Kidnapped adventure
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Kidnapped Adventure (also known as Kidnapped) is an American live action drinking game, primarily played in Michigan, that involves teams of at least four people, of which some are usually intoxicated, splitting up into different roles within their team to recover lost teammates by an enemy team during the night. A team's driver and navigator attempt to locate their kidnapped teammates who have been blindfolded and hidden somewhere in the surrounding areas by an enemy driver and navigator. The game is in essence a race, and the team that returns to a predesignated home base first with all members intact and accounted for wins the game.
While having a simple premise, Kidnapped Adventure has as remarkable number of variables and strategies. The game has become increasingly popular in the Metro Detroit area among high school and college students.
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[edit] Etymology
The origins of the name Kidnapped Adventure arise from the similarities between the experience the kidnapped players go through and what that of an actual kidnapping victim goes through. Kidnapped Adventure is the term generally used by players of the game in Roseville, Michigan who typically play without the use of alcohol, while Kidnapped is the term generally used by players from Utica, Michigan who do play with alcohol.
[edit] Setup
[edit] Players
Kidnapped Adventure is usually played by at least two teams of four or five players each. The player limit per team arises from the fact that an average American car can only hold a maximum of five people. Teams with four players have one driver, one navigator, and two kidnappees while teams of five would have three kidnapees.
[edit] Playing Field
The most common method of designating a playing field is to pick four major roads in the local area that loosely form a rectangle, and declare those the boundaries. While the game can technically be played in any area with a reasonable distance to hide the enemy players in, it is typically preferred to be played on a 7 mile by 4 mile rectangular area.
Many frequent players have permanent boundaries in place that are always used. This is typically a large area with a large number of wooded, secluded or dark areas.
To compensate for a smaller playing field, additional rules can be created forcing players to make the most out of smaller areas. A typical house rule is to allow the separation of kidnapped players in an attempt to require the kidnapped players to find each other first before contacting their driver and navigator.
Several areas are also typically designated as "out of bounds". These usually include local military bases, and any area that requires a toll or a fee to enter.
[edit] Tools
Typically, rules allow for only two items to be carried into a game: a cellular phone and a lighter. The cellular phone is sole means of communication between the driver, navigator and their kidnapped teammates. The lighter is a means to create a light source such as a torch or taper on the fly if the kidnapped players find themselves in an area lacking sufficient illumation to allow navigation.
It is not uncommon for players to craft makeshift tools in the wilderness such as spears or walking sticks based on the necessities at hand.
[edit] The Rules
[edit] A note on the rules
The rules presented here a generalization. There is no "official" set of rules. Many house rules are typically used based on who you play the game with as well as where it is played.
[edit] Picking Teams
While it is perfectly acceptable to bring a premade team of four or five to a game, it is more likely that single players will show up. A semi random method can be used to distribute players such as using captains or by drawing names from a hat.
[edit] Roles
Each team has one driver, one navigator, and either two or three kidnappees. These roles are typically rotated between rounds to give everyone a chance to fill every roll.
A team should never have less than two kidnappees as that goes against the game's social implications. It also would get rather lonely being stranded in the wilderness alone. Provisions allow for a team to have more than three kidnappees in the event that someone is driving a larger vehicle such as a van or a bus.
[edit] The Initial Push
Each team's kidnappees pair up with a randomly assigned driver and navigator from an enemy team. Kidnappees are then blindfolded and asked to take a seat in the rear of the opponents' vehicle. After time is started, each team has a set period of time to abandon their enemies' teammates anywhere within the boundaries that have been specified. An emphasis is placed on finding an area that is heavily wooded, secluded, poorly lit, dangerous, etc. The driver and navigator typically attempt to create a "virtual kidnapping" in a sense by acting very forceful and angry toward their captives and playing scary music. The driver and navigator also usually attempt to disorient their kidnappees by driving in circles, driving erratically, or supplying false information.
After time has expired, the driver and navigator typically walk their enemies out to the designated area and have them wait 10 seconds before removing their blindfolds, thus giving them some time to return to their vehicle and escape, hopefully unseen. The time limit in this phase is typically seen as a suggestion and it is acceptable for the driver and navigator drop their enemy kidnappees off AFTER the time limit, since they are actually wasting the time they should be using to recover their own teammates. If a team decides to go over the time limit when dropping people off, the enemy kidnappees are allowed only to answer incoming phone calls from their team, not make outgoing calls. It is against the rules to drop people off BEFORE time is up; the driver and navigator must either waste time by driving in circles, or walk out to the drop off location and simply wait.
[edit] The Search
The kidnapped players, now having been abandoned somewhere deep in the wilderness, now attempt to make contact with their friendly driver and navigator. The initial contact via celluar phone is usually only to let them know that they have been dropped off and are safe since it is highly unlikely (if the enemy team does their job correctly) that there will be any visible landmarks such as well known buildings or street signs.
As time passes, the kidnapped players typically develop a sense of what direction they have been taken in and relay any information to their driver and navigator who in turn begins to head toward the area they think their teammates are in. This phase is typically very "hit or miss". The kidnapped players either discover that they are very familiar with the area they have been dropped off in, thus turning the game into a race to see how fasts the driver can reach the location, or they realize that they have no idea where they are and their driver is forced to follow only basic direction until more information is discovered.
The most typical strategy during this phase is to walk towards a main road or landmark that you can see in the distance. Afterward, the kidnapped players typically walk to the nearest crossroads to give a more exact location for their teammates to navigate by.
[edit] The Return
After recovering their lost teammates, the driver then speeds back towards the designated home base. Depending on where they were in relation to where their teammates were hidden at, this can usually involve a lot of back tracking.
The first team back with all members accounted for is the winner. The winner, as well as teams that have already returned, are forbidden from contacting any of the teams that are still on their way back. This is done to preserve the suspense and characteristic feel of racing against the clock.
[edit] Courteous practices and manners
- Overly aggressive behavior by a driver or navigator to the enemy kidnappees is generally frowned upon. There is a thin line between maintaining the kidnapping atmosphere and abusing the enemy teammates. Groping, harming, or assaulting the enemy kidnappees are all unacceptable practices.
- Purpously or unintentionally dropping your enemy kidnappees in a location that they can very easily locate via either an obvious landmark, or obvious street signs is general frowned upon. This can usually be a game ruining mistake for everyone who is playing because the kidnappees drivers will have a very easy time finding them and that team usually wins the game
- While the time limit during the initial push is seen as only a suggested lower boundary, it is very frowned upon to keep the enemy kidnappees captive for any longer than a few more minutes after time has expired.
- If by some miracle, enemy teams meet each other in the field, there shall be no violence. The enemy teams are not physically allowed to hinder the recover efforts of another team. So called "shit talking" or demoralization is definitely allowed, but not much time should be spent on this, since the emphasis is in fact to reunite with your driver and navigator.
- Remember to watch out for the police. Following local traffic laws is definitely recommended as well as refraining from entering private property. If your team does happen to be stopped by the police during any phase of the game, it is very likely that you will lose because of the time you will spend explaining to the police officer why you have blindfolded people in the back of your car.
- Come prepared. If you're driving, fill up your gas tank before your come. If you're bringing a cellular phone, make sure it is full charged before you come. Don't wear sandals, you'll find them very uncomfortable to walk in.
- If you are invited to play, come with a good attitude. Yes, it sounds like the most stupid game ever invented, but it really is fun. Don't play with a bad attitude because you will only get more miserable.
[edit] The Roles
[edit] Driver
The driver is the role that makes the whole game work. They typically bring their own vehicle to play, but occasional they drive another player's vehicle. Their job is to search out a good spot to dump the enemy kidnappees as well as to speedily recover his own teammates.
Relying heavily on his navigator for basic advice, the driver is arguably the leader of the team and takes charge regarding handling the enemy kidnappees and finding a sufficient drop off location.
[edit] Navigator
The navigator is the driver's wingman. It is his job to impart basic navigational knowledge and suggestion unto the driver.
Secondary jobs include inspecting the enemy's blindfolds to prevent cheating, handling the music situation in the car, and generally maintaining the "kidnapping" atmosphere in the car.
[edit] Kidnappee
Arguably the most exciting or important role on a team, the kidnappees are placed at the whim of an enemy driver and navigator. Abandoned in the wilderness, it is their job to realize where they are and relay the information to the driver and navigator in an attempt to be found quickly.
Successful opeation in the field typically involves overcoming ones fear of the dark and of the unknown. The kidnappees might also find themselves in a situation where navigation is impossible without a light source or without clearing the path ahead in which case it would be necessary to construct a torch or taper from sticks and folliage that you find or to clear the path using primitive hand tools
