Assassin
From CarlWiki
This article is largely adapted from the Assassin conference on Caucus.
The Assassin Guild is a student-run group on campus dedicated to the pursuit of friendly competition and team-building through senseless violence. Students attempt to "kill" one another with a variety of nonlethal, though potentially annoying, weapons. Rounds are run several times throughout the term, during which participants can be seen skulking about, hiding nerf guns under trenchcoats, and engaging in mock swordfights.
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Rules
Assassin at Carleton is based on the Honor system. If someone shoots you it is your responsibility to report it as soon as possible. Lying about your status (dead or alive) is prohibited but all other forms of treachery and deviousness are encouraged.
If a kill is made it is the responsibility of all players involved to report the kill ASAP to the Guildmaster. Furthermore if you kill or are killed you are to identify yourself to the other person in the exchange.
If the rules are broken, the violator will be penalized by the Guildmaster (see Penalties). Most violations will result in the activation of an Enforcer(TM), the enigmatic problem-solvers of the Guild.
There are only two places where an assassin may not be killed. You cannot be killed in a class while that class is in session. Class time is defined as the schedule published by the college but is considered to extend to any time the professor is in the room. If you leave the class while it is in session you are fair game unless the entire class is going somewhere in which case the Safety Zone is still in effect. The second Safety Zone is while you are at your work study job. This is defined as either being on the clock, or performing your work study duties during the time you are scheduled to do so. Off-campus employment is fair game.
One of the goals of Assassin is to maintain a low profile. To this end there is the Witness Rule. This states that you may not make a kill if more than 10 civilian witnesses are present (see Civilians). A witness is any person (excepting live assassins playing in that round) who is in a line of sight of the person being killed. The one exception to this rule is if the attacking player is masked with a full faced mask (ski mask, pantyhose etc.) For a mask kill to be legal the masked player must don and remove the mask out of sight of the targeted player. The one exception to the mask rule is in the case of self-defense.
All disputes over rules or situations will be handled by the Guildmaster (Heather Stevick). All decisions are final, but discussion and questions are welcome.
A final note: use common sense while playing Assassin. The game of Assassin is most fun when people are creative, treacherous, and paranoid. Go out and kill and, most importantly, have fun. But be prepared to accept full responsibility for your actions both in and outside of the Guild.
Good Hunting.
Weapons
There are four classes of weapons that are used in Assassin: guns, knives, bombs, and poison. The use of anything else will be considered a non-kill and the violator may be subject to penalty.
Guns
There is no one gun type used in Assassin, any weapon that shoots plastic, rubber, or nerf projectiles at low velocitities is legal. The most commonly used guns are disk guns, zebra guns, and Thumpers(TM). If you have a question about the legality or safety of a gun feel free to ask the Guildmaster. Do not use a potentially dangerous weapon without explicit authorization. A hit anywhere on the body or clothing with a gun is considered a kill (ricochets count). Blocking projectiles with hand-held, portable or wearable shields of any sort (including backpacks) does not count, although hiding behind doors, walls, furniture, trees and the like is legal.
Knives
A knife in Assassin must be a plastic ruler or knife/sword that is at least 8 inches long. *NO* wood or metal is allowed. A knife thrust must be to the torso (not head or limbs) to be a kill. Knives may not be thrown. Knives (and swords) are also subject to weight and length restrictions. PVC pipe not well covered by padding is not allowed, and should the Guildmaster decide that a weapon is too hard, too long, or too heavy for use, it cannot be used in Assassins.
Bombs
In Assassin there are both bombs and grenades. A grenade is any wristwatch that is clearly labeled BOMB and a bomb is any likewise labeled alarm clock (note: egg timers are considered bombs). The device must have an audible alarm which is set off by a countdown. A bomb has a blast radius of 15' or the room, whichever is smaller. A grenade has a blast radius of 5'. Anyone within the blast radius is killed when the bomb goes off whether or not they hear it. If a blast kills an assassin, up to 2 civilians can be killed with that blast without penalty. (see Civilians) The witness rule does not apply to the detonation of a bomb but does apply to the planting of one. It is not legal to slide bombs, grenades, rulers, gun ammunition, or tobasco under doors. Any measures may be taken to disarm an active bomb (i.e. smashing with a hammer) so you may not use any alarm without its owners express permission. Thus, you can't sneak into someone's room and label their own alarm clock "BOMB".
Poisons
The only "poison" usable in Assassins is Tabasco sauce (although an alternate or additional poison may be announced for a specific round). A poison kill is made if an assassin puts Tabasco in the food or drink of a target and they can taste it (honor system!). Poison may not be thrown or squirted at a target. The exception to the Tabasco rule is if someone involved has food allergies. If you are allergic to Tabasco Sauce and are playing Assassins, TELL THE GUILDMASTER! I will make sure everyone in the round knows and will suggest an alternative poison. Note that the mask rule does not apply to poisonings.
Penalties
Penalties are assigned by the Guildmaster for violation of the rules of Assassin (i.e. killing a civilian). There are a variety of penalties and will be assigned on a case by case basis depending on the severity of the offense. Some examples of penalties are:
- Informing your target of your identity
- Activation of a Guild Enforcer(TM)
- Permission for any Assassin to kill you without penalty or restriction
- Ejection from the game (Incineration)
Note that the most severe penalties are assigned for breaking the mask rule, civilian kills, and violating safety zones.
Enforcers(TM) are people given a specific licence to kill by the Guildmaster. Though they will not attack in safe zones, Enforcers may kill at any other time or place. They are not bound by the Witness Rule. There are two types of Enforcers(TM), tough and invincible Enforcers(TM). Tough Enforcers can be killed only by a knife and Invincible Enforcers cannot be killed. Enforcers are generally given a time limit in which to terminate their target. Usually this is three days, and if the target manages to elude their Enforcer(TM)for this time they will be pardoned by the Guild for their skill. The offending assassin will be informed of the duration of their enforcement. Enforcers are required to wear sunglasses while attempting a kill to give the target a chance to identify these agents of death.
Kills in Assassin must be made within 72 hours of target assignment. (see Rules) If a player has not killed a target in the first 72 hours of a round they will be incinerated. Once a kill has been made, the player has 72 hours from that point to make another kill. If they fail in this regard they will only be enforced, not incinerated. Only kills of assigned targets count in this regard.
Any action on the part of an assassin which causes the injury of another person, whether assassin or civilian, will result in the immediate incineration of all assassins involved. Repeated offenses will result in expulsion from the Guild.
Civilians
A civilian is anyone who is not playing in the current round of assassin. A ghost is someone who was playing but has been killed. Therefore the following rules do not apply to ghosts. Civilians may not be killed under any circumstances. If a stray bullet or misplaced poison kills a civilian it is your duty to report the kill. The usual penalty for a civilian kill is Enforcement(TM).
There are also certain restrictions on civilian participation during a round. Civilians may be used as informants and spies. They may not be used as shields and may not carry any assassin weapon. Violation of these rules will result in the participating assassin(s) being penalized.
Ghosts
As stated in the previous section, ghosts are assassins who have been killed and they are not bound by the rules for civilians. Therefore they do not count as witnesses and they is no penalty for "killing" a ghost. In team rounds, ghosts may be used as scouts, spys, lookouts, and to spread misinformation. However, ghosts cannot lie about their status as ghosts (they cannot claim to be alive) and may not try to imply they are alive by carrying weapons. Under no circumstances can ghosts physically interfere with the game (they may not be used to tackle or restrain opposing assassins). ANY TEAM THAT USES THEIR GHOSTS TO PHYSICALLY ATTACK AND RESTRAIN ENEMY ASSASSINS WILL BE INCINERATED WITH NO QUESTIONS ASKED AND THEY MAY BE BANNED FROM FUTURE ROUNDS. This game is about having fun, and there's nothing fun about having six ghosts hold you down while an assassin shoots you.
Self-defense
There are certain exceptions to the rules regarding masked kills. If someone is wearing a mask they are considered fair game to any player because hey, they might be after you! In any situation where someone pulls a gun, knife or bomb in your vicinity you may kill that person without penalty. This includes people who are not your target in "classic" style rounds. (see Types of Rounds) In a case of self-defense the witness rule is lifted for the defending player.
Disclaimer
In the course of the game of Assassin, other players will often engage in activites which might be unwelcome under other circumstances. Prominent examples include entering your room without permission, monitoring your activites and decieving you. By choosing to play Assassin, you acknowlege this and give your full consent to such actions by all other persons involved in Assassin. The Guild takes no responsibility for such actions, and should not be implicated by offending parties should they be asked to account for their actions.
Round Types
There are many varieties of Assassins rounds. Some of the more popular ones are listed here.
Classic
In classic assassin rounds (also known as Single/Double Target Rounds) everyone signs up for the round by a certain time. No one knows who is playing until the round starts. Once the round has started at a specified time, you will receive a name over e-mail. This person is your target. Your mission is to find and kill that person. If you find out someone else is playing in the game who is not your target you cannot kill them without penalty. The one exception is if you find out who your hunter is (the person trying to kill you). You may also kill that person without penalty. In classic assassin (and in all other rounds), once you've made a kill or been killed you need to report it to the Guildmaster ASAP. In classic assassin you will recieve a new target as soon as the messages are processed. Last person alive wins the game. There can be only one!
Team
In a team round you and your friends sign up as a group of a specified number (usually 3-6 players). When the round starts the names of all players and their teams are posted. The last team alives wins the game. Team members are allowed to kill their teammates, but this is usually not recommended.
Dorm Wars
This ever-popular round functions just like a team round. The teams are made up of assassins from various dorms. If any dorm has too small of a team the dorms are reorganized for a fair game.
Perpetual Paranoia
The perpetual paranoia round runs for a set amount of time (usually 72 hours). Players are required to make a kill every 24 hours, and if killed, are almost immediately resurrected. Points are awarded based on the weapon used and creativity, and subtracted for violations of rules and other slimy tactics.
Guildmaster
The Guildmaster is responsible for organizing Assassins rounds, resolving disputes and rules disagreements, and keeping track of targets, players, enforcements, etc.
List of Guildmasters
- Jack Nutting (founder of the Guild)
- Nick Babicky
- Tyson Nunemacher
- Forest Hill
- Sarah Ford
- David Coil
- Eric Anderson
- Ehren Vaughn
- Merri Weber
- Brian Daub
- Jeremy Lyon
- Matthew Pechous
- Heather Stevick (current)
Other Resources
The Assassin conference on Caucus is the definitive resource for Assassins at Carleton. New rounds, lists of players, and rules are all posted on Caucus.
