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SPL Charging $ to participate in games at camping event


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I am new to scouting leadership.  A group of parents want to allow the SPL to charge fellow scouts $ to participate in a "Magic Draft" while on a Troop camping outing.  I am very uncomfortable about this on many levels.  One:  Our scouts often can't afford the low price for each event already.  Two:  based on the cost sited, it appears the SPL may be making some money at the event.  Does anyone know by-laws or rules pertaining to this sort of thing within the BSA?  Input on your opinions is also appreciated.

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One of the grandkids explained it to me tonight. She always has dinner with us before going to Religious Education on Wednesday evenings. She doesn't play with "Magic" cards, but she knows about them.

Kinda like patches at Jambo, huh?

I wouldn't have allowed that at a scout activity.  I guess it all depends on whether or not you have the authority to stop it. If you do,  go ahead and stop it. You have plenty of justification.

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@Cindy121, welcome!

There are no rules. I have scouts show up with boxes of knives to sell at a formidable mark-up. I tried to discourage parents from giving their begging sons cash to buy them. But to no avail.

I am not a fan of business transactions during troop activities. But, I know that's spitting into the wind. I just make sure that my kids use their own $$s, bargain hard, or do without.

What I try to insist on is a full disclosure of revenue vs. expenses. That way boys know what is going into the SPL's pocket when they "buy in" to the game.

 

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1) WELCOME TO DA FORUMS.

2) I too want to know more about Magic Draft.

3) I've seen Scouts sell stuff to other Scouts before, usually uniforms and gear. I myself had a "business" in high school of going to the local thrift store and buying used uniforms. I resold them with a slight mark up, usually $0.50 to $1.00.

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2 hours ago, Cindy121 said:

I am new to scouting leadership.  A group of parents want to allow the SPL to charge fellow scouts $ to participate in a "Magic Draft" while on a Troop camping outing.  I am very uncomfortable about this on many levels.  One:  Our scouts often can't afford the low price for each event already.  Two:  based on the cost sited, it appears the SPL may be making some money at the event.  Does anyone know by-laws or rules pertaining to this sort of thing within the BSA?  Input on your opinions is also appreciated.

I don't know what a "Magic Draft" is either, but I don't like the sound of it. Is this a fantasy sports thing? Is it gambling?

We don't allow any commercial activity or fund raising of any kind to take place on our property or during our programs without the prior approval of the Chartered Organization. If the CO hasn't approved it, I would forbid it.

 

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Magic is a card game kind of lime dungeons and dragons of old.  The gist of a draft is that scouts buy in to play and leave with winnings.  Score more points,  bigger prize at end.  Most leave with token packs of more magic cards.  My town has businesses that run these for profit.  Was hoping for something to stop the payment/profit part of playing a game on a scout outting.

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2 hours ago, Cindy121 said:

Magic is a card game kind of lime dungeons and dragons of old.  The gist of a draft is that scouts buy in to play and leave with winnings.  Score more points,  bigger prize at end.  Most leave with token packs of more magic cards.  My town has businesses that run these for profit.  Was hoping for something to stop the payment/profit part of playing a game on a scout outting.

I wouldn't have allowed that at a scout activity. 

I guess it all depends on whether or not you have the authority to stop it. If you do,  go ahead and stop it. You have plenty of justification. If you don't have the authority, then all you can do is tell your kid not to participate.

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Basically sounds like the SPL wants to have a Magic tournament as an activity on a camp out.  Many of the scouts in my son's troop played Magic, but I am not aware of them ever doing a draft game. 

The way a draft game works is that each player gets X number of unopened packs at the beginning of the game.  They open the packs and they keep one card from each pack.  They then pass the rest of the pack to the left.  This continues as each player chooses a card from each pack as they go around the table... thus the "draft" concept.  So having a fee makes sense, as you have to cover the cost of the cards.  Each participant gets to keep the deck that they built, and usually the winners will get more unopened packs.  It really isn't gambling...  but the SPL should not be profiting from it either.

Perhaps a better way to do this would be for each scout who would like to participate, they need to bring X number of unopened packs.  Just have them bring enough packs of cards to play the game itself, not to provide prizes to the winners.  This also alleviates the possibility of the SPL turning a profit.

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So...to be clear, I am not supposed to be running the Texas hold-em big blind games at camp?  Admittedly the pots get way smaller after the first night and "the house" seems to have been the big winner.  Will have to adjust the campsite events

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I have never heard of the Magic Draft, but I sure have heard of Magic cards.  They are a plague on Scouting (and on humankind in general) as far as I am concerned. There have been incidents at summer camp of kids stealing cards, charging each other exorbitant amounts (in U.S. $) for cards, and other un-Scoutlike behavior.  I am glad my son never got into that whole thing.

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