Ninja Tag

A game about stealth, and ninjas.

New Age Base Game

Rules:

• Spies take one hit, or one tag, to die.
• Hunters are invulnerable.
• The Hunter(s) go to a designated spot to begin counting to a prearranged number when they arrive.
  • The Spy/Spies hide in the allotted playing zone.
  • Upon reaching the counting number, the Hunter(s) announce their presence- typically by shouting "I'm a ninja!".
    • The Hunter(s) begin searching for the Spy/Spies.
      • If a Hunter kills a spy, that spy goes to the designated counting zone.
        • If there are 5 Hunters, then each one has to tag one, or more.
          • The maximum amount of new Hunters is equal to the amount of old hunters.

Host Instructions

Find an area to play in, and make sure that the players understand and respect the boundries. Find a way to determine who is the Hunter first, simply by volunteers, or some other way. Start the playing match, and have fun.

Tips

• Try to keep it under 45 minutes, as it gets less fun for those sitting out, and those playing.
• Don't play favourites, as people tend to become angry over it.
• Avoid overcomplicating the rules, when explaining it, and try to giving a demonstration.

Variants

Classical variant

• After a while, base games goes from stealth to just sitting down and killing the hunter. Classical was the actual first game, played in daytime, with two people. Classical means no way for prey to win.

The rules:

• Prey are given time to hide.
• Hunter(s) (number of hunters should be proportionate to prey+area- more prey, more area, more hunters.) Look for prey.
• Hunters simply tag the prey to eliminate them.
• Any prey eliminated becomes the new hunter, taking the previous one's(') place. Those eliminated in a multi-hunter game just wait until all new hunters have been made.

Samurai Guard variant

One person is the ninja, and everyone else is the Samurai Guard.

The samurai choose a patrol route, then stay on it unless the see, hear, smell, or feel something out of place.

The ninja must get the objective, something such as, say, a paper, or assassinate a target.

Samurai take one hit to die, and have melee and touch kills. Ninjas take one hit to die, and can use anything.

eXtreme Samurai Guard variant:

Same as Samurai guard, except the ninja cannot attack, and is by her/himself.

Thief game variant

(Direct from the E-Mail)

1. (At least) two guards per Ninja.
2. Ninjas can't attack but guards can melee attack and tag.
3. Ninjas can go solo or work in groups.
4. Ninjas must steal an item from a area that is guarded.
5. Guards must patrol area of a minimum of twenty feet.

Ambush variant

Everyone except for one person is a hunter.

The prey must go from point A to B, and can choose their route. The hunters set up ambushes along the way, trying to kill the prey.

The prey takes two shots to die, the hunters take one shot to die.

The prey can use anything, while hunters can use anything but shurikens. Hunters need to coordinate with each other to kill the prey.

Icy Hot Snow Ninjas variant

This is similar to "Freeze Tag". This makes it MUCH, MUCH harder to play as the Hunter.

Rules

• If a Hunter tags an unfrozen(Hot) ninja, they are frozen(Icy), and can't move.
• If a Hunter tags a frozen ninja, they are Hot again.
• If a prey tags an Icy prey, they are Hot again. (However, they cannot make a Hot go Icy!)
• The last Hot prey to be frozen is Hunter in the next round.(Or last few, in a multi-hunter game!)
  • This means that say, H tags 1235, then 4. 4 is it, as no one can be unfrozen, and 4 was last to be tagged.

Prison Break variant

This is a cooperative game type, for (~)6+ players.

Rules

• The two prey(prisoners) are chained together at the wrist, and cannot escape the bond. (rope, or something!)
  • This pair must escape from the designated start zone-jail-and get to the end zone-freedom- before getting caught.
  • The prey cannot simply run there-if they do, call either a rerun, or cheating.
• Hunters(Guards) start at the end zone, and must find the prey, and kill them.
  • No camping allowed, as in camping the end zone.

Capture The (Hidden) Flag

Rules

• The Thief/Thieves hides the flag somewhere.
• The Guard(s) put the flag in an open spot.
• Guards are invincible, but can be stunned for 5 seconds with a black egg.
  • Guards can shoot to kill a thief, or tag them.

Gameplay

The thief needs to sneak in, and get the flag, while the guards try to balance finding the hidden flag, and defending theirs.

Resources

• Survival Topics article on H.I.P.S.

(Hiding in Plain Sight)

• Making a mask from a shirt

Credit and Kudos to Vern Reid.

• [1] Nerf Brand Ballistic Balls

• [2] Dart Tag darts