What is a Wide Game? |
Lantern |
Flag Raid |
Nigel's Navy |
Pallette Ball |
Slips |
Tags |
Kill the Carrier |
Suggestions? |
A Wide Game is a game played outside by Scouts over a wide area. It is usually played at night when it is dark. It often involves teams competing against each different games may involve Scouts acting as individuals.
Lantern is a wide game with the Scouts acting as individuals. Here is how to play...
A small clearing, about 5 metres across, in the forest is found (usually by the leaders that afternoon) and a lit lantern is placed in the middle. The Scouts are sent off at least 25 metres into the undergrowth and trees surrounding the clearing while one Scout waits in the clearing armed with a torch.
On the command of "GO!", the Scouts in the trees have to stealthily get themselves back into the clearing. Meanwhile, the Scout in the middle is listening for movement and if thinks that he hears someone, he must shine the torch at them and say a name. If it is the correct name, the Scout must walk into the clearing and he is "out" for the remainder of that "round". If the name is incorrect, the Scout (if one is there at all) just ignores the beam. The Scout in the middle has unlimited "shots" with the torch, but musn't "pan" the torch or go back to the same place within about 15 seconds.
The game proceeds until all of the Scouts are back in the clearing, either having "made-it" or being "out". If the game seems to be "dragging on" it is customary for the Leader to countdown from about 2 minutes. The first Scout to get into the clearing gets to have the torch for the next round.
It is important that the Scouts (and the Leaders) are silent at all times during the game as noise can put the Scout in the middle off.
Often, this is a chance for all of the Scouts to dress up in all of their Army-Camo gear as well as place Camo-Cream on their faces. It is up to the Scout Leader whether to allow this or not. (It can be a disadvantage to other players). However, dark clothes are recommended.
This is another Wide Game, but this time played in two teams. It works best with teams of around 8 or 9, but there is no real minumum or maximum. It can be played during the day or night, however as you will see, it works better at night.
Each team member gets a piece of wool tied around one of their arms in their team's colour, this is their 'life'. It can be replaced, but without it that team member must take no part in the game until it is renewed. Two large clearings need to be found (about 20 metres across) within about 50 - 100 metres of each other. Each time claims one of the clearings but doesn't know where the other team's clearing is. An area inside the clearing is marked with a rope layed on the ground and that area is out of bounds to that team. A flag (often a half full water carrier) is placed inside this area. One leader hides in the bushes in each of the clearings and, if other leaders are availble, on the route between the two clearings.
On the command of GO, the object of the game is to get BOTH flags inside your own rope circle. The teams are to assign people to defensive tasks and to to offensive tasks. Bearing in mind that the teams don't know where the other clearing is, this can be quite an interesting phase of the game. Team A are allowed in Team B's circle, but Team A are not allowed in their OWN circle unless carrying a flag. Therefore, Team B attackers can seek refuge (and get their breath back) whilst in the safety of Team A's circle before trying to make it back to their own circle.
Defense takes the form of removing the other team's life bands. When a player has had his band of wool removed, he is useless to his team until he gets it replaced by a leader, usually moving between the two clearings. If a player is running with a flag and his band is removed, he must drop the flag instantly.
Depending on the Leader, points can be awarded for other team's bands. Therefore, Team A will get more points for the number of Team B members that they have "killed".
The game stops either when both flags are in one circle or the game has dragged on for too long and the teams are too evenly matched...
This game is played in four teams. Each team member has a number. Line up a five balls in the center of the field and get the teams to stand at opposite ends of the field (about 50m away from the balls if possible).
The leader calls out a number and the player on each team who has that number runs up to the center of the field and grabs a ball and gets it back to their base. The idea is to get four balls back to their base. The only rule is that players can only carry one ball at a time. They may defend their bases using "adequate" force.
As soon as one team has four balls in their base, they win.
Submitted by Dr. David Martin & Mike Davis. (through uk.rec.scouting)
Each team is given a set of cards with numbers on them with values ranging from 1 - "n" with some numbers repeated.
The players run about in a field and when they meet each other, they look at each other's card and the highest number "captures" the lowest number and takes him back to his base. (Card 1 captures card "n"). Once the captor is in the opponent's base, he stays there whilst the person that caught him goes off to find somebody else.
Once there are no more captures possible (ie. one person left, or everyone has been captured) you count up the captures, the highest total wins.
NO swapping of cards mid-game, although probably best to swap after each game.
Submitted by James Smith. (through uk.rec.scouting)
The group is split into two teams and at each end of a field a folded groundsheet or a pallette is placed. A ball is placed in the center of a field.
The idea of the game is to get the ball onto the opposing team's groundsheet or pallette. The rules are:
Once a goal has been scored, the teams return to their home pallettes and the team who lost the last round starts with the ball.
Submitted by Duncan Reid. (through uk.rec.scouting)
This game requires a bit of preparation but is great fun.
First - you need to cut up several strips of material about 1 inch wide and about 1ft long. We use Luminous Rip-Stop Nylon. It is best if the colours are bright. Divide the groups into as many teams as you have different colours of material. For this example, I will assume that you are using three teams: Red; Blue and Green.
Send one team off with one Leader who has a number of the same colored strips, Say Red. The leader gives one strip to each team member who puts it in their trousers so that about 9 inches of it are showing out of the back of his trousers and tells the team that they are after Blue. After a set amount of time (so that everybody is ready) the game starts. Red team have to run after blue, blue after green and green after red. When a capture is made (ie a Red has taken a Blue tag), the red must escort the Blue back to a central position where the blue team member exchanges his tag for a red one. He is now also after blues.
Once one team is used up, the team is removed from the chain - for example if there are no blues left, it is Reds after Greens and Greens after Reds etc. The game ends when there is only one team left, or to cut the game short, when one team has more than half of the group.
It is important not to tell other teams who is after them although when there are only two or three team it is not hard to work this out. Also say that you win if you are on the side with the most people...
You also need a 1-Way system / safe zone around the central area where bands are being handed out.
This is a game we like to play in the USA. It is called "Slips".
It is to be played at night in a slightly wooded area. Boys are divided into two teams and each member of the teams are given a colored cloth to be hung around their belt. Both teams agree on a "base" and a coin is tossed to see who hides first. The team who wins the toss goes out and has one minute to hide within the boundaries agreed on earlier that day.
After the minute is up, the other team goes out and tries to take the cloth from as many of the members of the other team as possible. If one more boy than half the total number of boys on the team makes it to base with their flags, the team gets to hide again, if more than half the team does not make it back to base the other team gets to hide.
There is generally a 20 minute limit paced on each round. The team who gets to hide the most wins. I hope you have fun with this game, I know we love it!
Submitted by Joe Kerr.
You'll need:
This game can be played as a full contact or two hand touch game one person has the glow stick (he's the "carrier") everyone else should hunt this person and take the glow stick from him then this person becomes the "carrier" and so on. Normally (when playing full contact) it ends up being a wrestling match for the glow stick so be careful if you have younger scouts playing this game.
Submitted By: Dave Wakely (5th Meadowvale, Ontario)
If you have any queries about the rules to these two games, please let me know and I will try to clarify them. It is quite likely that I have missed somethings out, so please TELL ME!
If you try these games on a camp, or even on a Wide Game evening, please let me know as well to see how you got on!
If you have any suggestions of a Wide Game that I might like to include on this page, or even an adaption to a game I have got listed, please either e-mail me, or fill in this form...
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