Tower construction

Terrain game: Tower building

Who builds higher, which tower holds better? Will you land a direct hit? An action-packed terrain game with two game phases.

By collecting building slips, you can barter for crates to build a tower at the casino. The more crates the tower has, the more points it scores. By collecting bull's-eye tickets, balls can be purchased from the casino in the barter shop, which can be used to destroy enemy towers in a second part of the game.

Key data about the game

Duration: approx. 1 hour

Personnel required

Children: 4 groups of 4 - 6 children each

Leader:

• Game bank: 2 - 3 people
• Game control: 1 - 2 people

Materials

• Barrier tape for marking
• Score sheet
• Building slip
• Ball vouchers (if there are not enough balls available, these are given instead of balls)
• Balls
• Cardboard boxes (e.g. shoe boxes)

Play location:

• Meadow or forest

Game explanation

The four groups are each given their own base, which they mark on the ground with barrier tape. In this base they are

safe from their enemies. The playing field is located all around it, where the bull's-eyes (for balls or ball vouchers) and building slips can be collected. Each player may only take one piece of paper at a time and bring it to the base. The pieces of paper may be taken from each other. The following applies: One player taps the other player on the shoulder. If the other player has a piece of paper, the two children play "rock, paper, scissors". Whoever wins gets to keep the other player's piece of paper. Only in this exception may one player carry two pieces of paper.

Once the group has collected enough slips of paper, they can go to the casino and buy balls and boxes. At least two people in the group must go to the casino together. The prices at the casino are variable and can be very high or very low. These prizes are best announced, for example by megaphone. The ball and box prizes must be adapted to the course of the game. (e.g. 5 building tickets = 1 crate)

The crates purchased may be used to build immediately. The balls, on the other hand, are only stored in the base. These are used at a later stage. Crates and balls may not be taken from each other.

Aim

The aim is to build a tower as high as possible. However, it is not the actual height of the tower that counts, but the number of crates that have been stacked on top of each other. This scores points (e.g. two points per crate). After this evaluation, all groups are gathered together and line up next to group one. Now each group can use the balls they have bought to destroy the tower of group one. Group one may protect the tower within their base. They may stand in a circle around the tower, but not hold it! Each group must decide for itself how many balls it wants to use against which group. The balls are thrown outside the base. Once everyone has thrown as many balls as they want, they move on to the next group until they have thrown them all.

After all the groups have thrown, they are scored again. Each box that has now fallen from the tower is deducted from the original score. (e.g. 1 point per crate)

The winner is the group that has scored the most points at the end.

• Content and image: Forum Kind issue 2/10 page 26. An action-packed terrain game with two game phases. © Copyright www.forum-kind.ch
• Author: Adrian Eichenberger