Crack the safe...

Game: 2 teams starting at opposite ends of the playing field, preferably a forest or other area with lots of cover, must locate the safe which is in the area hidden. Find the safe then protect the safe cracker while the safe is cracked.

The winning team is the one who's cracker opens the safe. This could be a timed or unlimited time game.

Specifics:
1) The safe cannot be moved once found (well not moved more than a few feet).

2) The safe must be opened by using the safe cracking techniques and not by bypassing them.

3) The safe must be opened by a safe cracker. This person must be chosen as the specialist at the beginning of the game, and must be protected. If he or she is tagged out during the game, that team cannot open the safe. Their mission would then be to stop the other team, or capture the other safe cracker and use him (or her) themselves.

 

Disarm

This game is very similar to CRACK THE SAFE. A group of fanatics have triggered a nuclear device. A strike team has been sent in to eliminate the defending fanatics and disarm the device.

Game: 1 teams starts at the opposite end of the playing field, preferably a forest or other area with lots of cover, while the other defends their position. This is a timed game (usually 30minutes) where the locator team must locate the device which is in the area hidden and disarm it which can only be disarmed by a specialist so the specialist must be protected.

Specifics:
1) The device cannot be moved once found (well not moved more than a few feet).

2) The device must be opened by using the techniques within the countdown time or it detonates.

3) If the locators do not disarm the device within the time allotted for the game, then the fanatics win.

Basic Tag / Elimination

This is a basic game of tag, good with at least four people, two per team. This game is meant to be over fairly quickly. Several of these may be played back-to-back.

The Field: The ideal field is 100-150 feet long by 60-80 feet wide (about the size of two basketball courts). The field should contain plenty of barriers such as shrubs or blocks to hide behind. Teams with more players should use larger fields.

Play Conditions: both teams starts at a base of some sort on their half of the field. When both teams are ready some yells "GO!" and the teams advance and try to find each other. The winning team is the the one that tags out (eliminates) the entire other team.


Capture the flag (2 versions)

Base Flags Each base has a flag. Capture the others flag and return it to your base to win. In case each team has the others flag, the first one back to their own base and yells "Game Over" (or blows a whistle if playing on a large field) is the winner.

Center Flag Place one flag in the center of the playing area (forests are the best playing field) Both teams try to capture the flag and advance it to the opposing teams base to win.

Paintball style Everyone shoot their vest down to 1 hit remaining. People play a lot more carefully with only one life.

 

I'll play that for a dollar

Each player has a dollar or a token (usually monopoly money). When you kill a player, that player stands still and holds out his dollar, whoever get to it, gets to keep it. Players only give up one dollar when shot. Play can go on indefinitely until a player has all the money (with recycle at a certain location) or until everyone is dead.

The Set Up: Every player must have a dollar to play. (You can do this with monopoly money, by the way).
No teams, no time limit. All players start out equal, given 5 min. to spread out equally over the playing field. A whistle is sounded. Play is normal with players attempting to remove any other players. When a player is shot and killed that player pulls his one dollar bill out of his pocket, stands at attention with his right hand holding the one dollar bill. Any player reaching the player and grabbing the bill become the new permanent owner. If a player gets tagged but has no "dollars" he must still freeze until a player gets to him or her. When a player is completely tagged out, he, or she must proceed to the dead zone.

The fun of this game is that a player with no money whatsoever could tag the one with the most an win.


Virus / Hydra / Borg

Each player starts out on his own (preferably each in a separate area of the playing field, if a player tags someone out that player drops his gun to his side and stops, stands still and begins counting to 10, slowly and out loud. If he gets to 10 he goes to the dead zone.

If another player can physically touch him before 10 seconds, then that player resets his sensor and those 2 players form a team with the "tagger" as the "head". The head may not reset his sensor. If the head of a team gets tagged out and tagged before the 10 seconds are up, then every on his team joins the new tagger/head’s team. This continues until everyone is on one team.


Protect the President / Escort /General

Opposite team must tag a specific person on the opposite team. Known or hidden. Kind of like protect the president, can turn into an escort game, must get a single player with no gun and low hits to a certain place...Other teams out to tag.
 

Traitor

The game starts out like a game of elimination or defender, with a twist. One player on each team is designated as a traitor by choosing hidden straws or by a game master. After the traitor is "activated" he switches over to the other team and starts to attack he former teammates. The traitor can be activated by many different means. Traitor from the beginning, 1-5 minutes into the game (gamemaster blows a whistle or the traitor wears a watch), after loss of 1-5 hits, or a shout of a secret word, etc. In one variation called "The Mole" the captains of each team knows who is the traitor on the opponents team and can then plan a strategy with that player. To make this work a neutral player (game master) tells each team captain who is the traitor on their opponent’s team (but not who is the traitor on their own team), then each team member of the opposition has a "one on one" meeting with each team captain. The captain spends the same amount of time with each player pretending to plan strategy, but only really plans strategy with the traitor during this time.
 

Bounty Hunter's Paradise

The players are divided into at least three teams, The Fugitives, Bounty hunter team A and team B, etc. Each Fugitive has several "Character cards" that tell him who he is and how much money he is worth. The fugitives go and hide and the Bounty hunter teams go out a few minutes later and try to capture them. Once a fugitive has been tagged out he must give up one of his Character cards to the Bounty hunter, then he leaves to become the next character in his deck of cards. The Bounty Hunter may then return to the base and collect money in exchange for the card or continue to hunt more bounty. The bounty hunting teams may attack each other. If a bounty hunter is tagged out he must turn over any cards he was carrying, but he may keep his cash. he may then return to the base and reset and re-enter the game. The game is over either at a preset time or when all the fugitives have been caught.
 

Retrieve the satellite

Similar to "center capture the flag". A spy satellite has come down in a foreign land. This game has three teams playing.

Team 1 is from the country that put the satellite up. Their mission is to capture or destroy the satellite.

Team 2 is from the country that shot the satellite down. Their mission is to retrieve the satellite by bringing it back to a EVAC point.

Team 3 is the regular army of the land where the satellite landed. Their mission is to rid their land of the foreign invaders and capture the satellite.

The satellite has a sensor on it that can be "shot down" to simulate it's destruction, or the satellite must be carried to the EVAC point.

Highlander

In the movie "Highlander" immortals battle for supremacy and can only be killed if their head is chopped off. The Immortal who does the chopping receives that immortal’s "immortality energy", so here are some game rules to simulate that movie. Every man for himself, if you tag someone out you may reset your sensor and the "dead" player must go to the dead zone. If 2 or more players are firing on the same opponent and it is unclear who scored the final hit, then neither may reset there sensor. Winner is the last one "alive".


Star Wars/Jedi Knight/Light saber

One player on each team is a Jedi Knight. He wears a sensor, but his gun is" holstered". His only weapon is his light saber. The light Saber can be a toy one, or one of those 5 ft long "pool noodles". One touch from the lightsaber and you are out. The Jedi knight may block shots by covering his sensor with the light saber. The obvious Jedi tactic is to ambush or charge with the light saber covering the sensor, trading 1 or 2 tags per kill. The obvious anti-jedi tactic is to fire from more than one angle, difficult to block 2 lasers, or fire when he strikes with the light saber.
An alternate version allows the Jedi to use his gun too. In this game, a chest sensor (instead of a head sensor) is used.


Alien

In the movie "Alien" we find that "they" are not little green men, but big black and pissed off. They also have no weapons except there incredible strength and acid blood. To simulate this type of combat 1 player is the Alien who has 6 hits on his sensor, no gun and hides out in the playing area, preferable a dark house or building. The remaining players are the ships crew who have a gun, but no sensor. The Alien "kills" you if he physically tags (with a water gun for the acid blood and "spit") you. A special rule to make it more like the movie is that all the crew members are solo agents, no 2 can be together in the same room, or closer than 50 ft to each other. The best ratio of Alien to Crew is about 1:5-7. This game is especially good if you have more players than equipment because one set of gun and sensor is enough for two players.


Aliens

In the movie "Aliens" there is a squad of Colonial Marines vs. the swarm of Aliens. This is best played with a large group >10. 1/3 to 1/4 of the players are Aliens and the rest are the Colonial Marines. Same number of hits per Alien (6 laser tags) and Marines (1 physical tag). Still tag a Marine to kill. Mission goals-Marines must find the girl and get her out, while finding the nest, killing the Queen and destroying all the eggs. The Queen may reset her sensor once, so that it takes 12 laser tags to eliminate her.


Predator

In this movie an alien hunter with night vision teaches a group of Commandos what it is like to be the hunted. This game must be played at night. One player is the Predator, he has a sensor with 6 hits, may reset once, a gun and no flash light. The rest of the players are the Commandos who have sensors with 6 hits, a gun and must carry a flash light that must be on at all times (try taping the flash light to the gun) plus a glow stick. The Predator goes out and hides and the Commandos have to find him and tag him out. Best ratio is 1:5-7. A high tech version would have no flash lights, but the predator gets to use Infra red scope ($200-400)


The Rock

A group of army terrorists have plan to launch a nerve gas missile at San Francisco. A team of Navy Seals have 30 minutes to find the missile launcher and disarm it. There are several ways to do this one. Simplest: The terrorist commander has the disarm key, so the Seals have to tag out the commander and find the launcher and disarm it using the key. Complicated: have a combination lock be the launch device and 3 of the terrorists have a 3x5 card with one of the 3 numbers to the combination. The Seals have to tag out the 3 terrorists who have the 3 numbers (the tagged out terrorist then has to hand over the 3x5 card), find the launch device and figure out the correct sequence to disarm the launch before time is up.
 

The Rock (another version - my favorite)

Objective: This is a timed mission (usually 30 minutes), between a group of terrorists and a group of attackers (the good guys).  The attackers must get to the missile control box that will launch a warhead to a city and secure it, or the terrorists will launch.

Attacker Win conditions: Missile control box is secured by the attackers in the allotted time.

Terrorist win conditions: Missile is launched after 30 minutes AND/OR all attackers lives are gone (i.e. Tagged out permanently) .

Players: Minimum of 3  people per team add one extra person if needed to each side using the solider or sniper positions. Plus one fighter pilot.

The bad guys must find the parts of the missile to make it functional. They must assemble and launch the missile within a 60 minute time frame. During that time the defenders are hunting them down, and or trying to secure the missile.

If the defenders eliminate the bad guys or hold the missile site until the time out, then they are the winners.

If the bad guys eliminate the defenders and, or launch the missile then they win.

If the missile site is NOT found then the group with the most survivors wins.

Star Trek/Borg Assimilation

Two borg armies are fighting for leadership of the borg hive. Each team has a borg leader who can repair any damaged borg from either team. The borg will obey which ever leader repairs them, even the borg leaders must obey the leader that repairs them. The game continues until all borg are united on one team.
 

Terminator

One player is the Terminator and his sensor has the full number of hits. He is hunting the humans. If he gets tagged out he has to retreat 20 paces and reset his sensor to the full number of hits. When a human is tagged out, goes to the dead zone. This game comes in two "flavors", Terminator TEAM or Terminator SURVIVOR.

In Terminator TEAM the humans act as a team and work together to stall the inevitable win by the Terminator. The winner is the player who is able to win as the terminator in the shortest amount of time.

In Terminator SURVIVOR the humans are not a team and are only interested in being the last one alive. The last human alive is the winner and gets to be the Terminator in the next game.

It is very important to set specific boundaries so that the humans don't stay alive be simply running far away (boring) This game is best played with a small number of players (4-6).
 

Props or other play elements

This is a voice activated vault that we still haven't developed a game or situation to use, but will in time. It has two security modes.

The first being that if you use a word as a key, if the same word is repeated by anyone, the vault will open.

The second mode requires that the same person repeat the key word (real voice matching).

FRS radios are a  necessity when playing in large wooded areas. We once played a game where if you were tagged out, you had to fall right there and wait for a medic to revive you. One young player was tagged out and fell in the grass and stayed there for the duration of the game (1 hour) because no one had seen him. Had he has a radio, he could have called for EVAC. Another game we once played, we had a first timer get separated from the group and decided to hide and snipe. The game ended and since no one knew him, we forgot about him and started a new game in a different area. He was out there alone for over an hour.

FRS radios add to the game as each time has it's own channel, but that doesn't stop the opposing team to eavesdrop on the other.

Some of the motion or light sensing props we use to track opponents. They are used primarily in urban situations, when we have the good fortune of playing in and around a building or similar structure. Good for use in games like "THE ROCK", "ALIEN/ALIENS", "TERMINATOR" or similar. They are simple to use, work relatively well and can be defeated if found in time, which adds to the strategy.

Unfortunately, they do not work well in the outdoors, but we have come up with similar "tripwires" which work just as well.

We use the Worlds of Wonder Star Base as a mine or automatic sentry. It is set up to fire for a length of time (the length of the game) and shields are turned on. During the time that the shields come on, the Star Base does not fire, the fires at random intervals while shields are down. Although the Electronic Survivor Shot (ESS) can detect hits from the Star Base, the Star Base does not detect hits from the ESS. This means that the only way to defeat the StarBase is by either taking your chances and trying to turn it off manually, avoid it or find the gun that does disable it.

The Electronic Survivor Shot Battle Target can shoot and be shot at. The Battle Targets have different play modes and we set them up so that they will only accept a shot during a certain event. You must fire 6 times during those events to disable the Battle Target. We use them as shoot back bases. They are usually placed at opposite ends of the playing field and teams may either elect to defend their bases or go after the opposing base, or combination. This is a variation of CAPTURE THE FLAG.

The Hide and Sneeks were created by Worlds of Wonder (original lazer tag) and work this way. The sender (smaller unit) once activated sends out an ultrasonic signal which can be picked up by the receiver (the paddle device). If the receiver is pointed in the right direction it makes a tone and the lights flash. As it gets closer, the flashing lights change.

We use this in games like "ALIEN/ALIENS", "PREDATOR" and similar.

Their range isn't that good and they don't always work as the senders signals can be blocked or distorted, but it leads to fun games anyway when you are under fire.

The larger Advanced Simon, and the smaller mini Simon are used in games of Domination where the Defenders must hold a position while being attacked. One player is chosen to play with the Simon to the end of the game cycle while his associates defend him and the game piece. If the player misses a step he must start the game cycle again. When the player is able to finish the game cycle, then the game ends.

The Computer Perfection (an old game) is used much like the Simons.

This element is used in scenarios where a "bomb" or other device must be defused.

I use this piece in games where a position has to be held and the team that holds it at the end of the time period usually no more than thirty minutes, is the winner.

The piece is usually hidden somewhere in the play area and the two teams start from opposite sides of the area. The first person to find it needs to call in reinforcements and hold the area to the end. I have had games, where the team that found it first played a game of deception by sending the bulk of the players somewhere else to trick the opposing team.

The blue box is a count down timer from a game. It has time set patterns from 15 to 30 minutes. The game is player that the timer is turned on and the red chips (keys) are hidden in the field. The whole point of the game is that four (4) keys must be found, inserted into the slots so the timer could be turned off.

If the timer is turned off, then that team has won. If the timer goes off, then the device has detonated and the seeker team has lost. This game can be played with either two opposing teams or three teams.

The orange flashers are Halloween pumpkin flashers and the orange tripods are auto emergency lights. They are used in night or low light games to identify targets of goals.

These are second generation Cybikos. They are used in scenario games between two teams. A non-playing game master is chosen to feed information to each of the teams. The information could be accurate or misleading.

There are other props that we use such as strobe flashers, GPS, compasses, whistles, inflatable items, and game devices to simulate medical healing devices. As we grow, we will be adding more to the game.