Tag

How it works

The oldest game there is. One tagger chases everyone else; a tagged runner becomes the tagger. On its own a round of tag lasts about ninety seconds before it gets boring. The Game Master is what keeps it alive: every so often it rewrites one rule mid-chase, so the shape of the game keeps shifting under the players feet.

Roles

• Taggermin 1 · max 1

  Chases the runners. Tags with an open hand, on the back or shoulder only.

• Runnermin 1 · no cap · default

  Stays untagged for as long as possible.

Phases

1. 1

   Briefing~2 min

   Players agree the boundary out loud, point at the four edges, and the taggers count to ten.

2. 2

   Chase~10 min

   Open play. The Game Master injects modifiers and announcements while the round runs.

3. 3

   Final Round~2 min

   Last ninety seconds. No new modifiers are introduced.

What the Game Master may propose

Themes it draws from: movement constraints, animal mimicry, sound and silence, temporary safe spots, role reversals.

Example twists

• “Taggers may only move by hopping on one foot for the next sixty seconds.”
• “Anyone standing perfectly still with both arms raised cannot be tagged, but only for five seconds at a time.”
• “From now on, a tagger must announce their target by name before the tag counts.”
• “Everyone must move silently. The first player to make a noise joins the taggers.”

Safety profile

Contact policy

tag-only

Max intensity

high

Players separate

no

Daylight required

yes

Max generated rule length

120s (derived from intensity)

Hazard categories enforced

18

Inherent risks

• Sprinting players collide with each other or with fixed obstacles.
• Attention is on the chaser, not on the ground, so trip hazards go unseen.
• Players drift past the agreed boundary while focused on the chase.
• A tag can escalate into a grab or a shove when the chase is close.

Never proposed in this game

• Anything that sends players toward a road, car park, or boundary they cannot see.
• Climbing, jumping down from height, or getting onto anything above knee height.
• Grabbing, tackling, holding, pushing, or any contact beyond an open-handed tag.
• Blindfolds or closed eyes while anyone is running.
• Objects picked up off the ground and thrown.