The Assassins' Guild: Mayweek 2005 Weaponry Rules
The Assassins' Guild: Mayweek 2005 Weaponry Rules
The following gives an outline of the various weapons which can be used against enemies. It is not an exhaustive list and players are encouraged to use their imagination; however, the Umpire may make any kills carried out with an unauthorized weapon invalid, so do come and check before using your latest creation in the heat of battle. In general, all weapons must be completely safe (for both people and property) and actually do something, to indicate to the victim that he/she has been killed. All non-obvious weapons must be clearly labelled; if you were carrying a real knife, you wouldn't be able to convince an enemy that it was a pencil by holding your thumb over the label, so don't do that either.
IMPORTANT: Due to new legislation introduced in 2004 it is now illegal to be seen in public carrying anything looking like a real gun.
Therefore, no toy weapons designed to look like real guns are allowed in the game. This includes all Edison Giocatolli rubber pellet weaponry and probably most cap guns. Painting such weapons in bright colours or decorating them with stickers does not make them acceptable. If you are not sure whether a particular weapon is allowed, ask the Umpire. If you are found to be using a realistic-looking gun you will be removed from the game immediately.
Messy weapons and water weapons should be used sensibly; where the rules state "with care", no large-calibre water weapons (larger than a Supersoaker XP270 or a Storm Force 2) should be used, smaller water weapons should be carefully aimed and not used to excess. Don't use messy or water weapons against people carrying something expensive or wearing formal clothes; not only will they get annoyed, but you shall be entirely responsible for any damages caused. If anyone complains about an individuals behaviour that individual may be subject to penalties up to and including removal from the game.
Weapons should be specific to the victim - killing bystanders is to be avoided even when the effect is harmless.
Except where noted below, most weapons will kill the target instantly if they strike any part of the head or torso. If a limb is hit then it can no longer be used for the duration of the encounter for any game-related purpose, including to fire, reload or hold a weapon, to open a door or window or to run away (although if you have to run away the Umpire will probably be lenient should you use an injured limb to take your weapons with you rather than leave them behind, as long as you don't use such weapons again in the encounter). If you continue to use an injured limb in an encounter you are deemed to have died from blood loss.
Rubber band guns, Nerf weapons, pea-shooters and rubber bands fired from the fingers may be used as guns. Other similar weapons may also be allowed, but you must contact the umpire before using one so it can be approved. A direct hit is required; projectiles rebounding off walls, etc., do not count. Try to avoid head shots with all projectile weapons.
To reiterate, just to be sure:
IMPORTANT: Due to new legislation introduced in 2004 it is
now illegal to be seen in public carrying anything looking
like a real gun. Therefore, no toy weapons designed to look like real guns
are allowed in the game. This includes all Edison Giocatolli rubber pellet
weaponry and probably most cap guns. Painting such weapons in bright colours
or decorating them with stickers does not make them acceptable. If you
are not sure whether a particular weapon is allowed, ask the Umpire. If you
are found to be using a realistic-looking gun you will be removed from the game
immediately.
If you have a clear shot from less than a metre you may say "bang" rather than actually firing your weapon to claim the kill. You may only do this is the gun can normally make a legal kill. This means it must be loaded and working, and legal for the status of the area in which it is being used (i.e. No bang kills with water weapons in a No Water Zone. If you only discover later that the gun is not working then the kill stands). Players should always do this if possible to avoid unnecessarily shooting people (and it's for your own good, since you avoid wasting ammunition or risking a misfire).
Toy guns which produce a noise without actually firing anything may also be used to kill people from less than a metre. In the case of cap guns, the cap must go off for the shot to count. You may also use these weapons by saying "bang" just like any other.
Any water pistol or water gun may be used as a weapon. You must get a definite hit with the main jet for it to count - if you just splash the target with the edge of the spray or at extreme range then the hit does not count. (This means that with larger water weapons such as CPS super soakers it is actually possible to get quite wet without being hit by the main jet of the blast and therefore killed.)
Players may decide whether they wish to allow water-based weapons to be used in their own rooms or not; this information should be supplied to the Umpire at the start of the game. The default state is no water, which means that no player may fire a water weapon into, inside or through your room. If your room is a no-water area remember that you cannot fire water weapons inside it, into it or out of it either.
You may also request that your room be a water with care area, in which case small water weapons may be used inside it, but not larger weapons such as water bombs or CPS supersoakers, or a full water area, in which case anything goes. You may also inform the umpire of any equipment inside your room which may be damaged by water; this information will be passed to your assassins.
Corridors and other indoor areas in colleges and departments are considered to be "water with care" areas unless otherwise specified. You must not use any water weapons in non-players' rooms, shops, or any other neutral areas containing anything which may be damaged by water.
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.
Bottles of water, hosepipes, etc. may be used to represent flame-throwers. These should only be used outdoors in warm weather. Shaken-up bottles of lemonade or similar should not be used as the drink becomes sticky and unpleasant as it dries.
Represented by a cardboard poster tube or a newspaper rolled up and stuck with Sellotape. Either should be clearly labelled "Cosh". The effect of a cosh 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.
Knives made of foam, rubber or cardboard, plastic knives with retractable blades, pens and pencils may be used as knives. Anything which is not very obviously a knife should be labelled "KNIFE". Please be careful when attacking people with pencils or anything else vaguely pointy. Be extra-careful when throwing knives.
Arbitrary objects may not be turned into weapons simply by writing "KNIFE" on them; this may only be done to vaguely knife-shaped objects. No metal objects including cutlery knives may ever be used as knives.
Plastic or cardboard swords may be used as swords; cardboard ones must be labelled "SWORD". Toy lightsabres may also be used. Rolled-up newspapers or cardboard poster tubes are coshes, not swords.
Clean non-squishy vegetables may be used as knives but may not be thrown.
Latex LARP swords and knives may also be used, providing:
Fluffy animals may be used as attack animals as long as they are labelled "KNIFE", "ATTACK ANIMAL", "KILLER RABBIT", etc. Ideally all attack animals should be presented to the umpire first as the umpire likes to see what embarassing fluffy animals assassins keep in their rooms.
Toilet roll or other soft tissue paper may be used to garotte an enemy. You must not use as a garotte anything which will not tear in half easily; particularly, handkerchiefs and ties must not be used as you could really strangle someone with them.
Confetti in bags made from tissue paper or water bombs may be used. You may also employ snowballs. Use common sense with all of these. 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 (ie. if you're wettish) you are dead. If you are only slightly splashed, you survive. Being splashed on the arms or legs will disable the limbs in question as normal. Any legal use of a snowball in Mayweek may get the assassin in question a bonus.
An empty (large) box, or lump of expanded polystyrene may be labelled 'safe', 'fridge', 'anvil' or similar, and then dropped. It can kill if it falls at least a meter before impact. A beachball (or similar very light ball ONLY) at least the size of a football may be labelled as a boulder and then rolled, dropped or thrown as a weapon (not kicked, however - that would break your leg) - any impact with significant speed may kill, including from rebounds (most weapons do not count on the rebound). Traps in which a boulder or safe is rigged to fall on someone are not allowed in the Mayweek game.
Strongly-flavoured substances added to a victim's food or drink count as poison and will kill the victim five seconds after they notice the taste. If the poison is dilute enough not to be tasted it will not work. Note that experiments to establish the required dose may well end up killing the guinea pig. Be careful not to use as poison any substances which may cause allergic reactions, especially almond essence.
Food which normally tastes strong or spicy does not count as poison on its own. Buying your victim a Pizza Gamberi from Pizza Express does not count as a poisoning.
Also note that in the Mayweek game, it is important for the outcome of all attempts to be resolved immediately. Therefore, if you poison someone's food or drink, you must stay around to witness the outcome and claim credit if the attempt succeeds. If you leave the area and the victim cannot find you, the poison is considered to have dispersed, and the victim is not harmed. Poison left by you can still take effect after you die, provided you stay around to check as described above.
Drinks can also be poisoned by placing a label saying "POISON" underneath the glass/cup in which it is held. If the victim notices this before drinking they can remove it and the drink is considered non-poisonous.
It is possible to use many other weapons not in this list. However, you must contact the umpire to register any other weapon first so that the umpire can decide whether it is fair and safe. Any kills you make with an unlicensed weapon may be disallowed. Examples of previously-licensed novelty weapons include poisoned umbrellas (such as that used to kill Georgi Markov), double-decker buses and poisoned lipstick.
There are no shields in this game, and clothing, bags and weaponry will not block incoming shots. This means that if you are hit in the back while carrying a rucksack, and the shot would have hit your body had you not been wearing it, you are dead. Weapons may likewise not block shots and so hits to your weapon may count as having hit your arm or body as appropropriate if they would otherwise have done so.
Tanks must receive individual approval from the Umpire before use. Any large tank-like construction made from, eg., cardboard may be used as a tank. Tanks are the only defence which will actually block incoming fire, and must completely surround the occupant. A tank is defence against any projectile which it physically prevents from hitting the occupant; shots which go through eyeholes, weapon slits, etc., will still kill you. Large-calibre water weaponry which actually gets through the tank or causes it to collapse into a soggy mess will also work.
Any hand-to-hand combat weapons can be used as can openers against a tank; hitting a tank with a knife (not a thrown knife) or similar weapon will kill the occupant (or all the occupants, in the case of particularly large tanks). Hand-to-hand combat weapons may be used from inside tanks, but your arms will likely be vulnerable while doing so.
None of the following weapons will be allowed:
The history of this set of rules is fairly short:
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