Cops and Robbers

This game is played in a large open space. Start by selecting a Jail. A bench, picnic table, tree, shed, or a section of fence/wall will do. Next split your group into two equal groups. One group will be the Cops. Their job is to tag the Robbers and guard the Jail. The other group is the Robbers. Their job is to not be caught by the Cops and to save captured Robbers with Jailbreaks. Robbers who are tagged are expected to walk to the Jail by themselves, they do not need the Cop to escort them. If a Jailbreak occurs, only those Robbers who are touching the Jail are freed, any Robbers who have been caught but are still walking to the Jail are not included in the Jailbreak. A Jailbreak occurs when a Robber (who has not been caught) touches the Jail and yells "Jailbreak!". There is no headstart for the Robbers, they may be tagged immediately after the Jailbreak is initiated. With equal teams of Cops and Robbers, this game usually ends with the Cops getting everyone in Jail. I would then play one more round where we reverse the roles; those who were Cops are now the Robbers and the Robbers are now the Cops. Otherwise you can set a time limit for each round.

We would play this in a field. In this case the field is enclosed but it is important to specify boundaries if this is not the case. We used the bench indicated in the top left as a Jail.