A First-time Player's Guide to Assassin Games (The short version)
by Jen Hawthorne 
v 1.0
9/21/95
(editing by Tom Giordano, 8/29/96)

Introduction

So you want to play an Assassin Game
You're new. You're clueless. You know it. 
 
The other more experienced players know it too.  And guess what?
They're going to lie to you, cheat you, use you, and in general take
shameless advantage of you.  All in the spirit of good fun, of course.
 
But you're going to surprise them. You're going to give as good as you
get, or better. You're going to go out there and lie to them, cheat
them, use them, and in general take shameless advantage of them.  And
they won't be expecting it, because you're new.  Give them half a
chance to underestimate you, and they will.  Make the most of it.
It's the only advantage you've got.   

Remember: You're trying to have fun. If you manage that, you've won,
even if you don't accomplish a single one of your goals.  Ignore
anyone who tells you differently.  


What to do when you get your packet:

\begin{itemize}
\item Read everything in your packet, twice.  Make notes on anything unclear.
\item Double-check that you have everything listed on your charactersheet.
If there's anything extra, ask a GM about it.
\item Write down all your questions.  Either ask the GMs at handout,
email them that night, or show up early to game and ask then.  The
sooner the better, though; waiting may result in unanswered questions.
Be patient, GMs are typically frantic just before the game runs.

Preparing for game

1. Clothes: 

Wear comfortable clothes, especially shoes-- sneakers are
best, since you may need to move fast.  You {\em will} need pockets,
often many of them, to carry all your stuff.  Backpacks are not
recommended, as they're too bulky to carry around all night.
Note: consider dressing in character, particularly for short games.
It's fun and helps people stay in character.  (Note: Be sure your
button/badge is always visible.)

Note: noisy clothing makes sneaking around hard.  Plan accordingly.

2. Other things to bring with you: 

The contents of your character packet (you don't have to haul the
envelope itself around, though).  Tape and scissors are often useful,
especially on the first night of game, for cutting out cards, etc.
A watch with a second hand is essential; digital watches tend to be
best.  Bring a disk gun, a dart (patrol) gun, and extra ammo for
both, if you can.  Check and make sure both guns are in good working
condition.  (You can purchase these from the Guild, if you don't have
them and think you'll need them.  Note that you may acquire a gun item
card in game, so having the physcial object is useful, even without
the item card.)  

3. Other preparations:
It's not a bad idea to eat before you come, if you can. You won't
usually have time for a meal during the game, so unless you want to
live on candy bars all night, stock up before you come.

Know your memory packets.  It sucks a lot to shoot someone, then
realize you have a memory packet for them, and have to say, ``I just
shot my long lost brother.  Boy is Mom going to be mad.''



Things Not To Do:

1. Annoy non-players
2. Anything dangerous to yourself or others
3. Cheat
4. Confuse the game with reality


Strategy hints:

1. Note down interesting details in your sheet.  Remember that your
past always comes back to haunt you-- if you think you killed someone,
but never actually found the body, then there's a chance they survived
somehow.

2. Construct some kind of a game plan for
obtaining your character's goals.  You'll probably have to change it
once the game gets in motion, but at least you'll have some idea where
to start.

3. Come up with a cover story.  If you just snuck into the base to
blow it up, you're going to need to tell people something-- plan in
advance.  (``The most obvious lie is the one you just made up." -- Mike
Person.)  Be careful, though-- claiming to be an FBI agent when there
are real ones in game is a good way to get killed.

4. Always assume the other person ay be lying to you, even if he
has no reason to do so.  Information is power; everyone with any clue at all
will be keeping at least a few secrets.

5. Never assume you're safe going off alone with a person
(or a group of people) just because you can't think of a reason why he
or she would want to harm your character.  The other person could
easily have reasons you don't know about, ranging from ``I like to
kill'', to ``people said you were a bad guy'' to ``You had the item I
wanted.''

6. Don't kill randomly, unless it's your game goal


From: marleigh

Additions:

Intro to "Clothes" section: encourage costuming (get a blue hat rather than
taping the "Blue Hat" item card to you chest), but remember to make sure the
costume is also practical.

Items To Bring: tape - (no one has it, but everyone needs it.  Everyone always
scams mine.) It's good for leaving notes or stashing item cards under
tables and such.
	scissors - At least for the first night.  You'll often get money or
ability cards at the begining of game, and it's nice to have something to cut
them out with.

Time: Be aware of how much time a game will take.  If you're playing a
game that runs until 4am, realize that both the T and Safe Ride will
have stopped running.  Though lots of people will just hang out until
morning, that can suck if you have to get up and work the next day or
if you're just dead tired and can't go home.

Difference between In Game and Out of Game:  Sometimes it's hard to tell if an
event is occuring in game or out of game.  If you are unsure, ask.  If A and B
are holding hands, it might be because Characters A and B are in love and
planning on killing Character A's fiance.  However, it might also be that
Players A and B are dating in real life.  A simple question will clear that up
and keep you from making false assumptions. 
