- Forty forty
Forty forty is a
children's game in the style of the popular game "It". Like "It", there is one player that is "on", or "it", who must capture the other players. However, unlike "it", no physical contact is required.Rules
The game begins with deciding which player is "it" and what landmark (such as a tree, bench or lampost) is base. Once decided, the players who are not "it" run away and hide, while the "it" counts to a certain number (usually 40 or 100). The "it" looks for the other players, while they try to get to base without being seen.
If a player gets to base without being seen, they shout "forty forty home" and are then safe. They then wait at base for the remainder of the game. In order to catch someone, the "it" must see the person, run back, touch the base and say "forty forty I see [name] ".
Players that are caught by the "it" return to base, but are not safe. The last person to be caught by the end of the game is "it" for the next game. This encourages non-"it" players to head for base as soon as possible, so that they are not the last caught player. Some variants make the first person caught "it" for the next game.
Variant rules include being able to "save" caught players at the base, thus making them safe from being "it" next round, or the possibility of "save all". The player making the save shouts "forty forty I save [name] " when they reach the base. If the last active player reaches the base without being caught, he can shout "forty forty save all", and the game begins again with the same "it".
Before the game begins, it is important for the person who is "it" to tell the other players that there is "No fools around base". This means that no-one can just fool around base and get to base as soon as the counting stops. If, however, the person who is it does not make this announcement, all the players can just "fool" around base and instantly be safe when the person who is "it" finishes counting, thus making the same person "it" again, and subject to the ridicule of all the other players.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
