Game Props

•      Games often need props

•      Take the time to build it well and you can use it more than once

•      Caricature of objects is fine, make it fun and it works

Adapting a Game to a Theme

•      Changing a name – example – Tomahawk throwing

–   For a Medieval theme - Barbarian Hawks

–   For a Mountain Man theme – Hawk Throw

–   For a Lewis and Clark theme - Hunting With Tomahawks

–   For a Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure theme - Genghis Kahn’s Hawks

•      Game may be the same each time, but it gives character to the game to match the theme

Testing Games

•      Just because you dreamed it up, does it work?

–   Does it fit the theme?

–   Does it work in the time period?

–   Will the props survive the many times they will be reused?

–   Are the props safe?

–   Can the game be explained quickly?

–   Is it fun?

–   Will anyone remember it (and ask for it again)?

•      So, how do we get the best possible answers for these questions?

•      We test the games!!!

–  Use your home unit

–  Use the OA meeting

–  Try it yourself

•      Analyze the results

–  Did it work as you hoped?

–  If it didn’t, how can you change it?

Recovering From Problems

•      Stuff happens...

–  Broken poles

–  Broken ropes

–  Jammed BB guns

–  Broken bow strings

–  Broken Tomahawk handles

–  Dulled hatchets

•      How do we handle these likely events?

•      To recover from problems we have to Be Prepared

–   Make spares

–   Beef up the props so they can withstand the abuse of energetic youth having fun

–   Change the rules: Make the event tougher by putting restrictions on actions to save the props

–   Be flexible

–   Plan for failure: Look at the event and try to figure out all the possible ways that something might fail and plan to handle the failure ahead of time

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