source: www.youthwork-practice.com | 2000 Games, Devotions, Themes, Ideas and more for Youth Work
only for private using

Outdoor Adventure games - Samurai camp

Important:

The individuals should dress and speak in accordance to their roles. The leaders need to be creative.

Aim of the game:

uncovering the conspiracy of the monks against the emperor.

Initial scenario:

An organised army of Ninjas has been observed. Ninjas are in actual fact lone warriors. There must be one/several people pulling the strings and organising them. The children go off to investigate.

The tent group have to find out who is behind the Ninjas and what they have planned. (The game should end as soon as a group captures the Ninja) .The reigning group will be specially honoured at the banquet.

The Samurai equipment that should be gathered throughout the game consists of:

Belts
Sword
Shoes
Armour
Helmet

Most people move freely within the game area.

People:

Sumo wrestler

You can fight against him in that you can pull out his ‘life bands’ during a duel. Each person within the group has one try. If 4 out of 8 participants win, the Sumo gives you a belt as a piece of equipment.

Materials: Two life bands, 6 x Belt Symbols
Sudoku-Master / old Samurai

Relate that the Samurai are not just good fighters but also smart people. He is too old to fight and is looking for a worthy successor to whom he can bequeath his helmet.

The tent group has to solve a Sudoku puzzle in return for a helmet. The group can take the puzzle with them and then return it later. Maybe someone will give the group clues or the answer. He is of the opinion that the Ninjas should be seized/caught e.g. Ninja’s let themselves be encircled.

Materials: at least 6 x Sudoku, 6 x Helmets
Farmer

For him you can harvest rice (collect pine cones) or chop wood This should busy the tent group for approximately 5 minutes. For the work done, the group receives 3-6 pieces of money.

On one occasion the farmer lets the group take his taxes (in the form of rice or wood harvest) to the Emperors servants. For delivering this the group receives 2 pieces of money.

Materials: Money pieces, a saw, hatchet
Gamblers

Offer to gamble against the group for a stake (e.g. Mia, Dice, Cards). Ideally the whole group should be involved. You can also request a Sudoko answer from him for 10 money pieces.

Materials: Sudoku-Solution for Sudoku-Master. Dice cup or something similar.
Officials and Ministers

He narrates that he is expecting a visit from a high ranking Minister to the Emperor. For this a perfect tea ceremony must be held, for which he requires help from the tent group. The tea ceremony is rehearsed. After a while the minister steps in and has to be welcomed accordingly etc. (Serve tea, bow, sit down, hold tea cup). If the minister leaves pleased then the tent group receives the officer’s shoes.

The minister gives the official a letter from himself to give to the Monk. The official gives the letter to the tent group with a request to deliver it as soon as the minister has left. In return he gives them an additional 3 pieces of money. This letter (information about who the weapons supplier is) should be delivered (maybe mention that it should be transported secretly, discretely etc)

Materials: Tea sets (cups, plates, tea-container), 6x Shoe symbols, 6 x letters with secret information about conspiracy (the minister is a traitor)
Origami Artist

The artist lets everyone from the tent group fold something out of paper (paper plane, bird, boat…) and should be convinced that these items are ‘art’. If he becomes convinced then the group receives the armour. In addition, underneath the craft paper lies a piece of paper with the password for the ‘contact man’. The group has to discover this.

Materials: Table, paper, 6 x armour symbols, 6 x pieces of paper with the hint
(Conspirator-)Monk

Begs for money. Talks of confusing things and may prattle away about the conspiracy; he takes the letter and reads it in such a way that the group will notice this fact if they haven’t already read the letter.

Materials: Monk costume
Masked Ninja

You can defeat the Ninja with all of the equipment (helmet, armour, sword, shoes, and belt). If the group arrives without all of the equipment he sends them away and will laugh about them. The group should only return once it has all of the equipment. He generally ridicules the Samurai. If the group appears with all of the equipment and the Ninja sees the complete armour, he runs away. The group have to encircle him. Once they have him trapped, he can be interrogated.

Ninja: “Please don’t hurt me I’ll tell you what you want to know.” He admits that the power hungry Monks want to overthrow the emperor and are behind the whole thing. They are the ones who organised the Ninja troops.
Contact man

Behaves secretively. The tent group can tell him the password or can bribe him (for 20+ pieces of money). Afterwards the contact man asks the group if they are also participating in the conspiracy against the emperor. A few spies in the Samurai camp would be ideal for his clients. He narrates that the Ninjas have joined forces. The people instructing the Ninjas are not mentioned as monks. He also says that the Emperor has to be over thrown and that this is the goal of the conspiracy.
Weapons Supplier

You can bring him a mug of tea as he is thirsty. He will give you 2 pieces of money for this. Delivers the weapons (swords) to the Ninjas; this task is revealed via the letter written to the Monk. If the group exposes him as the weapons supplier or names him, then he requests them to keep a secret, and gives them as an incentive for their silence, a sword at a special price of 5 money pieces. (Negotiable, perhaps set the price slightly higher).

Materials: Money pieces, 6 x sword symbols.
Emperor’s servant

He may help the group to get started, by enquiring and connecting the gathered information. He himself however knows nothing. He always poses questions.

“There is a rumour circulating that there is a secret letter!”
“ Do you know anything about the conspiracy?”
“The emperor suspects traitors from his own ranks”
“Were you able to find someone that knew something?”

He takes the taxes from farmers on behalf of the Emperor and collects them (e.g. at the Sprinter). He can also walk around and then escort the children there.