Prisoner's Base

Source: Games For The Playground, Home, School And Gymnasium
Category: MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVE GAMES



Prisoner's Base is one of the most popular games for both boys
and girls who are beginning to care for team organization, and
is capital for adults. It gives opportunity for vigorous
exercise for all of the players, for the use of much judgment,
prowess, and daring, and for simple team or cooeperative work.

The game is found under many different forms. Several, which
offer marked or typical differences, each possessing distinct
playing values, are given here. These differences are in (1)
the arrangement of the ground, and (2) the rules governing the
players and game.

The differences in the grounds may be classed as follows


I. The entire playground divided in two divisions, one
belonging to each party, each division having a small pen for
prisoners at the rear. (Diagram I.)

II. The main part of playground neutral territory, with home
goals for the opposing parties at opposite ends, with prisons
in, near, or attached to them. (Diagrams II, V.)

III. The main part of playground neutral territory, with home
goals for both parties at the same end, attached or separate,
and prisons at the opposite end, either (1) on the same side of
the ground as the home goal, or (2) on the enemy's side of the
ground. (Diagrams III-IV.)

The rules for play for the second and third types of ground are
fundamentally the same, though differing in details, and they
differ from those for Diagram I. The playing qualities of the
games for the last three diagrams, however, are very distinct
because of the different methods of the enemies' approach to
each other (which make differences in the risk of "dares"), and
because of the differing risks in rescuing prisoners and taking
the enemy's goal by entry.

It has seemed best to make a selection of the typical forms,
and leave the leader of games free to choose his own. The first
form is the simplest for beginners and younger players, and
makes a good introduction to the game for such players.

Stealing Sticks is still another form of Prisoner's Base. The
main difference lies in the carrying away of the enemy's
property.

Prisoner's Base and related games are supposed to have
descended from the days of border warfare. They are very old,
and Strutt mentions a "Proclamation at the head of the
Parliamentary proceedings early in the reign of Edward the
Third, ... where it [Prisoner's Base] is prohibited in the
avenues of the palace at Westminster during the sessions of
Parliament, because of the interruption it occasioned to the
members and others in passing to and fro." The game at that
time was played by adults.



PRISONER'S BAS
I


_10 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._


I]

The ground is divided into two equal parts, with a small base or
prison marked off at the farther end of each division. From five to
fifteen players guard each side. They venture into the enemy's ground,
and, if caught, are put into the prison, where they must remain until
tagged by one of their own side who is free. Both prisoner and rescuer
may be tagged and brought back to prison before reaching their own
ground. The game is won when one side makes prisoners of all of its
opponents, or when a free man enters the opponents' prison, but this
last may be done only when there are no prisoners there.

This form of Prisoner's Base differs from others in greater
simplicity, both as to the arrangement of the ground and the
rules of play. It is therefore better for younger players or
beginners in the game.

The differences in detail consist in


1. The ground being divided by a line through the center into
two opposing territories. In other forms, the main playground
is neutral territory, each party having a small home goal
marked within it.

2. In this game (No. I) a player cannot "give a dare" without
venturing into the opponents' territory, and any opponent may
tag him. In other forms, the tagging, being on neutral
territory, is controlled by limitations as to which player was
last to leave his home goal, and makes a more complex game.

The rules about (1) a prisoner and his rescuer both being
liable to capture on the way home, and (2) to winning by
entering the enemy's prison, with the restriction that no
prisoners must be there, are also distinctive features.






PRISONER'S BAS
II


_10 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._


II]

Two captains are chosen who select players alternately until all are
disposed in two parties of equal numbers. A large goal is marked off
at each end of the ground, with a small base or prison in one rear
corner of it. The wide, open space between the goals is neutral
territory. The objects of the game are to enter the opponent's goal or
to make prisoners of all of his men. The entrance of one player within
the enemy's home goal means victory for his side. As one player
advances for this purpose, or "gives a dare," the opponents send out a
player to tag him, when the first side immediately sends out a second
player to "cover" or protect the darer by trying to tag his opponent.
The first side then sends out a second player to "cover" their first
man. He is at liberty to tag either of the other two players. In this
way any or all of the players may be out at one time, though it is
unwise to leave the goal unguarded. Any player may tag any man from
the opposite side who left his goal before he did, but none who came
out after he did. Whenever a player returns to his home goal, which he
may do at any time, the man who went out to cover him must return
also, and of course the man who went out to cover this second one,
etc. The issuing forth of players, or their return to the home goal,
is subject at all times to the direction of the captain, though much
independence of judgment should be exercised by the various players.
The captain may also designate one player to guard the home goal and
one to guard the prisoners whenever he chooses.

Any player caught (tagged) is placed in the opponents' prison
("prisoner's base"), where he must remain until rescued by one of his
own side. The prisoner may reach as far out of the prison as possible,
so long as one foot is within it. When there are several prisoners,
they may take hold of hands or otherwise touch each other, as by the
feet (this is optional with the prisoners), and reach forward as far
as possible, to be tagged by a rescuer, so long as one of them (the
last caught) keeps one foot within the prison goal. In such a line the
first one caught should be farthest from the prison, the next one
caught holding his hand, and so on in the order of capture. A guard
should always be at hand to intercept any attempts at rescue. A
prisoner and his rescuer may not be tagged while returning home, but
the rescuer may be tagged before he touches the prisoner. One rescuer
may free only one prisoner at a time. Whenever a player is caught, all
of the others return to their home goals (except prisoners), and a
fresh start is made in the game.

Much finessing is possible by engaging the enemy on one side of the
ground, while a good runner is held in reserve to dash into the
enemy's goal on the other side. Or one player may, by a wide detour,
creep around unnoticed to the rear of the enemy's goal and enter it
from that side.

Each side should have a captain to maintain discipline, to take
general direction of the game, and to decide with the opposing captain
any disputed points.

This game is more complicated than the one of the same name
previously described. It is well for beginners to start with
the first game. The author can testify from vivid recollections
the hold which this form of the game may have for successive
seasons on its devotees. Sometimes a "dare line" is drawn a few
feet in front of each home goal, which challenges the opponents
to a special thrill of venturesomeness. The game in this form,
as a small boy said to the author, is "the national game of
Minneapolis."



PRISONER'S BAS
III


_6 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._


III]

The ground is divided according to the accompanying diagram; the
players, who are divided into two equal parties, with a captain for
each party, being stationed respectively in the goals marked _A_ and
_B_, which are at the same end of the ground instead of at opposite
ends, as in Prisoners' Base II. In the present form of the game, the
prison belonging to each side is located directly opposite its own
home goal at the farther end of the ground, instead of near its own
goal, as in II. Rescue of a prisoner is by entry of the opponent's
prison, not by tagging the prisoners; so there is no object in the
prisoner's reaching out of the prison, as in the previous forms of the
game.

The two parties decide by counting out, holders, drawing lots, or some
other form of choice, which shall commence. One member of this side
then runs out to the middle of the ground and gives a "nominy," or
"dare," calling, "Chevy, chevy, chase! One, two, three!" As soon as he
has called this (but not before), he is liable to be tagged by the
opponents, who try to catch him before he can run home again. Should
he reach home in safety, the opponents take their turn in sending a
man to the middle to give a "dare" in the same way. A player need not
run home, however, but may remain at large, another player from his
side running out to cover or protect him by trying to tag the
opponent. Several players from each team may be out in this way at one
time. A player may be caught by any man who left his home goal after
he did, but by none who left before him. Each player must therefore
keep a sharp watch on his opponents to know which of them may tag him
and which he may tag. This is continued until a prisoner is caught,
when he is taken by his captor to the prison belonging to the side
capturing him. A captor may not be tagged while taking a prisoner to
prison, and is allowed to go back to his goal afterward without
tagging. If a player can reach the opponents' prison without being
tagged by an opponent, he releases the first prisoner taken there.
Both may return home without being tagged. The object of the game is
to place all of the players of the opponents' side in prison, and
when that is accomplished, to take possession of the opponent's home
goal. When this is done, the two parties change sides and begin again,
the losing side being first to send a man into the field.



PRISONER'S BAS
IV



IV]

This differs from the preceding game only in the laying out of the
ground, the prison for each party being on the opponent's side of the
ground instead of on the side of the home goal. This arrangement
decreases the risk in rescuing prisoners. All of the rules for the
game are the same as in III.



PRISONER'S BAS
V


_10 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._


V]

In this form of prisoner's base the ground is marked out in a square
or oblong, the dimensions varying with the number of players and their
age or ability as runners. For average players a ground measuring 60 x
60 feet is recommended. The two end boundaries serve as base lines,
the territory beyond each belonging to the party on that side. In this
respect the game differs from those previously described, in which a
limited home goal is marked for each team. About ten feet from the
base line, near the left-hand corner of the square or oblong, a small
prison is marked for each team.

The first object of the game is to make prisoners of all the
opponents. The second object of the game is to make runs into the
enemy's territory and back again without being caught (tagged). Three
such runs entitle the player making them to select a player from the
opposing team as a prisoner, or to free one prisoner from his own
team. Should a player be made a prisoner, any runs he may have made
into the enemy's territory up to that time are lost in his account,
and when freed, he must begin his score of runs over again to count
three. A player returning home after a run into the enemy's territory
may not capture a prisoner, or free one of his own men from prison on
the way. A player may not be tagged after crossing the opponents' base
line until he starts back. In returning home after such a run, a
player may be tagged by any opponent who left his own goal after the
runner left his own goal (not the enemy's goal), but not by any who
started out before the runner started. This rule applies to the
capture of opponents at any time, any player, for instance, on team A,
being liable to capture by any opponent on team B who left his base
line _after_ the A man, but not any who left it _before_ he left his
own. Similarly, he may capture any player on team B who ventured forth
before he did, but must be on his guard against any who came out after
he did. Stepping over the side lines while being chased is equivalent
to being caught; but this does not apply when escorting a prisoner or
at any other time.

Prisoners may stretch out of the prison as far as possible so long as
one foot is within it. As the number of prisoners increases, they may
stretch out in one long file from the prison, provided each touches a
hand or foot, or some other part of the next player. In such a file,
the first prisoner captured should be the farthest away from the
prison, the last one captured with at least one foot in the goal, and
the others in relative order. After the first prisoner is caught, the
game centers more on freeing or preventing the freeing of prisoners
than on runs into the enemy's goal.

This is the form of Prisoner's Base preferred by Mr. Joseph Lee
of Boston, and described by him in _Playground_ (No. 8). Mr.
Lee says


"The interest of the game depends very much on locating the
prison in such a way as to give the right balance between the
forces of offense and defense. If it is placed close to the
base line of the side by which the capture has been made, it is
almost impossible to free the prisoner if there is any defense
at all. The game is often spoiled by this mistake. On the other
hand, it must not be placed too far out, for if it is, it
becomes impossible to win the game, because the line of
prisoners, when the side is nearly all caught, then extends to
a point so much nearer their own base line than to that of
their opponents that even the slowest runner on the losing side
can get down and free a prisoner before the fastest runner on
the opposite side can get out to stop him. The art of laying
out the ground is to have the prison placed far enough out to
make the freeing of the first prisoner reasonably easy, without
being so far out as to make the catching of the last one
impossible. In general, the game can be made lively and
comparatively unscientific by making the distance between the
base lines (the lines on which the two sides are lined up)
short, the field wide, and the prisons far out; and can be made
more difficult and less eventful by making it long and narrow,
with the prisons close in. If this latter tendency is carried
too far, however, freeing prisoners and making runs become at
last impossible, and the game is entirely stopped.... The game,
of course, is at its best when there is most going on and of
the most thrilling sort
a lot of players making runs and
freeing and defending prisoners
with flight and rally, charge
and rout, and triumph and despair."


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