Team Hide and Go Seek

Hide and Go Seek is a great game, but it gets old fast, and you can only play with so many people, in a somewhat confined before it gets out of hand. Team Hide and Go Seek blows these downsides away. Adding in teams and clues quintuples the fun value of the game.



Setup:
1. Create teams. Try and stay close to having the same number of people on a team as the number of teams you have. So if you have 9 people, go for three teams of 3. If you have 15 people, do three teams of 4 and a team of 3. Make sure at least one person on each team has a reliable mobile. There is some waiting involved, so make sure your team doesn't suck; choose people you can converse with for a while.
2. Establish boundaries and transportation rules. If you're in a city with buses and subways (Manhattan, e.g.) maybe do a 20-30 block radius from your starting point. Adjust if you are walking, have cars, etc.
3. Determine which team will be the first to hide. Be creative, maybe a large multi-person game of mercy?
4. Establish communication methods. It's best for each team to choose a person who will be the pointman for communications, but it's good to have backup in case your mobile runs out of batteries. Decide if communication will be by walkie-talkie, cell phone (voice), text, email, etc.

Gameplay (Hiders):
1. Go and hide. It can be anywhere within the boundaries, but it must be within open sight. Sitting by a tree, fine. Huddled inside a port-a-john, no (and gross). You will be giving out clues as to where you are, so before you choose a location, make sure you can think of a clue or two which you can use to lead them to your location. Move quickly; the others are waiting for you.
2. Tell the other teams your first clue. Make your first clue somewhat vague. Make a riddle if you're clever enough.
3. Relax, and think. They're coming to find you, all you have to do is play the waiting game. You need to be provide the other teams with clues, so brainstorm as you wait.
4. Answer their calls. They will be contacting you every ten minutes to ask a yes or no question. Don't mess this up; they'll be pissed. If nobody on your team knows, tell them to come up with a new question. They'll probably whine, but who cares.
5. Provide clues every 20 minutes. Your biggest job is giving everyone the clue. If you're doing so by calling them, try and have everyone on your team call a different person, so they get the clues at the same time. When you give a clue, they will also ask you a question. (See #4.)

Gameplay (Seekers):
1. Keep yourselves entertained. The other team is hiding, and you have little to no idea where they're going; there's not much strategizing you can do, so just have fun. Maybe stretch, you might end up doing some running.
2. Be smart. You'll receive your first clue when the other team arrives at their spot. It will probably be vague, but if you have any hunches, go with them.
3. Think of questions. You are allowed to ask a yes or no question every ten minutes. If you have some ideas based on the clue, you can use those, or you can ask based on location. Example: Find a dividing line on the map, then ask, 'Are you north of x avenue?'
4. Plan things out. Decide on a destination, and the path you will take to get there. Move quickly. Decide who will watch the left side of the street, etc. They will be open sight, but can still be somewhat hidden. Important: Your team must stay together! No splitting up.

Winning:
1. Found the hiders? You win! Inform the other teams that the game is over; be sure to brag.
2. Meet at the hiding point. Some people will be farther away, so again, play the waiting game.
3. The winning team hides. Assuming you want to play another round.

Repeat until you get bored. If people have to leave, redistribute teams if necessary.

Strategies:
1. Use all your resources. If you have the internet on your phone, and you think it will help you figure out a clue? Go for it. Know someone (who's not playing) that knows the city better than you? Call them. (Unless any of these methods were discussed initially and prohibited.)
2. Hide within your hiding spot. You need to stay out in the open, but even the simple act of hiding your face with your hand can be effective. (See below.)


He ran right by us, even stopping right about there. This is a recreation of the scene, but this is exactly what happened. Over there on the right is your lead blogger here at Table Salt Games. I'm the bearded one on the right of the bench.

To see pictures from one of the time I played in Manhattan, go here.

Photo: PRactical Ramblings

Godspeed.