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https://www.warhammer-community.com/2018/08/30/warhammer-school-clubsgw-homepage-post-3/

I for one am excited for this into to plastic cra-err educational program. I hope this does well, my school desperately needs something that's NEITHER football NOR band.

Gotta start the indoctrination at some point.

So, how many more wedgies do you think they will create?
Are wedgies even still a thing?

Ok, I joke but this is good. It means GW is finally trying to reach out and expand their player base instead of relying on word of mouth, and that's good for the hobby as a whole. Most start in their teens anyway, so this is an appropriate age range.

I got into WH40K at the after school wargaming club at my school back in 1990!

In the UK at least I'd be astonished if this gained traction outside a few private schools and even then the schools would probably be pusshing them into more traditional extracurricular activities that crry more cache for University and job applications.

There's a guy in my local club who also runs a boardgaming group for children at the school he works in. Also, from some of the articles I've seen in White Dwarf and elsewhere, I think it's not as uncommon as I would have thought.

I recall reading about entire special tournament leagues for school clubs in the UK and all, with a finale at Warhammer World - featured in the WD at least. Cool that they're expanding!

Warhammer curriculum? This I gotta see.

 sockwithaticket wrote:
In the UK at least I'd be astonished if this gained traction outside a few private schools and even then the schools would probably be pusshing them into more traditional extracurricular activities that crry more cache for University and job applications.

Rubbish, I run the Warhammer club at my school, situated in a very working class area. Club is busy with lots of participants who frequently come in with new models, many of whom are also using it towards their DofE awards. I've been to several school league events at whw, and they are attended by a wide range of schools, and lots of them. Schools promote any clubs that staff are happy to run, and that pupils want to attend.

 AndrewGPaul wrote:
There's a guy in my local club who also runs a boardgaming group for children at the school he works in. Also, from some of the articles I've seen in White Dwarf and elsewhere, I think it's not as uncommon as I would have thought.

State or Private? Primary or Secondary?

As a former teacher at state secondaries I can't imagine ever getting those kids with the inclination to come along, it would put too much of a target on them when they're already likely to be victims f low level bullying. That's if our Head would even give the go ahead to set the club up in the first place. Board games would probably be seen differently.

State secondary, not public.

Also,

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2018/06/26/the-school-league-finals/

https://warhammerworld.games-workshop.com/2014/07/04/school-league-armies-on-display/
22 clubs represented at the finals four years ago.

https://warhammerworld.games-workshop.com/2018/06/27/school-league-miniatures-on-display/
Current displays.

 JamesY wrote:

 sockwithaticket wrote:
In the UK at least I'd be astonished if this gained traction outside a few private schools and even then the schools would probably be pusshing them into more traditional extracurricular activities that crry more cache for University and job applications.

Rubbish, I run the Warhammer club at my school, situated in a very working class area. Club is busy with lots of participants who frequently come in with new models, many of whom are also using it towards their DofE awards. I've been to several school league events at whw, and they are attended by a wide range of schools, and lots of them. Schools promote any clubs that staff are happy to run, and that pupils want to attend.

Ok, good for you. That genuinely surprises me given my own experience, but I am four years out of the profession and was only in for about the same amount of time.

 JamesY wrote:

 sockwithaticket wrote:
In the UK at least I'd be astonished if this gained traction outside a few private schools and even then the schools would probably be pusshing them into more traditional extracurricular activities that crry more cache for University and job applications.

Rubbish, I run the Warhammer club at my school, situated in a very working class area. Club is busy with lots of participants who frequently come in with new models, many of whom are also using it towards their DofE awards. I've been to several school league events at whw, and they are attended by a wide range of schools, and lots of them. Schools promote any clubs that staff are happy to run, and that pupils want to attend.

To be fair though, you've already got a foot in the door and know what this is all about. Selling a "gaming club" to a bunch of teachers who only maybe have a vague knowledge of what it entails is a bit of hard sell.

It certainly was when we set up one as students many years ago.

It has changed over the past few years, the increased acceptance of geek culture has helped improve its acceptance, and Gem who now runs the school league at HQ has done a great job of making it more accessible for non hobbyists to set up and run a club. I'm not going to pretend having a teacher who is into the hobby themselves isn't going to be a benefit, but tbh, I am hardly involved now, they know what they are doing, if they bring a friend they want to show them how to build and paint. I just sit and paint my own stuff, and help out when asked.

As a primary grade teacher, this interests me greatly. I already bring in board games fairly regularly when I can fit them into our instructional minutes requirements.

Going to fire off an email to them after school today as lunch is almost over and I'd much rather peruse Dakka while I have some free time!

This concerns me greatly.

Putting our hobby out in the wide open in today's society is like putting a large bulls-eye on our backs.

edited by Manchu

Oh get a grip.

Fething Warhammer is on every high street and even being advertised on the tv.

The key to becoming a target is being furtive and acting like you're ashamed. Treating it for what it is, just another hobby which doesn't make a lot of sense unless you're interested, like just about all of the hobbies is the key to getting it accepted and reducing any potential of getting singled out.

 oni wrote:
This concerns me greatly.

Putting our hobby out in the wide open in today's society is like putting a large bulls-eye on our backs.

edited by Manchu

You mean like D&D suffered in the 80’s (MADD = Mother’s Against D & D)?

Can’t stop people with agendas railing against you. Best to ignore them and keep moving forward, doing what you enjoy, no matter how loud someone screams behind your back.

 oni wrote:
This concerns me greatly.

Putting our hobby out in the wide open in today's society is like putting a large bulls-eye on our backs.

edited by Manchu

I don't think you need to worry. It's never had any actual negative impact on video games. And Music/TV/Movies have all weathered it.

edited by Manchu

I was in the D&D club in 7th grade.. in 1985 I think. That was my first introduction to funny dice and games that weren't monopoly and battleship. If it wasn't for that club I might have never become the nerd I am happy to be today.

 skullking wrote:

 oni wrote:
This concerns me greatly.

Putting our hobby out in the wide open in today's society is like putting a large bulls-eye on our backs.

edited by Manchu

I don't think you need to worry. It's never had any actual negative impact on video games. And Music/TV/Movies have all weathered it.

edited by Manchu

That was certainly the case until the last few years. These days sadly the neopuritans are largely on my side of the aisle.

And this is a great move by GW. We had a school club back in Ye Olden 90's, was great fun until the teacher running it moved away for a better salary and the school couldn't be arsed providing someone else to supervise.

I've actually met way more state school wargamers than private school ones and I went through private school. Then again I went through in a bit of geek-gap - it would seem magic and warhammer blaze through the schools I was at a few years before and thus it was only older students who were interested; younger ones neither had really caught on in a big way.

I really like this by GW - its a fantastic way to reach out to students and get more people into the hobby and a new generation fired up about the game. Plus its a neat way to teach hand skills and creative skills that isn't part of the "curriculum".
I hope it gets a good amount of uptake!

Yeah...what? That is nothing short of a really bizarre persecution complex or something.

Anyway, I can see this taking off in a few of the free states in the US. In the more "questionable" states, I doubt you'll get any traction because of ridiculous politics.

I'm pretty interested to find out what's involved and comes in the starting setup. Was there any more information outside of the article?

I do I.T. work for several school districts and have quite a few teacher contacts.

Is Hawaii a free state?

Just a few weeks ago, I almost suggested to the after-school program my son is attending to volunteer for a "hobby" class (they are quite open on the subject and always look for parents to share their skills/experience with kids). I did not send the email drafted at the time because I was worried about costs among other things. Now that GW is officially supporting this kind of initiative, I will definitely suggest we open such a club here!

 TalonZahn wrote:
I'm pretty interested to find out what's involved and comes in the starting setup. Was there any more information outside of the article?

I do I.T. work for several school districts and have quite a few teacher contacts.

I think the start up pack varies a bit, depending on what they have available. If I remember correctly, we were sent a folder with resources, some printed gaming mats, the painting starter set with clippers and glue, a stash of intro models (the single pose stormcast and the old 3 marine sprue) a bit of terrain, and a box of cultists. All you have to do is email the school allience team from your school email expressing your interest in starting a club.

I didn't read that it was basically for junior high and high school age kids.

Cuz I'd totally be encouraging and empowering every student of every walk of life that would be interested if I could.

Screw it, still sending them an email and seeing what's up.

edited by Manchu

 highlord tamburlaine wrote:
I didn't read that it was basically for junior high and high school age kids.

Cuz I'd totally be encouraging and empowering every student of every walk of life that would be interested if I could.

Screw it, still sending them an email and seeing what's up.

Kill Team is the system for the school championships this academic year coming, so it isn't like kids will have a huge buy in.

 Brother Castor wrote:
I got into WH40K at the after school wargaming club at my school back in 1990!

From personal experience this is the perfect age to get into WH40K and a brilliant idea by GW. Teenagers can have the full undiluted WH40K experience and for me that was a big draw of the hobby at that age. The recent push to target younger kids with Warhammer Adventures and WH40K Conquest I'm not so sure about.

 Brother Castor wrote:

 Brother Castor wrote:
I got into WH40K at the fantasy role-playing after school club at my school back in 1990!

From personal experience this is the perfect age to get into WH40K and a brilliant idea by GW. Teenagers can have the full undiluted WH40K experience and for me that was a big draw of the hobby at that age. The recent push to target younger kids with Warhammer Adventures and WH40K Conquest I'm not so sure about.

I got into the hobby at 11, something like Conquest would have made it much easier for me to get into, but there's nothing wrong with pitching things at the 10-12 market, or pitching things for the kids of parents who hobby and aren't ready to read Eisenhorn or the Night Lords Trilogy.

The LOTR partwork was DeAgostinis most popular ever partwork and got a bunch of kids into LotR (to the point where even during the dark years of the Hobbit there was a bunch of activity) and now GW have launched the new edition and boxed set I'm seeing the tiny new indy near me sell 75 LotR starters in the first week (he didn't open Thurs or Friday this week due to packing boxes to go to customers).

Again LotR is a game that GW sold a huge amount of but no one really played in store near me (though they did in clubs and at home). I think that's the tricky bit. Same as a bunch of people will buy Speed Freaks and not play it in store, though Adeptus Titanicus will be another game in a similar mode (and again that sold out the whole print run of the GM set pretty much straight away).

A 40k partwork is something talked about for a long time, and now it's here to bring our kids generation into the hobby, combined with school club support and combined with the easy entry model in Kill Team. It's very well thought out marketing that will get a lot more kids in and give us a new bunch of players to play against in a couple of years time.