The Merchant with Goods
Translation details
Model:mistral-medium-2604.Translated text
Section titled “Translated text”Game marked with an asterisk in the book: more suitable for older scouts.
From north to south, through dense forests, ravines, gorges, etc., a merchant travels accompanied by 6 men. From the west, a gang of Whites lies in wait for him; from the east, a gang of Reds. Both sides want to capture the merchant, but they are hostile toward each other and not only do they refuse to help one another, but on the contrary, when they meet, they attack each other, seeking to either destroy or at least drive each other off and prevent the other from capturing the merchant. The merchant takes advantage of this rivalry and slips through stealthily to the designated place.
Both the Whites and the Reds know the hour at which the merchant departs, his starting point, and his destination. The finish line, toward which he is heading, is neutral within a radius of 200 paces; neither the Whites nor the Reds are allowed to cross it. The distance the merchant must cover is several kilometers. The starting positions of the Whites and Reds are located to the right and left, each 1 km away from the center of this area. No one is allowed to move from their position before the designated hour.
If the merchant reaches the finish line accompanied by at least 3 men, he wins. If he is captured, the patrol that captures and brings him to their starting point wins. Even if the merchant reaches the finish line, the side that captured more opponents can still claim a partial victory.
The Whites and Reds face equally difficult tasks. They must focus primarily on capturing the merchant and only drive off the opponent if they hinder their efforts; however, they must never lose sight of their main objective. Both sides may split into small groups to confuse the opposing side, set obstacles, or delay their search, but they must always keep track of the merchant’s location. Then, one part attacks and captures him, while the other holds off any potential pursuit. Breaking a thread signifies killing an opponent; other meeting rules are established based on the general guidelines provided in the introduction.
The merchant (who wears an armband) and his companions (who wear no insignia) are not allowed to fight. However, they may use all means to slip past the Whites and Reds. The merchant must always be accompanied by at least 3 men. The other three serve as scouts and to mislead the enemy.
The area where the exercise takes place, whose boundaries must not be crossed, must be clearly marked.
Scan source: Polona / National Library of Poland, marked “Public Domain”. View scan — PDF pages 187–189.
Metadata
Section titled “Metadata”- Type: game
- Traits: Not stated in the source
- Source: Zygmunt Wyrobek, Harcerz w polu: zabawy i gry terenowe (1946)
- Printed pages: 181–183 / PDF 187–189
- Digital edition: Digital edition · Source record
- Open the edition at the relevant page: p. 181
- Read the source text: hwp-093