Games: "Capture the Flag With Spies" and Other Variations

Dick Moss

Capture the Flag is an old faithful that most students have played. Here are several variations that will bring new life to this old favourite. They include Capture the Flag With Spies, Jailbreak. Hidden Flag and Two Flags.

Capture the Flag With Spies
This is regular Capture the Flag, but with a major difference - each team has a unknown spy who is playing for the other team. This twist adds a measure of intrigue and skulduggery to the game.

Select the spies at the same time as you're choosing teams. Arrange a deck of cards for the number of players that you have. If there are two teams of 10 players, use 10 black cards and 10 red cards. Make sure there is only one black queen and one red queen in the deck.

All the players who select a black card are on one team, while the red cards are on the other. Explain in advance, that the black queen will be the spy for the red team, and vice versa for the player who picks the red queen. They do not divulge their identity.

During the game, each spy gets one chance to steal the flag and run it to the opposite territory. Spies who are tagged before making it across the line drop the flag where they are tagged, go to jail, and then play for their actual team.

JailBreak Option
If the game starts to stall, you can shout "Jailbreak" and everyone in jail, from both sides, can run out of jail. However, they can still be tagged on their way back to their own territory.

Hidden Flag
If you have a lot of room to play in, such as a park, you could allow the teams to hide their flag. Allow one opponent from each opposing team (the "scout") to see where the flag is hidden. That requires the scout to be very observant and to do a good job of describing the location to teammates.

Two Flags
Use two flags per team, placed in different locations, but the game is won if only one of the flags is brought across the line.

Traditional Rules
In case you forget how to play Capture the Flag, here's review of the traditional rules of the game.

The game can be played in a field, schoolyard, or even a large gym. Each team has its own territory in which they are safe, but in which opponents can be tagged. The two territories are separated by a boundary line and the teams plant their flag within site of the line.

The purpose of the game is to capture the opponent's flag and carry it back to your own territory. Players tagged within their opponent's territory are sent to the opponent's jailhouse - designated by a tree, pylon or other feature. Home players can guard their flag but must stay at least 50 feet away.

Teammates can free players from the opposing jailhouse by touching them. Only one jailed teammate can be rescued at a time and if tagged before getting back to their territory, they go back to jail.

If the player carrying an opponent's flag is tagged before getting back to home territory, the flag's new location is the spot on which the opponent was tagged.

Play continues until a flag is captured, or for pre-determined time period (i.e. 30 minutes). If no capture occurs in that time, the team that has jailed the most opponents wins.

References

1. Matthew Seilback, "Games and Icebreakers: Capture the Flag With Spies." The Source for Youth Ministry website.

2. Capture the Flag: Traditional Rules and New Ideas, U.S. Scouting Service Project.

3. Liz Wilson and Angie Thomson, Active Games For Healthy Kids: A collection of easy games that you can play with children,
Amazon Digital Services, Inc., 2014.

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