Evening game, outdoors
Equipment: Tiny pieces of paper with the following smuggled items and point values written on each:
Chocolate - 50 points. Quantity: 10
Sugar - 75 points. Quantity: 8
Animal pelts - 100 points. Quantity: 8
Gunpowder - 150 points. Quantity: 6
Designs for a new secret weapon - 300 points. Quantity: 3
Map to buried treasure - 500 points. Quantity: 1
Formation: teams
Divide the group into two teams. Have each team put on its armbands. One team becomes the smugglers - the other the spies. After the rules of the game are given, each team retreats to separate ends of the playing area (3-20 acres with open woods is ideal for the game.)
The smugglers each receive the tiny pieces of paper, which they are going to try to carry into enemy (spy) headquarters. The spies set up their headquarters inside a 10' by 10' square area that has its definite boundaries. The scorekeeper sits inside spy headquarters.
After each team has been given the opportunity to devise a strategy, play begins. The spies fan out away from their headquarters and try to intercept smugglers as they attempt to take their goods inside.
When a smuggler gets caught (tagged), he must stand still and permit a one-minute search of his person by the spy who caught him. If the spy cannot find the piece of paper within one minute (paper has to be hidden in external clothing layers), the smuggler is free to try to advance again into the headquarters. If the spy does find the 'loot', he takes the piece of paper into spy headquarters and gives it to the scorekeeper, while the smuggler returns to his headquarters to receive another piece of paper.
If a smuggler penetrates inside the spy headquarters, he gives his goods to the scorekeeper and is escorted back to his own headquarters by a staff person or leader supervising the game.
The game continues for a set period of time. When it ends, goods (points) are totaled, and a winner is declared.