drawing game

The drawing game is a flexible role playing game based loosely on Magic the Gathering card game (or maybe Pokemon cards?) and Dungeons and Dragons (none of which I really understand). Basically, we are making it up as we go along and the kids understand more than I do at this point. Rules are of secondary importance to the role playing and drawing aspects of the game. The art club students all have teams with elaborate histories and pedigrees (see previous posts about the drawing game for details). It's hard to keep up. They draw all the characters and game boards themselves (many of them keep drawing things at home and at school to bring to art club) and last week they had their first tournament battles.

This being a very free form type game, I was a little nervous about the competitive play. I was relieved that all the teams displayed good manners and kept a sense of fun about them.

The storytelling was extremely detailed and imaginative.

My favorite part of the day was listening to the sound effects that the kids produced during the battles. Dramatic stuff. They sounded like little human video games.

Also, listening to them creatively argue their positions when faced with a particular game decision was inspiring. Such good conflict/resolution skills in these young kids! I was only called in to mediate one time.

Sylvia Hecht is very interested in creative writing. She agreed to reporting on the details of the games and I still haven't received her final draft. I found a list that is my other favorite part of the day. I think the list is from Sylvia's notes on the Wooly Sweater match up with The International Weird Dudes.

1. evil ballerina
2. poisoned candy
3. healing tea
4. transportation
5. black hole/whirl pool
6. (can't read)
7. poisoned alcohol
8. bad weather
9. same as #4
10. home people
11. bad things
12. odd creatures
13. bed

You see the excellent story material here.

Bottom line:
(for those of you interested in tournament standings)

International Weird Dudes triumphed over the Wooly Sweaters (see above list)

Skeleton Goth Guys trounced The Tramps (who had a hard time getting the hobos to show up and fight)

Laputa took down Horses Gone Wild (the horses aren't really about competition anyway)

The Magical Thingymabobs squashed The Shoppers (who just didn't have the numbers of magical penguins needed to put up a fight)


We will play again in two weeks. We have off next Monday for Martin Luther King Day. I can't wait to see what new strategies these teams come up with during the break.