Factions

Well, then. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Factions. We request that all players take the time to read these rules thoroughly before the game begins. They are complicated, but we will distribute the rules well in advance of the start date, so that players may get through them and ask any questions they may have. Let's begin.

Organization
- Players will be divided into equal or approximately equal factions by outside Grandmasters. Factions may be as large or small as desired, but at least three factions are required to play.
- After the sorting process, each player will be given their faction assignment and a list of their teammates. It is up to the faction to decide on a date for the first meeting. The Grandmaster may, if they wish, appoint a point person for each faction, whose only official duty is to coordinate the first meeting.
- Each player will also be given a small emblem, to be carried in a wallet or purse or other generally accessible place, to indicate their faction.
- The game will proceed from a start date set by the game heads until (a) one faction has absorbed all of the players or (b) an end date, also determined by the game heads, is reached.

Players
- Players should not knowingly reveal their alignment to anyone outside of their own faction.
- When a player is assassinated, they immediately join the faction of their killer. They may reveal the names of the players on their former faction at the time of their killing; however, they are not required to inform their ex-faction that they have changed sides.
- Players may deceive and avoid questions to hide their alliance, but they may NEVER outright lie about which faction they belong to, nor may they use or counterfeit the emblem of another faction. Killed players must discard their previous emblem and carry the emblem of their new faction.
- Players can request to be shown another player's emblem. There is, however, no obligation that the emblem be produced.

Assassinations
- Any player may kill any other player of an opposing faction at any time, except during agreed-upon cease-fires.
- Any accidental attempted kill between two players of the same faction should be disregarded.
- Killings will be accomplished through simulated murders. Fake weapons (water guns, plastic knives, cap guns, etc.) may be used, or other items such as ropes and "poisons." Any props which create a feasible simulation of lethality are acceptable. Real weapons may not be used under any circumstances. This does not extend to such items as baseball bats or walking sticks, only weapons specifically designed to injure or kill. Also, any use of horribly badly staged non-props will be annulled. Examples include using one's hand as a gun, "drowning" someone while swimming, or "beating" someone to death with bare hands.
- Extreme care must be taken not to truly injure the person that one is attacking.
- Killings must be executed in private. There must be no witnesses to the assassination, be they allies, enemies, or general public. Both the assassin and the victim must be present, and the target must be immediately aware that he/she has died.
- A method to determine the legality of an assassination: Given that the killer and the target are physically present and that the target knows he/she has been killed, consider what would happen if they died and stayed at the exact spot of their death. Who would notice, and how quickly? Would the killer have time to get away? Under these circumstances, a killing with someone in the next room is legal; a stabbing in a bus with no one paying attention is not; a sniper shooting from the trees on an empty road is legal; a poisoning at the dinner table with family is not. In the case of water guns and the like, the noise that a gun would make should be ignored. Assume all firearms have excellent silencers. Final judgement in case of dispute is left up to the Grandmaster.
- A good assassination should be carefully planned and executed, rather than just pulling a gun on someone. While opportunistic killings are by no means illegal, take care to make the situation realistic.
- If a target becomes aware of the fact that he/she is about to be killed, they may attempt to avoid or defend against the assassination. A good assassination should be executed so that the victim is unaware until the moment of death. While the target may attempt to save themselves, they may not dodge bullets or gain other magical powers to do so. The final decision of whether a player has been killed is left up to an agreement between the two players, or in the case of no agreement, to a decision by the Grandmaster on the basis of the two sides' stories.
- In the case of a botched assassination, or if two players attack each other simultaneously, no kill is scored and the players may not attack each other for the next twenty-four hours.

Cease-fires
- In a declared cease-fire zone, no player may kill or attempt to kill another player under any circumstances.
- Cease-fires will be defined in terms of events and given definite times and locations. Generally they will correspond to social gatherings and/or school functions. Cease-fires will extend to trips outside of but related to these events, such as a soda run at a party.
- Cease-fires may also be declared for parties and other large social gatherings. A cease-fire under these circumstances may only be declared by the host of the gathering, and must be respected, even if the host in question is not participating in the game. Dates between players may also be declared cease-fires.

Notes - In this inaugural run of Factions, we will be starting with six teams, which translates to three to six people per faction, depending on enrollment.
- Our Grandmasters will be appointing faction heads to coordinate the first meetings, as per the Organization section.
- Our factions will be identified by colour, and the emblem of each faction will simply be a small square of coloured construction paper. Killed players must throw away their old square and make/receive a new one of the appropriate type.
- The game's start date will be 1 May, and the end date will be mid August.
- All players will receive a full list of those participating, including address and home telephone number.
- As much fun as biological warfare and mail bombs would be, we have decided not to allow them because of the horrible complications they create. Sorry.
- Defined cease-fires will include Senior Class Night, Underclassmen Awards Night, the graduation ceremony, and Project Graduation. Others may be added at the discretion of the game heads. Players will be notified of new cease-fires.
- As a sideline, we will be tallying individual kill-counts, certainly for awards at the end of the summer and possibly also for prizes. Kills should be reported to the Grandmasters. They only need to know who scored the kill, not the victim or either player's faction.
- We will not be tracking who is on each faction. Factions should do so individually, and since each player will have a full list of all the others, in the event that one faction absorbs all the listed players, it will be fairly obvious that the game is over.

Contacts
For any other questions, please contact your friendly neighborhood illuminati:
Jaclyn Devino, Grandmaster, jasperdogtwo@hotmail.com
Todd Gratton, Grandmaster, todimus_maximus@yahoo.com
Daniel Flanders, Co-Designer and Game Head, danrothe@adelphia.net
Alexander Hunter, Co-Designer, Game Head, and Rules Author, quantumhuman@hotmail.com
Jeremy Psaute, Game Head, cartoonsy@juno.com
Amy Weissenstein, Co-Designer and Game Head, milk_no_pop@hotmail.com
Alan West, Co-Designer and Game Head, danrothe@adelphia.net