Capture the flag

Enemy players can be "tagged" by players when out of their home territory and, depending on the rules, they may be out of the game, become members of the opposite team, be sent back to their own territory, be frozen in place, or be sent to "jail" until freed by a member of their own team.

Rules for Capture the Flag appear in 1860 in the German gymnastic manual Lehr- und Handbuch der deutschen Turnkunst by Wilhelm Lübeck under the name Fahnenbarlauf.

This latter variant makes offensive play easier, as the flag will tend, over the course of the game, to be moved closer to the dividing line between territories.

As long as the flag stays in play without hitting the ground, the players are allowed to pass it.

[citation needed] In some urban settings, the game is played indoors in an enclosed area with walls.

It is not uncommon for people to play airsoft, paintball, or Nerf variations of Capture the Flag.

Players who are "hit" must sit out a predetermined amount of time before returning to play (respawning).

"Stealing sticks" is a similar game played in the British Isles, the United States, and Australia.

However, instead of a flag, a number of sticks or other items such as coats or hats are placed in a "goal" on the far end of each side of the playing field or area.

As in Capture the Flag, players are sent to a "prison" if tagged on the opponents' side, and may be freed by teammates.

Bannercatch's game world is divided into quadrants: home, enemy, and two "no-mans land" areas which hold the jails.

A successful capture requires bringing the enemy flag into one team's "home" quadrant.

The 2D map also features walls, trees and a moving river, enabling a wide variety of strategies.

Special locations in the play area allow humans to query the game state (such as flag status) using binary messages.

One long-running example occurs on the Northrop Mall at the University of Minnesota on Fridays with typical attendance ranging from 50 to several hundred.