[liveevil2000]

Here is my 2 1/2 cents.

If you want to appeal to the staff at your school. You may want to start with a more historical approach.

There are plenty of games out there which have a good historical value. Since I am picturing your club being small at first. I think you should look into games which would teach a little something (just to show the staff it has merit). Plus at a $7 entry fee, you may not have enough money generated to buy anything substantial.

My suggestion here is to try a game produced by Avalon Hill called "Thrid Reich"
It has historical merit to it and if the staff ever want to see what you guys are up to, then they can look at the initial game and see how it has an educational value along with teaching strategy.

It is also a game which can be played with up to 5 players. This is also something which takes a loooong time to play (that is the down side).

Here would be my pitch to the staff.

Rise and Decline of the Third Reich is a classic "grand strategy" wargame covering the European theater of WWII. Huge in scope, players take on the roles of all the major national powers and can simulate the entire war effort from 1939 until the end (often isn't until 1946). A favorite game of many because of an excellent balance between politics and military might and it gives players a chance to try things that did not happen historically to see if they might have worked better (e.g., Germany invading Spain). Definitely not for the novice gamer, the rules are intricate and there are many factors for players to deal with: resources, unit production, negotiation, and of course strategic warfare. This is an introductory game which will kick off the club.

Now I am not going to write the entire thing for you. I believe it would undermine anything you may learn from this experience. This is a good lesson on how to con ... errr I mean, how to word things as to cast a favorable light on your endeavours.

Please excuse the long post, but I have to do things like this on a daily basis. I have to submit requests and why my ideas would work to CEOs and VPs all the time. Its all about how you present an idea. You can go with "I want to start a club that plays wargames and teaches strategy" or you can go with a historical angle and work your way in from there. Once the door opens, you are in and warhammer soon follows.