D&D and scouts.

[Trevorum]

Prairie,

"Miracles" are just "magic", but with better PR...

[packsaddle]

Trevorum, I liked that...Oh Rapture!

There's little inherently bad about most of the fantasies, whether games like Magic or D&D, or stories like Harry Potter or the Left Behind series. It should all just be good fun. And if they stick around long enough I suppose they have a chance of being added to our myths. When people start to take that stuff seriously is the point that care is needed.

During the wind-down time in the evenings, card games are fine. I prefer stories told around the fire. As long as the idea is to end the day in good spirits and get some good sleep before the next day.

[Lynda J]

Our PLC made a rule that the only thing that comes on any camping trip that requires batteries should be a flashlight. There are so many other great things to do on camping trips other then sticking your nose in a computer game. So many things that are so much more productive. Know something not one of our boys complains.

[Adrianvs]

"But when we camp each leader there has a phone. They are used for emergencies only. 99% of the phones that kids have have games on them. They don't need to be at camp."

 

You mean that every troop officer, from the SPL to the assistant patrol leaders, has a cellular phone? Or are you using the term "leader" to apply only to adults? No wonder the "kids" can't handle phones with games on them. No on is expecting them to be leaders..

[tortdog]

Maybe people who don't let scouts drive at 12 do not trust the boys enough to let them lead.

[msnowman]

The original question was "Do D&D and Scouts contradict each other or complement each other". I play an on-line game similar in structure and content to D&D. In it I play a ranger (someone who tracks prey) and a tree hugging druid. Now to me those are very scouting toons to play. However, the key there is Toon. Its a game, D&D is a game, just because you play this game doesn't make you a Satanic cult Idol worshipper (Now American Idol? How's that for a cult?).

 

My newly minted Boy Scout plays both the On line game I mentioned above as well as D&D (and Yu-Gi-Oh in his Web I days). On more than one occassion those games have been an ice breaker he has used as a way to strike up a conversation with another youth. On that merit alone the game has some merit.

 

I don't worry about playing a Role Playing Game turning him into a bad person or the next big cult leader. Games have their place at camp and at Scout outings as has been well established previously in this thread. Do all of their games have to meet with adult approval before they can be played? If so, you can be sure that some of them that you don't approve of are being played out of view/earshot. Our Council camp lists electronics on the "do not bring" list for each camper though I have never known of one to be confiscated from a boy. To the groups that ban handheld games, did you also ban Yu-Gi-Oh cards s being inappropriate? My Scout's school has, but the Pack didn't, they were allowed at 'appropriate times' such as while gathering or visiting after meetings.

 

Michelle - CM - Pack 102

[eaglescout2004]

I have personal objections to D&D, but if the others on the trip bring it to play I have no objection.

I do, however, strongly disagree with:

"...if youth are spending time playing a game at Scout Camp they obviously aren't signed up for enough merit badges"

Scouts usually have an appropriate amount of down time. I have seen scouts that don't believe in down time so they take 5+ MBs but they usually dont have a really great time at camp. Scouts is NOT about advancement, thats a side thing. It is about FUN.

[schleining]

D&D is not by itself a bad thing... its a game.

I do not particularly care for it, but we have some of our scouts that play it or variations of it.

Its not allowed during Scout events like camp, but they talk about.

I treat it like a gameboy.. just not allowed.

I think there are better things that they could be doing.

 

It is kind of a joke among the ASMs about the D&D thing. Its kind of the "geeky high school kid" thing. (NO OFFENSE) Never played it, don't understand it, don't allow it. They have plenty of non Scouting time to play it.

And the bottom line is it does not seem like an issue in my Troop. Although the SPL thinks he is a midevil ninja dragon slayer sometimes... we all get a chuckle out of it.

 

Jerry

[OldGreyEagle]

"...Although the SPL thinks he is a midevil ninja dragon slayer sometimes..."

 

As long as he doesnt think of adult leaderhip as medieval dragons

[tortdog]

>Scouts is NOT about advancement, thats a side thing. It is about FUN.

 

If a Scout is not having fun AND advancing, then the leaders are doing something wrong.

 

And in my view, if a Scout come back from camp with 1 or 2 merit badges, someone screwed up.

[OldGreyEagle]

even if he had the time of his life?

[Hunt]

"And in my view, if a Scout come back from camp with 1 or 2 merit badges, someone screwed up."

 

Last week, my son and I were looking at the schedule for summer camp. I asked him how many merit badges he planned to do. He told me two. I said, but look at the schedule, you can easily do three or even four! He said, yeah, but I want to go to the open shoot, and my buddy and I want to spend some time fishing, and also we want to relax some, too. This kid thinks Scout Camp is a vacation! Seriously, camp has been such a positive experience for my son, and so effective in building troop spirit, that I don't really care if he doesn't get any MBs. (Actually, I'm hoping he'll get a third MB by finishing the Riflery partial he has--all he needs is some target shooting.)

[whitewater]

I have no problem with a Scout coming back from camp with only 1 or 2 merit badges if they had fun and learned some Scouting along the way. The primary purpose of a long term camp is to practice the patrol method and everything that goes along with it.

 

I hate that so many camps have become merit badge factories. I think thats the reason many camps have dining hall cooking now- so they can cram in some more time for merit badge classes. I also have a problem with the quality of merit badges earned at camp, but thats another issue.

[tortdog]

I suppose I speak only from my experience. As a Scout, there were plenty of things to do at camp other than D&D. I always brought home 4-5 merit badges (and worked my butt off for them). When I wasn't working on the merit badges (including after the classes for environmental sciense, sailing, rifle and archery as examples), I was doing SOMETHING outside. I worked on crafts from the Scout Shop. We played outdoor games. We expored. We built pioneering projects, but I did NOT spend the time playing games I could easily be doing at home.

 

The Scout camp experience was totally different from my normal walk at home. That is what brings me the memories I cherish. I think it's unfair to Scouts to not give them the opportunity to have Scout camp be something other than what they are used to back home. Maybe some of the boys won't "get it" or "appreciate it", but when they grow up they will. And if the boys are fighting the leaders, then we aren't doing our jobs.

 

Once I had earned most of the merit badges at camp, I moved on and did other more challenging things through the high adventure program. And, frankly, during the high adventure the last thing I would have been tugging along is extra weight. Our high adventure outings were hard...requiring endurance and man if those weren't life changing events. I didn't always appreciate it at the time, but I certainly do now (as do my friends growing up with me).

 

My desire is that the boys in my leadership have similar activities, and if I'm not giving my boys something more than what they get every day at home, then they aren't experiencing Scouting in my opinion.

 

Of course, that's just my opinion.

[schleining]

eaglescout2004-

 

Scouts is about advancement- Advancement is one of the methods to achieve the Aims... therefore yes Scouts is about advancment. At least 1/8th of Scouting to be exact.

 

Advancement is part of the FUN.

 

Jerry