We like to say that Intel is “a game with few rules but many complications.” It’s got a lot going for players to juggle.
A laptop is hidden somewhere within the game boundaries. The laptop has an encoded message on it. Both teams have a codebreaker on their team. The codebreaker’s job is to decode the message and report it back to HQ (or the referee at their base). The catch: if your codebreaker dies they can’t be respawned until the other team’s codebreaker dies. The game is a frantic mix of search-hunt-defend and is especially crazy if you only have 3-4 people on your team but works great with larger groups or more than two teams.
Strategy and Tactics:
- Obviously, you need to protect your codebreaker. This takes lots of space and coordination, however. If you’re standing within 20 feet of the codebreaker then any opponents will just shoot the codebreaker. Remember: the range on the laser tag guns is extreme! You need to create a very wide perimeter around your codebreaker (most likely with a radius of at least 50′) if you’re going to keep him/her safe.
- Pick a codebreaker who is clever or really good with puzzles and, ideally, has ice in their veins. The codes are meant to be tricky to solve and you might be under fire from the other team while your codebreaker is sweating out the solution. Expect the decryption to take a minute or two, which is like an eternity if your team is in a gunfight.
- One of your primary tasks should be to determine who on the other team is the codebreaker and where they’re hiding. Target them as much as you can. Another should be to send scouts to find the laptop so when you move your codebreaker you can move them as quickly as possible to the laptop site.
- Never underestimate the potential value of misdirection in a game of Intel. The other team expects your codebreaker to be well-protected, so they won’t assume that you’ve got your codebreaker hiding alone somewhere. If you believe the other team knows who your codebreaker is then consider having them swap some clothes with someone else on the team if you can find the time.