Strategic Titles

        For the last few months I've been sitting on an article, largely because my understanding of the subject matter changes every two weeks.  My son aged 12 has been attending a Strategy Gaming "club" that meets on alternate Saturdays for six to eight hours per session.  Lunch is eaten on the fly, coaching occurs throughout the session and after-action reports occur at the end of the day.  Conquest of the Empire, Axis & Allies, Joan of Arc, mostly long DoaM games where conflict and long-term goals are featured parts of the play, more due to their opportunity for "bigness" than any particular thematic preference.

        The guy running these games is no slouch, and to date he's been eating the cost of three copies for each game and often has special laminated boards to increase the playing area for the less steady hands of the elementary school kids.  Each session features a single game played across three age groups, elementary, middle school, and high school.  The level of immersion he's coaxing out of these kids is pretty impressive, and he has an established curric that coincides with the lesson plans of the teachers in the local schools.  He himself is in the education field and his approach document for Strategic Gaming is very impressive.

        The larger games have served him well but he's looking to broaden horizons now with less belligerent, shorter titles to change the mix and fill gaps when a table finishes early and still has an hour or two to play.  In particular he's looking for games that breed critical thinking and an ability to identify and execute a long-term strategy as opposed to reacting to conditions in the moment.  We're talking games where teachable moments come into the play.  Given this is more in F:At's baileywick than BGG's I've opted to pose the question here:  what are the shorter titles that still have decision-then-luck mechanics involved and keep cooperation and competition in the mix?  He's looking to make another purchase and has some candidates (to the tune of $400+ dollars -- we parents will be picking up the bill for this one for obvious reasons) but the titles are yet to be confirmed.

                        S.