Introduction

Assassins is a game of mock assassination for a large number of players. Each person has to try to survive the attempts of others to kill them whilst eliminating their own targets. The last person to be left alive is, not surprisingly, declared the winner.

If you have any questions about these rules once you have read them thoroughly, please ask for clarification from the Umpire as he will be only too happy to provide it.

Signing up

The game shall be open to people who live for much of the time within a five-mile radius of Great St Mary's Church in Cambridge city centre, although others may be considered at the umpire's discretion

Everyone who wishes to play should provide the Umpire with:

• Full name, indicating the name you are usually known by
• College or department (if you are a member of the University)
• E-mail address (full if not @cam.ac.uk, although your @cam.ac.uk address is preferred)
• Your official address (i.e. room number) and if different the address at which you will be living (i.e. sleeping and spending a reasonable number of hours at) during the course of the game. In the game this will be given to your assassins, as most colleges will not give out room numbers of students. Any player with a real-life psychopath trying to kill you, explain to the Umpire and you will be excused. Anyone with a real-life psychopath trying to kill them who wants to play Assassins as well needs their head looking at. Should you become wanted (see below), your official room address will be made publically available on the website along with your name.
• If you live relatively far from the city centre, brief details of city centre visits that you regularly make. I shall use my 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.
• The extent to which water-based weaponry is allowed in your room. The options are:
  • No Water: no water pistols or other water-based weapon may be used in your room
  • Water With Care: small water-based weapons may be used if the user is careful
  • Full Water: anything goes
  You may also let the umpire know of anything specific in your room which could be damaged by water; this information will be given to your assassins.
• An initial pseudonym, which will be used in news reports to disguise your true identity.
• Anything else which your assassins should be informed of, such as an allergy to a substance which might be used as a poison, or that you live in a shared set and assassins should be wary of killing your roommate.

Anyone found to have supplied false or misleading details to the Umpire will be disqualified, but I'm sure it's not necessary to say that.

Note that by signing up to play you are agreeing to report any assassins-related events which you are involved in, up to and including your own death. You are agreeing for your name and reports of your assassins activities to be made available on the guild website both now and in the future. You are also giving permission for other players to try to `kill' you by the legal methods described in these rules, and to enter your room without warning should you leave the door unlocked or the window open.

Conduct

1. For any deliberate breach of the rules a player may be identified as a legitimate target for all other players (``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. On the other hand, the umpire will not be bound by the rules if he feels that someone is attempting to exploit a loophole. If in doubt, email the umpire with your question.
3. Exercise common sense. Players are entirely responsible for their behaviour. Avoid inconveniencing other people, especially porters and the general public. In particular, do not knock on your target's door at unreasonable hours.
4. This game depends on players being honest for it to work. Please inform the Umpire if you have been killed. Honour among murderers and all that...
5. You must expect other players to have nefarious intentions at any time during the game. Do not involve (or cause to become involved) college authorities or other non-players to eject or intimidate those attempting to kill you or others. If you feel players are behaving unreasonably, contact the Umpire.
6. This is not a game about physical strength or violence. There is no excuse whatsoever for pushing people around or forcing them out of your way. Most specifically, if someone is holding a door closed you should not attempt to push it open, and you should never do anything likely to cause anyone injury.
7. Most of all, remember that it's a game. Do your best, but have fun. Don't turn yourself into a paranoid wreck. Get out there and enjoy yourself.