Cops and Robbers

Law and Disorder #

Cops and Robbers is a classic outdoor game of chase and strategy, where players are divided into two teams: the cops and the robbers. The cops' goal is to catch the robbers before they can reach a designated safe zone, often called the "hideout."

How to Play #

The game starts with the robbers being given a head start to hide or strategize their path to the safe zone, while the cops wait at a home base. After the head start period, the cops chase the robbers, attempting to tag them. A tagged robber must go to a designated "jail" area and can only be freed by another robber who hasn't been caught.

Variations

• Boundaries: Change the size of the playing area to increase or decrease difficulty.

• Special Roles: Introduce special roles like a 'chief' of police who can tag multiple robbers at once or a 'master thief' who can free multiple robbers from jail at once.

Rules #

Team Setup: Divide players into two teams, cops and robbers.

Objective: Cops aim to catch all robbers, while robbers try to all reach the hideout.

Jail: Tagged robbers are sent to a jail area and must stay there until freed by a teammate.

Rescue: Robbers can free jailed teammates by tagging them, which can only be done without getting tagged by a cop.

Winning: The game ends when all robbers are in jail or all have reached the hideout.

Materials #

This game can be played with no special equipment. Cones or markers to designate jail and hideout areas is opional.

Setup #

Setup Instructions:

1. Designate Areas: Mark out the boundaries of the playing area, jail, and hideout.

2. Team Division: Randomly assign players to either the cops or the robbers.

3. Starting the Game: Decide on the length of the head start for robbers.