The Badge Archive

Games – Code Calling

Info Needed for the badge requirements: Codes help share information quickly and discreetly, like those used by law enforcement or healthcare. However, they can be risky if easy to guess or overheard. Apps solve this with encryption, which turns messages into unreadable codes only accessible to authorized people. This keeps conversations safe while remaining simple for users, balancing security with usability. Law enforcement and healthcare use them to communicate important messages without causing alarm. Simple ones like Pig Latin aren’t effective because many people understand them. When creating a code, it should be easy to use but hard to crack. Cybersecurity experts follow the same idea when designing programs that are simple for users but protected from hackers.

Items Needed

  • VTK Code Word Cards by GSUSA (printed and cut out, one set per group of 6 scouts)
  • Paper and pencil for each scout

Instructions

  1. Divide scouts into groups of 6 (use multiple groups if needed). Give each group a set of Code Word Cards. One scout acts as the caller and draws a card from the deck. The caller reads the code word aloud.
  2. Each scout writes a guess of what the code word means on a slip of paper and gives it to the caller.
  3. The caller writes the actual meaning on a separate slip to mix in with the guesses.
  4. The caller reads all answers aloud, and scouts guess which one they think is correct.
  5. Scoring:
    • 1 point: For every vote a player’s made-up answer receives.
    • 1 point: For guessing the correct answer.
    • 2 points: For creating an answer similar to the correct one.
    • 2 points: For the caller if no one guesses the correct answer.
  6. Play for at least three rounds, or until all cards are done. (Note – it takes 4-5 minutes per round, doing all 15 cards will take 60-75 minutes. Doing only three rounds keeps the activity to 15 minutes.)

Additional Challenge: Create Your Own Codes

  1. Divide scouts into pairs.
  2. Each pair creates their own spoken code, which could be a language-based system (like Pig Latin) or a set of unique code words for specific situations.
  3. Remind them that writing the key makes their code more vulnerable, so they should try to memorize it.
  4. Pairs present their code to the group, and others try to decipher it.
Tia Kennard