Gwerin Y Gwyr - Fun and Games

Line battles and drill are alright in their place but there are far more interesting things you can do with a group of people and weapons. Games can add variety to a practice and teach useful skills which improve your performance in straight combat no end. These are some of our favourites, if you know others let me know about them and I'll add them to the list.

Many of the stranger games have been thought up by the Gwerin to amuse themselves during the summer when we don't have the castle to play in so thank you to everyone who contributed.

Games	How to play	Requirements	Notes
Hide and Seek	Divide into two roughly equal team, one team goes and hides the other team has find them and kill them. Once a member of either team is killed they are out of the game.	Places to hide. We usually play this one in the castle.	Members of the teams can work together or separately.
Bulldog	One person is designated the bulldog everyone else hides and the bulldog has to find and kill them. If the bulldog is killed they return to a regeneration point to resurrect, if anyone else is killed they resurrect and become extra bulldogs.	Places to hide. An agreed spot to be the regeneration point.	Members of the teams can work together or separately. If there are a large number of people playing then a small group can start as bulldogs instead of just one person.
Bridge game	Two sides stand either side of a bridge and attempt to get to the other side, whichever team gets across the bridge first wins. If you fall or step of the bridge you die. If any member of either team is killed they are out of the game.	A bridge. If you're lucky you may have a low bridge you can play on, if not you can use two lines of spears or lay shields out to represent it.
Attack/Defend	A line is established on the ground with the two teams on either side of it. The aim is to cross to the enemy side of the line. Once you are killed you are out of the game.	A clear line on the ground, it can be a feature of the landscape, a door or passageway in the castle or a line of spears laid on the ground.	This works best with large numbers of people.
Dead Man Out.	Straight line fight but when someone dies they are replaced by the person who is currently out.		Useful for when you have a small uneven number of people.
Spear Trauma	Two teams of three people with spear and shield. The person in the middle of the line is the target. The two either side have to defend the target while trying to get the enemy target.		Useful for breaking new people in to the idea of getting hit and placing shots. Useful for building teamwork.
Battlement Death Frenzy	You have two teams of two or more people. Each team takes one end of the wallwalk as their base and the aim of the game is to reach the enemy's base. Only two people from each team are allowed on the wallwalk at one time, one with a spear and one with a shortarm. When you die you run back to your base and send the next team member in.	Some battlements! You could play it with the line of the wallwalk marked out on the ground if you aren't lucky enough to have a castle to play in.	Can work well with very small numbers. You only need a minimum of four people to play it.
Combat Tag	One person is designated 'it'. They run like crazy. The person who kills 'it' is the next 'it'. Anyone killed by 'it' is out of the game until the next round.	Lots of space and energy.
Yellow Chicken	You divide into teams and each team picks a name (usually something daft, hence the name of the game). When you are killed by a member of another team you return to the regeneration point and when you resurrect you are a member of their team. Eventually everyone will be a member of the same team and that team is the winner.	Designated regeneration point.	This works well with large numbers of people when you play it in the open. It can work well with smaller numbers in the castle or in woods. Lacking a castle to play in you can lay out spears to mark a ground plan or corridors and doorways. A variation involves playing it weaponless, in the dark, this works best with lots of people..
Battery Chicken	As above but in a 'coop' marked out by spears on the ground or one room of the castle.	Spears to mark out the coop.	The smaller the coop the more frantic the game. It worked well with half a dozen people in a coop 9 foot by 18 foot.
Capture the Flag	You divide into two teams each of which has a flag, the aim of the game is to capture the enemy flag. If you are killed you resurrect at the flag of the team that killed you and join their side.	Two flags or standards.	A variation of this game is to resurrect at your own flag the first two times you are killed. The third time you die you are out of the game.
Kill the Leader	You divide into two teams and each team has a leader. The aim is to kill the leader of the enemy team. If you die you are out of the game, if the leader dies the other team wins.
Lilypads	Two lines of spears represent the banks of a river. In the river shields represent lilypads or stepping stones. Two teams start on either side of the river and attempt to cross to the other side. You can only stand on the banks or the lilypads/stepping stones. If you fall or step into the river you die. If you die you are out of the game.	Spare spears and shield to mark out the playing area.	Variations include laying out the shields and spear to represent boats and you try to board the enemy boat without falling in the water or getting killed.
Circle of Treachery	Everyone starts in a loose circle and fights until the last man standing. No rules...you can make and break alliances, stab people in the back, whatever you like. Once you die you are out of the game.		The more people you have playing the more space you need.
Circle with Honour	Similar to above but no teaming up and no stabbing people in the back. Combat is one on one by agreement between both parties.
Irregular Polygon of Treachery	As Circle of Treachery but confined to an arena marked out with spears on the ground.	Spears to mark the boundarys	Gets very frantic. Best strategy is to jam yourself into a corner.
Dojo	Use spears to mark out a largish circle on the ground. Players fight one on one inside the circle, if you get pushed or fall outside of the circle you die. The winner of the combat stays in the circle and the next player enters.	Enough spears to make a good sized circle	Works best when fighting with shortarms.
Shieldball	One person starts with a ball and tries to hit people by throwing it at them. Everyone else uses only their shield to try and deflect the ball. If you get hit with the ball you join the ball throwing side.	A ball and enough shields for everyone playing.	Good for improving shield work and reflexes.

Fun and Games

Games

How to play

Requirements

Notes