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London Guild of Assassins - Rules v 0.9b

DISCLAIMER: The London Guild of Assassins is a GAME. It does not endorse or condone real-life violence. Its intentions are ENTIRELY innocent. It accepts NO RESPONSIBILITY for the actions of its players, who are DISCOURAGED from all incriminating activities, in particular brandishing replica firearms in public. Players participate at their OWN RISK.

Contents:
1)Overview
2)Signing Up
3)Targetting and Making Attempts
4)Weapons
5)News and Pseudonyms

6)Competence and Criminality; Police Force
7)Out of Bounds Areas
8)Ending the Game
9)Final Thoughts

1)Overview

Welcome to the London Guild of Assassins! This document aims to explain how the game works, and give you ideas for how to take part in it. This ruleset is not comprehensive, and there will always be situations not covered. If in doubt about the legality of any weapon/idea, ask the umpire for clarification.

The aim of the game is to have fun, and meet new people in a competitive environment. The aim of each player is to be the last one standing. It's free to play and once all players have signed up, they are given two targets. You are told their names and addresses, and you are encouraged to try and kill them. However, there are also 2 people somewhere who have been given your details and who are after you.

Can you kill your targets and avoid your assassins? The winner is the last player left alive, although a duel may be needed to finish the game off. You eliminate your targets using a variety of toy and fake weapons, and any time you either try to kill someone or someone makes an attempt on you, you must report it to the umpire who will publish the event on this website.

2)Signing up.

The game is open to all people living within Zones 1-3 of London, although those living further out may be allowed to play at the umpire's discretion. Anyone living outside Zone 1 is asked to provide details of regular and occasional visits they make to Central London, such as lectures, society meetings, for the sake of lazy assassins who can't be bothered trekking out to Hounslow.

The umpire will make it clear when the game is to begin by posting on the website and sending out an email. Making attempts before this time is pretty dumb, as they won't count, and your targets may find out who you are.

You sign up for the game by first emailing the Umpire at houseofsteel@hotmail.com to express interest.
The Umpire for Game 1 will be Anthony Smith. You can register as a player by emailing the Umpire at houseofsteel@hotmail.com with the following details:

Name you are usually known by
Address. This will be given to your assassins, but your exact house number, flat number or room number will not. Give details of London zone and postcode. Nearest Tube/rail stop would also help.
College/University if appropriate. You don't have to be a student to join, but be advised that many players will be students. Give year of study and course if you are a student.
Email Address . You must check this regularly.
Initial Pseudonym
Water Weapons Status - whether water weapons can be used in or around your room or house.
Any extra details: e.g Any allergies your assassins should be aware of.
Details (days and times) of frequent trips to the city centre.
A RECENT PHOTOGRAPH (this is quite important!!). It doesn't need to be high-quality or high-resolution, just as long as it's obvious that it's you. JPG, GIF, BMP format, whatever.

3)Targetting and Making attempts

You will be given between one and three targets via email to make kill attempts on. If any of these targets die, you will shortly receive a new target, so that all live players have three targets. You may legally make attempts on the following:

any of your three targets
your assassins (if they are careless enough to let you know who they are)
anyone making an attempt on you
anyone who is a wanted Guild criminal or incompetent
anyone openly bearing a weapon. This is to discourage assassins from bearing weapons in public, although the threat of being shot be the real-life police should discourage you anyway!

Assassins may work together, although this may put them in danger if the target is well-prepared. Assassins may also have non-player accomplices, although non-players should not handle weapons, and must not open poison letters. If your accomplice dies, you will almost certainly be made wanted for causing their death, unless you can persuade the umpire that you were not responsible. Dead players are expected, and dead non-players are politely asked, not to interfere in further attempts.

A player is not dead unless they know about it. If a player is hit by a weapon in the arm or leg, that limb is immobilized for the duration of the encounter. If a player is hit anywhere else, he is dead. However shots to the head are strongly discouraged. There are no shields; e.g. if a bag is hit, the shot is assumed to pass through it, and will kill if it was on target originally.

UPDATE 24/11/05: From now on, if a kill is reported and posted on the website, a confirmation request will be sent to the victim.If the kill is NOT CONFIRMED by the victim by the end of the SECOND DAY following it, new targets will be assigned anyway.

That means it's UP TO YOU to check your emails every day and confirm when you're killed.

I'd also like to stress that you should report all your attempts, even if you're just "lurking" for someone, so that I can post them on the site, and so that your pseudonym will become known and feared.

4)Weapons and banned weapons

There are many ways to make attempts on your targets. The list below is not comprehensive. However any alternative weapons must be registered with the umpire first, and any kills made with unauthorized weapons may be disallowed. All weapons must in general be safe, not appear to be dangerous, must have a noticeable effect (the victim should know they have been killed) and should not be so powerful that other weapons do not compare.

In the case of labelled weapons, labels should be reasonably sized and quite obvious, for example writing with a thick black marker, or a Dymo label, or a Biro, as long as the label isn't too small to be noticed. Use common sense, and if in doubt, ask the umpire.

Knives
The simplest weapons; simply label a piece of paper or cardboard(preferably knife-shaped) 'KNIFE' and you are ready to kill! (Note: Beware when wielding or concealing this knife; it is probably the most realistic weapon in the game!) There are other knife-type possibilities, but note that mobile phones will not be allowed as knives. Knives must not look too realistic! If in doubt, ask the Umpire. Fake retractable knives were formerly allowed, but have been disallowed as they do look realistic and could frighten the target. Do not forget that there are a lot of real-life nutters in London.
Don't make it look realistic. A pen labelled "KNIFE" is fine!
Rubber band guns
Wooden guns, which fire rubber bands. They are obviously a toy weapon, and do not need labelling. Don't brandish them in public, as they can look realistic, especially with the dark.
Water weapons
A water pistol may be used, however they should always be used with care, not to damage property or to get targets more wet than necessary. They are banned in shops, dining halls and if the target is wearing formal wear, and assassins are asked to use common sense using them. If your room is set as a no-water weapons zone, then you cannot defend it with a water pistol. Water weapons can be used to make 'bang' kills (see below) in any in-bounds area. Don't soak people in the winter!
Nerf and Lanard guns . These may be used and do not need labelling or registering. Make sure they don't look realistic, and make sure they are at least partly brightly coloured, so there's no danger of a policeman mistaking them for a gun and shooting you.
Other guns Any guns which are at all realistic are banned, as their use could be misinterpreted, e.g. on CCTV cameras. This includes rubber pellet guns. It goes without saying that BB Guns and Air rifles are banned. Ask (or better, show) the umpire about any other toy guns you wish to use. The LGA is NOT RESPONSIBLE for actions taken by its players involving replica firearms. Do not use them.
Poison letters You can use almost any substance as poison, such as flour, chalk dust, margarine, ketchup, glitter etc, and send it in a letter addressed to your target. If the target touches the poison, they are dead, unless they are wearing gloves at the time. Poison letters must contain a disclaimer saying: "This is a fake assassination attempt for the purposes of the London Guild of Assassins. The substance contained inside is ???????? and is harmless in real life. Any enquiries should be directed to the current umpire, someone@somewhere.com" However, if the letter is not explicitly addressed to the target, you will be made wanted for endangering the lives of others!
Placing poison on any communal areas, such as a target's doorhandle, will definitely make you wanted for endangering innocent lives.
Poisoned food/drink If you can persuade your target to eat or drink something you have 'flavoured' then you can kill them. To poison food/drink, it must taste significantly different to normal, such as peppermint in orange juice, or Tabasco sauce on crisps. The target must notice that something is wrong with the food, and please check for allergies before leaving your target a tasty present. For poison letters/food in particular, the victim must email the umpire with details of whether they survived or not as soon as possible.
Other weapons There are many other possibilities, such as killer fluffy toys, poisoned lipstick for anyone needing a quick way out of a boring date, using cardboard boxes as fridges to drop on the unwary, poisoned umbrellas, and lethal vegetables. Any such weapons need to be registered with the umpire before use, and almost all will need labelling.
Bananas can be used to make "bang" kills. They must be labelled "GUN". This is to stop assassins from buying a banana from a shop and then immediately killing someone with it! Extra respect will be given for all kills made using giant inflatable bananas labelled "KNIFE" or "COSH".

Any gun can be used to 'bang-kill.' This is where you have a clear shot at your target from less than 1 metre. Instead of actually firing the gun, you can just point it and say bang so that the target hears. This is a subtle and clean way of killing a target. It is also a great way of killing people using utterly innocuous objects labelled as guns.

Banned weapons

1. Explosives. Explosives (not real ones, of course, just fake ones that don't actually explode, just pretend to) are not allowed.
2. Anything with BOMB, GRENADE, FAKE BOMB, etc, written on it, is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. If you get caught carrying ANYTHING with "BOMB" on it, Her Majesty's police will turn up and you will get VERY arrested. Don't even think about trying it. Not only is it a stupid thing to carry, it's also a weapon that will have your kill disallowed, get you disqualified and thrown out of the Guild.
3. ANY REALISTIC WEAPON. That includes realistic guns, realistic knives, realistic poison (don't label anything POISON, for God's sake!).
4. BODY ARMOUR is not allowed, nor are shields. Bags do not block shots. If you are wearing a backpack or rucksack on your back, and a shot hits you from behind, you have been killed as if you weren't wearing the bag.
5. You can't use your own hand as a gun (the severed hand of another player is a legitimate "gun". That statement was a joke), even if it is labelled "GUN". You need to use a tangible object as a weapon, and it must have been prepared prior to the attempt, ie. you can't just grab any old banana and suddenly transform it into a gun in front of your target's very eyes.

Remember, the Umpire's decision is final, and if the Umpire deems your weapon to be too realistic, dangerous, incompetently used or illegal, whether in real life or under Guild Law, your kill will be disallowed and you may be disqualified from the game.

New 14/11/05: CEASE FIRE RULE
If ANY police are present, or any guards, security personnel, etc, the word STOP should be used to stop all gameplay. This is to prevent anyone from being arrested, shot or injured in any way. If play is in progress and anything is wrong, shout STOP. When the word STOP is shouted, all play stops.

Remember. THE CEASE FIRE WORD IS "STOP".

5)News and Pseudonyms

Every time you make an attempt, or someone makes an attempt on you, you must report it to the umpire via email. The umpire will publish news of the event on the game website: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/debnron/assassins . Players are encouraged to check the website regularly for news. Game news will sometimes not be sent by email to avoid wasting bandwidth.

That is how the game works: when you kill someone, are killed, try to kill someone or are subject to a failed attempt, you MUST TELL THE UMPIRE with details of:

-DATE of the attempt
-TIME of the attempt
-LOCATION of the attempt
-YOUR PSEUDONYM
-WEAPONS USED in the attempt
-OUTCOME OF ATTEMPT (if a physicsl weapon was used, give details of how many hits were achieved and where on the body they landed).
You may also write an account of the attempt, in character as an assassin.
For example: "It was dark. Smythe's index finger stroked the smooth chrome barrel of his Colt .45 as the ripples on the water cast dancing moonlight onto the building across the lake. TheLargeBadger was waiting for him; he knew it. He knew this would be his last chance..." and so on.

For more about reporting kills, see: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/debnron/assassins/report.htm.

However, to preserve some secrecy, when you sign up, you are encouraged to specify a pseudonym. Any events that you are involved in will be reported under your pseudonym. For every 2 kills you make, you are granted a new pseudonym, from when you can choose which one is used. Upon death, your name and all pseudonyms are revealed by email to all players. The identity of all remaining pseudonyms will be revealed at the end of the game.

6)Competence and criminality; the Police force

If you break any rules of the game, such as killing an non-player, or someone who is not a valid target for you, you will be declared a criminal, and placed on the wanted list. Murder is after all, a terrible crime among self-respecting assassins. Your name and address will be made public, at least amongst the Guild, and any player may legally attempt to kill you. Aiding and abetting a criminal in less-than-legal activities is also a crime. The umpire may offer redemption conditions. However the umpire reserves the right to remove a player from the game in the case of a serious breach of the rules.

All players must make attempts on their targets to keep the game moving. If a player makes no attempts for a week, they will be declared incompetent, for souring the good reputation of the guild. Their details will be made public, and all assassins are welcome to try to kill them. It is always possible to be redeemed from incompetence, although you may be required to make multiple attempts. The amount of time you have before being declared incompetent may change as the game progresses, as may the nature of attempts needed to remain competent.

The London Guild of Assassins' POLICE FORCE is a group of assassins on the Umpire's secret service. Their job is to eliminate Incompetent and Wanted players. The Police Force can't go after non-Incompetent or non-Wanted players. They, too, must abide by the rules. They can be killed like any other player!
A Police Officer, once killed, may be brought back to life at the Umpire's discretion. Beware, though: killing a Police Officer will make you Wanted, if you aren't already! If you encounter the LGA Police Force, it's probably a good idea to avoid them as best you can, perhaps hide, and hope they get bored and leave you alone!
When you die, the Umpire may ask if you would like to join the Police Force.

7)Out of bounds areas (important!).

The game takes place at all times except when assassins are in out of bounds areas, when they are safe. The following areas/events are always out of bounds:

lecture theatres
tutorials/supervisions
formal dining halls (for the pedantic, this is defined as when food is served to tables, so cafeteria-style halls are in bounds. Out of colleges the same rule applies e.g. McDonalds is in bounds, Pizza Hut is not)
regular society meetings. If a meeting is a one-off, check with the umpire.
schools, hospitals, cinemas, theatres, churches and other official places of worship. N.B. Your room is NOT a place of worship and is ALWAYS in bounds.
Public transport, including Tube stations, railway stations etc. Given the events of 7/7/05, it would be an unwise assassin indeed who acts suspiciously on public transport, especially one who appears to concealing something, and ESPECIALLY one who is carrying a bottle labelled "POISON"!

If you wish your place of work to be declared out of bounds, ask the umpire, although a good reason is needed. Some people will naturally work in out-of-bounds areas, and must not be attacked at work. In addition, the following areas are designated no-water zones:

inside and around the room of any player who has requested no water.
the rooms, houses and property of members of the public
all shops
nightclubs. Although congratulations if you can get a water pistol in anyway.

There are also some areas where police or armed guards are nearby. Please be sensible in these areas: a Super Soaker fight near Buckingham Palace might be acceptable, just not right in front of it where the guards are likely to get a faceful of water. Keep your distance! Remember, the Guild accepts NO RESPONSIBILITY for the actions of its players. Be sensible. You have been warned.

8)Ending the game

The game ideally finishes when there is only one player left, however if there are large numbers of students playing and the end of term is approaching, or the game is slowing down, then a duel may be agreed in order to finish the game. The winner will receive the respect and admiration of all assassins, and the title of Master Assassin of London. Toward the end of the game there may be social events or battles for players to get to know each other and stay involved.

9)Final thoughts

1)The umpire's decision is final and there is no right of appeal.
2)The umpire is entirely impartial, and not susceptible to bribery of any form, especially not alcohol or chocolate.
3)If you have any queries about these rules, ask the umpire, preferably before it becomes a matter of life or death.
4)The umpire reserves the right to change the rules at any time, and any rule changes will be posted on the website. The change is deemed to be effective as soon as it is announced on the website, so check regularly!
5)The umpire may choose that the spirit of the rules is more important than the letter of the rules in any situation.
6)Physical force is not part of the game, and anyone using it (e.g. to force open a door) will be made wanted. Don't push open a door if it's being held by someone and CERTAINLY don't break into anywhere.
6b) Involving the public is a BAD IDEA.
6c) People should be aware of their own real world safety at all times. Don't hang around on dodgy back streets where you may get mugged or worse.
7)By signing up, you accept that people may attempt to enter your room through an unlocked door or an open window. Any other methods of entry are strictly forbidden.
8)You are accountable for your behaviour at all times, and the LGA will not take responsibility for your actions. In particular, be wary about bearing guns in public, as your actions may be misconstrued. Do not use realistic weapons of any kind. It is not, and has never been, illegal to carry a water pistol, rubber band gun, cardboard knife or any other form of toy weapon. It IS, however, illegal to carry a reproduction or realistic firearm or other weapon, and anyone carrying anything that could be confused for a real gun is liable to be shot by the Metropolitan Police. The LGA is NOT responsible if you are arrested or shot by the real-life police. DON'T BE AN IDIOT.
9)By signing up, you confirm that you have read all these rules and agree to abide by them.
10)Remember, the ultimate aim of the game is for everyone to have a good time.

This ruleset written by Ric Brackenbury, based on the rules of Cambridge Assassins Guild, amended, adjusted and polished by Anthony Smith.