Smugglers
I learned this game from my friend Jen (Eco) Langley, who taught it to the staff at Camp Woolsey in the summer of 2004.
Materials: four candles, candle holders, matches, 20-30 sparklers, flashlight.
To Play: The premise for the game is that most of the girls are smugglers, trying to bring their goods into the country by boat in the middle of the night. However, the police have learned about the smugglers' operation and are trying to shut them down. The smugglers know about the police and are going to try and warn their boats of the danger by lighting "flares" (sparklers).
One girl (or a leader) stands as a Lighthouse in the middle of the playing area. The candles are placed in a circle around her, at least four feet away from her feet. The Lighthouse gets the flashlight and turns constantly in a circle, shining the beam of the flashlight out over the playing area. Station at least 6-8 girls as police officers in a ring about 10 feet outside of the ring of candles. The police have no light to work by other than the sweeping beam of the Lighthouse, and they may not move from their positions once chosen. Place 6-8 sparklers, unlit, by each candle.
The rest of the girls are smugglers. They must start from at least 50 feet away from the Lighthouse and try to sneak up to the candles and light the sparklers to warn their boats. At least three sparklers must be lit at the same time, from the same candle, in order for the smugglers to win the game. The police will try to stop the smugglers by identifying them (i.e., by calling their name). If a police officer correctly identifies a smuggler, no matter how close they are to the candles, that smuggler must return to the start line and try again.
The smugglers win the game by successfully lighting at least three sparklers at the same time, from the same candle. The police win the game by successfully identifying enough of the smugglers that they are unable to light enough sparklers. If the game proceeds long enough, all the sparklers may be used up and the police win.
This game may sound easy but it is actually very difficult! Savvy smugglers will creep along the ground, averting their faces from the eyes of the police so they can't be identified. I've also seen smugglers swap clothes, hats and even shoes to fool the police.