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

The plague animomasti

Blood, sweat and tears

The following game (a horror-action scenario for a creepy evening program) was sent in together with 5 further adventure games by Moritz from the KJG Merzhausen. The game was developed by himself and a team colleague, tested on a youth camp and provided to Praxis-Jugendarbeit (youthwork-practice) with kind permission. He also disclosed that he is a big fan of this web site. Many thanks and, above all, thanks that his ideas can be presented here. Names and places which are mentioned here are simple to change and they are sure to suit your group.

Storyline

In this evening program we will play a catastrophe:
A plague has broken out on the summer camp, some of the leaders are already infected and the plague is spreading, but help is on the way! 3 members of the catastrophe aid team have arrived on the scene and ask the children for assistance. The children try with all of their might to heal the infected but this is very dangerous because the plague is spread through contact. Eventually the kids find out that the plague comes from a plant and that the men from the catastrophe aid team are really evil demons who placed the plants in the cellar and have caused this disaster. A wild chase begins, the plants are destroyed and the villains land, where else? Of course…in the *water trough* (A tub filled with water or a brook works as well).
A Happy End

Material / shopping list

20 soft balls
Plants (self made)
Almanac of the plague (self made)
Sticky tapes
3 clothes for the catastrophe aid team (protection/boiler suits from a DIY store)
60 water bombs
Green make-up and pots
3 masks (demons)

Course of events

Shortly after the evening meal is finished and cleared up, a member of the catastrophe aid team (in normal clothes) carries the plants into the party room. The first plague germs start to spread shortly before the beginning of the program.

8 o’clock evening news

A plague has broken out in [name of place] in the holiday camp [name of camp]. Help is on the way with the catastrophe aid team and the well known Dr. Grennthumb, expert in plagues and plant researcher, who have been sent out to [name of place].........

..........and now for the weather with Michael Fish....... (The television is switched off)
„Back to the rules“

A youth leader (later to play Dr. Greenthumb) explains the game rules to the kids. Television is turned on:

We are now going live to [name of place], where the catastrophe aid team is just arriving.....
....the game begins....

The kids try to help the people contaminated with the plague by pulling the green sticky tape from their backs. This proves to be quite difficult because the contaminated people, although they are in a trance and move very slowly, spread the disease immediately upon contact. The leaders, who obviously want to protect the kids, throw themselves between the kids and the infected to show the kids how dangerous the situation is and that they should respect the infected people and the plague.

The infected leaders are shocked and they run into the cellar as if they have seen a ghost. The infected children stand still staring for a little while and then follow the player who infected them. This person brings the newly infected person upstairs where they are imprisoned but freed after approx. 3-5 minutes.

The infected people whose sticky tape is removed, stare for a little while then come out of the trance, they then also run into the cellar. More and more leaders come out of the cellar infected. The kids have their hands full just protecting themselves. The situation seems to be hopeless and the kids are forced to move outside into the garden/patio.
Dr. Greenthumb arrives

After around 20 minutes Dr. Greenthumb finally arrives on the scene. He calls a meeting outside and asks the children to explain the situation. He tells the kids that a bulb plant called „Istamomina“ (soft balls) can help as a antidote. This plant grows frequently in this area. The kids are sent off to look for „Istamomina“. However some children have to remain behind to protect the garden from the infected ones, as this is and should remain the only safe place. Dr. Greenthumb wants to take a look around the house and asks for a couple of volunteers to accompany him.
The antidote only proves limited success

Approx. 20 minutes later the first kids come back with the antidote. However the antidote only brings a low level of success. When the antidote is thrown at the infected people, they stare and stand still for 10 seconds which is enough time to remove the tape but does not lead to a long lasting effect. Dr. Greenthumb decides to fetch the „almanac of the plague“ for help. The problem is that it is in the doctor’s bag which he has left in his car. The car is parked on the sport field and is guarded by the infected. Now the kids can use the antidote (“but sparingly” says the doctor) to reach the almanac.
The almanac is used for advice

After the almanac has been fetched Dr. Greenthumb leafs through it briefly and then reads out a passage from the “plague almanac”:
- The plague animomasti

The cause of the infection is a poisonous plant by the name of „Cypress Bush.“ The plant pulls the infected people towards it and then frightens them away. The poison is passed on through contact. It is proven that the poison has a different effect on young people than on older people. Other than that, nothing is known about the epidemic. Obviously the plant has to be destroyed, but where is it? Short pause – in the cellar of course – the kids storm off armed with the antidote. During the doctor’s reading the 3 workers from the catastrophe aid team sneak up and touch a healthy leader in front of the kids. They all head towards the professor and infect him as well. Now it is clear that the 3 workers are not members of the catastrophe aid team. The wild chase begins. Some kids are armed with water bombs (instead of soft balls) and follow the 3 workers under the observation of some game leaders. The others go into the cellar and search for the plant armed with the antidote (soft balls).
….and Happy End

The 3 rascals fly into the WATER and the plants are destroyed.

Length: approx. 90-100 minutes

Questions about the game???

1) Why do they all run into the cellar?

The plants, the Cypress Bushes, are in the party cellar and these are the culprits for the spreading the plague. All of the infected and healed people are magically drawn towards them. This means that they all actually infect themselves on the Cypress Bush plants. This means that the vicious circle can only be stopped by destroying the plant…but the kids don’t know this yet...