This page describes how the Guild is organised and the game is run.
We're always looking for new people to run things! If you're at all interested in getting involved or want to know more, have a read about what the roles involve, and please drop us an email- assassins-umpire@srcf.ucam.org,. Most of these roles are quite light, so don't worry if you can't commit too much time to things.
Note as of Mich 2022 this page is mildly out of date. For the last few years we have been operating with usually 2 umpires and a chief of police. The Cabal is also definitely real (and they're probably watching right now), but while other roles would be cool to have, they haven't seen any use for a while. If you're a potential future umpire, then appointing some of the other roles may save you some hassle.
These roles directly relate to the organisation of the game each term.
Each term's Umpire (or Umpires in a co-run game) makes all game-related decisions. Their job across the term involves:
At the start of term, they also recruit any Chiefs of Police (see below), make rules changes, and set the game going. They also maintain the mailing list.
The Umpire uses the 'AutoUmpire' software to keep track of most aspects of the game. It is designed to require a minimum amount of technical competency to use (so if you're reading this and are worried about the technical requirements, don't be!). For a guide to what we're looking for in an Umpire, see the section below ('What does it take to be an Umpire?').
The Chief(s) of Police run the police force in the game, and generally serve for a term. They're the first point of contact for police training and organising raids. Generally, each game has a Police chat running as well (making the Police game much more sociable than the main game!)
Their main duties are to recruit new Police from the ranks of dead players, and to organise the incobash on the first day of incompetency each term. They may also act as deputies to the Umpire where necessary.
Various socials are run throughout the term, often including:
The socials team organise these events in conjunction with the Umpire. Recruitment to the team is at the start of each term, and people are welcome to stay on through the year if desired
These roles are not directly necessary for the running of the game, but provide important other functions in the society
'Prodder in Chief'- responsible for general guild running.
The Facilitator is always an ex-Umpire (or extremely experienced member of the Guild). They are voted in by the Cabal (see later), and serve for a year. Their main role is to provide stability throughout the different games and to help out the Umpire.
Every year or so, Varsities (competitions with Assassins' Guilds from other universities) take place. The Varsity Captain liases with other Guilds to arrange matches. They also arrange training so that we then win those matches.
This role is generally for a year, due to the time it takes to organise Varsity events. The nature of this role means that former Umpires are usually drafted into it, but anyone who is comfortable with organisation and interacting with other Guilds can undertake it.
Deals with website and AutoUmpire maintenance and development. Usually serve for a year.
The 'Cabal' consists of all former Umpires, Chiefs of Police and MAs who wish to stay on. They act as a resource of game advice for the Umpire. They also elect the Facilitator. These elections are held at the end of the Lent game.
Umpires, historically, have run all aspects of the Guild, from socials to inter-guild relations. This is no longer the case, but being the Umpire is still the most important single role: the Umpire makes sure the game runs, and that is the heart of the society. We're always in need of new umpires, so if you want to umpire (or get involved in any other capacity), please don't hesitate to get in touch with the current game-runners.
If you are interested in umpiring a game, get in touch with the facilitator: assassins-facilitator@srcf.ucam.org
When we're deciding who'll umpire the next game (when we have a choice!), there's a few things we'll think about. Generally, an umpire should have been active throughout the game for at least one term. This usually means- as a main game player- surviving until the late game, because the game has a very different feel at that point. Simply, this means you'll have a better understanding of the rules, why they're there, and how the game in general runs. Typically, to introduce you to the way decisions are made and the game from a game-runner's perspective, then you should also have some experience as an organiser, whether that's acting as Chief-of-Police or organising socials.
The things which make a good umpire can't really be written down in a CV; a lot of it is about your opinions on things and so on. The sort of things which are looked for are a good understanding of the rules, why they are there, how they evolved, and how changing them affects the game play. Some of the more important rules are the more subtle ones. The game-runners want to know what you think of rules decisions, whether they agree or disagree and justification of why they would have done it differently.
Technical competence is not much of an issue, thanks to the AutoUmpire, but you will have to be able to update the website and use the mailing list management system. Umpiring does, however, take up a lot of time. Umpires will need to be able to dedicate a substantial amount of time to it (usually at least an hour, often more, a day), particularly in the first week of a Michaelmas or Lent game. For many people, this might be a concern- if you're worried about it, there's often the possibility of co-umpiring to split the workload and, in general, a lot of support is available.
Finally (but still importantly), the Umpire is the official face of the Guild to both the authorities, and to new players. It's essential to have someone who will deal well with both of these.
If you're considering umpiring, talk to people who have umpired before about it. Please don't, for any reason, assume that you can't be an umpire. If you don't think you'll be able to spare enough time to umpire alone, then do please make yourself known- co-umpiring is becoming the norm, and is definitely a possibility.
The bottom line is to ask about Umpiring if you are interested. Even if you then don't end up umpiring the next game, discussing it will certainly give you a better insight into the game, and it's likely that there will be another role you can fill in the interim. That'll give you experience you can use to umpire a game in the future.