2vIb22nc

Search youtube for this "decisive battles history channel" and they all come up.

Edit: Although I'm not 100% that was it either. I've watched a fair bit and I remember two professional officers played the scenarios out too.



snowblizz
Will also look at your links. Doesn't seem like the right one though.
As a kid i wished there was a video game like that, Then i found Rome Total war which is the engine it uses :D


gIL^
As a highschool student I spend countless hours playing Rome Total War. That was a good game and the 3d units were great. More than once I put off starting a paper, to suddently find the clock was 2AM and I had to hand it in and be in schoool 6 hours later.
Your students will remember this for as long as they live. I could've payed to participate in such a thing.

If they also stumble across Rome: Total War, some Roman novels, Gladiator, and perhaps TV-series about ancient Rome, your students will invariably become future amateur experts on Rome in the first century BC. :D



Admiral
I never got around to seeing the HBO series Rome. But I'll start up on that after this week.

Wrap up, last day of battle, the winner is...

So friday was the last day of workshops and gaming. Here's a picture of the final placing of units:



A thunder storm!
The night between thursday and friday we had some really crazy weather in Denmark. A great thunderstorm and loads of rain. And friday during school hours there was still some thunder.

So I had to use that in the game of cause. I told the students how Jupitor the king of gods and lord of thunder was angry with the roman people. How I wanted the war ended, romans killing romans was not okay. And to ensure I wouldn't happen again, they had to eledt two consuls - to help the coming Emperor.

Two Consuls
Every team was given votes equal to their number of points (but no less than five), and the could give out the votes as the wanted (but not to them self).

As two or three teams was majorly in the lead, I gave the small teams a chance two win. Alliances were quickly forged, votes were given and the game continued.

The final score
I was a crazy day of gaming. Before the first recess period (09:50AM) all teachershad to give out all their remaing denarii. Before 10:30 every team had to spend their remaing denarii on units. At 11:40 the game would end.

Most of the workshops ended up loosing most of their students (which was okay, it being the last day and the game being the center). Their was roughly 40 students all the time, shouting orders, wanting to take moves, rolling dice from 10:20 - 11:40.

I was tired in the end. But it was a great war!

And in this, a different history, the Liberators (the guys who killed Julius Caesar) actually won the war. Brutus and Cassius fighting to the end for the most points. Taking territories from each other time and time again.

Points

Brutus Caesar[/b] 14 points
Cassius 13 points
Augustus 10 points
Cicero 9 points
Labenius 8 points
Sextus 7 points
Marcus Antonius 7 points
Agrippa 2 points
Hirtius 2 points
Pompejus 1 point

[/b]
More than half the votes went for
Augustus
And with only one more votes than third place
Hirtius

Great that Hirtius (white) got a consul office - really was the whole point. To let some of the "losers" have a chance of still getting of a win.

[/b]
After they got their scores and such. I gave a lecture for all the student about the real Liberators Civil War. Lots of names, places and roman stuff. Telling every team what role their historical person had in all the chaos.

But after working with the theme "Roman" for a week, they had a much better chance of understanding it.

In the real history Brutus and Cassius were killed. And Augustus became Emporer.

That's a lot of words. Thanks for reading.