What is Killer?
Killer is a live action roleplaying game, but this on its own is probably not description enough. It is unique in that it is the only live action roleplaying game that you play along side your everyday life. Sometimes it involves no roleplaying a all! The aim of the game is to kill off your opponents. Obviously, you're not really killing them, but using objects and situations to simulate actual kills. The Killer book itself (published by Steve Jackson Games)contains pages of details on various different weapons and how they can be safely simulated. Obviously it is not economically viable for all the players to buy the book or for all the relevant pages to be photocopied, and I should think that placing scanned sections on a website is breaking the law, so I have but a few notes on weapons below. For additional information, e-mail me (address is below).
- Do not actually hurt anyone, and don't use any simulated weapons that could hurt anyone.
- Do not talk about Fight Club. Well, Killer actually, and you can talk about it, but make sure you know the person well enough that they won't panic, disapprove etc.
- Don't brandish realistic-looking weapons openly. It's just silly.
- Remember it's a game. Don't take it too seriously.
- Be fair. If a weapon got you, it got you. It really is more fun that way.
Guns - These are pretty obvious. Pistols can be represented by plastic dart guns, water pistols or even a banana within three feet, with a yell of 'Bang!'. BB or paint guns should not be used. E-mail for more ideas.
Knives - A collapsable stage knife works well.
Shuriken - Poker chips and cut foam stars are good. Never through anything larger than this. Bows are also outlawed.
Blowguns - I think we all know what to do with a biro casing here.
Clubs - Nothing works beter as a blackjack than a pair of rolled-up socks.
Garottes - I recommend silly putty or toilet paper.
Rifles - 'Super Soakers' are good (please be considerate here!), but a better way is to align cross-hairs over a camera lens and take your shot.
Machine Guns - Hose fight!
Grenades - There are many ways to distribute birdseed, confetti or packing foam chips so that they burst like a grenade. Use your imagination. Never use glitter.
Electrocution - String from a power socket to a metal object 'electrofies' that object. Never use real electricity.
Bombs - Bombs are complex. A bomb that goes off, must have some kind of sonic or visual indicator. A buzzer, or a light(or something better) must show it has gone off. This must be something that the object would not normally do. You can't just bomb a television and rule that when it's turned on, the noise and sound represent the bomb going off. You could, however, bomb a video, by making one full of explosions, etc. That would be stylish. The size of the bomb determines how large the blast is. To give a victim a chance, a circle with a 'B' in it must be present on the bomb. There are a very many variations on the bomb theme, and they are one of the biggest opportunities for creativity in Killer...
Poisons -...although poisons come close. The poison rules are complex too. Something must be done to alter the taste (spike a sandwich with chilli powder)or look of the food (add a slow release food colour capsule to water), or a sticker with a 'P' in a circle must be placed on the plate, glass, cup etc. As a rule of thumb, if the victim has a chance of detecting the poison, it's legal. Contact poison can be introduced to a variety of objects (door handles!), represented by Vaseline or aloe gel.
Animals - Go wild! Arrange for a stuffed lion to fall on your 'friend' as he opens a cupboard. Or a fake spider/snake in the bed. I will be finding out if anyone is snake/arachnophobic before the game, and any such attack on such a person will be absolutely illegal.
More - I'm always on hand via e-mail to yay or nay new weapons people have come up with. If in doubt, ask.
Full weapon listings from the book are available on request, if you supply photocopying money.
Killing a legal target = 20pts
Style in death(famous last words anyone?) = 5-10pts
Ingenuity in assassination (poisons and bombs are good for this) = 10+pts
Being the last surviving player = 40pts
Killing an illegal target = -10pts
Killing a non-player = -20pts
Poor sportsmanship = -10pts (or worse)
Dangerous behaviour = -20pts (or worse)
Also, in this game, no kill can have more than one witness (that is, direct kills, such as shootings). Anyone wearing a mask is immune to this, but is considered a legal target
I've played a few games of Killer in my time, so I'm a pretty good resource, both before and during games (even if I do say so myself). My email is spu00kh@rdg.ac.uk . Apart from that, I can only recomend that you read the Killer book, if you can find a copy. This website will updated every once in a while before the game starts, and regularly during the game. The Union's society board wil also be used. The internet is woefully short on Killer resources as far as I can find, but if you find a good site, I'll put a link to it here. Or you dould keep it to yourself...
The following players have registered for the forthcoming Killer game.
