1.0 INTRODUCTION:

1.1 PREPARATION:

1. Full name (and optional pseudonym)
   
   
2. College (or Department if applicable) and address in Cambridge
   
   
3. E-mail address (full if not @cam.ac.uk)
   
   
4. Your official address and if different the address at which you will be living (ie sleeping and spending a reasonable number of hours at) during the course of the game. In this game this will be given to your assassin(s), to prevent unfair advantage to those at colleges where the porters refuse to give out room numbers. Any player with a real-life psychopath trying to kill you, explain to the Umpire and you will be excused [The Umpire also stresses that these players should seek psychiatric and/or (real) police help]. Should you become wanted, your official room address will be made public as well as your name (see WANTED LIST, below).
   
   
5. If you live relatively far from the city centre, brief details of city centre visits that you regularly make. The Umpire shall use his/her discretion in deciding which details to pass on to your assassins. The aim is to involve outliers more in the game, since trekking out to Girton to kill a target is usually only done by a few of the keenest players. College/Departmental computer rooms or offices are not valid city centre visits.
   
   
6. Water Weapons category (This information will be available to your assassin so choose sensibly).
   Possible room categorisations:
   • No Water Weapons Zone: Default state
   • Water Weapons with Care: No waterbombs. No heavy calibre. Medium calibre guns (SS50, XP55, XP65, which are single-barrelled guns of up to about a foot in length) are only ok if used accurately to hit the target. Small Calibre is ok. If you choose this option, list any delicate items in particular to avoid (e.g. computer, expensive hi-fi, TV, etc.)
   • Water Weapons Allowed: Full-scale war allowed. Even so... Avoid unnecessary abuse of firepower on the room. i.e. Be sensible and professionally accurate. Inannimate objects usually don't strike back.

1.2 PRELIMINARIES:

1. For any deliberate breach of the rules a player may be identified as a legitimate target for all other players, i.e. put on the wanted list, or, in serious cases, disqualified from playing.
   
   
2. The spirit of the rules is more important than the actual rules themselves. Rules are made to be bent here and there.
   
   
3. Participants may have accomplices. Targets cannot be assassinated by an accomplice. Accomplices may only assist the killer in planning (and carrying out) the murder. Note that players are responsible for their accomplices' behaviour.
   
   
4. In general, a victim is not dead unless they know about it. No weapon can be considered to have any effect unless it actually does something (the more dramatic the better!).
   
   
5. No one may attempt to impersonate the Umpire (either in person or through messages, etc.). Taking or attempting to read items in the Umpire's pigeon-hole, or trying to hack into the Umpire's or any player's computer accounts, is also strictly forbidden.
   
   
6. Exercise common sense. Players are *entirely* responsible for their behaviour. In particular, avoid inconveniencing other people.
   
   
7. Players are expected to inform the Umpire of all kill attempts they make, and also of any attempts on their own life. Feel free to dramatise the events in your report.
   
   
8. This game depends on trust and gentlemanly/womanly conduct. Please be honest about whether or not you are dead. Honour amongst murderers and all that....
   
   
9. This game is NOT about brute force. Knocking people over or forcing your way through doors against the will of whoever is trying to close them just because you're a lot bigger than them is not acceptable. Likewise it is not about knocking weapons out of other people's hands. A gentle tap with a cosh (see 4.3) has that effect.
   
   
10. Death is instantaneous on being critically shot or struck. The victim has no time to "get even". If it's very close as to who hit who first, you should resolve the issue on the spot (whenever possible).
    
    
11. If the game becomes tediously slow, and/or the end of term approaches, the Umpire may introduce a time limit. Players will then have to make a serious attempt to kill someone within the time limit, or they will be put on the wanted list for incompetance. Note that this game already has a time limit system in place - see section 6.3.
    
    
12. Dead accomplices and players remain dead! Recycling these zombies for furthur use will make your assassinations void. Consistant attempts at zombie abuse will lead to the abuser being placed on the Wanted List for Necromancy. The player then has to make at least three kills until he/she has satisfied the Umpire of the repentance of their unworldy sins. Police caught abusing zombies shall be suspended from their duties and those kills will be void.
    
    
13. It is a serious offence to impersonate porters when knocking on players' doors. The player may be inclined to disbelieve the person knocking and this may be a problem if a porter is really knocking on their door.
    
    

2.0 AIMS:

1. The main aim of the game is for everyone concerned to have a good time.
   
   
2. The aim of each player is to be the sole survivor.

3.0 VICTIMS:

4.0 WEAPONS:

• be completely safe to people and property.
• actually DO something, to indicate to the victim that he/she has been killed.

The Chief of Police is likely to take a tough line over policemen/women using "non-standard" weapons (e.g. those that could easily endanger the lives of others, such as contact poisons). Police found to have breached this rule WILL be suspended. Claiming you didn't read the rules properly is not be a defence!

Weapons marked (*) in the following list should be used with extra care.

1. Guns
   • Gun - represented by a water pistol. You must get a definite hit with the main jet. If you just splash them with water (e.g. at extreme range or out of ammo) then it is only a flesh wound - they can carry on as normal. If they are hit in the head or torso then they are killed instantaneously.
     
     If you have delegated you room a No Water Weapons Zone, it then automatically becomes ILLEGAL to use any water-based weapons in the room. Note that other weapons may still be used. The disadvantage is that you may not fire a water pistol OUT of such a room.
     
     Water pistols may not be used in shops or parts of shops where the PRINCIPAL goods on sale are electrical appliances, books or other goods which are likely to be the worse for it. Obviously if the adjacent goods are tinned foods or pencil sharpeners, you may shoot away. This should be common sense, but is worth emphasizing.
     
     If small water pistols are used, it is a good idea to confirm the kill immediately with the victim who might not have noticed the hit if wearing thick clothing. This avoids arguments later, when the water has evaporated, or, as it is not uncommon for Cambridge, when it is raining.
     
     Cap pistols may also be used, although almost point blank range (clear shot from less than one metre) is needed to claim a hit.
     
     Soft air guns may not be used, however soft plastic pellets fired by say a spring may be safer. Always present these first to the Umpire for a safety check, before using them.
     
     (*) Rubber bands are an acceptable weapon, as long as head shots are avoided.
     
     
   • Flamethrower - represented by a bottle of Champagne, hose-pipe, etc. Rules much as for water-pistols, except that it is unneccesary to completely coat the victim in your flames. A sufficient spurt to "burn" the vital vertical line (head, torso, stomach) will do.
   
   
2. Contact Poison - represented by Vaseline, mustard, etc. This will kill within 5 seconds of contact even if it is wiped off. This sort of contact poison is deemed to be no longer effective if it has dried enough that the victim does not notice it (be honest, please...). If wearing non-porous gloves then it will have no effect for 5 minutes as the poison is diffusing through the material. You may remove the gloves quite safely within this 5 minute time period but they must not be re-used during the game. Similarly, poison will take an appreciable time to diffuse through anything thicker than, say, a towel. Powder, e.g. talc is also permitted. As contact poison is dangerous to anyone else who might touch the surface in question, anyone using it will be put on the wanted list.
   
   
3. Club or Cosh - represented by a cardboard poster tube or a newspaper rolled up and stuck with Cellotape. The effect depends upon the location of the hit:-

           Head .......... Unconscious for 5 minutes.
           Body .......... Immobilised but conscious for 5 minutes.
           Arm or Leg .... The limb is immobilised for 5 minutes.

   Note that anything you do with an arm that has been coshed is invalidated. If you run away after being coshed in the body or leg, then you are dead. Please allow your murderer to finish you off in style, they might have spent a long time trying to find you... (reasons for this - the satisfaction the assassin will recieve when they Finish Him/Her)
   
   
4. Blades - Foam, soft rubber, retractable plastic or cardboard knives may be used. If the knife has been made by you e.g. from cardboard, it must be plainly labelled 'KNIFE'. Plastic ones which are more obviously knives don't need this. Plastic swords are permitted, but please be careful. Cardboard swords must be clearly labelled 'SWORD'. A rolled up paper tube is a cosh, not a sword. Representations of Ninja Stars and Razor Blades may also be used (a real razor is out of the question). Razor-edge hats may also be used if the brim is visibly marked with the word "ASSASSIN" on it.
   
   
5. Garrotte - Represented by handkerchiefs, or, far better, toilet paper.
   
   
6. Grenades - Confetti in bags made from tissue paper, water bombs, or (small) flour bombs may be used. You may also employ snowballs. Use common sense with the last three. They will kill if they strike any part of the head or body. If they hit a wall and splash your head or body appreciably (i.e. if you're wettish) you are dead. If they just splash your arms or legs, you are only wounded, and survive.
   
   
7. (*) Poisonous Gas - represented by perfume/after-shave/air-freshener. This kills instantaneously if it is at a noticeable concentration. Do NOT spray it in people's faces. N.B. It will kill all those who smell it - think of all those innocent victims...
   Gas masks may be fashioned from a handkerchief or scarf tied across the face.
   Poison gas should be used with care to prevent the deaths of people other than the intended victim. It is probably best to use it only in the target's room. If you have any problems come and see the Umpire.
   If you have a cold and genuinely couldn't smell anything then you were immune to it (lucky you).
   Balloon-and-pin arrangements (scent still required!) can be labelled as Poison Gas, rather than as Bombs (see the section on booby traps below).
   
   
8. (*) Dart or Arrow - represented by a grape fired from a catapult or a dried pea from a pea-shooter. This has the same effect as a gun. Avoid head shots. A paper plane may be used as a poisoned dart, provided it is clearly labelled as one. Being hit by a random one in a boring lecture does not count...
   
   
9. Poisoned Food or Drink - Use Tabasco sauce or peppermint essence in sufficient quantities to taste. N.B. Experiments to establish the lethal dose are liable to kill the guinea pig (more innocent victims!). Nut-based essences are banned as they are a major health hazard. If at any doubt, please register your poison with the Umpire.
   Buying your victim a Pizza Gamberi from Pizza Express does not count as a poisoning, even if they do go a bit strong on the Tabasco. However, leaving an extra-strong Phileas Fogg Tortilla Chip in their pigeon-hole, which they then proceed to eat, does. And no... Gardies burgers do not count as poisoning (in the game).
   
   
10. Special Letters
    • Containing contact poison or some sort of audible detonator (letter bombs). Musical birthday cards are a special type of letter bomb, requiring no additional detonator or label. It will kill the victim if it goes off, although signing it from e.g. A. Sassin might be an idea.
    • Cards, letters, parcels, etc. that are sent through the mail service (University or Royal) or are handed to porters, and have leaked their contact poison or poison gas are deemed to have killed innocent victims.
    
    
11. Bombs - can be deadly in their effect, but they require careful preparation and setting up if they are not to kill innocent bystanders.
    
    A bomb is represented by a box or container consisting of two pieces:
    
    
    1. The detonator - to tell the victims that the bomb has gone off. It must bang or bleep sufficiently loudly to be heard by any victims. Remember rule 1.2.4, "A victim is not dead unless they know about it."
       
       
    2. The explosive. The size of the bomb is determined by the volume of the explosive. 'Explosive' could, for example, be cotton wool or plasticene, or water placed in a closed container like a wine bottle.
       
       
    The volume of the explosive must be marked on or in the bomb in cubic centimetres, and it must be labelled 'BOMB' in large letters. If your construction might worry passers-by, write on it:

    "This is an imitation bomb for the mock assassination game run by the Cambridge University Assassins' Guild. Any queries may be addressed to this term's Umpire, Nadim Nehmé of Trinity Hall College ."

    In the event of the bomb being triggered, the blast shall be assumed to act in a 'reasonably' straight line, and along this line may encounter obstacles. By 'reasonably', I mean a bomb placed right up against the door (outer or inner, for those with double doors) to a room, will blast in all directions into all corners of the room through the door, not through the side of the wall.
    
    For people with 'oaks' this may sound unrealistic, but this is a game not reality, and I have to be fair in this respect at least to those with only one door.
    
    The blast radius of a bomb can be generated from its volume by the following formula:
    

    r = 50*V^(1/3)
    
    Where V = bomb volume (cubic centimeters)
          r = blast radius (centimeters)

    If there's something between you and the bomb, it will subtract from the blast radius:

    Door:                1 m
    Window:            0.5 m
    Plasterboard wall:   1 m
    Brick wall:          3 m
    Stone wall:          5 m
    Cupboard:            1 m

    Clearly remote bomb detonation for a bomb left outside your door, from within your room, is best done with, say, a coat-hanger from underneath the door. A more preferable way is for you or your neighbour to diffuse the bomb without its detonation. If you are unsure then come and check with the Umpire.
    
    Table of Bomb Volume vs Blast radius:

    volume/cc     Blast radius / metres
       25                   1.46
       50                   1.84
      100                   2.32
      200                   2.85
      300                   3.34
      500                   3.96
     1000                   5.00
     2000                   6.29
     5000                   8.54

    'Ready made' bombs include alarm clocks, tape recorders, plug timers, and such like. Party poppers also count as bombs, but remember that they are of extremely limited volume and are hence only likely to be useful as letter bombs. They can be used as detonators for larger bombs.
    
    Bomb equipment should be returned to the maker via the Umpire, unless it is defused or dud. It may not normally be re-used, unless it was defused or dud. The Bomb Squad is on holiday, but the umpire would like to hear how you fare in performing your own bomb defusion.
    
    An exception to this rule is that the detonator, if encased in a sturdily constructed case of steel (or other such material), may be re-used. The Umpire will rule whether the detonator has survived a blast or not.
    
    NOTE: Bombs operated by timers are not permitted. Some method of detonating them involving an person's action of some kind must be used. This is because it is unfair that people should be blown up while asleep; there is no defence against it.
    
    The one exception to the triggering rule, is that timers may be used on bombs INSIDE a player's room, because there is a defence to this. It consists of locking the door...
    
    Devices which prevent motion sensors or other triggers from going off for a certain period of time are permitted, if you can work out how to make one!
    
    Bombs can be triggered by the victim in various ways. There are endless possibilities: drawing pins positioned to pop balloons, red light bulbs, smoke detectors (if the victim smokes), vacuum cleaners booby-trapped with confetti in the exhaust, etc.
    
    
12. (*) Poisoned Umbrellas - may be used to transfer contact poison on to a player (as in the case of the Bulgarian Georgi Markov). However, you should be careful to avoid actual injury to the participant, and may well need to cover up the tip of your umbrella with something softer.
    Open Umbrellas, labelled "Shield" count as protecting you from whatever waterpistol fire you may encounter. Note that, in general, the heavier-calibre guns will get round/through an umbrella. Be honest, if any water gets on your head or torso, own up to being dead. This reflects that bulletproof technology has limitations. Furthermore, if your shield is hit by any class of grenade (see 4.6 above), then you are dead as it explodes into shrapnel that tears your body apart. Note that Body Armour is forbidden in this game. Umbrellas may NOT be simultaneously labelled Shield and Poison-Tip. That would be too easy!
    
    
13. Fridgeing or Safeing - Dropping a large (i.e. of side at least 40cm) piece of polystyrene or of light cardboard packing from at least one storey onto your victim. It must be labelled either 'FRIDGE' or 'SAFE'. It may then be reasonably assumed that they are dead.

5.0 DEATHS:

5.1 POLICE FORCE:

5.2 POLICE CORRUPTION:

6.0 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT:

6.1 PERMISSIBLE TARGETS:

1. Your assigned target(s). These will be replaced as you kill them to maintain the continuous bloodshed.
   
   
2. The assassin(s) assigned to you, if you learn their identity.
   
   
3. Anyone holding a weapon or having one in full view, whether or not they are about to attack you. Once the weapon is hidden, the person is no longer a legitimate target.
   
   
4. Anyone on the Wanted List.

6.2 OUT-OF-BOUNDS AREAS:

1. Lecture theatres (including after/before lectures).
   
   
2. Practicals/laboratories.
   
   
3. Hospitals/libraries/sports-halls.
   
   
4. Churches/chapels/synagogues/mosques/temples/stupas!
   
   
5. Formal college dining halls - Informal college cafeterias are in the playing arena.
   
   
6. Any OFFICIAL university society meeting (e.g. speaker meetings, formal halls). Kills at unofficial social meetings (e.g. the ucam.chat pub meet) are permissible.
   
   
7. Any Ball, Event, garden party or similar.
   
   
8. Seminars and supervisions.
   
   
9. Boats (except in leisurely outings, e.g. punting).
   
   

1. Outside the hours 9am to 5.30p.m.
   
   
2. Use only weapons which CANNOT POSSIBLY damage equipment (e.g. garotte, knife, cap gun, etc.) - i.e. no messy weapons (also applies to Music Rooms and Lifts).
   
   
3. Minimal inconvenience to any other users (players or bystanders). So, for example, pointing a cap gun and saying 'Bang' rather than actually firing it.
   
   

6.3 TIME RESTRICTIONS:

7.0 WITNESSES:

8.0 INNOCENT VICTIMS:

9.0 THE UMPIRE:

10.0 NEWS AND INFORMATION

10.1 NEWSGROUP

10.2 WEB PAGES

11.0 COMMENTS

• The Umpire's Rule is law. There will be no right of appeal against a disqualification.
  
  
• Official complaints about a person's behaviour will almost certainly result in disqualification. Involvement of the (real) police will definitely cause you to be disqualified.
  
  
• It is considered that taking part in this game implicitly allows people to enter your room through an unlocked door or open window. Entering a room by any other means is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. If you don't want trespassers, make certain they can't get in.