Database of Games » 8 or more

Centipede

gamepac — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:30:01 +0000

The players sit in a circle on the floor with their feet stretched out and mingled in a promiscuous pile. One player who is leader and stands outside the circle touches one of the feet (he may mark it slightly with a piece of chalk if desired) and calling on some player by name commands him to tell to whom the foot belongs. When this player has named some one the leader commands the owner of the foot to stand up. If the guess be wrong the leader chases the mistaken player and whips him with a knotted handkerchief. If the guess be right the guesser is released from the game sits down at one side and chooses the next one to be It while the one who was It takes a place in the circle.

This game lends itself especially to the gymnasium or seashore where the dressing of the feet is inclined to be uniform.

The game is played by the modern Greeks.

Bull In The Ring

gamepac — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 10:30:01 +0000

All but one of the players stand in a circle with hands firmly clasped. The odd player stands in the center and is the bull. The bull tries to break through the ring by parting the hands of any of the players. If he breaks through the two players whose hands he parted immediately give chase to him and the one catching him becomes the bull.

This is a very rough game.

Zigzag Rules

gamepac — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 20:30:01 +0000

These games may be played with any kind of a ball or with bean bags.

There are several forms of Zigzag Ball. The simpler forms are useful in getting young players or those unused to play accustomed to the skill of handling balls. The more complicated forms make very lively games interesting to players of any age. The different games are played in line and circle formation. The main characteristics of the different line forms are as follows —

(1) The players are divided into groups of two ranks each each group forming a separate team. The ball is zigzagged from one rank to another of a group without skipping any players. The groups are competitive as in relay races.

(2) The players stand in groups of two lines each but these groups are composed of two different teams the alternate players of one rank and the alternate players of the opposite rank forming one team and the intervening players of the two ranks another.

(3) The players are divided into groups as in the first form each group consisting of one team arranged in two ranks which face each other but the ball is zigzagged by skipping every alternate player as it works its way to the end of the line in one direction and is tossed by these skipped players on its return to the front thus forming a double zigzag.

Other forms of the game are also here given namely the Circle Zigzag and the Zigzag Overhead Toss in which latter game the ball is tossed over the heads of intervening ranks the players of alternate ranks belonging to the same party.

In all of these forms the game may be made more lively and complicated by advancing from the use of one ball to that of two or more. The kind of ball used will also make a great difference in the play anything from a bean bag to a basket ball or medicine ball being suitable. Where bean bags are used it is desirable to have different colored bags for the different teams.

Pass And Toss Relay Double Line

gamepac — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:30:01 +0000

The players are divided into two equal groups which compete against each other. Each group is divided into two lines or ranks which stand facing each other. There should be from ten to twenty feet of space between the two ranks.

The game consists of passing a bean bag up one of these lines to the end when the last player runs across to the opposite line tossing the bag as he goes to the end man in that line who catches it and passes it down the line. The same play is performed at the other end the last player running across to the opposite line tossing the bag as he goes to the last player there. The lines move up or down one place each time a player runs across to the opposite rank. The game in detail will be as follows —

Number One has a bag and at a signal passes it down the line to Number Eight who runs across toward Number Nine tossing the bag to Number Nine as he does so. It must be tossed before he has gone halfway across the space between. Number Nine immediately passes the bag to Number Ten and so on up the line to the last player Number Sixteen. The moment that he receives the bag he runs across toward Number One in the opposite rank making a running toss as he does so. At the same time the entire line from Nine to Fifteen moves up one place to make room for Number Eight who should take his place at the foot of the line next to Number Nine. As soon as Number One receives the bag he passes it down the line to his neighbor Number Two and so on till it reaches the end of the line which at the same time should be moving down one place to make room for Number Sixteen who should take his place at the head of the line next beyond Number One.

This play is repeated until Number One reaches his original position again and the bag is passed to him there. Immediately on receiving it he should lift it high as a signal that the play is completed in his group. The group wins whose first player is first to do this.

The game may be made a little more definite by Number One having some distinguishing mark as a handkerchief tied on his arm.

When players have some proficiency in the game as prescribed they may play with two bags instead of one keeping both in play at once. In this form of the game the diagonal opposites start each a bag at the same time that is Number One and Number Nine. The game becomes thus just twice as rapid. The team wins whose Numbers One and Nine first succeed in both returning to their original positions where they should hold the bags aloft.

A score should be kept each team scoring two points for winning a game and one point for every time that its opponents bags touch the floor either through poor throwing or bad catching.