Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium, Jessie Hubbell Bancroft [best books to read for knowledge txt] 📗
- Author: Jessie Hubbell Bancroft
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The rules about (1) a prisoner and his rescuer both being liable to capture on the way home, and (2) to winning by entering the enemy's prison, with the restriction that no prisoners must be there, are also distinctive features.
10 to 30 or more players.
Playground; gymnasium.
Two captains are chosen who select players alternately until all are disposed in two parties of equal numbers. A large goal is marked off at each end of the ground, with a small base or prison in one rear corner of it. The wide, open space between the goals is neutral territory. The objects of the game are to enter the opponent's goal or to make prisoners of all of his men. The entrance of one player within the enemy's home goal means victory for his side. As one player advances for this purpose, or "gives a dare," the opponents send out a player to tag him, when the first side immediately sends out a second player to "cover" or protect the darer by trying to tag his opponent. The first side then sends out a second player to "cover" their first man. He is at liberty to tag either of the other two players. In this way any or all of the players may be out at one time, though it is unwise to leave the goal unguarded. Any player may tag any man from the opposite side who left his goal before he did, but none who came out after he did. Whenever a player returns to his home goal, which he may do at any time, the man who went out to cover him must return also, and of course the man who went out to cover this second one, etc. The issuing forth of players, or their return to the home goal, is subject at all times to the direction of the captain, though much independence of judgment should be exercised by the various players. The captain may also designate one player to guard the home goal and one to guard the prisoners whenever he chooses.
Any player caught (tagged) is placed in the opponents' prison ("prisoner's base"), where he must remain until rescued by one of his own side. The prisoner may reach as far out of the prison as possible, so long as one foot is within it. When there are several prisoners, they may take hold of hands or otherwise touch each other, as by the feet (this is optional with the prisoners), and reach forward as far as possible, to be tagged by a rescuer, so long as one of them (the last caught) keeps one foot within the prison goal. In such a line the first one caught should be farthest from the prison, the next one caught holding his hand, and so on in the order of capture. A guard should always be at hand to intercept any attempts at rescue. A prisoner and his rescuer may not be tagged while returning home, but the rescuer may be tagged before he touches the prisoner. One rescuer may free only one prisoner at a time. Whenever a player is caught, all of the others return to their home goals (except prisoners), and a fresh start is made in the game.
Much finessing is possible by engaging the enemy on one side of the ground, while a good runner is held in reserve to dash into the enemy's goal on the other side. Or one player may, by a wide detour, creep around unnoticed to the rear of the enemy's goal and enter it from that side.
Each side should have a captain to maintain discipline, to take general direction of the game, and to decide with the opposing captain any disputed points.
This game is more complicated than the one of the same name previously described. It is well for beginners to start with the first game. The author can testify from vivid recollections the hold which this form of the game may have for successive seasons on its devotees. Sometimes a "dare line" is drawn a few feet in front of each home goal, which challenges the opponents to a special thrill of venturesomeness. The game in this form, as a small boy said to the author, is "the national game of Minneapolis."
PRISONER'S BASE—III6 to 30 or more players.
Playground; gymnasium.
The ground is divided according to the accompanying diagram; the players, who are divided into two equal parties, with a captain for each party, being stationed respectively in the goals marked A and B, which are at the same end of the ground instead of at opposite ends, as in Prisoners' Base II. In the present form of the game, the prison belonging to each side is located directly opposite its own home goal at the farther end of the ground, instead of near its own goal, as in II. Rescue of a prisoner is by entry of the opponent's prison, not by tagging the prisoners; so there is no object in the prisoner's reaching out of the prison, as in the previous forms of the game.
The two parties decide by counting out, holders, drawing lots, or some other form of choice, which shall commence. One member of this side then runs out to the middle of the ground and gives a "nominy," or "dare," calling, "Chevy, chevy, chase! One, two, three!" As soon as he has called this (but not before), he is liable to be tagged by the opponents, who try to catch him before he can run home again. Should he reach home in safety, the opponents take their turn in sending a man to the middle to give a "dare" in the same way. A player need not run home, however, but may remain at large, another player from his side running out to cover or protect him by trying to tag the opponent. Several players from each team may be out in this way at one time. A player may be caught by any man who left his home goal after he did, but by none who left before him. Each player must therefore keep a sharp watch on his opponents to know which of them may tag him and which he may tag. This is continued until a prisoner is caught, when he is taken by his captor to the prison belonging to the side capturing him. A captor may not be tagged while taking a prisoner to prison, and is allowed to go back to his goal afterward without tagging. If a player can reach the opponents' prison without being tagged by an opponent, he releases the first prisoner taken there. Both may return home without being tagged. The object of the game is to place all of the players of the opponents' side in prison, and when that is accomplished, to take possession of the opponent's home goal. When this is done, the two parties change sides and begin again, the losing side being first to send a man into the field.
PRISONER'S BASE—IVThis differs from the preceding game only in the laying out of the ground, the prison for each party being on the opponent's side of the ground instead of on the side of the home goal. This arrangement decreases the risk in rescuing prisoners. All of the rules for the game are the same as in III.
PRISONER'S BASE—V10 to 30 or more players.
Playground; gymnasium.
In this form of prisoner's base the ground is marked out in a square or oblong, the dimensions varying with the number of players and their age or ability as runners. For average players a ground measuring 60 × 60 feet is recommended. The two end boundaries serve as base lines, the territory beyond each belonging to the party on that side. In this respect the game differs from those previously described, in which a limited home goal is marked for each team. About ten feet from the base line, near the left-hand corner of the square or oblong, a small prison is marked for each team.
The first object of the game is to make prisoners of all the opponents. The second object of the game is to make runs into the enemy's territory and back again without being caught (tagged). Three such runs entitle the player making them to select a player from the opposing team as a prisoner, or to free one prisoner from his own team. Should a player be made a prisoner, any runs he may have made into the enemy's territory up to that time are lost in his account, and when freed, he must begin his score of runs over again to count three. A player returning home after a run into the enemy's territory may not capture a prisoner, or free one of his own men from prison on the way. A player may not be tagged after crossing the opponents' base line until he starts back. In returning home after such a run, a player may be tagged by any opponent who left his own goal after the runner left his own goal (not the enemy's goal), but not by any who started out before the runner started. This rule applies to the capture of opponents at any time, any player, for instance, on team A, being liable to capture by any opponent on team B who left his base line after the A man, but not any who left it before he left his own. Similarly, he may capture any player on team B who ventured forth before he did, but must be on his guard against any who came out after he did. Stepping over the side lines while being chased is equivalent to being caught; but this does not apply when escorting a prisoner or at any other time.
Prisoners may stretch out of the prison as far as possible so long as one foot is within it. As the number of prisoners increases, they may stretch out in one long file from the prison, provided each touches a hand or foot, or some other part of the next player. In such a file, the first prisoner captured should be the farthest away from the prison, the last one captured with at least one foot in the goal, and the others in relative order. After the first prisoner is caught, the game centers more on freeing or preventing the freeing of prisoners than on runs into the enemy's goal.
This is the form of Prisoner's Base preferred by Mr. Joseph Lee of Boston, and described by him in Playground (No. 8). Mr. Lee says:—
"The interest of the game depends very much on locating the prison in such a way as to give the right balance between the forces of offense and defense. If it is placed close to the base line of the side by which the capture has been made, it is almost impossible to free the prisoner if there is any defense at all. The game is often spoiled by this mistake. On the other hand, it must not be placed too far out, for if it is, it becomes impossible to win the game, because the line of prisoners, when the side is nearly all caught, then extends to a point so much nearer their own base line
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