A game played at
colleges for many years in which the
players “assassinate” other players. More recently the game was written up and expanded in the book
Killer, however, the original game of Assassination plays only the game listed as Circle of Death in the above book. I have spent many of afternoons with intense
paranoia just to go out and get gas or even the mail. The game creates a situation in which friends get the wonderful opportunity to concoct outlandish plans and
backstab each other. All of this out of fear of a
water gun. What follows is the rules used at
Ball State University around the year 2000. These rules have many
variations throughout colleges and universities.
- Circle Of Death – Setup
Each player will put their name in a hat. Then everyone will draw out a name. This name is your mark. This is the person you need to "assassinate" (more on that later). This name is secret so you do not have to share it with anyone if you do not want to. Once you kill the person you have the name of (your mark) they are “dead” and you take the name that they had and that is your new mark. You need to call or e-mail the organizer if you “die” so s/he can keep a list of who is alive for everyone. You can always inquiry who is left. If you have the name of someone who is already dead or if you have your own name then you are a free agent and can kill any one person in the game and take his or her mark.
- Circle Of Death - How to Assassinate
In this game only squirt guns are legal weapons. Size is irrelevant but you will read later small guns are better. If you shoot someone anywhere on his or her body during legal game play with the squirt gun that is your kill. Dead men cannot talk about the game. They cannot share whom they had or even who killed them until the game is over.
- Circle Of Death – Stunning
If someone brandishes a weapon at you or if you know for a fact they have your name then you may shoot them to "stun" them. If someone is stunned they cannot shoot you until the time changes from AM to PM or PM to AM (in other words when any twelve o'clock passes all stuns are wiped).
Many games have standard times and locations where shooting is not allowed. These include, but are not limited to: work places,
churches, hospitals, etc.