Possibly the greatest of all the team-based open-field tag games, Red Rover will be forever remembered by school-aged children as the game where you tackle each other to a pulp when the teachers aren't looking, and "Red Rover" when they are.
The Rules
Take one (1) average sized Rugby, soccer, AFL, or softball field, or Basketball court or Open highway. Line up on one side, with all but "It" on one side of said. "It" stands in the middle.
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| Traffic Optional | | | |
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Next, the person who is "It" challenges one or more of the group to single combat, much like the Samurai of Ancient Feudal Japan. This person, however, must escape like a coward to the safe lands of Taiwan, like the Ninja of Ancient Feudal Japan. Seriously, warfare in Ancient Japan was all just sharpened variants of Children's playground games.
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| When challenging, "Red Rover Red Rover I call over [Name]" is appopriate. "COME AT ME BRO" is not. |
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If this stealthy wind-passing-in-the-night is successful, the process repeats until everyone is safe. But if "It" catches his challenge, that person also becomes "It", making it twice as difficult for the next person who is challenged. Continue from one end of the field and back again until everyone is "it".
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| Things can be difficult for the last man standing |
Finally, if the person who is "It" calls "BULLRUSH", everyone who is on one side of the field must get to the other, making it harder to dodge and escape their attacker(s). It's a good tactic for those "it"s who are too slow to catch anyone else (and it's usually the fat slow kid who is "it").
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| Before the Special "Playgound Games" sitting of the Geneva convention, games of Red Rover could often get out-of-hand. |
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So, now you know how it's played! So find your nearest school/playground, and get to tackling some ten year olds!