Mini Gangs Gateway

Mini Gangs can be played in three different ways,each aimed at a different kind of player. Gateway is the basic core rules of Mini Gangs and is ideal for beginners. Casual is for experienced players who want a simple, easy game to play relaxed “pickup” games with. Hardcore is for advanced players and is broader and deeper allowing for campaign play and complex scenarios.

This article will take a look at Gateway. It will also delve a little into why games are good for children to play and how games develop real world skills. Please click the images to link to a higher quality version.

Mini Gangs Gateway is the most basic way to play. It is also completely free!

Gateway is the core rules of the game are very simple, but as with all tabletop games tactics, planning and strategy must be used. If these core skills are used effectively the game is great fun, simple enough for kids and deep enough for adults to enjoy.

It is a great way for people who have never played table top games to learn the key concepts of tabletop battle games. Gateway is simple enough for children of six and older. Its also simple enough that other family members can join in and have fun.

Its also good for gaming groups with board or card game players. The simple nature of the game rules can be explained very quickly and its easy to get novices into playing. Not much is needed to for a game. Four figures each, some basic scenery, a ruler and a dice are all that are required.

The core game is based around a set of simple actions. Models have a single number attached to them that represents their skill on the battlefield. Players roll under this number to fight or over the number to shoot with thier models.

The gaming surface needed is small. A typical game can be played on a 50cm square area. This combined with the small size of the gangs mean even a four player game can be played on a small table with less than twenty models.

So if you are looking to get some of your friends and family playing tabletop strategy games, Mini Gangs is a perfect introduction. Its an easy game that can be played with practically any figures, toys or models.

Please visit the Ramshackle Games downloads page to get the digital copy.

Alternatively customers to the Ramshackle Games web shop can request a printed copy of the rules added to any order for free.

MINI GANGS AS A LEARNING AID

Games develop children’s mathematical skills through play. Playing games is a great way to make them feel at home with numbers and space. They encourage children to think logically and clearly. Games also help children to work out mathematical strategies they can build on. Mini Gangs develops children’s understanding of numbers, probability and spacial relationships.

The numbers in this game have been simplified so that children can learn the abstract game mechanics more easily. Using rules, dice and models helps children think about reading, space, distance and measuring. Moving the models and rolling the dice teach precision motor skills as well as estimating. The game also involves a degree of memory use such as remembering whos turn it is and which models they have used.

Games are also social activities and children can be taught valuable life skills through playing. When gaming, children will learn the basic key skills that are needed to play other more complicated games as they get older. These include taking turns, fairness and winning or losing with grace.

Adults playing this game with children will need to teach some of the core rules. These rules are simple to understand and easy to teach but the concepts behind them may need some explaining. One of the main areas that the adult gamer will need to show the child is how to check line of sight between models. This can be easily demonstrated and will lead onto deciding if a model is obscured by terrain. Whether a model is “in cover” behind a terrain feature should be discussed. Ask the children to decide if a model who’s waving an arm,carrying a flag or who has a billowing cloak can be seen. Should the model be counted as visible, covered or totally obscured if just a small part is showing? Is the model still in cover if only one leg is obscured? Adults will also need to demonstrate how to measure and move the models in a fair way. These parts of the rules have been left purposefully vague, as gamers should learn to be able to agree on interpretations of a set of rules. Models and terrain are different so not every situation can be covered by a set of rules.

Model making is a large part of table top gaming. Making the figures and gaming table encourages creativity and imagination. It also imparts detailed hand eye coordination. All in all, model gaming can provide great rewards to participants and should be encouraged.