The Assassins' Guild: Michaelmas 2007 Rules

 Mafia

Introduction:

Assassins is a game of mock assassination for a large number of players. The object of the game is to track down and eliminate the other players using a variety of harmless methods in accordance with the rules, whilst trying to avoid elimination yourself. The game is played for the enjoyment of everyone involved.

It is important for the safety and fun of all participants that you have read and understood the rules. If you have any questions about these once you have read them please ask for clarification from the Umpire, who will be only too happy to provide it.

Mafia is a variation on the "Elimination" game played earlier this term. The majority of the standard rules are still used, with the following differences:

How do I play?

The game, in brief:

• Sign up for the game, giving the details listed at the end of the rules.
• You will be assigned to a mafia based on your college/geographical location
• When the game starts, you will be sent an e-mail containing the names and addresses of several people:
• Your allies (people in your mafia, whom you should try to work together with)
• Your targets (try to kill them using any permitted means at your disposal)
• Your targets will be several members of two of the other mafias (and two mafias will be after you)
• Whenever you make an attempt on another player's life, whether or not you succeed, e-mail the Umpire with a report. If someone tries to kill you, report that to the Umpire as well.
• For every reasonable attempt you make on another player, you will be given another target in that mafia (if one exists).
• For a successful kill of a member of a target mafia, you will be given the remaining members of that mafia as targets.
• When you have completely eradicated one of your target mafias, the Umpire will send you the targets of the defeated mafia, so that you may target them as well.
• If you die, send a report of this to the Umpire.
• The game will last exactly one week.
• If you are the last Mafia left alive, then congratulations - you win!

The weapons rules describe the various weaponry you may use to eliminate other assassins, although you may email the Umpire to request that other weapons be licensed.

Whom can I kill?

The following are licit targets for any player:

• The targets you have been assigned by the Umpire.
• The people who have been assigned you as a target (you will not be told who these are, but should you find out you may attempt to defend yourself pre-emptively by killing them first).
• Anyone on the Wanted List (see Wanted List).
• Anyone openly carrying a weapon (bearing) or setting a trap. The object in question must be clearly visible to you as an Assassins weapon. Players who were previously holding weapons but have since concealed them are not licit targets.
• Anyone else not listed above who you know for certain to be an assassin if and only if they are on your "turf" (e.g. within the grounds of the college/specified boundaries in which your mafia is based), thus for example - if you see someone bearing and are unable to kill them there and then, you may kill them the next time they enter your "turf".

A map detailing the "turf" of the various mafias can be found here.

Reporting:

Whenever a player is involved in any assassins-related incident, such as attempting to kill another player, or another player making an attempt on them, they must inform the Umpire as soon as possible. The Umpire will decide what to publish. You may request that a report not be published, but it may be despite this, or disclosed at the end of the game, for the amusement of all involved with the Game.

If several members of a mafia are present at the incident, you may nominate one person to give a report if you want to.

During the course of the Game, reports of events will be published on the website. Reports are simply required to be short factual summaries of the incident. E-mails with reports must in addition contain the following information for the Umpire, for the sake of clarity, as he likes to know what's actually going on:

• Player(s) involved
• Any kills and whom they were carried out by
• What weapons were used
• The street/college in which the incident took place
• Where possible, a short factual summary of events

Pseudonyms:

Each Assassin starts the game with one pseudonym, which they may use in news reports to disguise their true identity. Reports can be made under an Assassin's pseudonym, or under their real name. If you do not specify a preference, your pseudonym will be used. If you do not specify a pseudonym on sign-up, the Umpire reserves the right to make one up.

Unlike in "Elimination", you cannot create further pseudonyms

Pseudonyms must not cause an undue degree of personal or general offence and the names of recent Players may not be used (unless it's your own name).

The Wanted List:

Assassins who break the rules in minor ways, for instance by accidentally killing an illicit target, will be placed on the Wanted List and they become legal targets for everyone else in the game.

Players placed on the Wanted List will only be removed in exceptional circumstances (or upon death).

A Player is considered Wanted and a legal target for all Players from the moment their name appears on the Wanted List webpage, until it is removed due to their death or redemption.

Competence:

Due to the short nature of this game, there will be no competence conditions.

The Police Force:

There will also be no Police Force

Conduct and Out of Bounds Areas:

These will be the same as they were in the last game (Elimination)

The Umpire:

This Umpire for this Game is Steven Shenton of Emmanuel College, and he may be contacted by e-mailing assassins@srcf.ucam.org.

The primary method of contacting the Umpire is through e-mail, though players are welcome to visit. The Umpire's room is 2, 58 Warkworth Terrace. He loves meeting new people, so do pop by! The room and nearby landing are considered out-of-bounds. However, players are discouraged from running into this area in order to escape an attacker. Should a Player burst into the Umpire's room gibbering about attacking Assassins, he will laugh and may draw attention to their lack of (wo)manly courage.

Any queries about the game can be e-mailed to the Umpire, or players can visit (but you should probably try to arrange the meeting beforehand, since even the Umpire goes to lectures occasionally). Players should try to resolve any queries before they become a matter of life or death.

Attempting to take items from the Umpire's pigeonhole or break into his computer account is strictly forbidden. Impersonating the Umpire is also forbidden; see Conduct.

Player-Umpire communications may be made public at the end of the game for everyone's enlightenment and amusement. If players do not wish a certain communication to be made public, please tell the Umpire.

The Umpire is immortal, omnipotent and omnipresent. Players attempting to test these propositions may be placed on the Wanted List or slain.

Signing up for the game:

If you've read all that and you'd like to play, you should provide the Umpire with:

• Your full name, indicating the name (or nickname) by which you are usually known.
• Your college or department (if you are a member of the University).
• Your 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 building/court). In the game this will be given to your assassins, as many colleges will not give out room numbers of students. You should also give details of anywhere else you may be living during the course of the Game or intending to spend a number of nights; the Umpire will employ discretion over whether or not to make these extra details available to your assassins. 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 Killer as well needs their head looking at. Should you become Wanted (see below), this information will be made publicly available on the website along with your name.
• If you live relatively far from the city centre (more than a 20-minute walk away), brief details of city centre visits that you regularly make. The Umpire will decide 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 done only 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), with care (small water-based weapons may be used if the user is careful) and 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.

If you live in a shared room, you are advised to tell your roommate that you are playing, so that he or she will not think that your assassins are real murderers. It is your duty to ensure that they will not act unreasonably towards any attacking Players.

Note that by signing up to play you are agreeing to report any assassins-related events which you are involved in for the period during which you remain alive, including your death. You are also giving permission for other players to enter or attempt to enter your accommodation should you leave doors unlocked or windows open and to make attempts to 'kill' you, acting in good faith and utilising such methods as described elsewhere in the Rules.

You play the game of Assassins entirely at your own risk. Neither the Umpire nor any other member of the Guild, past or present, can accept any liability for personal injury, loss of, or damage to, property or other loss incurred during the game. Nothing contained in these Rules should be taken as encouragement or permission to break the Law.

Comments:

• The Umpire's ruling is final. 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 (and may jeopardise future participation).
• By signing up to the Game, you agree that you are responsible for your own actions, and any consequences thereof. The Guild will not take responsibility for the actions of its members. Individual players may not speak for the Guild as a whole, and as such not use our rules as an excuse for their behaviour.
• We have neither the resources nor the inclination to make the rules completely watertight. Hence, although the precision of the wording is often of import, your attention is drawn more to the spirit of the rules than their content. The Umpire will not be bound by the rules if he feels that someone is attempting to exploit a loophole. If in doubt, e-mail the Umpire with your question. Damn you, Montesquieu.

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