The Assassins' Guild: Mayweek 2009 Rules

1.0 Introduction:

Assassins is a game of mock assassination for a large number of Players. In the Mayweek game, each Player has to try to kill as many of the others as possible as often as possible while avoiding the attempts of others to do the same. At the end of Mayweek, whoever has the highest score is proclaimed the winner.

Note that the Mayweek game is substantially different from the Assassins games which run in the Michaelmas and Lent terms. Players are encouraged to familiarise themselves with these rules, especially the conduct and “area of play” sections, as the Umpire will take a dim view of those who break them.

If you have any questions about these rules once you have read them thoroughly, the Umpire will be happy to provide clarification.

The scoring algorithm will be made public after the game. It gives you points for killing people and takes points away if you die. Killing people who have more points gets you more points. Killing the same person repeatedly (farming) gets you less points. Kills always get you points.

1.1 Signing up for the game:

The game is open to people who will be for most of the game within a five-mile radius of Great St Mary's Church, 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. This address will be made public on the assassins website to enable other Players to find you. If you believe there is a real-life psychopath attempting to kill you, explain to the Umpire and you will be excused. However, it should be noted that if this is the case and you still wish to play Assassins you may be in need of psychiatric or police help.
• If you live relatively far from the city centre, brief details of a few city centre visits that you will make during the game. The Umpire shall use his discretion in deciding which details to make public. The aim is to involve outliers more in the game, since trekking out to Girton to kill another Player is usually only done by a few of the keenest assassins.
• The extent to which water-based weaponry is allowed in your room (see section 3.2). 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. The Mayweek game has no secrecy, but many assassins enjoy the use of silly names anyway. You may change your pseudonym or create new ones as frequently as you like during the game.
• 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.

By signing up to play you are agreeing to report any assassins-related events which you are involved in for the period in which you remain alive. 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. You also consent for your name to appear on the Guild website now and in the future in connection with the events of the game.

1.2 Conduct:

It is important that Players familiarise themselves thoroughly with this section. Deliberate breaches of rules of conduct may lead to disqualification, or lead to trouble with the authorities. If someone breaches a rule, the result is at the Umpire's discretion.

• Exercise common sense at all times. Players are entirely responsible for their behaviour. Avoid inconveniencing other people, especially porters and the general public.
• This game depends on Players being honest for it to work. Please submit a report if you have been killed. Similarly, please be honest about who you were with, and what help they gave you (if any). Honour among murderers and all that ... If you are in the direct vicinity of a kill, or took any part in it, please also report it.
• 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.
• 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, nor physically restraining them. Do not abuse rules designed for your own safety; the Umpire will take a very dim view of Players trying to generate an advantage from this rule either alone or by procuring accomplices to do so (e.g. by tying doors shut with string, or having an accomplice hold a door shut). You should not attempt to intimidate other Players with threats of actual violence, even if you have no intention of carrying them through.
• Allowing another Player to kill you for points is not allowed. The Umpire may nullify any kills where he thinks this has occurred, and serious offenders will be docked points. Backstabbing long-term allies should preferably not be done in the final day or so, and the Umpire may nullify such kills. Of course, if you have a good reason...
• Arranging to meet up to fight is allowed (this is not an official duel in the way that other people may kill you while you are fighting) however the Umpire reserves the right to disallow such if he believes the engagement is not an equitable one, especially late in the game.
• You are not allowed to impersonate authority figures such as bedders, porters or the police. This is so that Players can take part in the game without aggravating their bedders by refusing to let them into their room. You should also not take advantage of bedders unlocking the door to your target's room to break in and kill them. Note that it is fine to impersonate the JCR committee, RAG reps and other student positions.
• You are not allowed to impersonate the Umpire, for the same reason. If someone knocks on your door claiming to be the Umpire (or, for that matter, a bedder or porter), you may safely let them in. You are also not allowed to impersonate the Umpire indirectly by, for example, forging email messages.
• You may enter a Player's room through an unlocked door or an open window only. If the door is locked you may not make any kind of attack including firing shots through keyholes, letterboxes or any other gap in, under or over the door.
• You are perfectly at liberty to deny that you are an assassin. However, you are not allowed to claim that you are a dead assassin and hence harmless. You may also not lie about the vital status of other assassins who are immediately present.
• If you kill a Player, you should take steps to make sure that they know this. If they are sleeping, you should leave a note attached to their person. You should usually leave your victim's corpse in unknowing slumber until they awake of their own accord, unless you have a good reason to wake them up. You should not shoot them again until five minutes after they are aware of your previous action. You may of course sabotage their weapons while they sleep.
• If you think you have hit a Player, but are not sure, you can ask them to check their clothes, the floor around them, etc. You should not attack them while they are obligingly doing this, nor should your allies.
• Players should try to avoid interactions immediately after either of them has respawned as this can cause arguments over precise times of death. Players must say, when asked, how long they have until they come back to life.
• Players are advised to agree the time of an event precisely when it occurs
• You may neither use nor manufacture a fire alarm, security alert or medical emergency for game purposes. If anyone is in obvious distress for a reason unrelated to the fact you are trying to kill them, or they are obviously dealing with someone else in distress, do not take advantage of this situation. This includes mandatory evacuation for fire alarms. In all situations, Players should be allowed to return directly to whichever situation they were in before the emergency arose and will be out of bounds until such time.
• Players are reminded that this is, after all, a game, and the purpose of it is to have fun.

2.0 How to play:

The game, in brief:

• When the game starts, a page will appear on the Assassins' Guild website with the list of people playing the game. If you see any of these people, try to kill them.
• Whenever you make an attempt on another Player's life, whether or not you succeed, submit a report using the interface on the website. If someone tries to or succeeds in killing you, report that as well. The system will award you points when you are reported to have killed someone and take them away when you die.
• If you die, you are out of the game for the next four hours, and may not kill anyone, or pass information to live Players. Once the four hours are up, you are resurrected and can continue playing as before.
• At the end of the week, whoever has the most points wins the game.

2.1 Killing people:

The weapons rules describe the various weaponry you may use to eliminate other assassins. Note that due to new legislation introduced in the UK in 2004, you are not allowed to use any toy gun that looks like a real gun, as this is illegal.

You may legally try to kill:

• Anyone listed on the website as playing.
• Anyone who is clearly holding a weapon. (You cannot legally attack someone who was holding a weapon a few seconds ago but has now hidden it again.)
• Anyone telling you to kill them.

Note that it is, of course, possible to attack people who do not fall into any of the categories above. Should you do so, you will lose an increasing number of points. Killing enough innocent victims may cause you to be removed from the game.

2.2 Accomplices and non-Players

Players may, if they wish, make use of non-Player accomplices on their attempts. Any person with at least a basic knowledge of the Assassins Game acting to the advantage of a Player on their instruction, with their consent or by prior understanding is considered an accomplice. A Player should not induce one of the Authority figures described in the Conduct rules to be an Accomplice.

Non-Player accomplices cannot attack or kill anyone (but they can still be attacked). You are responsible for the safety of your accomplices, and should they be killed you will be held responsible, which means that you may be penalised. You should not allow your accomplices to be seen bearing weapons at any time; particularly, you should not use armed accomplices as decoys, and should you do so the kill may be disallowed. If killed, accomplices resurrect after four hours, as Players do. You should not encourage accomplices to do things you yourself could not do; in particular they should not use force. Accomplices should not directly attempt to stop Players, and should specifically not hold doors shut or block their way.

Attacking people not involved in the assassins game is strongly discouraged, and you will lose points for doing so. Players who do this persistently may be removed from the game.

If you are involved in a battle in a public place with non-Players present, please respect their wishes and allow them to pass in safety. Non-Players are not to be used as cover. It is common practice to pause fights if large groups of people are in the way.

2.3 Ceasefires

The codeword "ceasefire!" may be used by any Player or accomplice in the event of an emergency such as injury or porterial intervention. Should this occur, Players should cease all assassins-related activity, put their weapons away and, if appropriate, leave the area. Players cannot be killed during a ceasefire; anyone attempting to violate one may be penalised or disqualified. A ceasefire should only be called in emergencies; particularly, you should not attempt to call one in order to advantage yourself in a battle, and you will be penalised if you do.

2.4 Suicide

Suicide is not allowed in this game. If you wish to be removed from the game, please inform the Umpire who will make the necessary arrangements.

3.0 The Area of Play:

There are some places and circumstances which, for reasons of safety and sanity, are considered out of bounds. No-one may kill anyone or be killed when they are out of bounds; any kills made in an out of bounds area will be annulled, and in severe cases the offender may be castigated by the Umpire.

3.1 Out of bounds areas

The following areas are out of bounds at all times:

• Lecture theatres are out of bounds, whether or not a lecture is in progress. Players are not expected to spend a large proportion of Mayweek in lecture theatres, and may be ridiculed for doing so.
• Computer rooms, practicals and laboratories.
• Hospitals, libraries, museums and sports halls.
• Churches, chapels, synagogues, mosques, temples, stupas or any other official place of worship. The Umpire will not allow any Player's room to be considered an official place of worship, no matter how inventive their excuse.
• Any dining arrangement in which you are obliged to wait for the attention of staff in order to be seated, or College Formal Halls. Anywhere you get food yourself from a Servery is in bounds.
• Official university society meetings or regularly scheduled meetings of an unofficial society which take place in college grounds, including in Players' rooms. Players involved in these are out of bounds from the moment they step inside the rooms/halls where the event is being hosted and until 5 minutes after the meeting is understood to be concluded. Leaving this area means assassins may kill you, however assassins leaving the society may not kill each other until 5 minutes has elapsed (irrespective of where they are). Please note that participants of societies meeting outdoors (such as CTF and TT) are out of bounds from the moment they meet at the pre-arranged meeting-point and throughout the meeting until at least five minutes after the meeting has been called to a close. Pubmeets are not out of bounds.
• Assassins carrying bulky or expensive items to and from society meetings may be out of bounds while doing so, but must have the Umpire's specific consent beforehand. If you are planning to attack someone near their society meeting, you may check with the Umpire as to whether there is any reason your target may be out of bounds.
• Seminars, supervisions, tutor or DoS meetings and the like.
• Rowers are out of bounds while rowing and also while carrying their boat, to avoid upsetting the rest of the crew when someone has to run away from an assassin while they were supposed to be carrying the boat. The same applies to other "serious" boat-related activities such as canoeing. Punts are not out of bounds.
• Anyone working in a real proper job is out of bounds while at work. Anyone working at a college bar, ent, May Ball, the Bumps or similar is also out of bounds while they are working, but you are free to kill them if they have time off, etc. Anyone working for the St. John's Ambulance is out of bounds while they are in uniform.
• The premises of government buildings, banks and building societies. You should avoid using any kind of projectile weapon in a shop. The immediate vicinity of a shop till or an automatic ATM machine is out of bounds. This includes a queue for one. While you may usually take shortcuts through such places, none of the areas listed in this clause should, under any circumstance, be used as an avenue to escape pursuit.
• Anyone in a car or other motorised vehicle is out of bounds and cannot attack or be attacked. Segways are, however, in bounds, as are electric skateboards
• Auditoria of theatres/cinemas during or immediately proceeding/following a performance. Any area in which a play is being performed counts as an auditorium.
• Public transport vehicles are out of bounds. The same is true of airports, train stations and their vicinities. The Drummer Street Bus Station in Cambridge is also out of bounds.
• The CUR radio station in Churchill College.
• Any persons performing/practicing with fire poi/fire sticks/fiery juggling implements are considered to be have a rather large out of bounds area surrounding them which should encompass all those in the immediate vicinity who are primarily engaged in watching/teaching/heckling said persons.
• Players working with or riding horses are considered out of bounds.
• May Balls are out of bounds from the point at which the attendee’s ticket is collected. May balls queues are in bounds as standard, however Players may be out of bounds while queueing for a May Ball if they say so in their notes. Players doing this should not attempt to abuse this.

Players on bicycles are in bounds, but should only be attacked if there is no likelihood of causing accident or injury. In particular, throwables and water bombs should not be used on cyclists, nor by them. Players should also avoid firefights across busy streams of traffic, as this is rather dangerous. Players are advised that carrying a CPS on a bicycle should only be attempted if you can ride a bicycle reasonably well, and that trying to carry more than one CPS on a bicycle is crazy.

Players should not abuse no-kill zones. You should not run into an out of bounds area primarly to escape an attacking assassin unless it was your intention to go there prior to encountering the other assassin.

If you are not sure whether a given time or place is out of bounds or not, please contact the Umpire. Similarly, if there is something not mentioned on this list you think should be out of bounds, ask the Umpire to consider it.

3.2 Water status

In bounds areas may have restrictions placed on what sort of weaponry may be used in them, and are divided into three categories:

• No Water - No water weapons of any type may be used in this area.

This weapon is Water With Care	This weapon is also Water With Care

• Water with Care - Only small water pistols may be used and they must have a low water output. The XP310, XP110, XP105, Max D6000 and Water Warriors Firefly are all Water with Care, as are any waterpistols smaller than the Storm 750. Any CPS, the Blazer, Aquapak, powerpak and similar weapons are full water only. All water weapons should be used with caution and restraint in this area. Any weapon larger than a Storm 750 not listed here should be checked with the Umpire in case its water output is too large. The Umpire will take a dim view of people who ignore this.

This weapon is Full Water	This weapon is extremely Full Water

• Full Water - Any water weapons may be used in this area. Common sense should still be exercised.

Note that water weapons inappropriate for the water status of the area may not be fired into or out of such an area. For instance, you may not stand in a no water area and use a water gun to shoot a Player standing outside.

The following areas are always No Water:

• Any Player's room listed as No Water. If a water status is not listed, assume it is No Water.
• Any non-Player's room.
• All shops, pubs and college bars.
• A Player dressed in formal wear such as a suit or black tie is not an area, but is still No Water. The same applies for ladies' formal attire.
• Events, garden parties, May Ball queues and college ents.
• Players carrying electronic equipment or musical instruments.

The following areas are Water With Care:

• Indoor accommodation areas such as corridors and shared kitchens, unless specified otherwise. Players should be especially careful around electrical equipment, as may be found in kitchens.
• Players’ rooms listed as Water with Care.

The following areas are Full Water:

• Players' rooms listed as Full Water and the area immediately outside them (on the doorstep)
• Outdoor areas, unless specified otherwise.

The Umpire will take a dim view of people who wear formal attire for the entire game in order to escape assassination - the same goes for musical instruments or electronic equipment, as with any other situation which may make you temporarily out of bounds.

If you are not sure whether a given time or place is out of bounds or not, or what its water status is, please contact the Umpire.

Similarly, if there is something not mentioned on this list you think should be out of bounds, or should have its water status lowered, ask the Umpire to consider it.

4.0 Reporting:

Whenever you are involved in any assassins-related incident, such as successfully or unsuccessfully trying to kill another Player or innocent, being attacked or killed or witnessing a killing, you should submit a report as soon as possible. The Assassins' Guild website will have an interface which Players may use to submit such reports. If anything odd happens and you are unsure of how to report it, email the Umpire.

Reports submitted by Players will be added to a list of events on the game news page. Reports are encouraged to be dramatic and creative and may also be intentionally misleading, although outright lying is frowned upon.

Players are advised to decide upon the time of the event precisely before reporting

If you cannot be sure what happened in an attack, you may agree upon a "discussion phase" with the other assassins involved in order to clarify who was hit, who is dead, etc. Players involved in the original incident (this includes, for example, nearby allies of one of the combatants) cannot kill one another while in the "discussion phase", although any entirely different assassins who might happen to be passing may attack you with impunity. Players whose vital status is in dispute are not allowed to fight back during a "discussion phase". Players are advised to conduct discussion phases in a safe area.

Since the game news is updated automatically by computer, it is important that you resolve exactly what happened in a particular incident with all those involved before you leave. If a consensus cannot be reached, you are advised to contact the Umpire. If he is not immediately available, you should arrange a duel or other equitable means of deciding. Players duelling to resolve a dispute in this way cannot be killed by other Players for the duration of the duel (although arranging 'duels' which last for hours in order to become invincible will not work). Duels should be held with weaponry that is as fair as possible.

The automated reporting system adds reports to the website as soon as they are submitted. However, if anything is wrong with the reports on the website, let the Umpire know and he will fix it.

4.1 Pseudonyms

There is no secrecy in the Mayweek game; the list of all assassins is available on the website at all times along with all their pseudonyms and other statistics. However, whenever you submit a report, you may do so under a pseudonym for general amusement value. There is no limit to the number of pseudonyms a given Player may use, and you may select a new one at any time.

5.0 Dead Players

After being killed, you are deemed to be "dead" for the next four hours. While you are dead you should refrain from interfering with the game, meaning that you should not point out the presence of other assassins or pass on information to live Players. You should not encourage your accomplices to do things that you cannot.

6.0 The Umpire:

This game's Umpire is Will Brooks of Trinity College, and may be contacted by emailing assassins@srcf.ucam.org.

The primary method of contacting the Umpire is through email, though Players are welcome to visit. The Umpire lives in N2 Whewell's court. No-one may be killed in the Umpire's room or staircase, although Players are discouraged from running to the Umpire in order to escape an attacker. Should you burst into the Umpire's room gibbering about attacking assassins, he will sneer and call you a pansy. He will then offer you tea and biscuits. Players who are not gibbering may also be offered tea.

Any queries about the game can be emailed to the Umpire, or you can visit. Try to resolve any queries before they become a matter of life or death (yours or anyone else's).

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 Rules of engagement.

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

The Umpire is immortal. Players attempting to test this proposition will be punished appropriately.

The Umpire's decision is final. Really final.

7.0 Administrivia:

It is the responsibility of Players to read their e-mail and read the news to see whether there is anything important of which they should be aware. Anything published on the website or emailed to Players is assumed to be known from then on, and claiming that you did not read it will not be a valid defence.

7.1 Web pages:

The game website is at http://www.srcf.ucam.org/assassins; you are probably reading these rules there now. During the game, the news will be published on the website along with any updates to the rules, news of upcoming special events or social events, etc.

7.2 IRC Channel:

There is an IRC channel #assassins on the SRCF server (irc.srcf.ucam.org, port 6667). All assassins, potential assassins or ex-assassins are welcome to join and discuss the game or anything else. See Adam Biltcliffe's updated Assassins FAQ for more details on both the newsgroup and IRC.

8.0 Comments:

• 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.
• Individual Players may not speak for the Guild as a whole, and as such not use our rules as an excuse for their behaviour.

History

The history of this set of rules is thought to be:

• Initial author unknown.
• Typed in by Paul Roberts (PER10).
• Later history unknown.
• Used by CUSFS for a while.
• Martin Hardcastle (MJH22) made some modifications.
• Julian Birch (JMB29), some modifications and clarifications.
• Richard Fairhurst (RJF1001), further modifications and clarifications.
• Ben Jameson (BFJ1000), yet more modifications.
• Jim Cameron (JC10007) and Elizabeth Pringle (EMPP1), more, mistyped, modifications.
• David Allsopp (DNA1000), surprisingly, made some modifications.
• Paul Menage (PBM1001) was Easter 1995 Umpire, and initiated 3 targets per Player.
• Nigel Harris (NJH27) made modifications.
• Ben Harris (BJH21) changed even more things, notably the bomb blast radius formula to be based on a cube root.
• Chuan-Tze Teo (CTT20) modified still more rules.
• Martin Read (mpr22) corrected the text of the bomb rules, and set a (semi-)codified timing rule (after a few shoutings, getting the wording right).
• Lynnette Dray (lmd21) modified a few more things, surprisingly.
• Tom Oinn (tmo21) htmlified the whole thing.
• J Doe made some modifications to counter the more modern forms of organised crime endangering the game's status.
• Nadim Nehmé (nn211) incorporated Ed's changes into Tom's html form and declared a different form of Necromancy.
• Matthew Wakeling (mnw21) was the May Week 1999 Umpire, and completely rehashed the scoring method.
• Alex Churchill (gaec2) hasn't modified much yet.
• Claire Bordenave (cb302) modified the rules for May Week 2001.
• Ed Nokes (emn23) made a brand new May Week program.
• Päivi Pasi (pap26) made some changes for the May Week 2002, with contributions from J Doe and Simon Ford.
• Jonathan Hogg (jdh41) made some changes for the May Week 2002, with contributions from J Doe.
• Adam Biltcliffe (amgb2) restructured all the rules to look a bit more like the main game ones again, and changed the weapons rules a bit with some input from Ed Allcutt (ema29).
• Adam Baird Fraser (asb47) made some small changes for May Week 2005.
• Tom Booth (tjgb2) fiddled with a few things and made some structural changes for Mayweek 2006.
• Michael Wallace (mpw36) and Christian Fletcher Warran made a few changes for Mayweek 2007 (particularly regards scoring).
• Simeon Bird (spb41) relaxed a few rules for Mayweek 2008, and instituted another new scoring system.
• Will Brooks (wb236) made computer rooms OOB, made ball queues optionally OOB, restricted what innocents should do and introduced another scoring algorithm

[Back to assassins index]
[Weapons Rules for this term]

Home / Email