About Capture the Flag

Capture the Flag is a game that is popular among school-aged children. The traditional versions involve players running around a playing field trying to find their opponent's flag. Capture the Flag has also been used as an addition to paintball games as well, though, with teams eliminating each other by hitting their opponent's with colored paintballs instead of tagging them with their hands.

Supplies Needed

When playing Capture the Flag, there should be two flags, with each team hiding one in their home territory. Flags must be hung about 4 to 6 feet off the ground, so tape and string are helpful supplies. You also need at least three players for each team. The ideal number is closer to six members on each team. Rope to mark off the jail area where you keep captured players from the opponent's team.

Rules

Find a common area in which to play the Capture the Flag Game, that is large enough for two teams to hide a flag, and scout out the location of the other team's flag. Divide the playing area in half--half for each team's home area. Each team divides evenly into scouts and defenders. Scouts go into the other team's territory looking to find and steal their flag. Defenders try to capture the other team's scouts by tagging them.
Players can change from scouts to defenders and defenders to scouts during the game by crossing the dividing line between the two territories. A player may only be captured if he is tagged when in the other team's territory. If a player returns to his own team's territory with the opponent's flag, his team scores a point. The Capture the Flag game can be played for just one point, or until one team scores a pre-determined number of points.

Prisoners

Players are considered to be prisoners if they are tagged when in their opponent's territory. At that time, the player is taken to the jail in the opponent's territory. Teammates can save a player that is captured as a prisoner by running over to that player and tagging his hand. This frees the player. Then both the former prisoner and the player that rescued him are considered scouts until one or both return to his home territory.

Strategy

It's best to hide the flag in an area where your opponents won't think to look. Hiding your team's flag in an area that is more apparent than the opposing team will expect can be a good strategy. This is because the other team won't look in that area for the flag thinking you wouldn't hide the flag in somewhere that obvious.
Dressing in colors that blend in to your surroundings will help you from being spotted by your opponents. Avoid being out in the open for extended periods of time. Move from one hiding spot, to another while looking for your opponent's flag. Always keep your eyes open for movement by the opponent's defenders as well, since being tagged by them sends you to jail.
It is a good idea when creating your jail to avoid having it too close to the flag you hid. You don't want opponents discovering the flag while they are in jail waiting for their teammates to come and save them.

Warning

Capture the Flag can turn into a very physical game, where players can be injured. Make sure rules are dictated gearing the amount of physical contact to be appropriate for the age group playing. With younger children, actions such as tackling, diving, or setting traps that could trip opponents with string should be considered against the rules. If you are playing Capture the Flag as part of a paintball game, restrictions should be made on where you can hit an opponent to eliminate them. Typically, hits above the shoulders are not permitted, as this increases the risk of injury. If a player fails to observe the rules, place him in jail the first time. Repeat offenders should be removed from the Capture the Flag Game.