Rock-Paper-Scissors Tag
| Rock-Paper-Scissors Tag | |
|---|---|
| |
| Designer: | New Games Foundation via Bernie DeKoven |
| Year: | unknown |
| Players: | 6+ |
| Stuff required: | Three boundary lines (chalk, rope, or anything). |
| Crew required: | None. |
| Preparation: | None. |
| Time required: | Five minutes. |
| Place required: | Anywhere with space to run. |
| Activities: | Chasing, bluffing, teamwork, child-friendly. |
| This is a playable game - it's finished, tested and ready to play. | |
 | |
A clear and enduring favourite from the "New Games" movement.
Rules
Two teams stand facing each other across a boundary line. There is another boundary line, behind each team, about, o, maybe 10 yards away. Maybe 20.
Before they assemble at the centre line, both teams have decided what they want to be, as a team - rock, scissors, or paper. (To experience thorough preparedness, teams are encouraged to select a back-up symbol, to be used in case of a tie.) At the mutually agreed-upon moment, both teams, simultaneously, display their choices.
The team with the winning symbol (as in: paper covers rock, rock smashes scissors, scissors cuts paper), attempts to tag everyone in the other team before anyone can cross the back boundary line. The excitement of impending victory, and the sheer suddenness of it all, as illustrated in the photo, frequently results in players not knowing which way to run.
Variants
To make the game even more joyful, add another rule stating that players who are tagged must join the winning team; thus, at least theoretically, sooner or later everyone is on the winning side.
