Objective
To capture the enemy’s flag by bringing it to your side of the centerline.
Materials
1 flag for each team
2 ropes per team to mark the flag and jail locations
Mesh jerseys for each camper
Preparation
Determine game boundaries with a centerline. Typical boundary lines are the Battalion field, the water, the road, and the Dining Hall. Players are not allowed to exit the playing area.
The middle is called “No-man’s Land” and is a 10-meter-wide safe zone for both teams. It is marked with colored trail tape on trees and is monitored by staff.
Referees are stationed strategically to monitor these boundaries: the jail, the flag, and No-man’s Land. Pass out whistles and determine whistle blasts to communicate across the playing field.
Create two teams, red and blue, and have each camper wear a colored mesh jersey. Each team displays its flag in plain view somewhere on its side of the playing field. Each team also defines a jail area that is 10×10 feet. Use the rope to define the area.
How to Play
Players attempt to steal the opposing team’s flag and return it to their side on the other side of no man’s land without being tagged.
A safe zone is created around the flag’s location. Defenders are not allowed inside the safe zone.
If a camper has the flag and is tagged, the flag is dropped and remains there until another opposing player can steal it.
Once tagged, the captor takes the captive to jail. Captives must walk with their hands above their heads (signaling they have been captured). During this time, the captor cannot capture any other players. The captive must go directly to jail.
The camper remains in jail until another teammate can run into the jail area without being tagged (called a “jailbreak”). Sometimes, the game leader can give a team a complete jailbreak if they feel that will keep the game interesting.
When a jailbreak occurs, all freed players must return to their side with their hands above their heads before they can re-enter the game.
Sticks
Use a field instead of playing in the woods. Create a centerline and two circles on opposite sides of the field with several small objects (“sticks”) placed inside. Create two jails, typically the soccer goals. Players hang long tube socks from their waist. Instead of “tagging,” a player is out when a sock has been pulled from his waist. The objective is to steal the sticks from the enemy team without letting them take your sock—the team with the most sticks at the end of a round wins. Captors do not need to escort captives. A captive must retrieve his stolen sock and walk to the enemy’s jail. Players can break their team out of jail by reaching their opposing team’s jail without getting caught.