The basic idea of this type of game is that one Scout, or a party of Scouts, has to get through a stretch of country which is guarded by other Scouts. The simplest form is the Dispatch Run. This can be played by two Patrols or more according to the area chosen ; the governing factor is that the occupied country should be narrow enough to prevent the occupiers being so scattered that the dispatch runners can get through easily. The area might be described as a strip of country. Unless the numbers are very, small there should be several dispatch runners, and the opponents should not know which one actually carries the message, so that the additional fun is given of searching a prisoner, and of concealing the dispatch as cunningly as possible. In its simplest form this game is apt to be dull for some of the players; no dispatch runners may come their way at all.
The choice of a narrow area through which the runners pass helps to prevent this monotony, but every opportunity should be taken of throwing the game into a romantic form and of introducing other Scout activities such as ambulance work, signaling, and observation.
Cordon-Breaking Wide Games:
 | A Polar Dash (Cordon-Breaking). |
| Bandits and Police (Cordon-Breaking). |
| Occupying the Thicket (Cordon-Breaking). |
| Border Raiders (Cordon-Breaking). |
| Ned Kelly (Raid and Cordon-Breaking). |
| The Gold Standard (Raid and Cordon-Breaking). |
| Rum and Tea (Raid and Cordon-Breaking). |
From Scouting Games (Baden-Powell):
| Dispatch Runners, p. 10; |
| Telegraph Cutting, p. 16; |
| Joining Forces, p. 19; |
| Ambushing, p. 31; |
| The Pathfinder, p. 84; |
| Smugglers over the Border, p. 91. |
From Games for Scouts (1929, Mackenzie):
| Dispatch Bearer, p. 49; |
| Rival Dispatch Bearers, p. 50. |
| Joining Camps, p. 58; |
| Cargo Boats and Cruisers, p. 59. |
Saturday Afternoon Scouting (Stocks):
| Race to Klondike, p. 58; |
| Dash for the Pole, p. 59. |
