How to Play Capture the Flag

Remember Capture the Flag fromsummer campor childhoodcamping trips? It's a favorite backyard game that offers players a fast-paced, exhilarating mix of fitness and fun.Play outsidewith two to four teams of any size.

A game of Capture the Flag can be a quick and simple turnaround or a long battle. Everything depends on the deviousness of the players. That, plus the number of teams and players and the size of your playing area, will determine the length of a game.

Preparing for Capture the Flag

Capture the Flag is bestplayed outdoorswith plenty of space to run around. All you have to do is assemble your team and make sure you have a couple of flags and you're ready for action. Follow these steps to make sure you're prepared to play.

Find an Open Area

You will need an open area for your territories. The bigger the better, and obstacles such as trees, bushes, and large rocks help make the game more fun.

Make Your Own Flags

You will also need material to make flags (one per team). Bandannas, socks, old t-shirts, and even beanbags work. Each flag should be about the same size and brightly colored.

Setting Up for Capture the Flag

Setting up to play Capture the Flag is fairly simple, but there are a few things to be aware of before you start playing.

Create Your Teams

Divide players evenly into two to four teams. Aim for a balanced mix of ages, sizes, and fitness levels for each team if you can. But it's also fun to play parents against kids, or use sports rivalries as your starting point (say, Cubs fans vs. White Sox supporters).

Designate Your Playing Area

Divide the playing area into equal-sized territories, one for each team. You can use chalk, cones, tape, or landmarks such as trees or sidewalks to mark boundaries and make sure each player understands the lay of the land.

Clear Away Debris

Make sure the area is free of any hazards such as lawn tools before playing.

Place Your Flags

Place one flag into each territory. This can be done by a representative from each team or a neutral person who isn't playing. The flag can be mostly hidden, but some part of it must be visible. Once it's placed, the flag can't be moved by its home team.

How to Play Capture the Flag

Now that you've set up your playing field and placed your flags, you are officially ready to play the game. Of course, it wouldn't be a proper game without a set of rules. Here are some ground rules to follow to play Capture the Flag.

Start all players at a neutral location on the edge of the playing area. When the game begins, players try to cross into opposing teams' territories to grab their flags. Some teams might strategize beforehand and designate some players as seekers (who will go on the offense to try to find the other team's flag) and others as guards (who will protect their own flag).

Teams should not guard their flags too closely. One way to do this is to disallow players to be within 10 feet of their own flag unless an opposing team's player is present.

When a player is in an opposing team's territory, they can be captured by that team's players. If they tag the player, the player must perform a task—say, fivejumping jacksor three push-ups—before returning to their own territory.

Players are safe and can't be captured any time they cross back to their own team's territory.

The game ends when one team has successfully grabbed the flag(s) from the other team or teams and returned to their own territory. If you have more than two teams, decide how the winner will be determined. Must one team gatherallother team flags or just a majority?

In games with multiple teams, the strategy can become a bigger part of the game. Teams might form alliances and work together to defeat a common enemy.