Junior Events [Updated April 2006]

For many, WBC is a family affair where everyone joins in on the fun ... including the next generation of boardgamers. Many of our current attendees got their start in the Juniors ranks and have graduated to more adult fare with often stunning results.

One such recent graduate was 13-yr old Rebecca Hebner. She scored the first-ever WBC Grand Slam with four separate championships in 2001, the year after leaving the Juniors ranks. Other such graduates were Devin Flawd and Nick Henning who finished 1st and third in 2004's first Consul metagaming competition with the most laurels earned at WBC that year.

WBC offers events exclusively for kids 12 and under between 9 AM and 9 PM in the Heritage Room. This year we have 24 Juniors events - our largest kids program to date - and a larger Juniors room to accommodate them. These events are free to children accompanied by a BPA member in attendance at the conference. While parents need not be present for the children to play, we encourage parents to lend a hand. Children should be old enough to grasp rules and play independently. (Note: Parents should refrain from playing games for their children.)

Remember: This is not a day care service and children should be well-behaved and respectful of others. In addition, they are expected to exhibit good sportsmanship. Any child who behaves inappropriately will be asked to leave. At the discretion of the convention director and the Board of Directors, a child who has been removed for inappropriate behavior may be restricted from future Juniors competition or required to have parental supervision when playing in a Juniors event.

Although BPA will have an adult supervisor in the room during Juniors hours, WBC and its GMs assume no responsibility for keeping track of your child's whereabouts before, during or after any Junior event. There is no substitute for parental supervision.

REQUIREMENT: Before any Junior may use the Juniors room or participate in any Juniors event, a parent or guardian must accompany the child to Heritage to complete a consent form for the child. Among other items, this form provides contact information (e.g., cell phone number, hotel room number) to reach a parent in the event of an emergency.

The games used in the Junior competitions are often the same as the ones the adults play - albeit sometimes with modifications to make them shorter or easier to understand. The emphasis is on sportsmanship - and discovering how much fun it is to interrelate with others with a good boardgame in this age of electronic eye candy. Whenever possible, please send your junior with copies of the games he or she will play in order to ensure that there are enough copies to allow everyone to play. This is particularly vital for Juniors events because many of the kids do not have games and our GMs cannot provide enough copies for everyone.

Looking forward: Any boardgame of suitable complexity level and length is eligible for use in the Juniors tournaments. GM volunteers are always needed - either to head an event or to act as assistants to teach and monitor a table full of youngsters.

If you're looking for a way to "give something back" to the hobby, look no further. Volunteer to be a Juniors GM. Not ready for all that responsibility, but would still like to lend a hand? Please email our Juniors Program Co-ordinator, Kaarin Englemann at kengelm@Yahoo.com. All of our GMs would appreciate an offer from a parent or other adult to help supervise or provide a copy of the game being played.

 Our winners take home smaller versions of the plaques their parents are striving for in the adult competitions. More than one child has returned home with more wood than adorns their parents mantle. In some cases, GMs provide additional, non-monetary prizes.

 Although all Juniors events are Class C - Coached - and will be explained, it is best if the children have some advance familiarity with the games in question.

 All Juniors events are held in Heritage. Durations are estimates from start to finish; those eliminated in the first round of multiple round events will end play sooner.

Colossal Arena Tuesday @ 6 PM 3 hours GM: Greg Crowe			In this game, it doesn't matter what creature dies, as long as you didn't bet on him. Place your bets on who you think will survive in the arena, and play your strength cards to make sure they do. Play two games in the first round. Winners advance.
Blokus Wednesday @ 9 AM 2 hours GM: Daniel Broh-Kahn			Take turns placing pieces on your board, each starting from their own corner. Each new piece must touch at least one other piece of the same color, but only at the corners! The goal is to get rid of all your pieces.
Guillotine Wednesday @ 11 AM 3 hours Ray Stakenas			Ichabod Crane never had it so good. As an executioner pandering to the masses, behead the least popular nobles. Manipulate the line order to benefit you. After three days worth of chopping, the highest total carries the day.
Ticket To Ride Wednesday @ 2 PM 2 hours GM: Matthew Beach			Collect various types of train cars and claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America. Balance greed for more cards with fear of losing critical routes to competitors.
Robo Rally Wednesday @ 6 PM 2 hours GM: Marc Houde			Navigate your robot across conveyor belts, over gears, and past pushers-while staying out of the path of other robots-in your effort to be the first to touch all the checkpoints.
Liar's Dice Thursday @ 9 AM 2 hours GM: Justin Levine			Perhaps we should call the junior's version Bluffer's Dice lest anyone get the wrong idea. You've just been passed zilch and you bought it. Can you bluff your way past the next person with a higher bid?
Monsters Ravage America Thursday @ 11 AM 4 hours GM: Phil Barcafer			YOU and three opponents each choose and control one MONSTER and one branch of the military! YOU decide where your MONSTER will go to increase its strength - by destroying cities!
Adel Verpflichtet Thursday @ 3 PM 2 hours GM: Inger Henning			Players buy (or steal) artwork, trying to form the largest and oldest collection. Built on a 'rock-paperscissors' mechanism, guess what your opponents are likely to do and plan accordingly.
Formula Motor Racing Thursday @ 5 PM 2 hours GM: Rebecca Hebner			The quickest playing auto racing game ever. Slick, fast, and fun. Control you team of two cars to block opponents and win the most of three races. Beware the crash cards!
Slapshot Thursday @ 7 PM 3 hours GM: Mark Yoshikawa			At least your league isn't on strike! Manage your hockey team with trades and drafts to get it into the play-offs. But watch out for the bruisers that can injure your superstars.
Elchfest Friday @ 9 AM 2 hours GM: Dan Dolan Sr			Two moose face each other across a river. To cross and keep their hooves dry, they step on rocks lying in the river. Players flick the rocks to form a path. Whoever reaches the opposite bank first wins.
Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation Friday @ 11 AM 4 hours GM: James Doughan			A Stratego-like game themed around Lord of the Rings. Players each control a force of 9 characters (light vs. dark) whose identities are hidden from their opponent at the beginning of play.
Frank's Zoo Friday @ 1 PM 4 hours GM: Sharee Pack			A trick-taking game played with changing partners over several hands. In each hand of cute animals, the players try to be the first to get rid of all of their cards. Special cards affect scores.
Cluzzle Friday @ 3 PM 2 hours GM: Dominic Crapuchettes			You don't need to be an artist to play this game of clay puzzles. The longer it takes for players to figure out your clay sculpture, the more points you'll receive, as long as someone guesses before the end.
Trouble Friday @ 5 PM 2 hours GM: Bruce Reiff			Who sez you're too young? Dad will want to borrow the pop-a-matic when you bring home the wood. An event for the really younger set!
Memoir '44 Friday @ 5 PM 4 hours GM: Mark Yoshikawa			Up to four players per team will be pitted against each other for the first stages of the Battle of the Bulge. Intended for older/more experienced children. Brush up on multi-player rules.
Lost Cities Friday @ 7 PM 2 hours GM: Keith Levy			Mount profitable expeditions to one or more of five lost cities. Concentrate on a few or explore many? If you start an expedition, you'd better make some progress, or it'll score negative points.
Princess Ryan's Star Marines Saturday @ 9 AM 3 hours GM: Mark McLaughlin			The evil Black Guard has kidnapped Princess Ryan. Your crack troop of Star Marines is charged with her rescue. Form a team to overcome the enemy while exploring the galaxy on your way to freeing the princess.
Crokinole Saturday @ Noon 3 hours GM: Stan Hilinski			Adult-Junior teams flick discs onto the board trying to claim the center or, at least, knock away opponent's pieces or block them! After everyone has shot their discs, the team with the most points left on the board wins. Croquet and shuffleboard on a gameboard!
Greed Saturday @ 3 PM 1 hour GM: Ken Samuel			Roll the dice dice. You must score on at least one die. Do you keep going to raise your score? If you get greedy and risk too many rolls, you could lose all your points. High score wins.
War At Sea Saturday @ 5PM 4 hours GM: John Sharp			War at Sea is a simple strategic wargame covering the Battle of the Atlantic and naval warfare of the Mediterranean in WW2. After two rounds, the player with the best record and POC wins.
Trans America Saturday @ 5PM 2 hours GM: Kathy Stroh			Be the first player to build a railroad network to connect your five cities. Lose points if you aren't yet connected. At the end of the game, the player who has the most points left is the winner!
Lord of the Rings Saturday @ 7 PM 2 hours GM: Ed Beach			One round. Your group gets one chance to return the ring. You play a hobbit. Whichever group makes it furthest wins a prize. The least corrupt hobbit -- ringbearers get bonuses--wins the plaque. One game per group.
Settlers of Catan Sunday @ 9 AM 3 hours Brian Sutton			Be the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities, and roads. Collect raw materials, trade them, and build your civilization.