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For other uses, see Tag (disambiguation)

Tag
Players	3 or more
Age range	4 and up
Setup time	10 seconds
Playing time	no limit
Random chance	Low
Skills required	Running, Hiding, Observation

Tag (also known as it, had, he, tips, tig, touch, tab, tiggy, tick, dobby, chasing, chasemaster, chasey and other names) is an informal playground game that usually involves two or more players attempting to "tag" other players by touching them with an object, usually their hands. Played throughout the world,^[1] tag is inherently simple — most forms require neither teams, nor scores, nor sports equipment such as balls — but it may be made more complex with various rule modifications. Both of these aspects make tag a popular game amongst children, and it is often played in informal areas such as playgrounds or backyards.

Contents 1 Rules 1.1 Borders 1.2 No tag backs 1.3 Babysitting 2 See also 3 References

The rules of tag are very flexible. Rules such as the following can be either decided upon before the game, or added as the game progresses to make play more fair.

At the beginning of the game, one player is designated "it". After "it" is chosen, the other players scatter. "It" must chase them down and tag them, usually by tapping them somewhere on the body. A tagged player becomes "it", and the former "it" joins the others in trying to avoid being tagged. This process repeats until the game ends.

In a typical game of tag, no score is kept, nor is a winner selected. Those who can avoid being tagged or who can stay "it" for the least amount of time are generally regarded as the best players. There is usually no time limit; the end of the game is chosen arbitrarily, perhaps when the players tire of the game, when recess ends, or when players get called home for dinner.

An anomalous property of tag is that although being "it" gives a player the most influence upon the game and thus could be considered the best role to play, the position is stigmatized and avoided. While most agree that the temporary stigma associated with being "it" is harmless, some have criticized tag because, they allege, a player who is often pursued to be made "it" or who is physically slow can be singled out and embarrassed. Because of this, tag has been banned in some US schools.^[2] In some variations, if the number of people exceeds five, then you may not quit until you are tagged first.

In order to keep the action fast and fun, a game of tag often has arbitrary borders that the players cannot step beyond, such as a fenced-in back yard, a school yard, or the end of a street. This prevents players from running far beyond the area where the game started to avoid being tagged and keeps all the players in a close vicinity to give "it" a better chance of tagging somebody.

A game of tag may also have one or more "bases", usually a landmark such as a bench, flagpole, fence, tree trunk, section of wall, or patch of dirt. When a base is touched or stood upon, it grants a player exemption from being tagged. It is usually considered cowardly to spend so much time on the base, so prideful players usually resort to the safe haven of "base" only in emergencies. "Base" is sometimes called "Safe", "Pegs," or less frequently (with strong regional variation), "Home", "Bar", "Tee", "Gool", "Gools", "Goo", "Den", "Homie", "Barleys" or "Cree".

Sometimes, players are considered safe if they simply grab the hands of someone who is at a base. This is known as "electricity" or "chains", as the safety of the player at the base is transferred to the other person. There are also sometimes limits to the amount of time a player can spend on a base, often three, five, or ten seconds. Any player who stays at one base over the time limit loses, often becoming the new "it."

In cases that only one player may inhabit a base, sometimes a person can force another person standing on base to leave so that the first person can take base. Sometimes, a player may shout "Budge!" before the person on base must move. It allows for tactical play by allowing a person to force another person out of base when "it" is nearby.

In cases when an unlimited number of people can touch a base the "it" can call out "1 2 3 Bases on fire" at which point everyone touching a base must leave the base they are at for an arbitrary amount of time. This is used when everyone is on base and the "it" person has no one to chase after. An alternative method is "it" saying "1 2 3 get off my apple tree", in which case the person(s) on the base can say, "4 5 6 no monkey tricks".

"No tag backs" (also "can't get the butcher back", "zap-zap no tap back", "no tiggy butchers", "no master backs", "no catch backs", "no tap backs", "no returns", "no touch backs", "Pauric Clarke" or "can't tig the ball back" the "ball" being the person who is "it") is a phrase that can be used in most tag variants. If the person who is "it" tags another player, and then the player tries to tag the person back, the former "it" player can say "no tag backs". This means that the person who is "it" can't immediately tag the person who made them "it". This rule was created to allow the former "it" player not only a chance to get out of close proximity of the current "it" player, but to give them a few moments of immunity to catch their breath. However, "tag backs" is also used by slower players as a strategy to make up for their disadvantage over the quicker players and is often excepted. Another way of ensuring victory is to tag someone and then immediately quit the game (often to the annoyance of the other players, who may exclude the person using this strategy from future games). Whether or not "tag backs" are allowed in the ensuing game must be established at the start of the game to ensure fairness of play for all players.

A player may also, by crossing their index and middle finger, go onto 'tig off'. Whilst they have their fingers crossed in this way they may not be tagged by anyone - this can lead to intense strategies of carefully watching other players' hands, for a chance to strike. This 'tig off' phenomenon has also spread to the permutations of tig - such as playing the game on an instant messaging program - many people would put 'tig off' in their names, for example. 'Tig off' is commonly known as 'skinchies', 'kings' or 'crossed keys'.

A player who is "it" who hovers around base, waiting for players to leave or get on, it is said to be "babysitting" (also, "baby lining" "puppy guarding", "doggy guarding" "monkey guarding", "body guarding" "chicken guarding", "goose guarding", "coffin guarding", "den hanging", "laying eggs" or "camping"). If a player is unable to leave base because of the imminent threat of being tagged, the player on base can say, "no babysitting!" meaning the person who is "it" can't trap the player on the base. If "no babysitting" is said, the person who is "it" should move away to give the other player a chance to move off the base.

In England this is called "post hanging" or "doggy watching".^{[citation needed]}

• Łapanka
• Pursuit-evasion