cyphertext

Sounds like a real fun troop...

When there is a will... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ2kdy3lTz8

Makes jousting even more fun! Good practice to learn how to get back into the canoe.

Canoe jousting!

And I thought getting a group from Tiger to Arrow of Light was a big deal!

Hmmm... Many online, competency based degree programs are set up very similarly... material is there for you to review if you would like, however the only requirement is that you pass the test demonstrating your competency. I wouldn't say that a degree earned from a program like that is not earned. If you already know the info, I don't see the reason to sit through it again.

From what I read, nobody knows that the SPL is making any money off of this... they thought that the SPL might be due to the cost, but those cards cost money, and most of the adults admit that they know nothing about the game. Like I suggested earlier, each Scout that wanted to play could just bring a predetermined number of unopened packs so that no money changes hands. As far as length of game, a large draft game takes a couple of hours or less, depending on number of players. The person who said that their son plays all weekend is saying that they build multiple decks and have multiple games, not one game that lasts the entire weekend. I can't really address the exclusionary aspect. Like I said before, my son and his patrol played, not the whole troop. They played during their downtime. It was something that they all liked to do. Now that they have aged out, they still get together to go camping and play Magic.

You're not understanding how the draft game works. It isn't gambling... the money is used to pay for the cards that are provided. What your Scouts are doing is playing with cards they brought. In a draft game, you don't bring your own cards... new packs are purchased and the players select their cards to build their decks from that pool of cards, the theory being that everyone stars on equal footing. And at the end of the game, you get to keep the cards you selected. So basically, you are paying for new cards. In games where you bring your own cards, it can be difficult to be competitive because one player may have bought 5 packs of cards and built his deck from the best of those, and the other player may have bought 100 packs to build a deck.

I wouldn't let that stop you from going... So much more to experience than just patch trading.

Like this patch above, most of the patches my son collected when he went to Jambo had very little to do with scouting...

Shouldn't Scouts act Scoutlike and uphold the Scout Oath and Law in all aspects of their lives, not just things that have to do with Scouting? My son and his group of friends play Magic on camp outs during down time... They even took Magic cards to Philmont. Not really much different than Scouts of yore playing Yahtzee or Hearts.

What merit badge did they ask you to teach? Just curious, as I can't think of any that could be completed in such a short time frame off the top of my head.

Agree... can't make it better in the future if they don't know what was wrong.

I think this MB is great for a group. My son's troop did it, and they participated in a 50 mile ride for Cancer at the end. The group that participated met each week for rides and to train to build up for the Cancer ride. It was an awesome experience for the boys.

I'm going to say "it depends".... In the requirements, it states "Explain", and "Identify", so if the test is over those items, then I don't see an issue. With that said though, I am more concerned about safe handling with my scouts. I want them to come out of my class knowing and understanding the NRA four rules of gun safety... know what they are, and demonstrate while on the range. Observing how you handle yourself and the firearm tells me more about your understanding of the requirements than the worksheet or a test.

I was hoping that just came out wrong! Thanks. I do get what you are saying about MB university and even summer camp. I just think if you try to draw a line in the sand on the issue, someone will challenge you on it and you will lose that challenge at council. If your council is completing Eagle required badges in a few hours though, I would take that up with council... there is no way that they can complete all the requirements in a single session.

Most of the Eagle badges can't be completed at a MB college because they can't do all of the requirements in one day. This is where the Scoutmaster should be recommending a "suitable" MB counselor for his scout to work with to finish the badge out. The MB counselor can then "review" the other requirements to make sure the scout has a good understanding. I asked my son what his thought was on the MB college and Eagle MB... His thought is that MB colleges are good for knocking out the classroom type of requirements. Every Eagle MB has requirements that can be taught in a classroom setting. And what is the difference between going to a MB college on a Saturday, or sitting in his room looking up things on the Internet to fill out a MB worksheet? Fellowship with other scouts...

This is quite a bit of thread drift, but a couple of your statements concern me. First, why should you have the right to deny merit badges taken at these events? I get it, you don't think the Scout has mastered the requirement, but again if the council is hosting the event or approves the event, and it is being led by council approved MB counselors, then no, you do not have the right to not accept them. Second, just to be clear, that 18 yr old who has aged out of Scouts (and may well be an Eagle Scout), but is now giving back by teaching a merit badge class during Summer camp doesn't mean much to you?

I don't think you can do that... If the MB counselor is registered and approved by your council advancement committee, then you have no legitimate reason to not issue the Scout the blue card.

My son told me about a kid who wrapped his shoes in duct tape with the sticky side out and then ran across another scout's trading blanket, trying to pick up patches with the tape as he went through the trading area. He learned not to put his patches on the ground from that one.

Kinda like patches at Jambo, huh?

Basically sounds like the SPL wants to have a Magic tournament as an activity on a camp out. Many of the scouts in my son's troop played Magic, but I am not aware of them ever doing a draft game. The way a draft game works is that each player gets X number of unopened packs at the beginning of the game. They open the packs and they keep one card from each pack. They then pass the rest of the pack to the left. This continues as each player chooses a card from each pack as they go around the table... thus the "draft" concept. So having a fee makes sense, as you have to cover the cost of the cards. Each participant gets to keep the deck that they built, and usually the winners will get more unopened packs. It really isn't gambling... but the SPL should not be profiting from it either. Perhaps a better way to do this would be for each scout who would like to participate, they need to bring X number of unopened packs. Just have them bring enough packs of cards to play the game itself, not to provide prizes to the winners. This also alleviates the possibility of the SPL turning a profit.

Welcome to the forum James. You may use one of the three types of targets listed. You do not need all three.

When my son went through, there was no requirement to camp with a troop. Wasn't even suggested by the handbook, nor did a troop invite us to. We did a troop visit with a couple of the local troops and I honestly didn't care for those either because they were dog and pony shows for the Webelos, not typical troop meetings or activities.

Don't knock the "sit upon".... Use one when dove hunting. Has a cooler liner to keep my water and Gatorade cold while in the field!