That’s the cybernetic, armored, gun covered, nuclear-powered, battle-tank of the future kind. See, before gamers discovered mechs, they played Ogre, a science fiction tactical war game and miniatures system from Steve Jackson Games. But like its weaponized namesake, Ogre is near impossible to kill, so all these years later the game still has a dedicated following. Now, completing a project began some time ago, Steve Jackson has just released an updated edition of Ogre Miniatures in PDF form. It includes all the necessary rules, as well as corrections to previous editions, addenda, FAQs, and record cards for all known Ogre models.

• 1 Comment

In Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, the UNRWA and European Union are providing educational facilities and tools, which include custom made Arabic/English board games.

Among these games is the sexual health education game Moving Forward.

“Talking about sex is a big taboo,” explained Hisham, one of the project’s fieldworkers at the Chatila Palestinian refugee camp. “And when the kids don’t know what the problem is, they probably make mistakes.”

The game was produced under the framework of the awkwardly named “Reproductive Health and Well-Being of Youth Living in Six Palestinian Refugee Camps and Surrounding Gatherings in Lebanon” organization. Click here for more information. Versions of the game are being developed for other NGOs, including one by a Finnish group suitable for Kenya. (source)

Some of the other board games produced for the refugee camps include:

• Pikaboom, a game about mines and cluster bombs.
• It’s My Right, a game about human rights and Arabic culture.

• 1 Comment