How to play:
Object:
The object of the game is to score points for your team by stealing enemy flags and bringing them within your boundaries without being tagged. The team with the most points after 90 minutes of play wins.
Teams:
Upon registration, each person will be assigned to a team (Blue or Fuchsia). Each player will be given a color-coordinating glow-in-the-dark necklace that must be worn and visible during the entire game. Each team will have a captain with whom they will be in communication throughout the game primarily via text message.
Setting up the field:
After teams have been assembled and rules reviewed, teams will have 15 minutes to strategize and assume their positions within their boundaries. Each team will have 3 flag-and-cone combos that they will place in 3 separate locations within their boundaries. Each flag must be placed on a street corner so that it is approachable from 360 degrees (shown below as fig. 1). Flags cannot be placed in an alley (fig. 2), within 5 ft of a building or other major obstacle like a trash can (fig. 3) or on an island in the middle of a street (fig. 4). Teams must draw a 50-ft border around each flag with chalk and string for measuring (provided at registration).
Scoring:
After the teams have had 15 minutes to set up their flags and positions, play will start. A point is scored when someone steals a flag from the opposing team and brings it back to their own home territory without being tagged. If you are tagged while carrying a flag, you must surrender the flag immediately to the person who tagged you and no point is scored. The flag will be returned to its original position. If you score a point by bringing an enemy flag back to your territory, contact your captain and one of your referees via text and the ref will meet you to retrieve the flag from you and return it to its original location where it will again be immediately available for capture.
Guarding and tagging:
Players defending home territory may not come within 50 feet of the flag while it is still in position. Players may not form human chains inside their territory to block streets or pathways. Once the flag has been removed from the cone, this 50-ft "safety zone" immediately disappears and the opposing player may be pursued and tagged. If you are tagged in enemy territory, there will be no jail. You will be escorted back to your side by the person who tagged you.
You may be tagged if you are inside enemy territory. Sidewalks, inside buildings and underground are considered enemy territory if they are outside of your territory, but within game boundaries. ALL streets and on board public transportation are neutral/safe zones along with any territory outside of game boundaries ONLY if you are not carrying a flag. You may be tagged on a street or other neutral zone if an opposing player can reach you while they are still in physical contact with their territory. For example, if they have a foot on their sidewalk and can still touch you, you may be tagged. You may not remain outside game boundaries or on neutral ground for more than a count of 10. For instance if you are being chased or you chase someone outside of game boundaries or onto a street, you have 10 seconds to return back into game territory. You must reenter game territory even if the only accessible territory is enemy territory and you are being chased. The only obvious exception to this is if you are outside of game territory and the only way to re-enter is to cross a street at a dangerous moment. Only in this instance, may you stall longer than 10 seconds before reentry. Once traffic is clear, who ever is counting may pick up in the count where they left off when traffic occurred. If the player counting gets to 10 while you are outside playing boundaries, consider yourself tagged and you will be escorted back to your territory. If you are carrying a flag, the ONLY safe/neutral zone is the street directly in between the 2 zones--in this case St. Nicholas Ave.
Communicating during the game:
At the start of the game, all players will receive the cell numbers of their team captains and the referees. The following forms of communication will be available:
- Game start and final score at end: Referees will communicate to team captains via text when the game has officially started and ended. Captains may designate key players on their team to communicate this information to the rest of the team either via a text tree or by word of mouth on the streets.
- Scored points: When a player scores a point, they are responsible for texting their team captain and one of the refs with their location. The team captain will note the point and the referee will meet the player (or designate a closer ref) to retrieve the flag from the player and return it to its original location.
- 30-minute updates: At 30 and 60 minutes into the game, referees will collect score information from captains and a current score for both teams will be sent back.
Don't do anything dangerous and CAPTURE THE FUN!
