Plinje

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Translation details

Model: mistral-large-2512.

Translated text

A common game in former Polish schools (also known by names such as Obóz, Gonitwa o więźnie, Captivus), still played today by rural youth in some regions of Lesser Poland (northern Król or Król klaskany); suitable for secondary schools. Based primarily on Gołębiowski’s description, the following reconstruction of this beautiful yet unjustly forgotten game can be made: The playing field is a rectangle 40 metres long and 30 metres wide. Parallel to its shorter sides and 3 metres toward the centre of the field, both goals are marked. The area between the goals and the side boundaries of the field constitutes the szranki (lists). Within these lists, at the midpoint of the side boundaries of the field, two semicircles with a radius of 3 metres are drawn—these are the więzienia (prisons) designated for captives. The number of players in competitions is 22; in practice games, it may vary from 12 to 30. They divide into two camps, white and red, each under the command of a king, and gather behind their respective goal. Before the game begins, the kings cast lots; the one upon whom the lot falls has the right, at their discretion, either to choose the goal or to make the first move, leaving the other privilege to the opponent. After choosing the goal, the whites plant a white flag at the right end of their goal, while the reds plant a red one. Competitions last an hour; practice games often shorter (from 20 minutes). The king of the camp making the first move begins the game by sending one or two of their subjects toward the opponents’ goal to challenge them. These stand with one hand extended forward, palm upward, so that the challenger may touch it. The one whose hand the challenger touches pursues the challenger, who flees toward their own side. If the challenged player strikes the challenger’s back with their palm before the latter reaches their goal, they take them captive and lead them to the prison located directly opposite their own flag. This, however, rarely succeeds, as the pursued player’s comrades rush to their aid, threatening the pursuer with capture. The pursuer must then often swiftly turn back toward their own goal and rely on similar assistance. The following rules apply: 1. Only the one who ran out from behind their goal after the opponent has the right to take a captive. 2. Upon taking a captive, the ustęp gry (game segment) ends, and all return behind their goals (the captive goes to prison). Simultaneously with striking the captive, one must loudly call: stój! (halt!). Only one captive may be taken in a single game segment. Thus, only the first strike is valid; all subsequent ones are void. If both camps take captives simultaneously, neither goes to prison, and both return behind their goals. If the same camp takes two captives simultaneously, they have the right to choose one. A captive also includes: a) a player who runs beyond the side boundaries or behind the opponents’ goal; if several players do this, the first one is taken captive; b) one who strikes an opponent they had no right to take captive (see rule 1). Each subsequent game segment begins—that is, the camp that won the previous segment (took or freed captives) issues the challenge. During each game segment, captives may be freed from prison by striking them with the palm and simultaneously shouting: wolny! (free!). If the king does this, a single strike frees all. Freeing a captive ends the game segment, just as taking one does. Taking a captive simultaneously with freeing an opponent’s captive cancels both actions. Both the liberator and the freed may be taken captive before returning behind their goal. 8. During each game segment, one may also attempt to seize the opponents’ flag. If successful in carrying it behind one’s own goal, this also ends the game segment, and the flag is planted at the midpoint of the side boundary. From there, any freed captive may carry it back to their side. 9. The camp that, after the allotted time, holds more captives wins, with the flag counting as two captives and the king as three. 10. In competitions, a referee is appointed to settle all disputes definitively. The referee has the right to exclude a player for persistent rule violations or dangerous play (e.g., deliberately leaning or falling in front of a running opponent to knock them down). Plinje provides an opportunity to develop a certain tactics, especially among older youth, which can only be acquired through experience. The king should be a master of game tactics. They assess the physical and mental qualities of their subjects and assign roles accordingly, determining who is best suited for challenging, aiding, freeing captives, seizing the flag, and so on. Royal foresight should also not fail in defensive tasks. Never, even for a moment, should the flag or captives be left without entrusting them to players specifically suited for their protection. An equally important task of the king is to discern the right moment for each undertaking. This applies above all to freeing captives and seizing the flag, which must be done when the opponents least expect it or when their attention is diverted elsewhere. Subjects must obey the king unconditionally, for otherwise, even the best-laid game plan is ruined. With beginners, the king must eradicate the habit of thoughtlessly running out before the goal. Nothing is more harmful than this, for such a player, wandering aimlessly in the lists, under rule 1 has no right to strike anyone, while conversely, anyone who has just run out from behind their goal may take them captive. After completing any action, the player must immediately hasten back behind their goal and await an opportunity for further action. For younger pupils, certain simplifications and facilitations are usefully introduced at first. Besides a smaller playing field, this includes removing aid, freeing captives, and seizing the flag, so that only the chase between the challenger and the challenged remains. The lack of aid is compensated by the rule that a challenger who fails to catch an opponent before their goal goes into captivity themselves. Such a game may be called: Plinje bez odsieczy (Plinje without aid), or simply: Plinki.

Scope of transcription: text belonging to illustrations omitted; exact boundaries recorded in the extraction report.

Source of scan: Kujawsko-Pomorska Digital Library, marked “Public Domain”. View PDF — page 123.

Metadata

Type: game
Traits: Not stated in the source
Source: Eugeniusz Piasecki, Zabawy i gry ruchowe dzieci i młodzieży (1922)
Printed pages: 118–123 / PDF 123–128
Digital edition: Digital edition · Source record
Open the edition at the relevant page: p. 118
Read the source text: zgr-080