Preparation
1. Scatter photos and money around the wood. Hide scientist’s equipment.
2. Brief teams and leaders.
Teams’ Briefing
Each Patrol is a team of agents representing a different country. The game is set in a
fourth country, known as Woodland, which consists of the wooded area at the back of the
hut. This country has just five inhabitants of any interest, who look surprisingly like the five
of us here.
They are
1) a top scientist.
2) an illegal passport supplier.
3) a drug dealer.
and two policemen.
Unfortunately, you don’t know what any of these people look like and will have to find out
either by observing their behaviour or by trial and error.
Your mission is to smuggle the scientist out of Woodland. The knowledge this scientist
has is essential to your own country’s future. Unfortunately, the scientist has recently tried
out a new invention - by drinking it - and as a result has gone temporarily insane. Before
you can smuggle him out of the country, you will need to administer the antidote. You will
also need to provide a passport for the scientist.
Each person has a wool life, which is to be worn on the left arm, outside clothing and
above the elbow. If you lose your life, you may not take an active part in the game and
must immediately drop any equipment you are carrying and acquire a new life.
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Other countries’ agents will try to prevent you achieving your aim by removing your own
agents’ lives.
The passport supplier (obviously enough) supplies passports. The drug dealer supplies
the antidote to the scientist’s potion, and can also administer drugs to heal injuries (such
as the loss of a wool life). They are however both on the run from the police and will try to
keep a low profile.
The policemen are fine, upstanding citizens who will arrest wrongdoers, such as anyone
seen cavorting with known criminals, or anyone who attempts to bribe them. Such
individuals will then be taken to the prison for a fixed period of time.
Being helpful people, they will take anyone who has no wool life to the hospital to be
treated. The hospital, due to a shortage of building supplies in Woodland, is the same
place as the prison.
If however, an injured person approaches a policeman and asks for First Aid, they can
administer this on the spot.
The policemen are also very helpful and will generally give you information if they know
the answers to innocently-phrased questions.
The criminal fraternity will take a dim view of anyone seen talking to the police and may
institute punishment beatings (involving the removal of a life).
Money and photographs are scattered around the wood. You may find these useful.
The Scientist
You are currently under the influence of a very powerful potion which makes you act in a
very strange manner. You may therefore do anything you want. e.g. run around, hide,
climb trees, make lots of noise, pick up money and photos, throw them away again, steal
team members’ lives or whatever else you feel like at the time.
The only thing you will not do is to leave the country (the wooded area).
When you are fed the antidote, you instantly become sensible again. However, if a
second team also feeds you the antidote, it has the same effect as the original potion and
you go mad again! (The teams don’t know this yet.)
You will not voluntarily leave the country without your scientific equipment. (The teams
don’t know this bit either.) Unfortunately, you have forgotten where you left it (it’s in the
wood somewhere) or what it looks like.
The Passport Supplier
You supply illegal passports. To do so, you require a photo of the appropriate person and
a sum of money. In supplying a passport, attach the photo to the passport and sign across
it so it can’t be re-used.
As a wanted criminal, you should try to keep a low profile and hide for much of the time. If
challenged, you can also deny that you are the passport supplier. You take a dim view of
anyone collaborating with the police, and may remove their lives as punishment if you see
anyone in this situation.
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The Drug Dealer
You supply the antidote to the scientist’s potion. In return you need a passport (you want
to flee the country).
You can also heal team members who are injured (have lost their wool lives) by supplying
a replacement. For this service, you accept either money or a passport.
As a wanted criminal, you should try to keep a low profile and hide for much of the time. If
challenged, you can also deny that you are the drug dealer. You take a dim view of
anyone collaborating with the police, and may remove their lives as punishment if you see
anyone in this situation.
The Policemen
You wander fairly openly around the country, aiming to arrest wrongdoers and to help
innocent citizens. You can arrest anyone seen dealing with known criminals (i.e. the
passport supplier or drug dealer) or who asks you for drugs, passports, attempts to bribe
you or performs any other illegal action.
When you arrest anyone, take them to the prison (top of the steps to the Scout Hut) and
keep them there for a time (say 5 minutes) before letting them go.
If you see anyone without a life trying to take an active part in the game, you will take them
to hospital to get a new life. The hospital is also the top of the steps; hold the casualty for
5 minutes and then let them go with a new life.
If someone not taking an active role in the game asks you for a new life, you can
administer First Aid on the spot.
You should generally be as kind and helpful as possible without giving too much away.
Carefully phrased, innocent-sounding questions can be answered (e.g. “I’ve lost my
money - have you seen it?” “Yes, I saw some in that bush!”), but it is unlikely that you will
easily divulge more vital information such as the identity of the scientist.
