Bases Overview: Bases is a fast-paced outdoor game combining elements of ‘Capture the Flag’ (CTF), flag football, and role playing. Bring and drink plenty of water, and take a break between games to rest and collaborate. Please read the clarifying ‘Notes’ after each section for important information and tips. Objectives for Winning: A Game: a single play-through that is won when one team destroys their opponent’s Home base. The Match: the combination of a few or several games that is won when a team reaches the score the teams have chosen beforehand. Scores are not added up until the end of each game. A team receives 3 points each time they destroy their opponent’s Home base, 1 point for every opponent Field base they destroy, and 1 point for each Field base they build (even if it is later destroyed). Note: Make the teams as balanced as possible, and readjust if necessary. While playing, the most important things to keep in mind are safety and honesty - both serious injury and dishonesty will ruin any game. What You’ll Need: People: At least 5 players per team - there is no maximum limit. Flag Football Belts and Flags: Each player needs a belt with 2-3 removable flags that match his or her team’s color. If there are extra belts and flags, use them for the Home and Field bases. If not, you’ll need something like colored bandannas or cloth strips. Space: At an urban, suburban, or rural setting. For safety reasons, decide if boundaries are needed and where. Note: There are no ‘safe’ zones or areas where players are immune from having their flags stolen. With large fields or large teams, you may want to have phones so you can communicate with each other. Player Elimination: When all of a player\'s flags are stolen, they have been eliminated, can no longer steal flags, and must ‘Recharge’ to continue playing. To Recharge, they should pick up their flags and return to a team base to put them back on. If a player has lost 1 or more flags, but not all of them, he or she can return to a base to place the flags back on. Note: The eliminated player is responsible for finding his or her own flags. It is important that players who stole an opponents’ flags do not throw or hide them, but drop them in an obvious place or give them back to their opponent. If a player has had a flag stolen, but still has another, they should keep the unattached flag with them. Team Bases: Home Base: 1-3 Home flags are used to mark a team’s Home base (1-2 if the belts have just 2 flags). The the belt with flags is fastened, or just flags, are placed onto something, like a tree, that serves as the team’s Home base and acts as a Recharge location. Both teams should agree on the placement of each other’s Home flags before the match begins. Field Base: 1-3 Field flags are used to mark a team’s Field bases (1-2 if your belts have just 2 flags). Like the Home base, these serve as Recharge locations. Before the match begins, teams choose specific locations where Field bases can be built. Field bases can only be built at these locations. There may be 1-2 Field base locations near each team’s Home base, and 1-3 somewhere near the middle of the field. We suggest selecting 2-3 total Field base locations for every 10 total players. At the beginning of each game, the base locations near each team’s Home base belong to them, and are marked by the team’s Field flags. The base locations near the middle of the field are neutral, and can be built by either team. Neutral bases need to be obvious or marked with something like a belt without flags. If a base is destroyed, either team can rebuild at the base location. Note: When deciding what locations to use for bases, make sure they are evenly distributed across the field. Field bases that belong to teams at the beginning of the game do not count towards their game score, only those built during the game. All base flags should always be in plain sight and within reach. Protecting Bases: To protect their Home and Field bases, a team assigns Defenders to them (see ‘Player Units’ below). A base can have 1 Defender for each of its base flags, meaning teams can assign up to 3 Defenders to a Home or Field base that has 3 base flags (if using belts with just 2 flags, teams can assign up to 2 Defenders to each base). Destroying Bases: To destroy a base, an opponent player must remove the Home or Field flags. Players cannot remove an opponent base’s flags until all of its Defenders have been eliminated. Player Units: 1. Attackers: Attackers wear 2 belt flags, with 1 on each side. They focus on eliminating opponents by stealing their flags or destroying their bases. Attackers may begin the game at any of the team’s Home or Field bases. 2. Defenders: Defenders have the most important role in the game. They wear 2 belt flags, with 1 on each side, but their belt is put on backwards. At the beginning of the game, each team base should have at least one Defender. Defenders steal flags, but mostly focus on building, defending, and representing their team’s bases. Building: To build a base, a Defender places Field flags, or a belt with Field flags, onto a Field base location. Defenders should carry the belt and/or flags in their non-dominant hand. If the Defender is eliminated before building a Field base, he or she must return to the Home base with the Field flags to Recharge. Defending & Representing: 1. A base’s original Defenders are the only players that can represent that Home or Field base. Once a base is built and its Defenders are assigned, teams cannot add base flags or Defenders to it later in the game. 2. Defenders must stay within about 5 yards of the base. If they leave the 5-yard radius, they become an Attacker, and the base loses a Defender. 3. Defenders must Recharge at a different base when eliminated to continue playing as the base’s Defender. Defenders that Recharge at a different base can return to represent it, if it hasn’t been destroyed. If they Recharge at the base they represent, including Home base, they become an Attacker or other unit. If they’ve lost some but not all of their flags, Defenders can find and replace their stolen flags at the base they are defending. Note: Defenders can voluntarily leave the base’s 5-yard radius and become extra Attackers, Defenders of a base to be built, or other units. If there is ever any question about a 5-yard radius, use the Defender\'s striding pace as a yard. When a Field base has been destroyed, the last Defender eliminated should take the Field flags back to the team’s Home base. For small teams, it’s best that no more than half your players are Defenders. From the author: If you have any ideas, feedback, or suggestions for this game, or would like the extended rules that include more player units, I would love to hear about it! rustin2@gmail.com.

This game is played with a group of kids sitting in a circle of chairs with one trashcan (or something that is fairly deep). There is one less chair in the circle than there is kids playing. The extra kid is in the middle with a swim noodle or a foam sword or something that’s not going to hurt the kids. The object of the game is for the person in the middle with the noodle to hit one of the kids in the chair (lightly and not in the face) the person in the middle must then run back to the trashcan and toss the noodle in the can so that it stays in the can (if it bounces out then it doesn’t count. Nor does it count if they miss the can, if they miss then they must start again) then they must run back to the chair of the person they just hit. Simultaneously the person who got hit must run to the center and grab the noodle from the trashcan and hit the person who hit them before that person sits in their chair (so basically the person in the middle we’ll call him john hits one of the people sitting down we’ll call him bob at which point john runs to the trash can and puts the noodle in it before bob gets the noodle and hits him back.

This game begins just like the regular bobbing for apples. However, this game adds a new twist. Immediately after bobbing for apples, the person bobs for marshmellows in a bowl of flour. You can just imagine the results. The game is quite messy so make sure the floor is covered with plastic for quick and easy clean up.

(Editor Note:  This is not near as gross and actually sticks better if you use powdered sugar instead of flour.)

 

Divide the group into 2 even teams. Have teams sit on the floor facing. Members from each team must hold the hands of the teammates next to them, preferably behind their backs so that the other team cannot see them. At the end of the line, place a spoon on the floor between the last two people. On the other end, you need an impartial person (you or a volunteer) to flip a coin. Everyone except the two people at the beginning must close their eyes, or sit facing out and all must be silent. When the coin is flipped, if it is heads, the people at the beginning squeeze the hand of the person next to them, who then squeezes the hand of the person next to them, and so on. When the squeeze gets to the end, the last person can open their eyes and grab the spoon. The team that grabs the spoon first sends the person from the end of their line to the beginning and everyone shifts down one. The object is to be the first team to rotate all the way back to the starting position. If the coin is tails, nothing happens and you flip again. If the people at the beginning of the line squeeze on tails, they go to the end of the line (rotating backwards). They also go backwards if anyone on their team opens their eyes prematurely or makes any noise. It is helpful to have judges standing behind each team to watch for erroneous squeezes and to listen for noises.

This game begins just like the regular bobbing for apples. However, this game adds a new twist. Immediately after bobbing for apples, the person bobs for marshmellows in a bowl of flour. You can just imagine the results. The game is quite messy so make sure the floor is covered with plastic for quick and easy clean up.

(Editor Note:  This is not near as gross and actually sticks better if you use powdered sugar instead of flour.)

Items Needed: 10 pool noodles cut in half (you can also use rolled up newspaper) or enough for each adult in your group. How to Play: Each student pairs up with another student. They grasp eachothers forearms in front of each other to form a hole called the "tree.” Then pick 10-20 students to be squirrels, depending on the size of your group. Each squirrel goes and stands in the middle of a tree. Make sure that there are several squirrels who do not have trees. Then pass out the pool noodles to your adults who want to play. When you say go each squirrel must find a tree. If another squirrel comes to his tree, he must get out and risks being hit by an adult with the pool noodle. The squirrels can continue being hit until they find a tree. This game is just fun for everyone, there is no winner. The point is to run around and burn off energy while having fun! Let the students take turns being squirrels and being trees. Only the adults should be the ones to hit the squirrels. Enjoy!

Have all the guys sit on the floor and make a knot as best they can by crossing arms and legs. Once the guys are ready the girls have 5-10 minutes (depending on group size) to pull the guys apart. The only rules are that you cannot inflict pain and a guy must be completely removed from the "knot" to be considered out. So if he has one hand or foot still in the knot he is still in. The best part of this game is watching the girls when they touch a sweaty boys arm or leg, because the guys will sweat a lot being that close to each other and holding on for dear life. Actually the girls in our group request this game every lock-in we have and every trip we go on. It is a GREAT ice breaker to get new kids involved! Just make sure you are on carpet or a well padded floor.

This is a very simple game that is quick to set up and only requires a flashlight. First you choose 1 "gargoyle" for every 10-15 students and you have your gargoyles hide the 2 batteries and the shell of a flashlight in different parts of your church. The parts must be in a spot that is visible when the lights are on (no hiding under or behind things), then you turn off the lights. Your students must find the 3 parts of the flashlight, assemble it and shine it on the gargoyles. The gargolyes have some kind of glow in the dark bracelet or necklace to distinguish them from the rest of the group and their job is to chase the non-gargolyes and tag them. Once a person is tagged they sit down right where they are and can only get back in the game if someone with part of the flashlight tags them. If someone with a part of the flashlight is tagged they must hold onto it, and cannot pass it off to someone else. The game is over when the flashlight is assembled or all the non-gargolyes are tagged.

Have players stand in a circle about an arms' span away from each other. Have a volleyball (not fully pumped) at your disposal. Game rules are as follow: You can decided whether standard volleyball ball handeling rules apply. Players are to pass (bump)the volleyball around the circle. When a player misses the ball, over hits it or otherwise makes an unhitable pass (you be the judge of who's fault it is), they are to sit in the middle of the circle. Players still standing are able to bump, set and then spike the ball at the person(s) in the middle. If a person in the middle catches the ball, they are back in the circle and the person who last touched the ball is in the middle. If a spiked ball hits a player in the middle, the hitter is 'safe' and the game resumes. If a player who spikes the ball at the middle group and misses, they are then to sit in the middle. Game is 'won' when there is only one person left standing.

Mix between soccer, ultimate football, and basketball. Supplies needed: Round Ball 2 Trash Cans (HEAVY DUTY) 8 Cones Water supply Set two trashcans filled with water about 50 yards apart and 4 cones around each trashcan about 5-10 feet from the trashcan. No student can enter the coned off area, you may jump through it but you cannot be on the ground while you have the ball in your hand or are defending the ball Goal is to slam the ball into the opposing teams trashcan, while the defense tries to keep you out (without entering the coned area) To advance the ball up the field you may take 2 steps and then pass the ball by throwing it to a teammate (like ultimate), or you may put the ball on the ground and dribble it like a soccerball (if you do this you cannot pickit up to pass it, you must pass with your feet. Advance the ball up the field and slam the ball into the water-filled trash can, the wetter you get the defenders the better. Enjoy!