Cub Evening Games and Wide Games

Table of Contents

Capture the Flag

Equipment: 2 handmade flags on staffs 2' long; 2 different colored sets of

arm or headbands made of crepe paper.
Formation: teams.

Divide the group into two teams. Identify each by a set of arm or headbands.

Set up a jail area (3-4 square yards) and a separate hiding spot for each flag. Jails are set up at opposite ends of a 5-20 acre area.

The object of the game is to penetrate the other team's area and capture their flag. A flag is 'captured' after it has been returned to the captor's jail area.

Prisoners are taken by having their arm or headbands removed by an opponent. Prisoners are taken to the jail of their captor's; then they wait there quietly until they are released. Prisoners can only be released when a member of their team (with arm or headband intact) runs through the jail in which they are being held captive. After their release, prisoners are given free escort back to a central spot near their end of the area. Here, they are issued a new arm or headband.

The game continues until a flag is captured, or time is up.

Note: Supervision at the jails and 'new arm or headband area' is important. Encourage teams to plan elaborate strategies of defense and offense.

Variation: try playing the game with three or four teams, each with its own jail area and hiding spot for their flag.

Another Description:

2 flags or For night play 2+ lanterns

First you pick out two even teams. Once you have the teams you set boundaries for the game. The boundaries can be wherever you want them. What you should end up with is a large rectangle or square. Once you have decided on the boundaries, you should draw a line through the middle of your playing zone. This line is divides the two sides. Each team should be able to choose where they want their flag and jail but they have to show the other team where they are and both teams have to agree on the placement of the flags and jails. Once this is done, each team goes to their own side of the playing field. Once the game begins, the teams are free to go at the others flag. If a team member is caught on the other teams side, (To be caught you must be "tagged" by a player on the opposite side on his own territory), he will be sent to jail. This player must sit in jail until either the game ends or he is freed by a member of his own team. To be freed, you have to be touched by a "free" member of his own team. The freed player gets a free walk to his own side of the playing field. The person freeing the player is on his own, he may still be tagged and put in jail. To win the game you must capture the other teams flag and return it to your own side with out being captured. It is up to the team on how they want to place their members. When we play, we usually have two players guard the flag and one player be the jail guard. Two or more players stick around and help provide the defense. The rest go for the flag.

Variation From Mike Stolz:

Our troop plays this on every overnight campout. For night play, we use 2 or 4 lanterns. Two are used to mark the center line, while the other two can be used to show the 'approximate' area where the team's flag is. Our flag guards MUST remain at least 15 feet (5 meters) from their own flag unless chasing someone, and the flags must be completely exposed (no stuffing them into holes in the ground, or tying them to trees). When the teams are small, we do away with the jail. Instead, we create 'Check Point Charlie' at the centerline. Captured prisoners can be exchanged for a point. In case of a tie (equal games won, or no winner at all), the team that earned the most points is declared the winner.

Variation:

From Doug: This game, played at night, is a variant of Capture the Flag that we just call "The Candle Game". Two small pots are placed at opposite ends of a field (with trees or bush down the sides of the field) and lids for the pots are placed on the ground, just beside the pots; a small, lighted candle is placed in each pot. Each team tries to put out the other team's candle by sneaking up on their opponent's candle and putting the lid on the pot without being caught. The rest of the rules are pretty much the same as Capture the Flag.

Smugglers and Spies

Chocolate - 50 points. Quantity: 10

Sugar - 75 points. Quantity: 8

Animal pelts - 100 points. Quantity: 8

Gunpowder - 150 points. Quantity: 6

Designs for new secret weapon - 300 points. Quantity: 3

Map to buried treasure - 500 points. Quantity: 1
Formation: teams

Divide the group into two teams. Have each team put on its armbands. One team becomes the smugglers - the other the spies. After the rules of the game are given, each team retreats to separate ends of the playing area (3-20 acres with open woods is ideal for the game.)

The smugglers each receive the tiny pieces of paper, which they are going to try to carry into enemy (spy) headquarters. The spies set up their headquarters inside a 10' by 10' square area that has its definite boundaries. The scorekeeper sits inside spy headquarters.

After each team has been given the opportunity to devise a strategy, play begins. The spies fan out away from their headquarters and try to intercept smugglers as they attempt to take their goods inside.

When a smuggler gets caught (tagged), he must stand still and permit a one minute search of his person by the spy who caught him. If the spy cannot find the piece of paper within one minute (paper has to be hidden in external clothing layers), the smuggler is free to try to advance again into the headquarters. If the spy does find the 'loot', he takes the piece of paper into spy headquarters and gives it to the scorekeeper, while the smuggler returns to his headquarters to receive another piece of paper.

If a smuggler penetrates inside the spy headquarters, he gives his goods to the scorekeeper, and is escorted back to his own headquarters by a staff person or leader supervising the game.

The game continues for a set period of time. When it ends, goods (points) are totaled, and a winner is declared.

Whistle tag

The group is divided into teams of 6-8 players. The leaders or staff members who are to be 'hunted' are given a two-minute head start into the playing area (5 acre wooded area is ideal).

Teams have to stay together during the entire game. Each team begins to 'hunt' the staff members, who are required to blow their whistles at one minute intervals (or variations which you may want to work out). Leaders may remain mobile, or seek a hiding place.

Teams try to touch as many staff members as possible within the time limit of the game. Captured staff are immediately freed to run and whistle again.

The team who tags the most wins.

Variation: as a night game, using flashlights instead of whistles. Same rules apply.

Light - No light

The game is best in a large open wooded area.

Players line up at one end of the playing area, while one player, holding a flashlight, stands at the other end.

The object of the game is to move from one end of the playing area to the other, past the person holding the flashlight.

The player with the flashlight stands with his back to the other players. Every five seconds, he turns around, turns on the light and scans the area for three seconds. If a moving player gets caught by the flashlight beam, he has to return to the starting end. Stationary players may remain where they are.

The first person to successfully move past the 'flasher' becomes the light for the next round.

Variation: The player with the flashlight keeps the flashlight on, and continuously scans the playing area. Stalking players dress in dark clothes. If stalking players are caught, they must return to the starting end.

Find the Bell

Have the group sit in a circle. Choose one person to sit in the center of the circle.

The leader gives the bell to one of the players, who begins to pass it around the circle.

The object of the game is to pass the bell quietly so that the person in the middle cannot guess who is holding the bell. Players may not silence the bell by holding the clapper - they have to try to pass it carefully enough so that it does not ring.

Triad

Divide the players into three teams. On the playing field, set up three goals in the shape of a triangle.

The game begins with a jump ball in the center of the field. All three balls are put into circulation at once and players try to move the ball through either of their opponents goals.

The balls may be rolled, kicked or thrown to teammates. No player may hold a ball longer than five seconds.

Teams devise strategies to protect their own goal, while trying to advance to score goals.

Frontiers Game

You divide the boys into teams. Each team is given a small "home base". In the "home base" each team is given 10 - 15 tokens (flags).

The playing field is divided in to parts with a home base on each. (The game is best played in a area with trees and bushes).

The goal of the game is to sneak into the other teams area and capture a token. If someone from the other team is being able to tag you on their side of the field you are taken as a prisoner to their "home base".

Now when a member of your own team reaches the "homes base" he is able to free you instead of taking a token.

If you have a token or a "free" prisoner you are free to go back to your own home base.

The game last for a specified time and the team with the most tokens wins.

I hope this description is understandable, if not feel free to mail me any questions.

-- Thanks to Carl Persson, Troop Leader, SKOGSLOPARNA Utby NSF Gothenburg Sweden.

Brass Rubbing Race

On the command go, each patrol leaves the hut in search of road signs to rub. They have to make up the phrase "BE PREPARED" on the sheet of paper. They have to brass rub the letters onto the sheet of paper with the wax crayon, from the road signs. The first patrol back with the completed phrase are the winners. This is an excellent game as it makes the Scouts think of all the road names in their locality that might contain the letters they need. You can of course use other phrases for repeated use. It is also a good idea to supply each patrol with a damp cloth, this is to clean the road sign of wax crayon should the paper split.

Double Your Money

This is a game similar to 'Mixed Up Names' and 'Merchants'. Each player is given a $1 note at the start of the game. The players must then find the very generous leader with the $5 note who will swap a $1 for $5. The players can then go on to find and swap their currency with other generous leaders going from $5 to $10, $50, $100. $500 up to about $1000. You can award points to the first players with a $1000 note, or total the money held by a team after a certain time limit. It is easier to have one leader give one type of note but it is workable to have a leader give out 2 different notes as long as there is a few steps between them e.g. $5 and $100, or $50 and $1000. It requires much agility from the leaders who need to deal with several handfuls of notes coming and going but it is well worth while. The cubs who have played this game really love it. The idea of being handed large sums of cash for nothing really got them running around, even when the money wasn't real. A few cubs asked 'Why don't you use real money?' - obvious really, you wouldn't see the leaders for dust.

Elephant Hunt

Tell story to the pack about the elephants who have escaped from the local circus, who have asked for the cubs help in getting the elephants back. The circus tell us that each elephant is wearing a colored mat on it's back, each mat matches one of the sixes colors. So each six can look for the elephant wearing their sixes color on it's back. The cubs then follow a trail of wool, picking up their colors as they go. They must not pick up any other colors. You could tell them how many pieces they should find. The trail divides and finally the colored wool disappears. All that can be seen is large (talcum powder) elephants footprints on the ground. These all lead to one place where the elephants can clearly be seen, wearing tatty mats on their backs, (parents or leaders). But the elephants have been caught by a gang of thieves who will sell them back to the cubs for ú200 no more, no less. The cubs are then told that they can gather this money from around a certain bush. This money is the plastic plant tabs, stuck into the ground around the bush. Each label is marked with an amount of money. Each six must only take labels to exactly ú200 and pay the thieves for their elephant . They then take their elephant back to the circus where there is sure to be a reward.

Face Paint

The cubs are looking for a job in the circus, but the make-up artists have gone mad! The cubs must catch the mad artists (leaders) who will add a little face paint before running away to hide. At the end of the game you can hold an audition for the best face and clown. Ideal for a cub camp - you can tell from 100ft which cubs haven't washed the next morning!

Game Of Life

Run: Deer use it, (Be careful if you allow running at your camp.)

Freeze: A prey that is totally immobile is considered to by camouflaged, and cannot be touched until he moves (looks around, etc.)

Hide: Touch a tree to symbolize hiding in the tree.

Each prey carries one object to symbolize themselves. If they are "eaten" by the predator, they must give their chip to the predator that got them. They then become a predator for the next year. If the predator doesn't get three prey, he starves for the winter. Any predator that starves becomes prey for the next year. Note, you should start with only a small number of food in the forest the first year (maybe 2 x number of prey) (remember they need three to survive). The game is fun and shows how there must be a balance between the prey and the predators. I'm sure you can adapt this game to many environments and change the rules where needed to make it more fun and or educational.

Haggis Hunt

A few days ago the queen haggis came into season as she does every 5 years. Last night the queen haggis laid her first brood of eggs (the colored cards) which are a delicacy akin to truffles and caviar. The teams must collect as many eggs from around the wide game area as possible before the wee haggis hatch (despite the better environmental instincts of cubs) for points! A special reward is made for the team who catches the queen haggis who looks uncannily like some scrumpled aluminum foil!

Hunt & Chase

We play a game called Hunt and Chase. We divide into an 5 teams. All the members on each team have personal flags of the same color they tuck into their belts. Each team can catch team members of one other team, and can be caught by the team members of a different team. When you are caught, you surrender your flag and are given the flag of the capturing team. There is no natural ending unless one teach catches everyone else. We usually play it for an hour or so, and then see which team is the largest. For "flags" we use things like pieces of twine, clothesline, manila rope, green garbage bags and brown garbage bags. Then the "twines" chase the "clotheslines," the "clotheslines" chase the "manila ropes," the etc. Some teams usually try to get other teams to help them. For example, the manila ropes could conspire with the twines to entrap the clotheslines. It is much more fun in that respect if you have 5 teams rather than 4 or fewer.

Jail Break

Kim's Wide Game

Before the game pick up a few 10+ objects which the players may find lying about in the area e.g. beech nuts, holly leaves, berries, sweet wrappers and lay them out. The teams or individuals must find as close matches to the objects you have collected. You can either display or hide your collection so that the players can or cannot come back and refresh their memories. The team with the display best matching the original wins.

Lamp Chicane

The game is played in the dark between two teams. Two lamps are placed about 100 meters apart. These are the home bases. Another two lamps are placed about 40 meters apart, and at right angles to the first two lamps. They should be about halfway between the first two lamps. One team is split into two, one half going to each home base lamp. Their object is to get to the other home base lamp, without being caught. They must go between the other two lamps to get there. There is no restriction on how far out they go to either side to get to the other home lamp, but they must go between the two 40 meters apart lamps. For each member who reaches the other home base, their team wins a point.

Long Distance Chinese Whispers

Distribute members of a patrol or six some distance away from one another. Give the patrol leader a scrap of paper with a message (around 30 words for Scouts). The PL must remember the message and relay it to his APL who in turn relays it down the line to the final Scout. The final Scout writes down the message when he returns back at the starting point. The team with the message most resembling the starting message wins. The longer the distance the more breathless (and less articulate) and more forgetful the Scouts become.

Merchants

Split the pack or troop into 2 teams and give one team 6 macaroni (Gold) and the other team 6 dried peas (Silver). Explain that the teams should try to make as much money as possible in the time available. They may do this by trading with the 2 merchants (leaders) who will be roaming around. One merchant will give you 2 gold for 1 silver, the other will give you 2 silver for every 1 gold. The team with the most money by the end of the game wins (count silver and gold as equal value).

Refinement:

The merchants may swap their bags to confuse the players

Refinement:

Player and/or other leaders may steal from other players using tagging or lives.

Refinement:

Introduce another trading stage and merchant (and possibly another team) e.g. bronze or platinum. Merchants only trade bronze for silver, silver for gold, gold for bronze.

Mixed Up Names

Each of the leaders or the people manning the bases is given a card similar to the ones described below:

1. You are 'Thunder Fist'.

Tell them they must find 'The Kraken'.

2. You are 'The Kraken'.

Tell them they must find 'Thorin'.

3. You are 'Thorin'.

Tell them they must find 'The Hulk'.

4. You are 'The Hulk'.

Tell them they must find 'Robin Hood'.

5. You are 'Robin Hood'.

Tell them they must find 'Thunder Fist'.

You can of course vary the number of bases that you have. Each person manning a base is also given an activity that the cubs or Scouts have to complete at that base. The base men are sent out and hide within a given area. The patrols are then sent out, each having been given a different 'NAME' to find. When a baseman is found, the Scouts or cubs have to ask him if he is the name they are looking for. If he is not then they have to keep looking. If he is then he asks them to complete a simple Scouting exercise such as tying a bowline. He then gives them the name of the next person they have to find. A point is given for completion of an exercise to the satisfaction of the baseman. The winning patrol is the one that finds all the basemen and completes the most tasks.

Naval Battle

Materials: Colored wool for lives, 6 Cards bearing the name "DESTROYER", 4 Cards bearing the name "SUBMARINE", 2 Cards bearing the name "BATTLESHIP"

Instead of cards you could use colored counters or plastic clothes pegs.

This is best played with three or more teams. Each team is given a base which is their naval shipyard. Each player is allowed to take one card from their shipyard to take part in the combat. When they take a card, they also take a length of their teams colored wool to tie round one arm. A combat area is marked off in the center of the field and combat may only take place within this area. Combat takes place in the following manner, a player will tag a player from an opposing team. Both players then compare their cards as follows: A battleship takes a destroyer, a destroyer takes a submarine and a submarine takes a battleship. The losing boy hands over his piece of wool to the winner and returns to his shipyard for a new piece of wool. Combat can only take place between two players who are each wearing a piece of wool. If both players have craft of equal status such as two submarines then it is an even match and there is no victor, they then have to go and challenge somebody else. A boy can exchange ships only at his shipyard when he is getting a new piece of wool. The winning team is the one which has collected the most pieces of wool at the end of the game.

Postman Game

Three leaders are required for this game. The first leader is the postbox, the other two give out the different postcards. The troop or pack is split into two teams. One team collects and posts one color of card, the second team posts the other color. Players can only hold one postcard at a time - they must post one card before collecting another. The postbox and distributors can roam and hide to evade the players. The team who has posted the most postcards wins.

Refinement:

Leaders can swap jobs so that players do not always know who to go to

Refinement:

Spare leaders can rob players of their cards

Rockets And Interceptors

This is played by two teams. The attacking team are called the rockets and the defending team are called the interceptors. The target area is marked off and the bucket or large tin is placed in the center. Only rockets are allowed to go inside the target area. Up to four interceptors are allowed to hover around the target area. The rockets have a base at which they pick up their warheads. Each rocket can carry only one warhead to the target area. If a rocket is tagged by an interceptor before going inside the target area, they must hand over their warhead and return to their base. 20 warhead units in the bucket or tin destroy the interceptor target area. All the colored balls count for 1 warhead unit. The five white balls are special multi warheads and count as 5 warhead units for each white ball. If the interceptor target area is not destroyed after 20 minutes then change over the teams so that everyone has a turn at attacking and defending. This game is best played where there is a bit of cover for hiding and creeping up on the target, or at night when visibility is reduced.

Scout-Staff Treasure Hunt

Trangia: Swedish outdoor cooker, I'm not at all sure if it's known at all in the US, but it is very popular over here. It's light weight, and uses methane to run, but Butane attachments are available now. Mine splits up into several pieces, and so was ideal for this exercise. >>