AGazine, October 2015

News and Notes

LinguiSHTIK Revision

When a game undergoes major revisions, some tweaking of the rules is usually needed as unforeseen situations arise. That has happened with LinguiSHTIK.

• A key new rule for 2015-16 is this:
  “PASS: Instead of playing a cube or making a Challenge, a player may PASS, giving up his turn.”
  Section LT24 explicates the PASS as follows:
  “The PASS Move
  A. The PASS move is one of the four choices a player has for his move: move a cube to letters, make a demand, make a challenge, or PASS.
  B. Calling PASS may not be done until Players 1, 2, and 3 have moved to set up that shake by calling a Pattern, Structure, or Purpose; called the TYPE demand; and stated a FUNCTION demand.
  Note: Usually this will occur near the end of a shake when the player feels that there is not a safe move, and any move will make it possible for another player to call Challenge Now.
  C. The PASS move can be done by each player only once in a shake. Players who PASS must initial the DEMANDS FORM to indicate that the PASS has been used.
  D. If one or two players pass but the next decides to move, that player opens himself to a Now or Impossible challenge. Players need to be aware that calling PASS too early in a shake may result in the necessity of putting a cube on the mat later in the game, which may set up another player to Challenge.
  FORCEOUT Procedure
  A. If each player passes consecutively [that is Player 1 passes, Player 2 passes, Player 3 passes] then Forceout is called.
  B. Forceout means that players have three minutes to write solutions using two more cubes from Resources. Neither of these cubes may be used as a demand. Correct solutions would score 4 points. Players with incorrect or no solutions would score 2 points.”
• LinguiSHTIK Rules Chair Ellen Bredeweg: In working with some players, they gave me the following scenario. The players are close to the end of a shake. Player One says PASS, Player Two says PASS, but Player Three sees a safe move and plays a cube to the mat. Now Player One has to challenge or play a cube, but what if he just lets his time run out and takes a -1? According to the scenario, Player Two could do the same thing. Player Three still has a PASS move, and can say that, moving the play back to Player One again.
• To handle this possibility, the word “consecutively” will be defined in a particular way so that “the third player calling PASS is consecutive to the other two if neither of the first two players placed a cube on the mat since calling PASS.

50th Anniversary Propaganda Tournament

The 50th Anniversary Propaganda Tournament was held at Brother Martin High School, New Orleans, October 6. 285 Junior/Senior players from the New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, and St. Bernard Parish leagues participated.

Catching Up on Past and Future Events in the Leagues

September

October

November

If you do not see your league’s events above, please send your calendar.

Down Memory Lane

I Think, Therefore … I Play: Celebrating 50 Years of Academic Games, prepared by Stu White for the 2015 AGLOA National Tournament in Orlando, is a treasure trove of memories. Here is one of the many stories in this magnificent publication.

Dr. Layman Allen began introducing his new game of Equations into the schools in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he taught at the University of Michigan. Layman enticed Dwight McMurrin to leave Austin, Texas, and teach at Slauson Junior High using the game as an educational tool. Studies were done in both places that showed that regular playing of Equations increased students’ math skills significantly.

Concurrently, in 1964, the Broward County, Florida, public school system opened Nova Schools (we would call them magnet schools today) and garnered national fame for their revolutionary modifications to traditional curricula in all academic areas. Nova received a Ford Foundation grant in 1965 to establish an experimental Academic Games program. Robert Allen was selected to be the Director. WFF ‘N Proof and Equations were introduced to Nova classrooms and other Broward schools were invited to compete in the first interscholastic matches.