How to Play the Hunger Games Outdoor Game

Setting Up the Game

Gather a group of friends. The more people you can get the more fun it will be, but 10 is a good minimum. Assign each tribute a district. Districts 1, 2, and 4 are career districts, so make sure your strongest players are from those districts. Distribute walkie-talkies so you can alert people if you're "killed". Alternatively, get everyone's phone number so that you can do alerts by text.

Find an area to play. The first thing you’ll need to do is make sure the area is large enough for the group you have. Try to find an area that encompasses a number of different terrains, from urban, to large fields, to rocky terrain. You can use your neighborhood park or a large backyard.

Mark boundaries and discuss the rules. Make sure everyone is clear on the boundary lines and the rules because anyone who goes out of bounds or breaks a rule will immediately be dead. Alternatively, you can have a three-strikes system for rule breakers, so that people are not excluded for making one mistake. When fighting, a hit to the torso should be a “kill”, whereas a hit to the ankle or any other insignificant place should not count as a “kill” unless you are hit more than 3 times. If anyone plays dirty (i.e. hitting someone in the face), the offender is "killed" instead.

Get toy weaponry. Toy bows and arrows play swords, and things like that from the dollar store should suffice. The more diverse you can make the selection of weapons, the more fun you can have. You can also make the weapons yourself, but just make sure the weapons cannot actually hurt someone. Also, make sure the weapons don’t look real, so bystanders won’t freak out. Ideas include: A crossbow out of household items A pen blowgun A bow using a ruler Five-minute bow and arrows A mini bow and arrows

Make supply packs. Having players bring their own supplies is a bad idea because it will take up valuable time to make sure all things are safe and fair. Instead, you should gather supplies yourself beforehand. Make sure to put a bottle of water, a snack (like a granola bar or pack of crackers), a couple of weapons, and a jacket in each backpack. And make sure you have enough backpacks for everyone. Place them in the center of your area. If you can try creating a cornucopia or using a park shelter as one, it will make your games more realistic. If you want, you can also make special packages that one person can hide around the playing area. Make sure this person is not playing, so that way they don’t gain a leg up on the other tributes. Put extra food, weapons, or other items in the package to help the players through their game.

Assign an announcer. The announcer is responsible for enforcing the rules, keeping track of everyone's alive status, and letting the other players know who is still alive. The announcer will also be the mediator for any disputes. Give the announcer a walkie-talkie so the player can alert the announcer if they die.

Playing the Game

Start everyone in a semi-circle a reasonable distance from the cornucopia, you can use hula hoops to use as place markers. Have the announcer set two timers: one for one minute and one for two minutes. When the first timer goes off, everyone can race forward to grab a supply backpack. However, they cannot kill other players until the second timer goes off.

Use skill and strategy. Play this as a free-for-all game, but don't be afraid to make alliances. Learn to be stealthy by walking silently and using grass as camouflage. Sometimes just laying down in some medium- to long-grass terrain can keep you out of the enemy's sight. If you have enough weapons for everyone to have multiple, grab both a ranged weapon and a melee weapon. This will also come in handy if you lose one weapon or run out of ammunition.

Hunt each other down. Remember the following when you fight: If you get hit on the torso, you're dead, but if you get hit on a limb you're okay. You may be tempted to make a rule about not being able to use limbs if they are shot, this is not a good idea, as it makes the game way harder and way less fun. Ration your food and water: if you eat or drink too much to begin, you might starve to death or die of thirst later!

Notify the announcer when someone dies. Though the announcer should be keeping a close eye on gameplay, they cannot always keep track of everything. If you're texting, both the killer and the victim should text the announcer. If using walkie-talkies, just one person can notify the announcer.

Sponsor players. Once you are killed, you can sponsor other players by giving them your unused helpful items or bringing them new weapons that you make. Again you should make sure that these are safe to use and don’t look real.

Declare the winner. The last person standing is the winner!

Another Way to Play

Get as many friends as you can. Find a big area with lots of places to climb and hide.

Set up a cornucopia. Play with water guns; put non-staining red dye in them.

Play. If you are shot with the water in your head or torso, you're dead and you must lie down until the games are over.

Alert the game-maker. The victim or the killer should text the game-maker so they can mark them dead on a list.

Continue playing. The game is most fun when it goes on for one to two hours. The time it takes depends on the number of people and how large an area you've chosen.

Declare the winner. The last person standing is the winner.

Add even more fun. Let players decide a tribute name and what district they are from. You can even do reaping, and have someone be Caesar Flickerman and do interviews.