The Art of Canley is not dead!

The Art of Kanly is not dead!

Quite some years ago, I came across a game by the name of Killer, it was published by Steve Jackson games and was a variant of Assassin, a game played by students and probably staff in may colleges and universities. For those of you that don't know, this is a live action game of assassination, played out as part of your everyday life. I have been convinced for some time now that a variant of this could be played on Calypso and have spent several hours trying to figure out how, having figured out a possible method I have not been in a position where I knew enough people to test it, until now!

On Calypso we have weapons we could use for assassination and PVP areas where brutal murder can be commited, these two things blinded me for sometime after all weapons don't work on other players outside a PVP zone and how many of us spend enough time in PVP zones for this to work? I now belive I have a playable version of this but there is only one way to find out!

I have tried to put this together in a way that makes sense, I don't often succeed at that:)

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For the purposes of testing the game the weapon of choice is a scanner as these work anywhere. If this works out OK I intend to include methods to use guns, blades and blunt intruments, I have a rough idea of how to do this and will be conducting some tests over the next week or so.

In order to certify a kill a posting of a screenshot must be made, the screenshot must be:-
1) In 1st person.
2) Show the scan of the victim.
3) Have the victim selected (i.e. with the select box around them and their name showing)
4) The victim must be in direct line of sight.
5) The time must be visible in the chat box. (To prevent people from using old shots).
In addition the assassin must not have been previously eliminated by another assassin.
The screenshot will need to be posted to the thread for the relevant game as soon as possible, except when playing Ring of Assassins (see below). The first person to post a qualifying screenshot is the person who completed the assassination even if someone else posts later but with an earlier time in the chat box, this is not ideal but to do otherwise could cause problems. There are some examples at the bottom, if I have got them in the right order, the first one is the only success, the second one is a fail as obscured by object, the third one a fail as no date and time and the last one a fail due to the termination of an innocent bystander.

The killing of innocent bystanders is forbidden. To this end there must be no other avatars or non player avatars that could get in the way of the kill, i.e. between assassin and assassinated, even a partial blockage is a fail. The killing of innocent bystanders will result in disqualification or possibly a contract will be put out on you as well.

Assuming this method of recording a kill works it becomes possible to play many different games, for example.

The Individual Contract.
An avatar is chosen as the target, the first player to record an assassination wins. In this game there is no need for the victim to even know they are playing :)

The Group Contract.
Several avatars are choosen as targets, possibly an entire society, the winner is the player to record the most kills. Again the vicitms do not need to know they are playing.

Two or more group Contract.
A number of teams compete to wipe out all the other teams. The winners are the surviving members of the only remaining team.

The Ring of Assassins.
This one can get a bit complex. In this game no one knows who else is playing, each player is assigned a target, each player is also the target of an unknown assassin. When a player successfully assassinates another player they are assigned the target of the player they assassinated. The winner is the last one alive. This is a game of stealth and deciet, I have played this myself and there is a distinct feeling of unease that goes with this, after all someone is out to get you. When a screenshot is captured in this game it is necessary to PM it to the game moderator (normally called the Master of Assassins) so that the kill can be confirmed, the image is then edited to remove any traces of who took it before being posted by the Master of Assassins. The Master of Assassins would then inform the successfull assassin who there next target is and the victim of their demise. It is possible that an assassanition my be disallowed because the assassin has already been assassinated and does not know it.

Games can have a time limit or be completely open ended. Open ended games can be played alongside your usual Calypso activities, with you taking advantage of sightings etc. beware, others will be doing the same!

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I think that just about covers how far I have got with my reasoning so far. Any questions or sugestions or if you are interested in trying this then please post here. If you foresee any issues let me know and I will try to update the rules to resolve these before they occur.

If there is enough interest then I will initiate a contract.

 

Thanks Guys, the input and the support is appreciated :)

I can see a couple of ways to deal with the Soc. issue depending on the type of game and terms of the contract.

1) Tough! This is just the way it is, if your mates are going to do you over then that's the way it is. I agree it makes it more difficult for the assassin to get close but it also makes it easier for them to find the target. If at the end they have to be more stealthy then that adds to the challenge :)

2) A Soc. could decide it is against their rules to assassinate a fellow member. In this case the task of the target's Soc. mates would be to defend the target against would be assassins by assassinating them before they can reach the mark. Of course should they assassinate an innocent bystander some kind of penalty would need to be applied. This actually creates another variant of the game in which each Soc. has a designated target and the assassins of the other Socs. try to eliminate just that target.

No doubt other solutions may present themselves as we progress.


Support from EU-C would be very helpful, thank you for your kind offer :). Initially a location where the official rules can be kept and maintained would be very useful. I am happy to update these with your ideas and suggestions though it would be best to try and keep it simple :).

To start with the rules would be in a constant state of flux but once they become more stable we could begin a process of voting on alterations and additions in order to make this more playable and of course more fun.

Thanks again :).

 

Thanks for that Burgerman. I take it you are a fan of Dune :) In truth I am not sure if the heading is appropriate, although I watch the film and the series quite often it has been a few years since I have read the book. I seem to remember canley being vendetta through assassination but it is somewhat vague. If your recollection is different please let me know.

 

A series was also made in the States, it's available on DVD and in all honesty is not at all bad.

My big problem now. Is it a K or a C? :)

 

Thanks for volunteering :)

I had not explained time frame at all in the original post but have addressed it in a more formal rendition of the "Rules of (K)(C)anley". Still a work in progress but I suspect we will be able to test this in some way within the next week.

I see no reason why different versions can't be played over different time frames from something to do on a Sunday afternoon right through to it takes as long as it takes. As long as it takes is good in some ways, we all just carry on playing and when the opportunity arises take advantage of it, disadvantage would be people losing interest. Of course there is no reason why more than one contract can not be in place at any one time

 

Nicely volunteered Kets, seeing as you have :)

I will initiate the first contract.

Contract value 10 ped.

The mark is Kets

Any assassin may make the hit.

This contract begins at 0001 MA time on Thursday the 10th of April 2008
This contract terminates at 2359 MA time on Friday the 11th of April 2008

Lets see what happens and happy hunting :)



My apologies Kets, you are probably worth more than 10 ped but that is all I can afford right now :)

 

Giving hints as to your whereabouts, you got a death wish or something? :)

 

Maybe a poll on whether we should have a poll? :)

I'm happy with the original spelling, although I have edited the original title to bring it in line with Dune. When I submit my next draft of rules for discussion I will title it "The Rules of Canley".

If people feel really strongly about it I guess we can divide into groups and initiate a war of assassins to decide :)

 

Congratulations Kets, looks like you survived :). Now, should I extend the contract? Think I will sleep on that.