STAX AWAY!

Classroom lessons may be drab, but with this new card game to teach ammunition fundamentals, you'll be happy to sit through the lesson.

Think classroom lessons in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are always sian (boring) - just sitting behind a desk all day, listening to lectures and staring at PowerPoint slides?

What if learning could be fun? That's exactly what Mr Goh Kar Seng, Lance Corporal (LCP) Ulysses Goh and Corporal (CPL) Ryan Ho set out to do when they created Ammo Stax, a card game that teaches ammunition handling.

A new way to learn

As a new recruit to the SAF Ammunition Command (SAFAC), LCP Goh had to learn about ammunition and how to store it properly. "I found the vocation course rather content-heavy, and many trainees started to lose focus midway through the course," said the Ammunition Data Resource Assistant (ADR Asst) in the School of Ammunition.

Together with his Work Improvement Team members, fellow ADR Asst CPL Ho and Curriculum and Quality In-charge Mr Goh, LCP Goh decided to devise a method of learning that would keep soldiers' energy and attention levels up, while imparting important knowledge.

He noticed that board and card games were very popular with his camp-mates during lunch breaks and had a brainwave: "A card game implemented midway through the course would give trainees a break from the usual computer slides and help them regain their focus in an entertaining way."

Mr Goh agreed: "With the new generation of soldiers, the old methods of teaching are no longer as effective. That's why we looked into other areas such as gaming to help them focus on the content."

With Mr Goh contributing his extensive knowledge of ammunition and course management, LCP Goh saw to the details of the gameplay while CPL Ho took charge of designing the cards.

However, there was still a hurdle to clear - persuading their commanders that a cardgame would be an effective method of instruction.

"They thought gaming might have a negative impact on the trainees as the lesson would not be taken seriously," Mr Goh explained. "So we showed them a draft version of the game and explained the learning points."

Mr Goh (left) receiving the SAF Learning Innovation Award from Commandant SAFTI Military Institute Rear-Admiral Giam Hock Koon.

Playing for keeps

Following about four months of work, Ammo Stax was finally born. The game is the perfect complement to the SAFAC trainees' e-learning course as it encourages them to draw links between the various topics taught (see sidebar on gameplay).

Mr S. Nachiappan, a course instructor, explained: "Whatever information they see on the e-learning system is on the cards. They get to put the knowledge they've acquired into the game, and they really enjoy it."

Course assistant Corporal First Class Nicholas Goh agreed: "Currently, topics like safety, inspection and ammunition items are taught separately. This game ties all three aspects together."

In addition to greater enthusiasm, the trainees were retaining the information better as well.

Said Course Management Staff Officer Ong Kai Yie: "We did trials with one group undergoing only the e-learning and another undergoing both the e-learning and Ammo Stax. The latter fared better (in the end-of-course test)."

On 5 Oct, the team was presented with the Gold SAF Learning Innovation Award, which recognises training institutes and their staff for excellence in learning innovation. As LCP Goh and CPL Ho had already completed their National Service and were pursuing their studies overseas, Mr Goh received the award on behalf of the team, Team Titanium.

LCP Goh was surprised but happy to find out about the award: "I'm proud that the game won. Knowing that our work has been recognised is a pleasant feeling."

First-time winner Mr Goh was equally grateful: "It's a confirmation of our efforts by the higher management, and it motivates me to do more if the opportunity arises."

Playing Ammo Stax

• The game is best played with four to five players.
• Each deck contains three categories of cards: Ammo Item, Defect and Storage, as well as a set of wildcards.
• The dealer shuffles the deck and gives each player five cards. He then opens the top card of the deck.
• The first player must play a card from his hand that is linked to the opened card, such as one from the same category. If he plays one from a different category, he must explain how the two cards are related. For instance, with an Ammo Item (Cartridge 5.56mm Ball) card, he can play a Defect (Perforated Cartridge) card, which is a type of defect that can be found on the Cartridge 5.56mm Ball.
• If a player does not have any relevant cards, he must draw one from the deck.
• A player can play the wildcard to change the category of the last card. To play, he must name one of the 10 Golden Rules of Ammunition (safety rules). He may then choose a new category.
• The game ends when a player has no more cards in his hand. That player wins the game.