Gourt Home::Gourt :: Ratchet Screwdriver
- This article is about the game. For the tool, you see the separate entries ratchet and screwdriver.
Ratchet Screwdriver is a game played by many young Quakers in the United Kingdom, particularly by JYF. In the United States, the game is sometimes known as Wink, where it is also played by young Unitarian Universalists.
The game
An odd number of players are required. No player is permitted to get up higher than their knees at any time.
One player is selected to be the 'loner'. The remaining players form pairs. The players form a circle of pairs, with one member of each pair sitting behind the other, facing the centre. The loner also joins the circle. The loner must then call out the name of one person in the inner circle, who may not be adjacent to them. This person must try to get across the circle to the loner, and kiss her/him on the cheek. His/her partner must simultaneously try to stop them by physical restraint. The loner may call out multiple names, and there is no limit to the number of people who can be trying to reach her/him at any one time. If the loner calls out 'Ratchet Screwdriver', the entire inner circle, not including the loner's neighbours, is called. When someone has reached the loner, they become his/her partner and sit behind her/him. All other pairs that have been called must also swap.
The game is necessarily rowdy, but need not be violent, or even excessively dangerous, provided a few safety rules are observed:
- No kicking, biting, punching, gouging, et cetera.
- Shoes must not be worn. Socks are also a bad idea, for strategic reasons, as they reduce a player's grip.
- Likewise, jewelry should be removed, including watches, and coins, keys and other hard and/or metallic objects should be taken out of players' pockets.
External links
"Ratchet Screwdriver"