Darebase
| Players | 10+ to 100+ |
|---|---|
| Age range | 7 and up |
| Setup time | 3 minutes |
| Playing time | variable |
| Random chance | None |
| Skill(s) required | Running, Observation |
Darebase, also spelled "dare base," is a tag game between two or more teams on an open field that places a premium on speed and agility. Darebase holds some similarity to capture the flag in its basic premise of chase, capture, and conquer. It differs in that the game field consists of a large no-man's land with team bases occupying two opposite ends of the field and in the methods of achieving victory. A variation called "stealbase" uses an object that may be either touched or stolen (as in capture the flag) to achieve victory.
The size of the game field typically ranges from between that of a basketball court and about half the size of a football or soccer field. Each base belongs to the team that starts on that side and if the distance between the bases is longer than the average player is able to sprint, game play will begin to suffer. Effective game play can be achieved with as few as ten players and up to a hundred or more just as long as the game field and base lines are large enough to accommodate them.
Darebase is popular in many areas of the United States as a recess game and at summer camps in part because of its simplicity, flexibility, and capacity to accommodate players of varying age and ability, as well as its potential for rapid and dynamic play even when teams are evenly matched. Its popularity outside the United States is not known.
Darebase can be won in four different ways. First, by capturing all of the opposing team's players. Second, by occupying the opposing team's base when the opposing team is absent from their base. Third, by having captured more of the opposing team's players when time has run out, though the game does not require a time limit in order to be played. One variation of darebase, in which bases represent islands in the no-man's, allow victory to be achieved when one player makes the ultimate dare by running all the way around the opposing team's base and back into their own without being tagged by the other team.
For a player to be captured they must be tagged by an opposing team's player that has entered no-man's land after that player, a condition commonly referred to as being "fresher." Players can return to their base line at any time to become fresher. If they are able, they may also use the opposing team's base line to become "fresher" and to become safe from capture.
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Wikipedia