This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Eric McClure. Eric McClure is an editing fellow at wikiHow where he has been editing, researching, and creating content since 2019. A former educator and poet, his work has appeared in Carcinogenic Poetry, Shot Glass Journal, Prairie Margins, and The Rusty Nail. His digital chapbook, The Internet, was also published in TL;DR Magazine. He was the winner of the Paul Carroll award for outstanding achievement in creative writing in 2014, and he was a featured reader at the Poetry Foundation’s Open Door Reading Series in 2015. Eric holds a BA in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and an MEd in secondary education from DePaul University.
There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed 461,088 times.
Assassin, also known as Assassins or Gotcha, is a social roleplaying game where players attempt to “kill” other players by touching them with a pretend weapon. Weapons can be Nerf guns and plastic swords, or simply symbolic weapons, like sticks or clothespins. Players are usually assigned specific individuals to hunt, and are assigned to hunt that player’s target if they successfully take them out. Since there are no official rules for the game, there are a variety of ways to play. Be careful if playing with fake guns or swords though, as players have been arrested for carrying fake weapons into schools, dorms, and parks.
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Tip: Encourage players to get into character. If a player wants to use a plastic sword and be a ninja, let them! If the players have fun playing roles, they’ll be more dedicated to the game.
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Warning: While Nerf guns are the most common choice, be extremely careful if you’re allowing these weapons. Players have been arrested before for carrying realistic-looking Nerf weapons around and referencing their “gun” on school campuses.
Set hours when the game is going to be put on pause. You can set a time limit to give players a break at night. Starting at 9 am and stopping at 8 pm is a good idea for example, as it’s not a good idea to encourage players to jump each other at night when their actions could easily be misinterpreted. [6] X Research source
Earn 1 point for every agent you successfully hit with your weapon. As a player, do your best to creep up on your target so that they don’t see you coming. Once you touch the player with your weapon, they are out of the game and you are awarded 1 point.
Tip: It’s a good idea to keep a running list of your kills in case there’s ever any dispute about how you got your points.
Use social media to track the whereabouts of other players. Since the goal is to track down your target, use their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts to figure out where they’re going and when they’ll be there. If you’re friends with them, simply check their pages to see if they’ve been updated with any info explaining where they’re going to be. If you aren’t friends, try adding them and pretend that your intentions are pure! [10] X Research source
Change the rules for your game based on the environment and personal needs. There are no official rules for Assassin. If one of the rules sounds uninteresting for your playgroup, simply change or remove it. There’s no wrong way to play so long as everyone is having fun!
Tip: This modification can draw the game out, so if you’re trying to keep the game short, it’s generally not a good idea.
Establish awards for most kills, most creative assassination, and other achievements. As the director, come up with awards or bonus points for funniest assassination, most creative kill, first blood, or best costume. These kind of awards and bonus points are a great incentive to get players really invested in the game. It’s also a great excuse to get everyone together for an awards ceremony where you can discuss the next round! [14] X Research source
AdvertisementIt just depends. If you have a good opportunity go for it, but once your cover is blown, you have to go all in.
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Then kill them first. You want to kill your target as soon as you can and move on. Also you'll know if the person is targeting you if they're attacking you.
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Be extremely careful about the weapons that you choose to use. Walking around with a fake sword or gun may be funny to you, but people may think you’re really brandishing a weapon. It doesn’t help that the nature of the game makes players seem suspicious, since it requires creeping around and sneaking up on people. [15] X Research source
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This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Eric McClure. Eric McClure is an editing fellow at wikiHow where he has been editing, researching, and creating content since 2019. A former educator and poet, his work has appeared in Carcinogenic Poetry, Shot Glass Journal, Prairie Margins, and The Rusty Nail. His digital chapbook, The Internet, was also published in TL;DR Magazine. He was the winner of the Paul Carroll award for outstanding achievement in creative writing in 2014, and he was a featured reader at the Poetry Foundation’s Open Door Reading Series in 2015. Eric holds a BA in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and an MEd in secondary education from DePaul University. This article has been viewed 461,088 times.
13 votes - 98% Co-authors: 28 Updated: December 11, 2023 Views: 461,088 Categories: Mock Fighting GamesAssassin is a fun multi-day group game where players try to “take out” other players while avoiding being taken out themselves. Assassin works best with a large group of people, and there’s no limit to how many people can join in. To set up the game, choose one player to be the moderator. The moderator’s job is assigning out “contracts” to all of the players and keeping track of who is still in the game. The moderator puts the name and photo of each player on an individual card (feel free to skip the photos if all players already know each other). These cards are called “contracts.” The moderator should also keep a list with each player’s name and their “weapon” of choice for the game. A weapon can be any item as long as it’s unique, hard to replace, and not dangerous. For example, a player could choose an engraved pen, a locket, or a water gun as their weapon. The moderator gives each player one contract to start the game, which players must keep a secret from one another. Players then attempt to “take out” the target on their contract card while avoiding being taken out themselves. To take out a target, a player must get them alone in a room and then show them their weapon of choice and contract card. At that point the target is “dead.” The player who killed them then delivers both their contract and the dead player’s contract to the moderator. The moderator then gives the successful assassin a new contract. Assassin is usually played over the course of several days to give players time to take out their targets. The moderator shouldn’t reveal how many players are left in the game or which players are dead until there are only two players left standing. At that point, the moderator comes up with a final face-off for the last two players, which could be anything from a Nerf gun fight to a quick game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. The player that wins this final face-off wins the whole game!
