Groups that play Assassin together are commonly called a “guild” or “society. ” They often function like unsanctioned clubs where students can simply sign up on a social media page or dedicated website.
The person in charge of a game is called the director, and individual players are often named agents. Feel free to come up with your own terms though.
Examples of good nicknames for Assassin include “The Nightingale,” “Mr. Green,” and “Black Shadow. ” Any name that seems like it would work in a spy movie will work well. Players can put their nicknames on a sticker or clothespin to signal that they’re actively playing, or they can use some kind of prop to signify that they’re in character.
Players can all agree to use the same type of weapon, or select different weapons unique to each player’s individual character. Players shouldn’t be whacking each other with their weapons. The goal is to be sneaky anyway, so they shouldn’t need to use any brute force. Disqualifying players for hitting opponents is a common rule in most games of Assassin. If players want to use spray bottles or water balloons, make sure that all players agree to the possibility of getting wet in the game.
If you’re playing on a college campus, the game is usually restricted to the campus or a specific dorm. If you’re in high school, the school itself is usually the play area. Don’t let the game get in the way of your grades though! In school, class time is usually set as off-limits so that players can focus on their studies.
For deadlines, 1-2 days is a common choice if you have fewer than 20 players. Bigger games can last weeks though! The downside to an untimed game is that players who are knocked out early won’t be involved for a larger period of time. This may make them unlikely to rejoin for the next game.
If the director is assigning targets, have the director assign a new target to the player that successfully kills their opponent. Players can have multiple targets, or a single specific target. The most common way to play is to give every player a different target. When a player is killed, the successful is assassin is assigned to hunt the knocked out player’s target.
If you’re playing in a neighborhood, select a neutral location, like a park or fast food restaurant, to serve as the safe zone. At school, keep classrooms off-limits. It’s not worth losing points in class to play a game.
If you’re the director, announce the start of the game via text or email to make it official. This will give you a written record as well for any time limits or deadlines.
A common rule is to pause the game for 1 minute after someone announces, “You’re dead!” This gives the winning agent some time to get away so that they can’t be immediately pounced on by other players.
If you’re the director, use email to send your new assignments out after a player has taken their target down.
Give your alliance a cool name, like “The Circle of Seven,” or, “The Mad Hatters. ”
If you play based on points, consider awarding 3-5 points for being the last player standing. If you’re playing based on points, it’s possible to get knocked out halfway through the game and still win if you took a lot of other players out.
Requiring players to put the clothespin on their back is a common rule. Colored stickers are a good alternative to clothespins. You can use color-coded stickers to create teams for another variation on the game. At the end of the game, players simply reveal how many clothespins they’ve captured to determine who the winner is. You can play a variation where any player that assassinates another player is awarded their clothespins. This makes players with a lot of kills a bigger target!
Don’t do this if everyone playing doesn’t know one another. It’s a bad time to have someone you don’t know sneaking up on you.
