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Group games | Gladiator games

This game was sent in by Holger Schmidt from the FeG in Oberscheld and rehashed by www.youthwork-practice.com)

There are many different variations of group games. This game is a group game in which the members of staff must also take part and must give everything they can and engage their efforts for the relevant group. The allocation of members of staff (gladiators) to a group can change from game to game. The group members cheer on their gladiator or play a supporting role. These gladiator games are not only suitable as group games on a group evening but also for a camp with a "Roman" theme.

The idea can, of course, be extended, for a benefits gala for example, using hard cash instead of sweets or candy. Instead of members of staff you might be able to bid for a vicar, the town mayor, the fire brigade chief or the chief of police and use them as stake in the game. The money raised in the bidding can be given to charity.

The fundamental idea of the group game:

In this gladiator game used as a group game, 4 teams fight against each other. Each group receives 50 bonbons. The groups can use the bonbons to bid for a gladiator for each game. The 4 gladiators are 4 members of staff who are presented at the beginning of the game. New gladiators are bid for before the start of each game. The group, whose gladiator wins the game, wins all of the bonbons bid on this round of the game.

Order of events:

The first game is described by the game leader (Caesar!) which might be a tug o' war for example. Then the favourite gladiator for the game is introduced (the strongest person if the game is a tug o' war) and the game leader sets a minimum bid (e.g. 4-8 bonbons). The teams now try to bid on the gladiator. Once the favourite has been won, it is the turn of the other 3 gladiators – who are also up for bidding. The last gladiator is not bought but is given free of charge to the team without a gladiator. Once all of the teams have their gladiator the game can begin. The winner of the game wins all of the bonbons which were bid. The next game is then introduced and the bidding starts all over again. The groups must use their sweets cleverly. If a group is strong they can even win with a "weaker" gladiator if the game is one where all of the team members must take part. Once all of the games are over the bonbons are counted up and the winner is declared.

Gladiator games

No.	Game	Favourite	Requirements	Material
1	* Child transport		Speed	----
2	* Water bomb throwing		Skill	Water bombs
3	Arm wrestling		Strength	----
4	Water transport		Speed	4 beakers
5	Downing water		Drinking power	4 bottles of water
6	Wrestling		Skill	Belt, baby oil, bean bags
7	* Tug o’ war		Strength	Rope
8	* (Water)-Quiz		Intelligence	Quiz questions on the theme
9	* Spraying t-Shirts with water		Skill	T-Shirt (members of staff)
10	* Holding the bucket		Strength	4 buckets of water
11
12

(* The games marked with a * take place with the children.)

Game illustrations

In the child transportation game, the gladiators must carry the children piggy-back over a certain distance.
In the water bomb throwing game, the gladiators must catch the water bombs which the kids throw at them. After each throw the gladiators must take a step backwards. If the water bomb is not caught, the group is out of the game!
Two gladiators fight against each other. The winners of the two pairs fight then against each other.
The gladiator must carry water to a container with his hands. The winner is the one who fills his container first!
Each gladiator receives a bottle of still mineral water. The first gladiator to drink the whole bottle empty is the winner.
Two gladiators fight for a bean bag. The bean bag is attached to the opponent’s waist with a belt. The winner is the gladiator who manages to pull the bean bag from his opponent's waist. The two winners fight in the final.
The groups have a tug o' war against each other but their respective gladiator must also help.
10 questions about water (rivers, seas etc.). The groups must answer the questions together with their gladiator.
Each gladiator must let his t-shirt be squirted with a water pistol or with a water beaker by the group which had bid for him. The winning team is the team who manages to wet the whole t-shirt first i.e. no dry patches. The group stands approx. 2-3 m away.
The gladiators must hold out a bucket of water with a stretched arm for as long as possible. The winner is the one who holds out the longest!
Further ideas ...
Further ideas ...

Further ideas for group games are to be found in the collection of games.