Archive Circle of Death Rules

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Circle of Death Rules

Each player is randomly assigned three other players as targets by the game engine, and given a deadline calculated by a hidden algorithm. They must ‘kill’ one of their targets, or one of the three players hunting them, before this deadline or else be ‘blacklisted’. A player who successfully kills a valid target, or a main player who has been assigned them as a target, will have their deadline extended.

A blacklisted player may be killed on sight by The Inquisition, a team composed of both experienced assassins and everyone who has already died in the game. Players can also be blacklisted for minor in-game offences at the discretion of The Guild, such as killing innocents.
The Guild may call ‘endgame’ at any time. This results in any surviving player who has not yet made a kill being autokilled, and any players on the blacklist for deadline expiry being removed from it. There is no ‘deadline expired’ crime during endgame. Endgame is a deathmatch game.

Should more than one player be left alive as the end of term approaches (as frequently occurs), The Guild will call a ‘Final Showdown’. This is a fight to the death between every surviving player who shows up- those who do not attend are autokilled. Final Showdowns typically have special rules determined by the Guild. The last player standing at a Final Showdown wins the game.

The Inquisition

The Inquisition is a special team which exists in the Circle of Death game. Inquisitors should target every player on the Blacklist, and any player they see committing a blacklistable offence.
Players must never pre-emptively attack Inquisitors unless the Inquisitors are making serious aggressive motions towards them.
By default, players automatically join the Inquisition when they die. Players may ask to begin the game as Inquisitors, at the discretion of The Guild.
Unless otherwise specified, Guild members participate in Circle of Death games as ‘Super Inquisitors’, and respawn after twenty four hours if killed. However, a Guild member respawning in such a way cannot take any aggressive actions against the player who killed them for the remainder of the game.Any blacklistee who makes it into an out of bounds area or behind a locked door after being pursued by the Inquisition may be challenged to a duel by the Inquisition. This duel should take place immediately using either identical melee weapons or guns, as chosen by the blacklistee, refereed by the most senior Inquisitor present. If the blacklistee wins this duel, their deadline is extended as if they had just made a valid kill. If the blacklistee refuses to duel, they may be blacklisted for ‘cowardice’ at The Guild’s discretion.

Coups

A coup is an in-game event in which one or more non-Guild players attempt to hunt down and kill as many members of The Guild as possible. A coup, regardless of success or failure, has no effect on the running of the society.

The Guild graciously permits coup attempts which take place during a Circle of Death game by players who are currently alive in that game, but reserves the right, as an in-game event, to cancel or postpone any coup it feels would be detrimental to the overall running of the society.

Coups are intended to be monumental occurrences, and The Guild is unlikely to assent to more than one serious coup attempt per year. Coups attempts are expected to consist of exemplary planning, wit, skill, and spirit. The onus is on the players comprising the coup to resolve the attempt expeditiously, and the Guild may use all its usual powers to bring protracted coups to a close.

The Guild is ever vigilant for signs of coups, and reserves the right to pre-emptively strike down any it detects, regardless of how rudimentary or vacuous the plot may be. Inquisitors are encouraged to inform The Guild of embryonic coup attempts, and are tasked with executing traitors and defending Guild members in the event of a coup. Any player who dies in the course of a coup attempt dies as normal in the current game and respawns only at the discretion of the Guild. Gameplay progresses normally during a coup attempt, except that those attempting the coup should not continue to pursue their standard objectives.

To initiate a coup, the players making the attempt must write a coup declaration. This should include humorous reasons for the coup, and newly invented Guild positions they intend to create and fill. This declaration must be clearly posted on the forums, and the President informed as directly as possible. The President must then respond to the coup declaration on the forums. After they have done so, the coup begins. The onus is on the President to recognise a coup attempt as quickly as possible.

In the event of a coup, The Guild lose their ‘Super Inquisitor’ powers and are bound by the same rules as players. Notably, Guild members may not communicate details of their death until twenty four hours have passed, and do not respawn.

There may or may not exist a group known as ‘The GDC’. Should it exist, The GDC may not assist a coup attempt in any way. Inquisitors may actively assist a coup attempt- however, this is discouraged.

A coup succeeds if at any point every Guild member within three kilometres of the cathedral has been killed. All surviving players who, in the opinion of The Guild, were instrumental in the success of the coup will receive the ‘Guy Fawkes Award For A Successful Coup’.

A coup fails if at any point all players named in the initial coup declaration within three kilometres of the cathedral have been killed. All players who, in the opinion of The Guild, were instrumental in the defeat of the coup will receive the ‘Thomas Knyvet Award For Defeating A Coup’.