In my creative writing course, I asked my students to think about setting by writing a postcard.  A few of them impressed me, so I thought I’d share.

The last one is mine… and it’s far from the best one!  E.T. speaks French?! Who knew?  I’m looking forward to more fun, and creative assignments with this class!

There’s been a bit of talk going around campus about the “new” game… Snoopy vs. the Red Baron.  And since several students have expressed interest in playing the “new” game, I thought it might be good to post the rule book and some pictures for those interested in giving it a go.

First a few pictures to give you the idea.

Me at work.

Smoking Allied Planes--both of which are mine!

Snoopy in action

Another Snoopy pic... Amelia must've been taking the pictures!

Enemy fighters at 12 o'clock!

See, Amelia really likes Snoopy.

Fokker VII with color design by Hunter

You can tell this plane is going very fast by the stress on the upper wing.

And now for the rule book.

Historical Background:

During World War I the airplane became an important weapon of war. At the start of the war the planes were unarmed and were used for scouting. Soon the pilots were taking weapons with them on their flights. These early efforts were crude, but Dutch inventor Anthony Fokker eventually succeeded in synchronizing a machine gun with an engine so the weapon could fire through the propeller. This led to the “Fokker scourge” as the Germans used the new invention to dominate the skies. The Allies soon followed suit and battled the Germans for control of the skies. Successful “aces”, like the Red Baron, were lionized by the press and became living legends. By the end of the war the airplane’s role in combat had expanded to include reconnaissance, artillery spotting, trench strafing, and bombing.

Rules

Each Student gets:

1 airplane token

1 maneuver sheet (and pencil with eraser)

The Board: The game is played on a 4′ x 6′ mat with a 5″ hex pattern.  At least 5 (five) six-sided dice (d6) are needed.

Maneuver Sheet: Each student gets a maneuver sheet from which he can choose his moves for the turn. The sheet names each maneuver, illustrates how to move the plane, and describes it in words.

Deployment: The Germans and Allies start on any whole hex facing each other but at least 6 Hexes from an enemy plane. Planes should be positioned so the nose of the plane points at a hex side, NOT a hex corner.

Sequence of Play: 1. Choose three moves from the Maneuver Sheet.
2. Play the first move.
3. Resolve shooting.
4. Play the second move. 
5. Resolve shooting.
6. Play the third move. 7. Resolve shooting.

Choose Moves: At the start of the turn each pilot must select three maneuvers from his/her maneuver sheet. Note that maneuvers on the top row maybe used multiple times during a turn, while maneuvers on the bottom row may not be used more than once each per turn. However, the pilot may choose all three maneuvers from the bottom row, but any one maneuver may only be used once. The pilot should try to anticipate the maneuvers of his opponents and plan accordingly. At the start of each new turn the three maneuvers will be erased and new ones chosen.

WW1 Aerial Maneuver Sheet

Move Planes: Each turn has three rounds of movement. When all players are ready, everyone reveals their first maneuver. Each player moves his plane as indicated on his/her sheet. All moves take place at the same time. Planes should always end their move facing a hex side. This procedure is repeated for the second and third maneuvers after shooting is resolved.

Planes in the Same Hex: Sometimes two planes will end up in the same hex. Planes in the same hex MAY NOT shoot at each other, they are assumed to be flying at different altitudes. Do your best to put both planes in the hex without losing track of which way they are facing. The problem will resolve itself when the planes make their next move.

Resolve Shooting: Planes may ONLY fire at enemy planes that are in the line of hexes directly in front of their nose, they may not fire off to the sides or at an angle. Pilots must fire at the nearest enemy plane, and may ignore any friendly planes that are in the line of fire. If the target is one hex away the pilot rolls five dice, two hexes away roll four dice, and so on. Targets six or more hexes away are out of range. Hits are scored on rolls of 4-6. The target puts a check mark in  one circle on the Damage section of their Maneuver Sheet for each hit received. When a plane has taken six hits it is shot down and removed from play, until then it may be flown normally. All firing is assumed to take place at the same time.

Crash Landings: When a plane is shot down the pilot may be able to survive by landing the plane safely. Roll one die – on a roll of 1-4 the pilot survives, on a roll of 5 or 6 the pilot is KIA (Killed in Action). If a student’s pilot is KIA they lose all their victories and must start over again with a new airplane. However, the student must switch teams.

Victories: The pilot that shoots down an enemy plane is credited with a victory. If two planes hit a target on the turn it is shot down the victory is awarded to the player doing the most damage. If both players inflicted equal damage they each roll a die, high roll gets the victory (re-roll ties).

Aces: When a pilot gets 5 victories they become an ace. Ten victories is a double ace. When a pilot becomes an ace they get to throw one extra die each time they fire at an enemy plane.

Leaving the Board: If a pilot’s plane has received 4 or more damage points he/she may escape combat by flying off the map. If he/she succeeds in getting off the map all his damage points are restored and he/she may return to combat at the start of the next turn.

Returning to Combat: A pilot that has survived being shot down or left the map voluntarily may return to combat at the start of the next turn. Their plane will start the turn undamaged. They must place their plane on any whole hex on any edge of the mat that is at least six hexes from the nearest enemy plane. This is to prevent them from flying in right behind an opponent. The hex where they start should be indicated to the other pilots before they select their maneuver cards for that turn.

Altitude: Altitude is measured 1 – 10 and is represented by various length rods (chopsticks) each altitude level is approximately 2 inches in height.

Climbing and Descending: At the beginning of every move a pilot may choose to change altitude either 1 or 2 levels.  Changing the length of the rod does this.  Changing altitude by one level is considered a shallow climb or descent.  Changing altitude by two levels is considered a steep climb or steep dive.

Altitude and Shooting: A pilot may shoot at any plane in range and at any altitude.  Shooting at planes that are at 1 altitude level above, the same altitude, or one level below gives no advantage or disadvantage while shooting.  However, if the target is above or below, the attacker must change his altitude at the beginning of the next move.  Shooting at targets that are 2 or more levels below adds 1 on the attack roll, meaning the attacker may roll one more dice than usual depending on the range.  And the attacker must change his altitude 2 levels down at the beginning of the next maneuver.  Shooting at targets that are 2 or more levels above subtracts 1 from the attack roll, meaning the attacker must roll one less dice than usual depending on the range.  And the attacker must change his altitude 2 levels up at the beginning of the next maneuver.

Collision: two planes entering the same hex at the same altitude have a chance of colliding in mid-air.  Two pilots roll to d6 dice.  If the results add up to the same number the planes collide, and the pilot each roll a single d6 to determine how much damage is done to their plane.

Zeppelin Variation: Zeppelins were used by the Germans for extensive bombing campaigns in England.  In this scenario, Zeppelins fly through the map on their way to England.  The allied planes must try to shoot them down, while the German planes must attempt to protect them.  The Zeppelins move forward one space per maneuver.  They may shoot in any direction up to 2 spaces and always roll two attach dice. They take 20 points of damage to destroy.  However, whenever they are fired upon, the attacking pilot must roll a fire die (a smoke colored dice will be provided).  If the attacker rolls a 6 on the fire die, the Zeppelin catches fire and takes 5 points of damage per maneuver until destroyed.

Credit where Credit is Due: These rules were compiled and adapted from Matt Fritz and Pete Pellegrino and their Fast Play Rules for Students with inspiration from the advanced game rules of Blue Max and Canvas Eagles.  Students wishing for a more realistic simulation are encouraged to download the free rule book from this website.

I’m sorry about the skip week.  I was caught up developing another game for the guild players.  Snoopy vs The Red Baron.  Though it didn’t fly during our English Platform, the revised version flew splendidly for a select group of interested students.  Here’s a few pics courtesy of Amelia.

Building all those planes and figuring out the mat and stands consumed all my brain space for the last week.  I’m sorry I didn’t report on Angela’s dramatic reclamation of the Wiz War Throne.  But she had it, again, but only for a single week.  This past Thursday Angela met her doom.

If you’ve seen the film Beowulf, or if you’ve read the old English text, you’ll know who Grendel’s Mother is.  She loved her son Grendel though he was a murderous monster.  And we have had just such a soul in our guild the entire semester.  Every time she’s played the game, she’s looked for her “Little boy”–the Big Black Bat.  And even when other wizards controlled monsters, she always spoke of them affectionately.  Never has another wizard had such love for all created creatures.

And this week, they proved their love for her.

Amelia’s creature minions relentlessly attacked Angela’s wizard as she tried to abscond with Amelia’s treasure.  Throughout the game Angela’s laments could be heard over the din of the other game table… as could Amelia’s coos for her lovely beasts.  In the end, Angela succumbed to their beatings, and Amelia arose Mistress Wizard, Mother of Monsters.

Amelia with her pets and a freshly bathed Mr. Bill.

Michael has final risen above his ill fated attempts at dungeon domination and CONQUERED!!!

Michael prevailed against another long term challenger to the throne, Amelia.

They both won a game on Wiz War Wednesday against long term champion Rick who wished to regain this title.  Both Michael and Amelia’s dedication to the game of late gave them a daunting advantage that even Rick’s four week’s at the top magical spot could not match.

Amelia beat Rick by her cunning advantage of having a card that would not allow her to be killed.  While Rick’s whole strategy was to forego the treasure and eliminate the competition.  Amelia simply ignored all the damage she was taking and focused on taking the treasures and running home.  Her strategy was a solid one.

On Thursday, Amelia had a similar situation.  She held the Soulstone, a magic stone that would not allow her last three life points to be taken by magical damage.  The fatal flaw of the stone was that it did not protect her against physical damage.  And that’s how Michael conquered her.  He found a large rock and pelted her to death with it, winning the game and the coveted Grand Wizard title along with the company of Magical Mr. Bill.

Congrats Mr. Wizard Michael.  You deserve it.  You’ve demonstrated mastery of the cards, and it shows during game time.

Let Michael’s story be a lesson to all guild members.  Long his path has been.  He has faced every trap in the deck.  He has been eliminated by losing his treasures, brutally stabbed to death, levitated, and lost critical turns to lightning blasts.  But he has prevailed by his knowledge of the cards.  And knowledge of the cards is the beginning of victory.

After two weeks as Grand Wizard, Mistress Wizard Angela the First relinquishes her scepter.  But as fate would have it, the wizard to whom she gave Mr. Bill did not legitimately win.

Michael was within 3 steps of winning when Amelia forced all players to draw new cards and she came up with a Vortex, which she teleported into the space next to Michael.  He was sucked in and was forced to drop his treasure, giving her enough time to get in Line Of Sight and zap him with a lightning bolt, causing him to lose one turn.  Then if that wasn’t enough, she levitated him so he couldn’t move.

At that point, I had to exit the dungeon.  Mistress Wizard elected to keep the game running.  As fate would have it, a dispute arose, and Mistress Wizard made a ruling which caused her to loss her crown.

And the scepter (Mr. Bill) has passed to Amelia.  However, after hearing how the game played out, I have ruled a draw.

So Amelia, who now holds Mr. Bill, as been ruled the Steward of the scepter.  And we are currently without a Grand Wizard.

Calling all wizard.  A tournament to find a new Grand Wizard begins on Wiz War Wednesday, matches begin a 1pm and will end no later than 4:30pm.  All winners will qualify for the championship match to be held on Thursday beginning no later than 1pm and ending no later than 3pm.

Will you be the next Grand Wizard?

The Grand Wizard has fallen!  A new power has risen!  Angela by a twist of fate has defeated Rick for the top position, securing her place in Sanya Wiz War history as the first female Grand Wizard!

But enough of me…  Let’s hear from our Mistress Wizard Angela.

I am very happy to talk about the game I won.

During a nearly two hour game, Rick, Mike, and I were all confident we’d each win the game. At first, Rick, and Mike fought with each other. So I had time to grab a treasure. After I got one, I was so lucky to draw a wonderful card that I could control Rick one turn.  I used his number card, so my treasure was far away from his wizard. Moreover, I drew many useful cards and duly used them.

The consequence was beyond all of our expectation–Mike took the treasure he won and put it down in my homebase, he just wanted to go through my homebase, but it was his mistake and I caught the opportunity and won finally!

Yours, Mistress Wizard

And here are a few pictures from the day, including shots of Nancy and Gill.  Don’t they look happy for their friend?!

This post is a week behind because of connectivity issues with the email.  But Michael has such an incredible Wiz War story to tell, I thought it was worth it to still post it.

Here’s Michael’s post…

Wednesday, I had a very exciting game with Tony, Rick and June.  June was the winner of the first game.  Tony and I had no attack cards to use against her. So, we just watched as she won.

The second game was a big game between Tony, Rick and me—thankfully June had left for something. There were two magic stones in my first hand—a stink stone and speed stone.

After that I got the “Public Funds” card, which removes personal ownership of all the treasures on the board.  It tipped the balance in my favor.  But I held onto it, waiting for the right moment to play it.

But, Tony took a treasure quickly and was going for another. It looked like he was gonna win in the next turn. Then I stepped on his home base. I had the stink stone, which meant he could not enter the space or put the treasure there to win. Lol! And I cast a double-fireball to attack him. But he used counteraction card. The damage became his life point. Oh no!

I carried his treasure and run for my home base. I moved really fast with my speed stone. But they were not just going to let me win. They attacked me together. I had no counteraction blue cards. My life points decreased so fast.

When I only had 4 points and two more turns to the win, Bang! Tony teleported to me and stabbed my heart with a dagger. I was dead. Then my all cards belonged to Tony. He had the public treasure. And Rick didn`t have enough time to stop Tony. Finally, Tony won the game.

I hate that goddamn dagger!

Thursday, was trap day! I played a game with Teddy and Isabel. Tony and June had a chance to challenge Mr. Wizard.  I was still seething over not being at that table because Tony had killed me the day before.  But I decided to focus on the game at hand.

Then I drew two traps when I finished my first turn. Then I redraw two cards. Another trap! I couldn’t move. Each of my opponents picked up my one treasures. Of course, I wouldn’t let them do that. Then, the 4, 5, 6 trap came to me. They put my treasure on their home bases. And I died.

I died twice in two days!

What’s worse is I really shuffled those cards at the beginning! Really! really. . .

I’m happy to report that last week Michael’s luck changed and he finally won a game and was awarded the opportunity to face Mr. Wizard along with Isabel.  But, alas, both Michael’s treasures were dunked early in that match, and once again he was eliminated.

This week Mr. Wizard was met in the dungeon by Michael and Isabel.  Alas, they could not unseat the reigning champion Grand Wizard.  Here is a short note from the seemingly unbeatable wizard.

Ladies and gentlemen of the Dungeon Club,

Be strong, smart and aggressive.

I, Mr. Wizard, have beaten all the challengers so far; however, you didn’t make me feel excited——You are too weak!

I want a real challenge!

Come on, you wizards, fight with me!

Sincerely,

Mr. Wizard. R.

Hello, young guild members.

This week many of you, especially the sophomore English majors, take a major national examine, which is meant to evaluate your language skills.  But while most of you were studying for one test, some members of our guild faced a great and terrible test, a rumble in the dungeon.

Wednesday was a day of reckoning, a day of considerable importance… as far as Wiz Warring is concerned.  Mr. Wizard Rick was met by fellow spell casters June, Tony, and Michael.

The battles were intense, hard fought, and so exhilarating that I should have taken notes, but honestly I was so caught up in the action that I could hardly stay in my chair.  I wish I could give a blow-by-blow report.  June won by dunking two treasures.

Note the fallen Grand Wizard trophy in the foreground.

Yes, tis true, Mr. Wizard was numbered among the losers in this game.  However, it was not a title match.  Still Mr. Bill looks pretty shocked.

Then we had a new comer join us in the dungeon.  She came and watched the first game and jumped in on the second under the tutelage of Mr. Wizard.

Angela makes her move under the tutelage of the Grand Wizard.

She caught on quick and, backed by Mr. Wizard, played one of the most exciting games of Wiz War yet played in our school.

Isabel also joined in to spectate… it was really that good… like watching a movie.  Again, as so often happens in this game, Tony was mere steps away from winning when the entire game shifted against him.  Michael with his magical noxious Stinkstone stood on his home base and did not allow him to enter.  Then it seemed Michael was within two turns of winning when Angela and Tony ganged up on him.  Angela laid a telepad on the dungeon floor, which allowed Tony to teleport next to Michael and brutally eliminate Michael’s Wizard by plunging a sword in his heart.  After that, it was a race to home base with Tony coming in first.

Congratulations on the well fought victory!

The brutal, victorious Tony!

Thursday came.  The challengers June and Tony sat side-by-side across from Mr. Wizard.  The game started quietly.  A strange, mystical hush hovered over the game table.  My attentions were divided as I was dungeon master for another game played by Teddy, Michael, and last weeks challenger, Isabel.  In that game, Michael had horrible luck–he drew three trap cards in a row.  When I asked who’d shuffled the deck, he raised his hand.  And shortly he fell as Isabel and Teddy each grabbed one of his treasures and beat it home.

As I checked back on the grudge match, I found Mr. Wizard had also been hit with a trap card, taking four points of damage from a radioactive meteor.  But he didn’t seem to mind. And shortly he triumphed in repelling his challengers, retaining his title of Grand Master and his name of Mr. Wizard.

Isabel watches as Tony approaches a win. She quietly awaits her next opportunity to face Mr. Wizard...

However, across the room, a former challenger of his was making her own bid for the title.  Isabel electrified her remaining opponent forcing him to lose a turn (a lesson Mr. Wizard had taught her the hard way), and giving herself ample time to step on home.  Although she could have simply won, she did not miss the opportunity to sick her minions on her rival.  Her Ghoul and her Black Cat clawed at her shaken foe as she slipped back to her home base and won the right to challenge Mr. Wizard again next Thursday.

The War was on–Wiz War that is, a rumble in the dungeon–as Mr. Wizard met his first challenger, Isabel.  Mr. Wizard Rick decided to try for a two out of three match.

Watching these two battle it out I started to understand how their personality traits were demonstrated in their playing style.  Rick is an Accounting major.  He is calculating, precise, and very good at managing his resources.  Isabel is quiet. And I’ve learn through watching her play that doesn’t mean she’s timid.  She’s sly and quick witted.  She loves to block passage through the dungeon.  I can imagine her giving people the cold-shoulder or the silent-treatment to great effect.  In short, it was a great match up for a game.

The first game went to Mr. Wizard.  I could see his determination was put to the test.  In the end, he blasted Isabel with a lightning bolt causing her to lose a turn.  Then he play a Speed card, which allowed him to take two turns in a row.  So with three turns, he grabbed up Isabel’s second treasure and waltz home.

The second game was nearly lost.  Isabel’s sly use of a Stumble Stick, which caused Rick to be reduced to moving only one space during his next turn, and her use of spells that blocked passage through the dungeon made it so Mr. Wizard almost couldn’t go anywhere.  While she picked locks and passed through walls using the portable hole.  But Mr. Wizard whipped out a Stone Walk card and finally got around all of Isabel’s  blockages.  Then, when she was just one move away from winning, he used a Drop Object card to make her drop his treasure.  He did a snatch and grab that would have made a petty convenience store thief envious.

I was reluctant but forced to call time as we had to get to English Platform.  So Mr. Wizard Rick retained his title as Grand Master.  But Isabel hasn’t kept quiet.  Here’s a letter she wrote after the match.

Dear Mr.Wizard,

Actually, I am not willing to call you “Dear” Mr. Wizard because you are a tricky guy.

Here’s what I want to say.  Tricky guy, don’t be happy so early!  Our game has not ended. Last time, I totally didn’t try my best to fight with you. Now, I swear, you will become the loser forever.

I analyzed our last game. I just stole your treasure and did not fight with you. It was my biggest fault, I admit.

Remember the moment I stole your second treasure?  I whacked you with my stumble stick and you couldn’t move.  You just stayed in a small square.  You were so worried but had no better way to go.  Ha ha!  You were helpless. What were you thinking?  That you could just walk up to me and attack?  You were wrong! I had 11 life points. You had no chance to kill me in so short a time.  It was a PITY that I only needed one turn, just one turn, and I would have won.  Then you got that Drop Object Card and made me drop your treasure. Then you picked it up and ran.  What kind of wizardry is that?  You’re a juggler of cards. You’re just lucky time ran out.

Tricky Mr. Wizard, I warn you–To defeat you is my duty.

Isabel, Mistress Wizard to be.

And it wouldn’t be right not to allow Mr. Wizard himself have the last word.

Dear Sneaky Girl.

“Tricky guy,” I like this nick name, but I won’t use it.  Call me, Mr. Wizard.  That’s the rule.

You’re afraid of me aren’t you?  Last time, you just ran, and tried to escape me, right?  But I have to say, wise choice.  If you had fought with me, you would’ve lost immediately.  I guess you didn’t understand the situation clearly.  Even if you could have killed me, I had a Clone Card, which could regenerate me with 7-life-points.  In words, I had 20 (13 +7) points while you just had 11 points left.

One other thing I want you to know–using Drop Object Card was part of my plan, so I felt nothing when you used your stumble stick.

Next time you’re in MY dungeon.  You better run, or I’ll do more than blast you with a light bolt and make you lose one turn.

Mr. Wizard R.

Letter to Poppy,

This week, when we played Wiz War, you hurt me deeply. I felt so frustrated that I couldn’t go to sleep that night.  I only had one step and I was gonna be the winner. I never felt so close to winning before. And then you, you cooperated with Jeremy and fought with me. You are all tricky guys!

At the very beginning, my strategy was successful, which made me feel optimistic. I got the apprentice card, Harry Potter, who acts like a normal wizard who helped me stop you from stealing my treasure. Unfortunately I drew three trap cards, which brought my life points down to 5. You stole one of my treasures. I may have disappointed you deeply because I used the repossession card and took my treasure back.

Then Jeremy created an illusion wall, which gave me a lot of trouble to steal his treasures. To make matters worse, I drew a trap card again, everyone had to throw all the cards in our hands away and draw some new cards. As a result, my points were reduced to 4.

Luckily I got two number cards, I was so excited. It gave me hope of win. You and Jeremy broken my dream cruelly. When I used the first number card, Jeremy got a sword and stopped me from taking his treasure back to my board. Then you set up the time bomb near me.  With my life points down to 1, I had no choice but ran away as fast as I could. Finally, I died because Jeremy gave me a power thrust.

Next time I need draw more counteraction cards to defend myself. I’ll not just focus my attention on attacking. Hey, this time I felt the feeling that was I gonna be the winner. The next moment I became the loser. You and Jeremy, I’ll combat you next time. See you next Wednesday!

Good luck!

Stefanie

Stefanie,

What can I say to you? As a sincere friend of yours, I must say you throw too much into the battle. But, but, but you’re not the wizard, you’re still alive, ok?  And I want to remind you Jeremy killed you, not me!  Just stop complaining about me. If you still insist on paying me back… ok, I’ll be there. And next time I’ll show you the real me!

Do you remember you used one card to steal the treasure I spent so much effort to get? That was quite abominable, and my time bomb caused you no harm but you always take that seriously. I’ll write it down in my book!

I think this game whet the fire of our enthusiasm. I see an instinct in us here, we’re all aggressive. Next time, the flames of war will rage through the dungeon.

God bless you and see you then.

Poppy

Greetings Guild members, yes you my students, players of the Sanya College Wiz War group.

In a private session Monday, a grudge match between Tony and Rick settled a week’s dispute of who would be our first Grand Wizard.  They’d battled for the position earlier in the week with a draw, each scoring by winning a game.

Due to school responsibilities they were unable to finish the fight Thursday.  So in secret, on Monday, they once again entered the stone dungeon and fought it out.

I wasn’t able to watch the entire match–I had a grudge of my own to settle.  June came along and played a warm-up game with all four of us.  As I was making my way toward a win when June rearranged the dungeon with a powerful spell.  The new layout led to her quick and decisive victory.  She was able to win even with Rick and Tony hot on her heals, seeking to destroy her.  Here are a few pics from her winning position.

As Dungeon Master and June’s teacher, I have to admit I was proud of her wizardly use of the cards and strategy.  But then again, when a student believes she can defeat the teacher that’s when the hardest lessons of all must be taught.  As June’s teacher I decided I had to take her to school, which I did… twice.  But even still, she played so well that I wasn’t able to watch the grudge matches between Rick and Tony.  As time permitted, they had decided on a 2 out of 3 series of games.  Rick took the first game.

I finished up schooling June in time to catch the end of Rick and Tony’s second game.  They’d clearly left off trying to win by absconding with each other’s treasures and went for the kill.  Rick had 9 life points left, and Tony was surviving with just 6.  Rick had a skeleton on the board that he was using to haunt and taunt Tony.  Tony’s hand was woefully lacking in useful attack spells or counteractions.  And that’s when Rick decided it was time to cash in on a Daylight Savings Time card that had stripped him of a turn earlier in the game but allowed him to take two turns in a row.  So he put his cards face down on the table, moved his skeleton to a square adjacent to Tony’s Wizard, moved his own wizard to the same square.  For two turns, he punched, and the skeleton clawed.  It was a beat down–dungeon style–something like a gang initiation.  I hadn’t seen anything like that since the “printer beat down” scene from Office Space.

After that, Rick won the Grand Wizard title, the Trophy, and the right to be called “Mr. Wizard” by all the Wiz War players. That is until Thursday, when he has to defend his title against anyone who wins this Wednesday…  that means you.

Here’s a picture of our first Grand Wizard, Rick, proudly displaying his hard won trophy known as Mr. Bill.

Congratulations Mr. Wizard.  Magical Luck to you on Thursday.

My “American Cultural Studies” class has become an overnight success.  I had students calling me asking where and when we can play.  Maybe it’s because most teachers don’t bust out a game as a tool for learning, or maybe it’s because it’s a foreign game that these students never dreamed could exist, or maybe it’s because Wiz War is absurdly cool and they love the idea of blasting their classmates with fireballs and lightning bolts or stealing treasure, destroying walls, and creating giant bats.  Could be any or all of these things.  Here are two reports from students… and a few pictures.

I played the Wiz War this afternoon the first time, and I want to say, “I love this game!”

Wiz War is a big game, not only does it have many play cards, but it’s full of many kinds of imaginary magic spells. So it will never be boring. I made a strategic mistake at the beginning of Wiz War. I tried to get June’s treasures hastily, and I got one. The cost was I got in furious combat with June and Tony.

I lost around 6 life points. I became their chief target. Jeremy got a treasure easily during the combat time, losing almost nothing. I think it gave him a base to win the final victory. Later, we got another 8 players.

One guy impressed me because he tried every card in his hand to hurt the wizard next to his, but failed at last. It is hard to win the game, that is true, but it is also hard to do anything against the wizard next to yours—–you have 7 chances.

And Tony returned to the stone dungeon this week for another wizardly war.  He doesn’t want to talk about it, but a meteorite crashed through the dungeon ceiling and he fell in the crater.  It caused 4 points of damage and mutated his hand… luckily he could hold 8 cards with his big green paw.  I felt sorry for him, but it didn’t keep Stefanie from smashing a wall on top of him after he stole one of her treasures.

Here’s what Tony had to say.

Our journey continued with another two episodes of our Wiz War, as usual, after lunch at the office on Wednesday and Thursday. But this time was sort of distinct, as we were joined by some more participants to play the game together and JT guided us as our mentor in the game without participating in the game. And here I wanna describe a little bit more about the one on Thursday.

This time, we used six sectors instead of four. I felt pretty optimistic at the beginning of the game because I got some good cards and props in hand that enabled me to set obstacles and barriers to the other players. What baffled me was we drew very few number cards, which I considered fairly useful. If I had been able to draw some number cards, I might have been able to use them to walk more steps or do more damage or create longer lasting spells.

Actually we were about to take part in another activity later that day, so we had to finish the game before three o’clock in the afternoon. Since we each got our own items, magic stones as well as tons of props which enabled us to set barriers to the rest players, I perceived it would be a little bit tough to generate a winner. Later, Amelia was regarded as a prospective winner, because she had one treasure in her sector and the only thing she needed to do was carry the second treasure to her home base. Amelia was just three spaces away from winning when a card she drew that teleported the treasure out of her hand. The situation had been dramatically changed. Nobody was considered to win the game because of the limited time, but we did have a lot of fun in the exciting course. I guess everybody felt the same way.

Looking forward to our new journey.

And from our Amelia who nearly won…

I have to say that the game is really fantastic. I enjoyed it this afternoon. I almost won. What a pity!

Okay, I want to describe the layout of today’s game.  There are six sections in total. Each person gets one color Wizard. I didn’t want the yellow wizard because it had bad luck yesterday, so I chose the pink one even if she is ugly. But it turned out to be the right choice.

The game begins. At first, I am not able to figure it out. But I am eager to learn it. After six turns, I got so many objects, like SMELLY SOCK, A BLACK BAT, SKELETON, LARGE ROCK, DOOR-A & DOOR-B, and ROSE BUSH. I really liked my little boy—a black bat. He was so cute, especially his head. Unfortunately, my little boy died by a cursed card. It broke my heart.

On the other hand, when I got a smelly sock, I had to put it where my wizard was because that sock belonged to me?! I don’t like smelly socks! Smelly socks make me sick. But in the game, it’s okay.

Then, in order to protect my treasure, I use the large rock as a barrier, which I placed on the one side of my treasure. My wizard went to grab someone else’s treasure. And under the help of the door A-B, I took the treasure home successfully.

But when I intended to get back again with another treasure, I suddenly got a trap card, which made me drop my new treasure. I felt depressed. I almost won.

During the first week of classes June asked me to come up with an “activity” to help my office hour students study English.  I gathered from her suggestion that she wanted to try something new and exciting.  About this same time, I was working on building styrofoam castles for my son’s Lego’s guys.  And I stumbled upon Hirstarts.com which led me to the discovery of Wiz War.

I was captivated and wanted to try the game out… so I decided to try it out on my students.  Hey, they could learn in the course of having fun.  How American is that?!

I started right away to build the game.  The game is out of print so people who want to play it have to build their own set.  There are a few people who’ve posted the essentials online, and that was a great help in getting started.

I also wanted to try my hand at customizing some of the pieces as an example to my students about the uniqueness of this micro-culture… that’s my excuse for playing… and my kid thought it was awesome.

So game day finally came, and we played.  As a dutiful teacher, I assigned the students to write a short informal journal entry about the experience.  This is going to be a weekly thing, so they can see how the game play as well as their journal writing progresses.

*There’ll be more action pictures next time… we couldn’t get the session pictures off the phone this time.

This is what Tony had to say.

A few days ago Jeremy, June, a new friend Johnny and I played a fantastic game introduced by JT, called Wiz War.

The game began on a Wednesday afternoon after lunch at the lovely office with a pretty good air conditioner. Firstly, here I gotta thank JT for preparing all the materials needed in the game on his own, otherwise it would have been tough for us to deal with that elaborate stuff.

Actually, I never had an opportunity to know this brand new game before, even though it’s been actually launched for a long time. So I feel pretty excited about the game that is sort of uncommon here in China .

This game requires two to six people to play together. We can win the game by either getting treasure from our opponents while protecting our own treasures or just eliminating all the other players in wizardly battle. We got our own tiny little persons and treasure, and the cards we drew would tell us what’s next. So that’s exactly the very alluring part of the game, because we never know what actions we could take next turn. We got different types of cards, ranging from “attack” to “magic stone” (which I like very much). June was rather aggressive when it came to the game. She was keen on attacking. Moreover, Johnny had tons of “magic stone” cards in hand, which gave him lots of benefits. Not surprisingly, Johnny won the game at last. We were all happy for him, meanwhile, we were happy for ourselves, as we finally got started to get to know the new game that definitely adds more interesting elements to our life.

And from our “aggressive” girl… June.

Another big Wednesday for me. Last Wednesday I decided to begin writing.

This Wednesday, Jeremy, Tony, Johnny, and I began our “wiz war” journey.  I never dreamed that Jeremy could find such a game, or that we could communicate with each other in such a way. It was the most extraordinary afternoon I’ve spent since I have been in Sanya.

When we got into the room, Jeremy took out a big box. Wow, he prepared so many particular things, tokens and little cute toys.

We began to play, meanwhile Jeremy kept explaining the rules of the game. It sounded like he was a skillful player, however, he lost his all treasure. It was I, a newbie, who stole his Treasure Chest! Ha Ha Ha! But before I got back to my hideout, Johnny won the game by stealing both of Tony’s treasures.

I was so happy.

I thought Jeremy was shocked by my first spell because he said, “June was aggressive!” And he was a little bit confused during his turns. I am the only girl among four of us, but I was not kind in the game. O(∩_∩)O

We spent a special afternoon together that forced us to utilize our intelligence. And I know these two hours means we will have a new method to study English this semester.

And from Johnny, the Big Winner of the first match.  Johnny is a high school student who is going to study in the States in the fall, so he’s been hanging around with me, trying to pick up some extra English.  I thought I teach him a lesson in the wizard’s dungeon… but things didn’t go like I planned.

Today we played a very funny fame called “Wiz War” after lunch.  I played it with Tony, Jeremy, and June.  First, Jeremy told us the rules.  I was very difficult to understand!  Then we began.  I used a lot of number cards which allowed me to move further.  And I grabed the first treasure from Tony.  Then I drew a magic stone card.  It gave me the ability to draw an extra card from the deck each turn.  How lucky am I?!

Tony’s turn started, but he only moved.  Then June used her attack card to attack Jeremy.  But Jeremy had a card to repel it, so poor June got teleported to another part of the dungeon.  Jeremy only moved during his turn.  I thought he had something planned.

My turned came next.  I took Tony’s treasure back to my “home” and used a card for attack.  This card created a monster called “wraith” who I could move 3 spaces each turn.  It had 4 life points and could do 2 points of damage on the other player’s wizards.  It was a really good monster.

After a few turns, I snatched Tony’s second treasure.  He tried to use a spell on my to stop me, but instead he teleported me closer to home.  So I won!

Okay, that’s enough for our Wiz War blog this week.  Next week, I promise there will be more pictures.

“Work smart, not hard.”  I heard those words over and over again in my childhood from none other than my father… Dr. Scott Trylch.  I’ve repeated them many times (mostly to myself).  But with my recent teaching experience in China the words are taking on a new significance.  And perhaps for my students I’d add a slight twist–Study smart, so you don’t have to study so hard.

Americans are not really known for being overly disciplined students.  Yet we produce a number of the world’s best universities and the lion’s share of the world’s best university students.

Currently it seems that we’re afraid of the Asian student’s ability to study endlessly, tirelessly.  But my recent experience tells me that the Asian student, for all their hard work, are not achieving the same results as their more relaxed Western counterparts.  The reason, in my mind is simple, the Asian student isn’t studying smart.  They’re studying hard, and getting mixed results.  At some point you reach a point of diminishing returns, a point where you’ve worked so much that you cannot achieve anymore.

Culturally, I think this study habit may be linked to the language.  Asian students have to memorize the characters of their written language.  There isn’t a system for figuring things out for yourself–well there is, but it’s pretty complicated and involves a lot of guessing and basic character knowledge.  My five year old, just learning to read both languages, English and Chinese, is a perfect example of this principle.  He knows the meaning of the spoken word “no” in both languages.  In written Chinese he has to be told that the character representing no, or bu, 不, means no.  There’s no way for him to figure that out.  In English, however, he knows the spoken word no, and he knows the phonic sounds of “n” and “o” and so when he sees it on the page he can figure it out for himself.  He doesn’t need me to tell him the meaning of “n. o.” and he doesn’t need to memorize it.  If he doesn’t recognize it the next time he comes across it, he simply figures it out for himself again.

Advancing this to the college level.  Asian students still work on a system of the teacher tells you and you memorize it for the test.  In the west, yes we sit through lectures where information is poured out, but how the western student ingests the information is completely different.

Here is the best system for note-taking and studying I’ve discovered so far.  It’s famous.  It’s called the Cornell Note-taking system, named after the prestigious Cornell University.  It’s simple and brilliant, but it does require you to think for yourself.  Study it and share.

And just because I love graph paper.

Study smart so you don’t have to study so hard.

By Sean Noonan

A recent batch of WikiLeaks cables led Der Spiegel and The New York Times to print front-page stories on China’s cyber-espionage capabilities Dec. 4 and 5. While China’s offensive capabilities on the Internet are widely recognized, the country is discovering the other edge of the sword.

China is no doubt facing a paradox as it tries to manipulate and confront the growing capabilities of Internet users. Recent arrests of Chinese hackers and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) pronouncements suggest that China fears that its own computer experts, nationalist hackers and social media could turn against the government. While the exact cause of Beijing’s new focus on network security is unclear, it comes at a time when other countries are developing their own defenses against cyber attacks and hot topics like Stuxnet and WikiLeaks are generating new concerns about Internet security.

One of the U.S. State Department cables released by WikiLeaks focuses on the Chinese-basedcyber attack on Google’s servers that became public in January 2010. According to a State Department source mentioned in one of the cables, Li Changchun, the fifth highest-ranking member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the Party’s Propaganda Department, was concerned about the information he could find on himself through Google’s search engine. He also reportedly ordered the attack on Google. This is single-source information, and since the cables WikiLeaks released do not include the U.S. intelligence community’s actual analysis of the source, we cannot vouch for its accuracy. What it does appear to verify, however, is that Beijing is regularly debating the opportunities and threats presented by the Internet.

A Shift from Offensive Capabilities

On Nov. 2, the People’s Liberation Army Daily, the official paper for the PLA and the primary medium for announcing top-down policy, recommended the PLA better prepare itself for cyber threats, calling for new strategies to reduce Internet threats that are developing “at an unprecedented rate.” While the report did not detail any strategies, it quoted a PLA order issued for computer experts to focus on the issue.

The Nov. 2 PLA announcement is part of a long trend of growing network-security concerns in China. In 2009, Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu emphasized that the development of the Internet in China created “unprecedented challenges” in “social control and stability maintenance.” In June 2010, the State Council Information Office published a white paper on the growing threat of cyber crime and how to combat it. Clearly, these challenges have been addressed this year. The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced Nov. 30 that it had arrested 460 suspected hackers thought to have been involved in 180 cases so far in 2010. This is part of the MPS’ usual end-of-year announcement of statistics to promote its success. But the MPS announcement also said that cyber crime had increased 80 percent this year and seemed to blame the attacks only on hackers inside China.

These were cases mainly of producing and selling “Trojan” programs (malware that looks legitimate), organizing botnets, assisting others in carrying out denial-of-service attacks and invading government websites. The MPS also closed more than 100 websites that provided hackers with attack programs and taught them various tactics.

The PLA already has two notoriously large and capable network security units: the Seventh Bureau of the Military Intelligence Department (MID) and the Third Department of the PLA. In simple terms, the MID’s Seventh Bureau is an offensive unit, responsible for managing research institutes that develop new hacking methods, train hackers and produce new hardware and software. The PLA Third Department, defensive in nature, is the third largest signals intelligence-monitoring organization in the world. STRATFOR sources with expertise in network security believe that China’s government-sponsored hacking capabilities are the best in the world. But this perception is based in part on the fact that China demonstrates these capabilities quite often. The United States, on the other hand, is much more restrained in exercising its offensive cyber capabilities and is not inclined to do so until there is a dire and immediate need, such as war.

Piracy Vulnerability

The details of China’s escalating effort to improve network security are still murky, but one recently announced campaign against software piracy is notable. On Nov. 30, Deputy Commerce Minister Jiang Zengwei announced a new six-month crackdown on illegally copied products in China. He said the focus was on pirated software, counterfeit pharmaceuticals and mislabeled agricultural products. The Chinese public has pushed for more regulation of pharmaceuticals and food due to a rising number of cases in which people have become sick or even died because of falsely labeled or tainted products, such as melamine-contaminated milk. But Beijing seems to be even more concerned about the vulnerabilities created by running unlicensed and non-updated software, and publicizing the crackdown is clearly an attempt by Beijing to appease Western governments and businesses that are placing growing pressure on China.

Indeed, China has a sizable counterfeit economy, much to the ire of Western businesses. While Beijing may placate Westerners by announcing crackdowns for the benefit of international audiences, it takes more forceful measures when it sees a larger threat to itself, and the security emphasis now seems to be on the threat of running insecure software on government computers. The problem with unlicensed software is that it does not receive automatic updates from the manufacturer, which usually are sent out to fix vulnerabilities to malware. Unlicensed software is thus left open to viral infiltration. It is also cheap and easy to get, which makes it pervasive throughout both government and private computer networks.

One of the measures Beijing has started to implement is requiring licensed software to be installed on new computers before they are sold, which also gives the government an opportunity to install censorship measures like Green Dam. One persistent problem is that much of the pre-installed software still consists of pirated copies. While China has released statistics showing that the use of legitimate software in China has increased dramatically, the Business Software Alliance, an international software industry group, estimates that 79 percent of the software sold in China in 2009 was illegally copied, creating a loss to the industry of $7.6 billion in revenue. Even more important to Beijing, these statistics mean the vast majority of Chinese computer systems — government and private alike — remain vulnerable to malware.

At the same Nov. 30 news conference at which Jiang announced the new anti-piracy initiative, Yan Xiaohong, deputy head of the General Administration of Press and Publication and vice director of the National Copyright Administration, announced a nationwide inspection of local and central government computers to make sure they were running licensed software. While this suggests Beijing’s major concern is the security of government computers, it also emphasizes how widespread the unlicensed software problem is.

This new focus on using legitimate software, however, will not be a complete solution to China’s Internet vulnerabilities. There has been little effort to stop the selling of copied software, and it is still very easy to download other programs, licensed and unlicensed, and malware along with them (such as QQ). Moreover, the new security measures are dealing only with the symptoms, not the underlying problem, of a counterfeit-heavy economy. A six-month crackdown will not undermine or eliminate software piracy in China; to do so would require an immense and sustained investment of time, money and manpower. Indeed, China has been a hub for pirating software, films and other copyrighted material for so long that the enormous domestic economic base that has grown up around it would be virtually impossible to dismantle. In any case, vulnerabilities still exist in legitimate software, even if it is better protected against novice hackers. New vulnerabilities are constantly being found and exploited until software companies come up with the appropriate patches.

From Nationalist Hackers to Dissident Threats

China’s highly developed hacking capabilities, more offensive than defensive, include Internet censorship measures like the infamous Great Firewall, and the official police force run by the MPS specifically to monitor Chinese Internet traffic and censor websites is 40,000 strong. China also has developed two unofficial methods of censorship. First, operators of private websites and forums must follow certain government regulations to prevent statements critical of the government from being disseminated, which encourages private operators to be their own censors. Second, there is a veritable army of nationalistic computer users in China that include “hacktivist” groups such as the Red Hacker Alliance, China Union Eagle and the Honker Union, with thousands of members each. They became famous after the 1999 “accidental” bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, which prompted China-based hackers to attack and deface U.S. government websites. The Chinese government, state-owned enterprises and private companies also engage public relations firms to hire, deploy and manage what have become colloquially known as “Party of Five Maoists.” These are individuals who get paid half a yuan (5 mao) for every positive Internet post they write regarding government policy, product reviews and other issues.

But as China’s Internet-using population nears 400 million, with nearly 160 million using social networking, Beijing recognizes the risk of all this spiraling out of control. Censors have not been able to keep up on the social-networking front. Even with limited or banned access to sites like Twitter and Facebook, their Chinese versions, Weibo and Kaixin, for example, are expanding exponentially. While the government may exercise more control over the Chinese-based sites, it cannot keep up with the huge number of posts on topics the CPC considers disharmonious. The recent announcement of Liu Xiaobo’s Nobel Peace Prize is an example of news that was not reported at first in Chinese media but through social networking sites, spreading like wildfire. And the censorship is not exclusive; even non-dissidents can be censored, such as Prime Minister Wen Jiabao when he recently called for limited political reform.

China’s large Internet population will not all be nationalists. And if those who learn skills from informal hackers turn into dissidents, Beijing would consider them a serious threat. The Internet presents exactly the type of tool that could pose a major threat to the CPC because it spans regions, classes and ethnicities. Most social grievances are local and economic or ethnic-based. The potential for one opposition group to be united nationwide over the Internet is one of Beijing’s gravest concerns. It has realized that a weapon it once wielded so deftly against foreign powers and business entities can now be used against Beijing.

Outside Issues

At the same time Beijing reached this realization, WikiLeaks demonstrated the possibility for sensitive government information to be spread globally through the Internet. Beijing saw that if the United States, with its expertise in signals intelligence and security, could be vulnerable to such a threat, so could China. Stuxnet demonstrated the vulnerability of important infrastructure to cyber attack, one reason for China’s new emphasis on licensed software (Iran is known to run unlicensed Siemens software). China’s recent emphasis on network security is likely linked to all of these factors, or it may be due to a threat seen but as yet unpublicized, such as a cyber attack or leak inside China that the government has been able to keep quiet.

Other countries have also been implementing new network security measures, most notably the United States. On Oct. 31, the Maryland-based U.S. Cyber Command became fully operational, and its commander is also the head of the National Security Agency, the premier U.S. government entity for signals intelligence. (Thus, China’s giving Internet security responsibility to the PLA should come as no surprise to the United States.) And as China realizes the difficulties of defending against attacks in cyberspace, which tend to favor the offense, the United States is wrestling with the same problems and complexities as it tries to shield government, civilian and commercial computer systems, all of which require different degrees of control and operate under different laws. As cyber espionage and cyber sabotage become even greater concerns, China will be forced to face the far more difficult task of not only pecking away at the Pentagon’s firewalls but also providing for its own internal system security.

These new efforts all contradict China’s long-standing policy of cultivating a population of nationalistic computer users. This effort has been useful to Beijing when it sees a need to cause disruption, whether by attacking U.S. sites after perceived affronts like the Chinese Embassy bombing in Belgrade or preventing access from powerful foreign entities like Google. But China has also recognized that developing these public capabilities can be dangerous. Nationalist Chinese hackers, if motivated by the right cause and united through the pervasive Internet, can always turn on the government. And the situation seems to have more and more governments on edge, where simple mistakes can raise suspicions. China’s redirection of a large amount of Internet traffic in April caused an outcry from the United States and other countries, though it may well have been an accident.

It is hard to tell what Beijing sees, specifically, as a first-tier cyber threat, but its decision to develop an effective response to all manner of threats is evident.

“China and its Double-edged Cyber-sword is republished with permission of STRATFOR.”

North Korean Artillery Attack on a Southern Island | STRATFOR.

Click the link above to read the article.  This is just a starting point for our Wednesday office hour conversation.  I also suggest all my students sign up for the free weekly newsletter from Stratfor.

This is the Journey Circle, which is a key to understanding the path a hero takes through a story.  The key helps understanding movies, novels, mythic tales, and our own path in life.

I borrowed this key from The Writer Journey by Chris Vogler.  Mr. Vogler was a story consultant for Walt Disney Corporation and contributed to the films The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.

The principles outlined in this book are based on the work of great American mythological scholar Joseph Campbell and his ground breaking book The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

A must see video!

A History of Rap: Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake & The Roots.

Carnival of Sand Prologue

At the sorrowful sound of an albatross caw, Sandra turned her eyes away from the pastel sun setting into the darkening sea.  The albatross flew up with a sharp cry revealing the body lying near the rising waterline.

Sandra steadied herself, grasping her husband’s arm.  A young woman lay on her side, her hip rising from her tiny waistline and falling, becoming slender near the ankle.  But instead of feet, Sandra saw the outline of a broad delicate tail hanging over a small depression where the tide had eroded the shore.

The albatross circled, like a white vulture, cried, and turned, riding the breeze out to sea.

The mermaid had buried her face in the crook of her arm, her other hand shielding her eyes from the tropical sun.  Her hair, as long as her body, splayed out in an aurora over her head, morphing at the tips, becoming sand.

The sun burned a deep orange as it blurred into the horizon.  The beach stretched for miles and merged into the haze.  The world was empty.  Only the sky, the sea, Sandra, and the mermaid remained.  Not even a footprint impressed the sand.  And her husband, though steadying her in the shifting landscape, seemed a mere part of the haze.

The breeze picked up.  Chills rolled up her bare arms.

Mitch said, “That’s an amazing sand sculpture.”

Sandra recovered.  She could see it now.  The textured sand left tiny shadows on the mermaid’s skin in the failing light.  Rake marks scored the surrounding area–erasing the artist’s footprints.

She laughed.  “For a  minute, I thought it was real.”

Mitch looked sideways at her, smiling at her schoolgirl fantasy.

Sandra hugged her husband.  His muscular arms draped her.  The heat of his chest warmed her face and cooled her emotions.

Sanda could not look away from the specter of the mermaid weeping into her arm and dying in that pose.  She became real again as the sun dazed out beyond the clouds.  Sandra looked once more for its imperfections–signs of its temporal construction–places where the wind had pocked her surface layer, dimples in her complexion.  She could no longer find them.

The mermaid quivered.  Only her skyward shoulder at first.  Only a slight tremor.

Sandra tightened her hold on her husband.

The mermaid’s bust expanded and shuddered.  She wept.

Sandra dared not bury her eyes.

The mermaid’s tail rose, dripping sand like water droplets after cresting, and settled again into its original place.

The mermaid stilled.

The pastels of sunset grayed, and the long deep shadow extended out of the mermaids belly and cast itself over Sandra.