Manhunt for groups, camps and campuses
Running Manhunt for a group comes down to four things: a place you have permission to use, leaders with clear jobs (a referee at jail, marshals on the edges, someone with the roster), short rounds with touch tags only, and a headcount after every round. Pick the guide for your group below.
Key facts
- Youth groups: 10 to 40 students, leaders on the edges, a note for parents.
- Camps and scouts: a whistle recall, cabin or patrol buddies, cabin-vs-cabin teams.
- Campus nights: 30 to 200 players, several zones and jails, permission from the campus.
- Parties and families: a backyard layout, handicaps for mixed ages, and jobs for anyone who won't run.
- Every group: a stop word anyone can call, and a headcount at jail after every round.
Manhunt scales from four friends in a backyard to 200 students on a campus. What changes as the group grows isn’t the rules; it’s the organizing. Each guide below is written for whoever is responsible for the group.
Pick your guide
- Manhunt for youth groups: leader roles, which version to play with 10 to 40 students, a leader script and a note for parents.
- Manhunt at summer camp and scouts: night-game safety, a whistle recall, cabin-vs-cabin teams, a counselor hunt and scout patrols.
- Campus Manhunt night: permissions, multiple zones and jails, dorm teams and staffing for 30 to 200 players.
- Family Manhunt: handicaps so every age can play together, jobs for anyone who won’t run, and holiday and reunion games.
- Birthday parties and sleepovers: a backyard layout, which version suits which age, a 45-minute plan and sleepover rules.
Playing with a big group
Past about 20 players, the classic game slows down: jail fills up and people wait. Three fixes:
- Infection: tagged runners become hunters, so nobody waits at all and the game speeds up as it goes.
- Team Manhunt: two sides with a jail each, so everyone is always both hunting and hiding.
- Split the game: above about 30 players, run two games in separate areas, or use several zones and jails as on a campus night.
What every group game needs
- Permission for the place and the time. Parks close, school grounds have rules, and neighbors call the police about groups running in the dark.
- A boundary everyone has seen, with roads, water, parking lots and buildings out.
- Leaders with jobs, not just leaders present.
- Touch tags only. A light touch on the shoulder or back, never a grab or a tackle.
- A stop word anyone can call, any time.
- A headcount at jail after every round and before anyone leaves.
The full checklist is in the Manhunt safety guide. For the rules themselves, use the standard Manhunt rules or print the one-page version. The printable night kit adds an event flyer, role cards, leader cards, a scoreboard and a headcount roster.