Cloak & Dagger The Assassins' Guild: Mayweek 2008 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, any weapon not on this list must be shown to the umpire and approved before its use on the field. In general, all weapons must be completely safe (for both people and property), defensible so as not to unbalance the Game and materially and tangibly 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. 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 XP310 or a Max D6, ie, a CPS) 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 block a projectile, 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. Shoulders and hips count as parts of the torso, not parts of limbs.

A. Direct Weapons:

A.1 Guns

Wooden rubber band guns, Nerf weapons, pea-shooters, toy pig catapults (but the pigs should be individually labelled) and rubber bands fired from the fingers all count as guns and are projectile weapons. 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.

BB guns and pellet guns are NOT allowed so don't even bother asking. You should not use any weapon that looks at all realistic. "Firewheel" rubber band guns are not allowed. Try to avoid head shots with all projectile weapons.

Cap guns or other toy guns which produce a noise without actually firing anything may be used to kill people from less than a metre with a clear shot. In the case of cap guns, the cap must go off for the shot to count.

If you are found to be using a realistic-looking gun you will be made Wanted or removed from the game. No matter how safe it is, the law is quite strict on this matter, and the Guild has no desire to see its members arrested.

A.1.1 Point-blank shots

If you are using any sort of gun, are pointing it at the head or torso of your target, which you can clearly see and are sufficiently close that you would be able to touch the target, you may say, "Bang!" rather than actually firing your weapon to claim the kill. You cannot do this if your gun is out of ammunition, is jammed or is otherwise unusable (although if you only discover later that the gun is not working then the kill stands). This is intended to stop you causing unnecessary harm to a target from close range and to avoid public nuisance, a waste of ammunition or the risk of a misfire. It is intended to be used on occasions when you are surprising your intended victim and not during combat. It is the duty of the attacker to ensure that they are demonstrably fulfilling the above conditions when they say the word, "Bang!". You may not make bang-kills where the weapon would not normally be able to kill the victim; you cannot bang-kill through a wall, door or window, for instance. In particular, you cannot use a water weapon to kill an adversary where it would not normally be appropriate.

A.1.2 Water Weapons

Any water pistol or water gun may be used as a weapon.

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 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.

Players should use water weapons only where appropriate. The rules for this are listed in section 3.2 of the main rules and summarised at the top of this page.

Players wearing formal or expensive clothes are considered to be no water at all times; ie no water weapons can be used on or by them. Players should not abuse this by, for instance, wearing black tie at times they are not attending or travelling to or from black tie events.

A.2 Coshes and clubs

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.

An unconscious player is in many respects similar to a dead one, except that they do not lose points for dying (since they have not), and that they return to life after five minutes rather than four hours. They may not influence, or attempt to influence, the game in any way while unconscious.

An unconscious player can be (and usually is) finished off in an entertaining manner by a live player.

A.3 Knives, swords, rabbits and other melee weapons

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.

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. Be creative with ways to use them, but if you wish to try something unconventional, then check with the Umpire beforehand.

Stress balls and animals made of similar squidgy plastic may be used. Stress balls should be labelled "planet", and animals should be individually labelled as if they were fluffy toys.

Throwables must not be used in conjunction with bicycles.

A.4 Grenades

Confetti (or non-sticky glitter) in bags made from tissue paper or water bombs may be used. The bag should be labelled "toxic waste" or "fairy dust". 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.

Note that water bombs are full water weapons, and should probably not be used indoors in any case. They should not be used on bicycles.

A.5 Boulders and safes

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.

B. Indirect Weapons:

B.1 Poisoned food or drink

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. Players should take care in areas where this may be interpreted as drink spiking and cause alarm to spectators.

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.

B.2 Other indirect weapons

Contact poison, poisoned letters, bombs and all other indirect weapons are not allowed in the Mayweek game.

C. Miscellanea:

C.1 Other weapons

It is possible to use many other weapons not in this list, or use items other than those listed to represent a given weapon. 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.

C.2 Shields

There are no shields in this game

Clothing, bags and weaponry not held in the hand 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 however may block shots and any hits on weapons may be ignored so long as they are being held at the time. Hits on a hand count as a limb hit.

C.3 Tanks

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.

C.4 Disallowed weapons:

None of the following weapons will be allowed:

This list is not exhaustive; any weapon not explicitly allowed must be personally checked by the Umpire before being used in the Game.


Notable changes

History

The history of this set of rules is fairly short:

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