THE UNMUTUAL PRISONER PICNIC GAMES

With thanks to Pet Serrano

 

The Prisoner Live Action Role Playing Game

Object: Number 6 must be in the Free Zone at the end of play.

Blanket Rules: Anyone can be tagged in the Orange Alert Area or the Free Zone and must return to the Green Dome before resuming play.

Requires: Playing area with map, 5 or more players

Basic Players: Number 2, Number 6, Rover, Villagers

Prep time: A few days for large groups, a few hours for small groups.

Step 1: Choose a play area, urban or wild. Campgrounds, parks (with either trees or large crowds), amusement parks, malls, and college grounds can all be used. Be sure you are allowed to play a game in the area you choose. Get a map of the area and mark off the sections.

You will need to map off in concentric areas:

1. The Green Dome: This will be "home".
2. The Village: The safe zone around the Dome. Number 6 and the Villagers cannot be tagged here.
3. The Orange Alert area: Number 6 and the Villagers can be tagged here. Rover can tag here.
4. The Free Zone: Number 6 must be in this area at the end of play to win, Number 6 and the Villagers can be tagged here. Rover cannot enter this area.

In designing your play area you should keep in mind the size of your group, the time frame, whether your players are freelance or in mobile phone contact, etc. You may need to playtest with your group before you settle on a complete format.

Step 2: In the days (or hours) before play begins, every player should come up with a strategy. Depending on your level of LARP, this can include making alliances, making fake alliances, spreading false information, designing disguises, etc.

Step 3: Assign the characters. These must include:

1. Number 6: Starts at the Green Dome and attempts to make it to freedom. Number 6 may tag anyone in the Orange Alert Area or the Free Zone. Number 6 has a head start of several minutes.
2. Number 2: Number 2 oversees the game. If you are using mobile phones to keep in contact, Number 2 will give orders and receive information this way, otherwise she does it by wandering the Village and engaging in meetings. Number 2 must stay in the Village within sight of the Green Dome.
3. Rover: Rover tags anyone moving in the Orange Alert area, but no one may tag Rover. Rover is limited to the Village and the Orange Alert area. If Rover enters the Free Zone, he must return to the Green Dome before he can attack again.
4. Villagers: Start at the Green dome then spread out to search for Number 6. They may tag Number 6 in the Orange Alert Area or the Free Zone.

Mix and match these variations to suit your group:

Large Group— For larger groups, you may wish to have a drawing for secret characters. Jammers appear as Villagers, but are able to tag other Villagers and spread false rumors. The Rook may help Number 6 escape. Number 8 may pretend to help Number 6 escape. Number 48 may be required to start a distraction. Use your imagination. Only Number 2 should know how many of which characters there are in the drawing.

Methods of tagging— This can be a touch, a sticker, a squirt gun, or whatever else suits your group. Don't do anything weird, unsafe or illegal.

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Number 34's Orange Alert Paintball Scenario Game

Object: Number 6 must be in the Free Zone at the end of play.

Level: Amateur up. Some familiarity with basic paintball rules and terms is required, but not for everyone. If you have beginners in your group, playing one or two tournament games should get them familiar enough to play this successfully.

Basic Design: For map design and character assignments, use the rules for the Prisoner LARP (Live Action Role Playing Game)

Paintball Scenario Game— USING ALL OF YOUR NORMAL SAFETY EQUIPMENT IN A PAINTBALL-APPROVED AREA, you can adapt the Live Action Role Playing game as a Single Day Paintball Scenario Game, or PSG. The mission is a simple variation on recapturing an enemy prisoner in a 360 environment. If your team has been successful at scenarios involving capturing a sniper or a downed enemy pilot, you will feel right at home.
What is a 360 PSG? Paintball games usually come in two styles, tournament and 360. For tournament play, two teams declare territory and try to infiltrate enemy territory to accomplish a mission, this usually boils down to "capture the flag", the "flag" being an actual flag, an enemy general, or their headquarters. This is the simplest paintball game to learn because most people already know the basic rules to "capture the flag". One team tries to go one way, and the other goes in the opposite direction, both crossing the front lines. Whoever accomplishes the mission first wins. 360 games have no lines as such. They may involve 2 evenly matched teams, but they can also be played with several teams, one team against one spy, or every man for himself. This form of play feels more realistic to many and evolves naturally into a more complex game involving traitors, spies, deals, extra missions and strategic planning.

Additional Notes:

* You should probably continue to wear your normal paintball outfits for this. Piped jackets, colored capes and khakis may look right, but you might as well be wearing a target. Rover is the only exception, and white paint and a white shirt or vest work well for this character since it is meant to be seen.

* Number 6 may start out with a gun and radio or acquire one by stealth and tagging by hand, depending on your group personality.

* Number 2 is in the normal "General" position and should have the air horn or whistle to signal "Orange Alert" (start) and "Meeting at the Green Dome" (end of play).

* The Green Dome in this case serves as the hospital would normally. Since Number 2 cannot attack directly, Number 2 may also volunteer as a medic, in which case he has access to all areas of play. If you don't use medics, the eliminated player makes his way back to the Green Dome on his own before returning to play.

Number 6 also returns to the Green Dome if eliminated before returning to play. You may want to call everyone back to the Green Dome when Number 6 returns to resume play from the beginning.

* Rover indiscriminately attacks anyone that moves, and cannot be eliminated or eliminate any players in the Free Zone. Rover must be in constant motion, he or she cannot simply stand by and wait for a player to move. Rover's open, noisy movements have even been useful in disguising the movements of others.

* There's no reason you couldn't play this in the summer with the kids and some water balloons or a package of water pistols. We hid balloons all around the woods at a birthday party, but the little rebels had a tendency to aim for the nearest adult instead of Number 6 and we lost all of our Pringles in the attack. It was a great time!

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Roverball

There are three diagrams for roverball at http://www.poshlust.com/temp/

Object: Number 6 tries to reach Freedom in the third round.

Requires: Playing area, ball, 5-10 players or so

Players: Number 2, Number 6, Rover, Villagers

Who is “It”?: There are two “Its” in Rover Ball. Number 6 is “It” to anyone in the Village or Orange Alert areas without the ball (Villagers). Anyone with the ball (Rover), except for Number 2, is “It” to Number 6. Any Villager can become Rover at any time by getting the ball, and Rover can become a Villager at any time by losing the ball.

At the beginning of every round: Players are spread out as shown in the diagram. Number 6 starts the game by stepping into the Orange Alert area. Number 2 yells “Orange Alert” and passes the ball to a Villager, who then becomes Rover.

Rounds 1 and 2: Rover attempts to “tag” Number 6 with the ball, or passes the ball to someone else. Number 6 attempts to “tag” as many Villagers as possible before either

1. He is touched with the ball.
2. Number 2 makes it to the Orange Alert area and back and gets possession of the ball in the Green Dome area. She can do this by retrieving the ball herself or by waiting for someone to throw it to her.

Villagers who have been tagged are out for the rest of the game. If Number 2 is tagged, she is out for the round and the round only ends when Number 6 is tagged by the ball. Number 2 cannot be tagged while holding the ball, but Number 2 can never attack Number 6 directly.

Round 3: The escape. Number 6 must try to make it to Freedom. He may still tag Villagers. The game ends when either

1. Number 6 is tagged by the ball.
2. Number 6 makes it to Freedom.

Mix and match these variations to suit your group:

Dodge Roverball— For larger groups, larger areas or pool games you may wish to “tag” Number 6 by throwing a ball (preferably a soft kickball, nerf ball or small beach ball.) In this variation, if Rover throws the ball to another Villager, that Villager becomes Rover if s/he catches the ball, but if s/he drops the ball it’s a tag out.

Rover Football—If you prefer to use a football (uh…that would be an American football), The Villager with the ball is still Rover, but must hold onto the ball and tag Number 6 with his hand. Fumbling the ball is the same as being tagged out, but as in the regular game any Villager who picks up the ball becomes Rover.

Playing on a baseball diamond— Number 6 stands on the pitcher’s mound (the Orange Alert area), Number 2 stands at Home (the Green Dome), and other players stand on each base and in various areas inside the diamond (the Village). The outfield is Freedom.

Rover Softball or Kickball— Number 6 pitches to Number 2, who hits the ball. Number 6 tags out Villagers as usual, and is tagged out when touched with the ball in a Villager’s hand. The round can also end when Number 2 makes it to the pitcher’s mound and back and gets the ball back to home. Villagers don’t have to stay on base.

Large groups— Number 6 can have allies if your group is large enough. They may tag out Villagers and the round ends if one of them is tagged by Rover.

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