Qaydi Qaydi

I really don’t remember where we got this game from. But it’s a favorite among most of my friends. The name literally means Prisoner Prisoner, which might sound a little crazy, but it’s actually quite fun.

The saying ‘the more the merrier’ is true in most games, but in Qaydi Qaydi, a good number is 4-8 players. If there are too many players, the game gets rather confusing, even though it is playable.

• Number of players: 4-8 (see previous paragraph)
• Age range: 8+
• Place needed: A large room. Playing outdoors is not recommended. Minimum furniture and items in general.

You will need a stuffed toy – it should be as soft as possible. 8-12 inches is a recommended length.

How to play:

1. One player stands in the middle of the room with the stuffed toy. He/she spins around three times, arms outstretched, and then lets go of the toy. He/she should not have control of which direction the toy goes.
2. All the players try to get the stuffed toy. It cannot be snatched from a player once he/she has it in his/her hand.
3. Once a player has gained possession of the toy, he/she cannot move from the place he/she picked it up from. (For the sake of clarification, let this player be Player A.) His/her target is to now hit a player with the stuffed toy. He/she cannot move forward or backward. However, the other players can move freely about.
4. The player with the toy throws it, aiming for a player (there is no restriction on which player he/she targets). If the stuffed toy hits the target anywhere on his/her body, he/she is now a prisoner of the player who threw the toy. (Let this player be Player B.) If the toy misses, the hit is null, and the game continues as in step 2.
5. Now, if Player B was hit by the toy, he/she is a prisoner of Player A. Player B goes to the ‘jail’. He/she is out of the game.
6. To free Player B, another player (let this player be Player C) must hit Player A. Player A is now a prisoner of Player C, and Player B is free.
7. The game continues. If Player B and C are both prisoners of Player A, and then a Player D hits Player A, both Player B and C are freed.
8. When all of the players are in jail except one (who imprisoned all of them), the player left is the winner.
9. You can restart the game. If you do, the player in step 1 is the one who won. He/she gets to start the game.

More rules:

• If Player A throws the toy at Player B, and Player B catches it, then Player A becomes a prisoner of Player B. But this will only work if Player B catches it in the air.
• It is not fair to target one player throughout one or several games.
• You cannot hide behind other people or things.
• Remember that you cannot move once you have picked up the stuffed toy. Once you throw it, you can move again.
• You must stand in the place where you picked the stuffed toy up from.
• Players must be honest in this game. If the toy hits them, it hits them. They cannot say “Oh it didn’t hit me” or “Oh it hit my clothes” or “Oh it just passed by”. Not only is it against the rules of the game, it is against the rules of life as well. The same applies to other players. They cannot say “Oh it hit him/her” while it did not hit the person in question, and so on.

If there is need for clarification in this game, please let me know in the comments. Qaydi Qaydi is rather difficult to understand, after all.

Happy playing!