redcoat | 24 Oct 2014 3:56 a.m. PST |
Hi all, I am designing a simple decision-making exercise for 11-year-old school pupils, which focuses on making a successful early (C8th) Viking raid on England. It's inspired by the BBC 'Viking Quest' Flash Media exercise, which I thought I could improve (albeit at the expense of the originals marvelous pc animations/sounds, etc.). Thus far I have questions on such things as: 1. identify the best weapons to take by their Norse names (ie, Skulle-bítr rather than Weikr-sverð, etc.); 2. size of boat – preferably seaworthy but also riverine, rather than a small coastal transport or a large, deeper-drafted warship. 3.4.5. Choose navigator, coxswain and tough crewman on basis of descriptive Viking nicknames; 6. timing of raid – i.e., easier to recruit in mid-summer rather than spring planting or harvest, and not sensible to brave rough winter seas; 7. route from Denmark (i.e., better to go direct westwards across N. Sea, rather than hugging the various hostile coasts northwards or southwards); 8. target (preferably a monastery rather than a village, town or London); 9. ship security (leave nobody to guard the ship, or a small party, or half the crew); 10. whether or not to burn the monastery (no – leave it intact so it can be knocked off again in the future). Any ideas for additional questions, or improvements on what I've got thus far? i.e., something else about crew recruitment – what key figures did an effective Viking crew need? Many thanks in advance for any assistance/suggestions. Cheers, Redcoat |
Winston Smith | 24 Oct 2014 4:44 a.m. PST |
Are you serious? An exercise for 11 year old school students where you get to rape, pillage, loot and steal when successful? What school do you imagine would tolerate this? |
redcoat | 24 Oct 2014 6:02 a.m. PST |
Are you serious? An exercise for 11 year old school students where you get to rape, pillage, loot and steal when successful? What school do you imagine would tolerate this? Mine! In Britain, independent schools on the whole aren't terribly interested in political correctness… |
Lewisgunner | 24 Oct 2014 6:08 a.m. PST |
A big decision is fight or flight. Do you take on local forces or do you get back into the boats. That would require an assessment of how good and numerous the opposition are likely to be and how many casualties you find acceptable. No point winning a battle if you cannot row the boats home. Do you fortify a base or not. Often Vikings would take over an island or a meander in river and use it as a base for raiding. Do you take a pay off in gold or stay raiding? |
Larry R | 24 Oct 2014 6:37 a.m. PST |
I should have went to that school. Besides its history and uses critical thinking. |
doc mcb | 24 Oct 2014 6:55 a.m. PST |
I have done this sort of thing at several schools, though set in the French and indian Wars, with kids roleplaying settlers. That gives plenty for the girls to do. And you could add an English villagers response along similar lines. Do you try to defend your home or run to safety? If the nearest neighbor's house is half a mile south, or the fort is a mile north, which one do you head to? Speed and noise trade off: you can sneak and go VERY slow, but maybe hear the enemy before they hear you, or you can run but may possibly run into the enemy. I did once run a Viking game in which the Carolingian cavalry burned two out of three (undefended) boats, but the crew from one of those then stole the remaining boat and sailed away with their plunder, leaving its crew behind. |
doc mcb | 24 Oct 2014 7:01 a.m. PST |
I also did a Peterloo game for 10th grade kids in Euro history. With hot-headed cavalry officers and professional agitators, mischievous kids with wooden swords riding hobby horse, etc. The two dimmest girls in the class were assigned to be newspaper reporters, and their account for their paper, written overnight after the game in class, was deemed to be the true account and the basis for who "won." |
Lee Brilleaux | 24 Oct 2014 7:40 a.m. PST |
I am reminded of the TV series 'Vikings' where the writer, having no apparent gift for moral ambivalence, shows the raiders as wonderful chaps who have a bit of a bad mood where they hack up a lot of monks (who seem whiny about the whole thing, and who likes that?) and then go back to being wonderful chaps (with slaves). |
Gone Fishing | 24 Oct 2014 7:48 a.m. PST |
After all the mealy-mouthed material kids are given these days, it's actually something of a relief to hear about a project that observes the finer points of pillage and rapine (within reason, of course). Good luck with the presentation! As most young people have an inner Viking just waiting to burst forth, I'm sure it will be very popular with the students. |
redcoat | 24 Oct 2014 7:50 a.m. PST |
This is marvelous thus far – thanks so much for all the comments, folks! Another question: roughly how many inhabitants would the raiders who hit Lindisfarne in 793 have encountered? Presumably there'd have been fewer than 50-odd monks at the monastery? But would these monks also have had various hangers-on and support workers, whether the kind of 'lay brothers' who I know did most of the donkey work for the 'choir monks' in high-/later-medieval monasteries? Perhaps also male and female villagers, if such a settlement existed close nearby? Anyone have any clue? |
David Manley | 24 Oct 2014 8:11 a.m. PST |
To make this really fun divide the class in two. One team is doing what you suggest for the Vikings, the other is going through a similar exercise for the locals. Then compare their respective plans and see who "wins" :) |
Gone Fishing | 24 Oct 2014 9:31 a.m. PST |
David's idea is a great one. The one problem is that the Vikings often struck with no warning, at places they weren't expected, and so local planning was at times non-existent. It would make a great classroom exercise, though. I think all monasteries (particularly important ones like Lindisfarne) had quite a number of lay brethren and general hangers-on in the local area. Maybe someone else with more knowledge than I have can give a guess at possible numbers? |
Who asked this joker | 24 Oct 2014 10:40 a.m. PST |
"What did you do today at school honey?" "Not much. I just knocked over a monestary, flayed a monk or two and made off with a bunch of loot including several slave girls." Hmmm…kinda agree with Winston Smith above. It's a little creepy to have the kids controlling those who are so brutal. Maybe you could change that to planning the defense of Saxon England? How would you repell such heinous brutes?
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Winston Smith | 24 Oct 2014 3:21 p.m. PST |
I should have went to that school. Besides its history and uses critical thinking.
You should have GONE to a school that taught proper grammar. |
Sobieski | 24 Oct 2014 6:18 p.m. PST |
Should OF went to that skool! If you wanna be ilitterate, do it proper! |
Condotta | 24 Oct 2014 7:02 p.m. PST |
What, no angst regarding the mead? Question: What do you do with the large amount of captured victuals, including mead? 1. Eat, drink and be merry now? 2. Sample to ensure wholesome and nutritious but save for later? 3. Remember, YOU are a Viking! Kill all those who say "save it for later"!? |
Ivan DBA | 24 Oct 2014 11:15 p.m. PST |
The Vikings were the bad guys. Cool, but bad guys. When I am playing SAGA, I rejoice everytime I slay a Viking. |
Gone Fishing | 25 Oct 2014 8:39 a.m. PST |
I don't game this period, but I would feel just the same, Ivan. The Vikings were a terrible scourge to the peoples around them, and I'm always glad when I read of them getting a thrashing. The excellent little film The Secret of Kells sums them up pretty accurately, I think! |
Yesthatphil | 25 Oct 2014 8:49 a.m. PST |
I see we are struggling with the irony here as well as the moral diversity The Vikings of course were neither good nor bad – they were Vikings and their moral compass was generated by the age and traditions of their world. Much of our view of them comes from Churchmen who had no reason to tone it down. Even so, in the 9th Century, one of the greatest warrior Vikings, the Dane, Guthrum, converted to Christianity. But school children can handle all that, I'm sure … Phil |
David Manley | 25 Oct 2014 11:53 a.m. PST |
Funny the angst that some of us have about kids and Vikings, given the hero worship heaped on pirates courtesy of Disney and other sources of kids entertainment :) |
Larry R | 27 Oct 2014 11:00 a.m. PST |
Thanks for the lesson Winnie, good thing I sent my youngins to Catholic sckoll! |
dapeters | 30 Oct 2014 8:49 a.m. PST |
I think there a third possibility, trade. |