Capture the Flag

Capture the flag is a team game where two sides each guard a flag at their own base. The aim is simple: sneak into the other team's territory, grab their flag and carry it home without getting tagged. Get caught on enemy ground and you're out of play until a teammate rescues you. It's part tag, part hide and seek and part heist.

The playing area is split into two halves, one for each team, and each team places its flag in its own half. On home ground you're safe, and you can tag anyone from the other team who crosses into your territory. The moment you cross the line, you're fair game.

Tagged players are sent to jail, a marked spot on the other team's side. They wait there until a teammate gets through and tags them back into the game. The first team to carry the other side's flag back to their own base wins the round.

There are lots of house rules. Some games use several flags, some are played at dusk with glow sticks and some ban defenders from standing right next to their own flag. Your Activity Leader will explain which twists are in play.

Split into roles. Defenders patrol the border, attackers probe for gaps and a sneaky runner or two waits for the perfect moment. Decoys work brilliantly: send a couple of loud players charging one way while your quietest teammate slips round the other side.

In the woods, trees and bushes are your best friends. Stay low, move quietly and use the cover. Agree a few simple signals before you start, and always keep someone watching the jail, because a mass jailbreak can turn a game around in seconds.

Your Activity Leader starts with the boundaries, the rules and how to tag safely, which means a light touch, not a shove. Then you split into teams, hide your flag and get a few minutes to hatch a plan. After that it's round after round of sprinting, ducking behind trees and shouting instructions that nobody quite follows.

Absolutely. If you played it at school, you already know the gist, and if you didn't, it takes about a minute to pick up. There are no special skills, just a willingness to run on and off and get a bit competitive. The woodland floor is full of roots and dips, so wear closed-toe shoes you can run in. Lying very still in a bush counts as strategy.

You might also like Escape & Evade, Nerf Battles and Dodgeball.

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