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\begin{large}{\bf
Pirates Cove II\\}
\end{large}
A one-night game not really about pirates\\
\begin{large}Basic Rules\end{large}\\
\end{center}


{\bf Pirate's Cove II} is an {\em experimental} assassin game.  That
means that these are very non standard rules, so even experienced
players should read them carefully.  As usual, you are responsible for
knowing these rules.  Please note that many of them are impossible to
enforce, so the game relies heavily upon the honor system.  Playing
loopholes in these rules is not permitted.  If you have any doubts
about our interpretation, talk it over with us in advance.  {\sc All
GM rulings are final, regardless of what the rules say.}

\begin{large}{\bf Character Packet:}\end{large} You should have
received the following things in your packet.  If you are missing
anything or find something which doesn't seem to belong to you, see a
GM.  In general, if you are confused about anything, see a GM.

\begin{itemize}
\item {\bf Character Profile:}  This tells you who you are.  This may never be
shown to anyone.

\item {\bf Button:} A numbered button shows that you are playing in the game.
You must wear it visibly at all times.

\item {\bf Ability Cards:} These are big cards explaining the mechanics
of an ability.  Those mechanics may supersede these rules.  The front of
an ability card will tell you how to use it; the back of the ability
will describe the effect.  Other players may only see the back of a
card; show someone the back of the card when you use the ability on
them.

\item {\bf Items:}  These are  small cards with a description of
an object.  An index card with a red dot symbolizes a bulky item that
cannot be concealed.  You cannot carry more than one bulky item at a
time.  Some items (such as guns, and some bulky items) may have real
items associated with them.  Keep them together.

\item {\bf Manila Envelopes:} These are memory packets.  They have
instructions on when to open them.  If you see/hear a
number/description that is on one of these small envelopes, then open
the envelope.  {\em Manila envelopes are not game items}.  You may not
take any action based on the knowledge that you have these envelopes.

\end{itemize}

\begin{large}{\bf Non-Players and Ghosts:}\end{large}

{\bf Don't piss off non-Players!} Although the Guild has reserved all
the relevant rooms that the game takes place in, there may still be
non-players around.  Non-players should not see anything, such as a
gun or an item card, that indicates that you are anything more than a
regular person.  Nor should non-players hear anything that might cause
them distress, like noise.  If lots of people are in the hallway, talk
softly.  Please don't yell, even if your character is in mortal peril.
And if you have a gun out, {\em put it away}.  If someone asks you
what you are doing, tell them you are playing a game with the MIT
Assassins' Guild.  If they persist, or seem upset, send them to a GM.

If you are alone, or in a small group of normal looking people (no
guns out or anything like that) and you see an NPC, just act normal.

If you see a non-player while in combat, or if there are other players
nearby who don't realize that an NPC is there, you should immediately
call ``NPC Halt!''  loud enough for everyone nearby to hear it.  This
will halt all game action in the area.  During a halt {\bf NO} action
may take place in the area of the halt.  No one can shoot or be shot,
move, talk, or reload.  No action outside the area of the halt can
affect anything within the area of the halt.

Once the NPC has left the area, play may begin again.  Someone who
sees the NPC leave should call ``Resume'' loudly enough for everyone in
the area to hear it.  Play should not resume until all players are
ready.  If things are crowded it is a good idea to have one player
count down, calling ``3, 2, 1, Resume'' so that everyone knows exactly
when play starts.

Use common sense.  Though PhysPlant may have gotten used to people
around here by now, be sensible.  We want to be able to do this again.

{\bf Ghosts:} When you are unsure whether someone is a non-player or a
ghost, assume they are a non-player.  All ghosts will be required to
wear a white headband when in the area.  Anyone who wants to be a
ghost should contact the GMs first, and learn the rules.


\begin{large}{\bf Items and Information:}\end{large} Remember the
difference between reality and game reality.  This game does {\bf not}
give you the right to actually do anything normally prohibited.  If
you are caught doing something illegal, we are not responsible.

Items can be carried with you or hidden anywhere in the playing area.
If you find an item or item card sitting around, you can take it.
It's yours.  Just to avoid confusion, all item cards from this run will
specify ``run three'' on them.  We try to clean up after each game, but
we don't promise that someone's stash from an earlier run won't be lying
around.  

If you want to steal a real item which exists in game, put a small sign
on it saying ``STOLEN'' and contact a GM, who will give you a game item
or item card to represent the real item.

Searching a body takes as long as it takes for the victim to pull the
stuff out of his pockets and hand it to you.  Victims, be good sports
and do this as quickly as possible.  If you are interrupted by an NPC,
call an NPC halt, put away guns, and wait for them to leave.  If you are
interrupted by a player, role-play accordingly.

\begin{large}{\bf Weapons:}\end{large} In this game, the following weapons are simulated by the following
items:

\begin{itemize}

\item  {\bf Guns:} are simulated by toy dart and disk guns.  Dart guns
represent tranq weapons; disk guns represent kill weapons.  All guns can
have at most {\bf 6 shots}.  Do not load more than {\bf 6 shots} into
your gun at any time.

\item {\bf Poisons:} are simulated by anything that makes food taste wrong
(salt, for example) or items feel wrong (vaseline).  The poison must
be noticed by the victim (subject to GM override) for it to take
effect.  All poisons are assumed to knock you unconscious for 10
minutes.  Contact poisons are only effective against bare skin.  You
are immune to accidently poisoning yourself with your own poison while
setting a trap, but this doesn't mean you can smear vaseline all over
your bare palm and shake hands with the intended victim.  Be
reasonable.  If you ruin someone's food, you must replace it at your
own expense. 

\item {\bf Bombs:} Bombs have two components: the explosive and a trigger.
You must have an item card for the explosive.  The triggering device can
be anything real that makes a noise or lights up to signify the
explosion.  (You are responsibly for finding such a device before game
action starts.)  If the bomb doesn't go off, either by accident or by
someone finding the alarm clock you left in his backpack and turning it
off, tough.  The blast radius of a bomb is variable depending on how
much explosive is used and the topography of the room.  Those who need
to know about explosives will.  Please note that explosives are {\bf
loud} and draw attention.  Anyone can put a bomb together, but {\em
safely} taking one apart requires the ``Demolitions'' ability.  Anyone
can pick up a bomb and move it (at their own risk).

\item {\bf Melee Weapons:} Melee weapons, such as knives, should be made out
something soft (boffers are recommended), and should be used gently.
All weapons have a martial combat rating; see ``martial combat'' below
for more details.  Talk to a GM if you wish to improvise a weapon of
some sort.

\item {\bf Bullwhips:} Bullwhips are represented by ping pong balls.
As weapons, they are most useful in disarming opponents.  In order to
use a bullwhip effectively, you must have both the appropriate item and
ability cards.

\end{itemize}

All weapons require items cards before they can be used.  If you find a
gun or ping pong ball lying around - they are no good to you without an
appropriate item card.  If you think you should have a weapon and don't,
contact a GM.

\begin{large}{\bf Combat:}\end{large} Combat may occur anywhere in the
playing area any time during game action when NPC's are not present.
The only exceptions are the bathrooms.  You can not be shot in a
bathroom, and you can {\em not} stash items there, take shelter there,
take a short ``breather'' there, or even enter one unless you are
using it.  Being killed going in or out of one is ok, so be on your
guard.  Do not, under any circumstances, enter a bathroom for the
opposite sex.  There are three types of combat.

{\bf Ranged combat:} is simple.  Take out your gun and fire it.  The
damage caused by a hit roughly simulates reality.  A hit in the arm or
leg destroys the functionality of the location hit.  If hit in the
arm, you must drop anything you are holding. If hit in the leg, you
have to hop or crawl.  If hit in the head or torso, you are down and
unconscious.  Depending on whether you were hit by a kill or tranq
projectile, you will either die or wake up after 10 minutes.  When
hit, you {\em must} fall down, and drop any items you are holding.
{\em Head and torso shots are always equivalent.} Note that someone
hit once in a non-critical location may survive being shot, but those
hit in the head or torso probably won't.

{\bf Martial Combat:} All martial combat weapons have a single digit
rating of some type.  Most ratings are known, although they can be
modified by certain combat abilities.  Some commonly known ratings are:

\begin{tabular}{lll}
Bare handed/Gun: 1&Club: 2&Knife or spear: 3\\
\end{tabular}

Your martial attack rating is your weapon bonus for the weapon you have
out.  A club, for example, would make you martial attack two.  (Clubs
can be improvised from many things, like chairs and table legs.  Talk to
a GM {\em before} combat breaks out to see about picking one up.  Once
you are in combat, it's too late.)  If the ``weapon'' you have out is
your hand, your MA is 1.  If you have your hand on your gun in your
pocket when someone says ``martial attack'' that doesn't count as out.
You may not draw a weapon once you are in martial combat.  The only
correct response to ``martial attack'' is to say ``martial defense.''
Of course, if you already have a gun out, by all means, shoot while
saying ``martial defense'' --- since if they'd been observant when
attacking, they would have disarmed you first.

You may keep a weapon drawn all the time, but you can have only {\em
one} weapon drawn at a time, including guns and bullwhips.  However, if
you have your bullwhip drawn, you can have as many ping pong balls out
as you can hold.

Attacks someone by coming within their ``zone of control'' and
saying ``Martial Attack [rating].''  Zone of control is defined as
follows: if you and the other person can reach our your hands and
touch each other, you are within martial attack range.  If the other
player says ``Martial Defense [rating]'' within 2 seconds of the attack,
he gets his normal rating; otherwise, his rating is 0.  The higher
number knocks out the lower one.  If the numbers are equal, both sides
are fine, and free to run away or draw bigger weapons and attack again.

Several players may attack as a single person at once, so long as they
are all within the same zone of control.  When one person says,
``martial attack [\#]'', anyone who says ``martial attack [\#]'' before the
defender says, ``martial defense [\#]'' can add their rating to the
attack.  Anyone who doesn't say it in time cannot join that round of
martial attack.

A player may not attack more than one person at a time.  A player who is
attacking someone can be ``jumped'' by a third party.  The third party
simply says, ``martial attack [\#]'' before the initial attack is over.
The attacking player both gets to complete his inital attack and gets
his full defense against the party which jumped him.  The attacks occur
in real time; it is okay for the third party to draw a weapon and shoot,
all in less than two seconds.

People can draw guns and fire in real time also.  Once a martial
attack has started, however, neither the attacker(s) or the defender
can draw any weapons, including guns, until the attack is over.

As with ranged combat and poisons, if you are knocked out in martial
combat (and aren't killed in the meantime) you will wake up after 10
minutes.  

{\bf Disarming Opponents:} If you notice someone attacking you with a
ranged weapon and standing in your zone of control, you may disarm him
by immediately declaring ``Disarm.''  You cannot disarm someone who is
directly behind you.  Otherwise, disarming works automatically and is
{\em not} retroactive.  As mentioned before, some people can disarm at range
by using a bullwhip/throwing a ping pong ball.

\begin{large}{\bf Death and Inactivity:}\end{large} If you are dead or
unconscious, {\em please note the time of death}, sit still and wait
for someone to find you.  When a player walks up, tell them that you
an unconscious body and list any obvious wounds.  Dead (and inactive)
men tell no tales.  Don't give them anything but a description of the
obvious, and your items if they think to search you.

\begin{large}{\bf Kidnapping and Moving Bodies:}\end{large} If the
character you are moving is conscious, role-play accordingly.  If they
are unconscious or dead, you must carry them.  Make 8.5 x 11 signs, one
per kidnapper, that say in large letters, ``{\sc We are carrying an
unconscious person}.''  The kidnappers and the victim must then walk
along the intended route, {\bf openly} displaying the signs.  If a
player notices you, role-play accordingly.  If an NPC notices you, put
away the sign and call a halt.  Once you have a prisoner, to make sure
he stays there, explain to the GM how you are doing this.

\begin{large}{\bf Drugs:}\end{large} Drugs are sometimes simulated by
item cards attached to envelopes.  If you give yourself a drug or have
it forced upon you, open the envelope and carry out the instructions
inside.

\begin{large}{\bf Miscellaneous:}\end{large}  

The setting is upside down. The first floor corresponds to the ground
floor, but the basement is the ``second floor'' and the second floor is
considered the basement.  This is mostly for setting; don't worry about
the fact that your bullets don't travel correctly with regards to
gravity in a stairwell.

{\sc {\em All closed doors are indistinguishable from walls.}} Do not
open a door unless you know how to. The mechanic for opening doors is
to find the appropriate frob (small manila envelope --- the same size
as memory packets --- with a colored dot) and press the dot.  This
represents pressing a depression in the wall.  If you press the dot,
pull out the slip of paper inside the envelope and it will tell you
what happens.  Unless specified otherwise, replace the message once
you have read it.  If there is no message, nothing happens.

Do not prop doors open.  If you find a door propped open, do not go
through it {\em unless} there is a sign telling you that the door does
not exist in game.  

Do not hold doors open.  If a door is {\em open} decide whether you
are going through or not --- then do so and {\em shut the door.} If
{\em another player} opens a door and it is shutting, you may catch it
and go through, but once it has closed, it is closed.  You may not
follow NPCs or ghosts or GMs through a door.

If you see someone wearing a non-white headband, it means that there is
something physically very odd about them (such as being wrapped up in
bandages).  Ask them what it means.

Some mechanics will be posted where they are relevant.  Read anything
that looks like a mechanic before you wander into areas that you can't
physically get to...

The entrance to the dig is the door to the outside that is ahead of you
and to your right while you are facing 34-101.

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