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{\Huge\bf Eldritch Horrors}\\
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{\large\em There are some things man was not meant to know...}
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{\bf IAP 1993 Assassins' Guild Game}

{\bf Brought to you by GMs Chris Hooker, Dan Hurda, Derrick Kong, Jamie 
Morris, and Barry Walls, with assistance from game mommies Michelle Goldberg 
and Pier Ho} \\

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Copyright 1992 by the MIT Assassins' Guild and the above GM team. \\
{\em Eldritch Horrors} is a game and a work of fiction.  Any resemblance to
people or things, \\ whether alive, dead, real, or fictional, is probably not
a coincidence. \\

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On the other hand, this game is only {\em based} on Lovecraft.  If you think 
you have found something that does not accurately follow the stories, don't
come tell the GMs, just deal with it yourself.

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{\large BASIC RULES}
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\tableofcontents
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\section{Preface}

The following are the rules for {\em Eldritch Horrors}, a real-time
real-space role-playing game run by the MIT Assassins' Guild.  You
should read through these rules carefully and familiarize yourself with
them.  If you make a mistake because you didn't read the rules or didn't
ask a GM for clarification, you're out of luck.  Please note that many of
these rules are almost impossible to enforce, so the game relies heavily
upon the {\em honor system}.  Remember, it's only a game.  It's supposed to
be fun.  We hope that you agree that it is no fun to win by cheating.
Playing loopholes in these rules is unfair and not permitted; the GM is the
one who calls whether or not you are playing fair.

There are two basic laws involved here:
\begin{enumerate}
\item The GM is always right. Really. You may disagree with a ruling, you
may not like the rules, but they apply equally to everyone. Remember there
may be things you don't know that influence our rulings.

\item If you're not sure whether something is legal, ask a GM. If you can't
find a GM to ask, assume it's not legal and don't do it. Your character may
be hurt this way, but at least you won't be.
\end{enumerate}

If you violate the rules, intentionally or not, the GMs reserve the right
to apply any punishment they deem suitable.  These include declaring that
you have failed to do whatever you were trying to do, declaring that the
character has died a painful death, and/or handing you (the player) over,
body and soul, to the Great Old Ones.  This is known as the {\em Soulcatcher
Clause.}


\section{Getting Started}

\subsection{Game Packets}

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,
talk to a GM.  Most of these items exist only for you and may never be
shown to, stolen by, etc, another player.

\begin{itemize}  
\item {\bf Character Sheet (grey):}  This tells you
who you are, how you think, why you are here, who your subordinates are,
who your friends and enemies are, etc.  As this represents your
personality, history, and beliefs, it {\bf DOES NOT EXIST} and may {\em
never} be shown to anyone.

\item {\bf Badge:}  You should have a badge and a badge
holder in your packet.  This badge has been preprinted and may {\bf
NOT} be changed in any way by the players.  If you lose it or for any
reason need a new one, come to the GMs.  You must wear the badge in
plain sight at all times that you are active.  When you go inactive
(see below), reverse it so that the ``I'M NOT HERE'' sign on the back
is visible.  Gamemasters can be distinguished by their ``Gamemaster''
badges and the godly aura surrounding their bodies as well as their white
GM/ghost headband.  Some players may have more than one badge in their packet
for some reason; read your character sheet before deciding which one you
should wear.  You can and should keep several things in the badge holder,
behind the badge, such as your combat card and ability cards.  Do not put
game items there, however.  There is more information about badges below.

The badge holders we're using are spluftier than the standard ones (they're
like the Storms badges, you can fit things in them) and are correspondingly
more expensive.  The Guild would like to {\em keep} them.  Please return your
badge holder to the GMs at the end of the game, or earlier if you drop out
earlier (eg by dying).  If splufty badge holders don't get returned, the Guild 
isn't planning to buy any more.

\item {\bf Ability sheet:} This pink sheet tells
you other factual information about your character's abilities.  It will
say how much money you have, what languages you can speak, and what, if
any, other abilities you may have and how they work.  This also does not
exist in game.

\item {\bf Combat Card:}  This card will fit in and should be kept in your 
badge holder so that you can access it quickly.  It details your combat 
statistics as well as some other game statistics.  It does not exist in game.
Combat cards are yellow, as distinguised from white item cards.

\item {\bf Appearance Card:} Another card for your badge holder.  See 
Disguise in Misc. below.  As these do not exist ingame, they are also yellow.

\item {\bf X Packet:}  A packet marked ``X.''  This does
not exist in game.  You may not do anything to or with this packet unless
specifically told otherwise.  If someone looks at your X packet --- they will
have a card to show you about this --- the character is looking at you with
a faraway expression for however long it takes.  Note that while the player's
hands are occupied by your X packet, the character's hands are not.

\item {\bf Recent History:} A summary of overt history
since it departed from our world's, fall 1991 - early January 1993.
This becomes an ingame item if anything is written on it.  Actually, you
should print out a copy of this yourself if you want hardcopy.

\item {\bf Player List (Dramatis Personae):} Just what
it says.  Please pay attention to the times posted for calling another player;
if you don't, and you wake someone up, you deserve whatever vengeance they
choose to exact upon you.  In additon, two players may be sharing an Athena
account.  Be sure to indicate which your mail is addressed to.
It is likely that there will be changes and updates to the list as the game
progresses; such changes will be sent to rumor and posted outside the control
room.  Actually, you should print out a copy of this yourself if you want
hardcopy.

\end{itemize}

You may also receive any or all of the following.  Again, if you
think you are missing anything or have something which isn't yours,
ask a GM. 

\begin{itemize}
\item {\bf Bluesheets:}  These are sort of like
character sheets for an entire group of people.  They give the information
on motives, history, structure, etc, common to a group.  Bluesheets
{\bf DO NOT EXIST} in the context of the game and may not be
shown to another player, counterfeited, stolen, or read by anybody except
the player who received them.  It should be kept in mind that what a
Bluesheet actually contains is what you think {\em everybody else}
thinks.  Your personal views might not be reflected at all by the
information in a Bluesheet.  Your Character sheet will {\em always}
override the information in a Bluesheet.

\item {\bf Greensheets:}   These sheets detail what
special knowledge your character may have about a variety of subjects, and
give some general guidelines for what you can try to do with this
knowledge.  If you wish to use your special knowledge to try and accomplish
something or learn something, or if you are unsure of what your special
knowledge may be good for, talk to a GM. Greensheets, like Bluesheets, do
not exist in the context of the game.

\item {\bf Ability cards:}  Some abilities, notably
seduction and certain combat abilities, have cards.  This card is shown
to the player(s) you use the ability on and to no one else.  The card
gives {\em only} the information your victim/target receives.  If you
have any abilities listed on your ability sheet as ``Card'' abilities,
you should have the corresponding card.  They should be kept in your
badge holder so that you can get them quickly.  Ability cards do not exist
ingame and are yellow.

\item {\bf Whitesheets:} Almost anything written on white
paper, including the player list, is a game item and exists in the game
world. It may be shown to other players, counterfeited, stolen, or
destroyed.  You may have information written down on whitesheets in your
packet, for example, a recipe or a newspaper article. (Note that many games
use pink sheets for this purpose. We aren't.)  These rules, however, are
not a game item.  Whitesheets may be freely photocopied, distributed, etc;
make sure the copies keep the line noting them as Horrors game items.
Blueprints are a special kind of Whitesheet.  They are labeled (in the
top right corner) as Blueprints and are required to build some technical
devices.  Also on the sheet are the other requirements needed to build
the device and a short description of what it does.  These are game
items and can be photocopied, copied by hand, etc, but the copy must
be {\em exact}, including the ``Eldritch Horrors Blueprint'' notice and
all the information on the sheet other than a description of what the device
does, which is optional; if you miss anything else, it will just be a list, 
and not the instructions of what to do with the list.  Things built with 
Blueprints {\em cannot} be ``unbuilt'' to retrieve their components --- all 
you can do is break the device.

\item {\bf Money:}  This is, well, money, in the form of
Yen from {\em Storms of Change.}  The denominations are large; the number on
them is the number of {\em cents} it is worth.  A 100-yen bill is actually
a 1-dollar bill.

\item {\bf Items:}  These may be physical items, slips of
paper, or (usually) white cards with a description of the object.
Game items are generally not counterfeitable.  An index card with an orange
sticker on it is a bulky item that can not be concealed. If you are holding
one, it must be clearly visible, and you must tell any players who see it
what it is {\em even if they don't ask.} A bulky item requires both hands to
carry, so you may never carry more than one nor carry anything else in your
hands while carrying one.  You may not carry a bulky item in a bookbag.  
A two-person bulky item (two orange stickers on the card) requires
two people to carry.  N people may drag an N+1-person bulky object at a slow
pace.  A corpse or limp body is a two-person bulky object.  Treatment of
bulkiness is usually pretty obvious.

A green sticker on an index card indicates that the item is nonconcealable;
bulky objects are always nonconcealable.  Nonconcealable nonbulky items do
not restrict your ability to carry additional items, but can't just be
shoved in your pocket and be unnoticed.  A sword, for instance, can be put
in a scabbard, but people can see it there.

In addition, {\em be reasonable} with items.  You can't carry a hundred
rocks in your pocket, you can't fold a sword in half, you can't hide a
life-sized statue in a fire hose.  Your character shouldn't either.
Only do things with item cards that your character would be able to do
with the actual items.  Use common sense.

Note that only {\em white} cards are item cards and exist ingame; all
{\em yellow} cards (combat cards, ability cards, etc) do not exist ingame,
nor do cards of other colors.

One last thing about items.  Sometimes they will have envelopes attached
to them.  The envelope will either have a code or instructions.  If
instructions, they should be self-explanatory.  If it is simply a code,
ignore the envelope, unless you know otherwise.  If you know, you'll
know.

\item {\bf Ingestibles:}  Items in this game that
may be eaten, drunk or otherwise ingested will be represented by a
sealed white envelope with a description of the ingestible on the
outside.  Inside the envelope will be a description of the result of
consuming the ingestible. If you open the envelope, you have ingested
the contents.  Some other items are also represented by envelopes; they
will have all necessary descriptions and/or instructions on them.

\item {\bf Memory packets:}
These envelopes will be sealed and will have a number, word, or phrase on
the front; they are to be opened when you see something with that number or
see or hear that word or phrase.  Alternatively, they may have a decription
of an occurence written on them, in which case open them when that occurs.
Non-occurence memory packets need not be opened immediately; you may open
it anytime, preferably fairly soon, after the trigger.  Occurence memory
packets should be opened immediately.  Memory packets contain information
which may then be used, told to other players (or not), etc, and/or
instructions on something that happens to you. The envelopes and their
contents are {\bf NOT} game items and may not be transferred, read by other
players, or stolen.  Seeing a number which matches an envelope does not
count if it occurs before the official start of game action.  {\bf Memory
packets may not be read before the trigger is encountered or before game
action starts on Friday, nor may you take any action based on the fact that
you have these packets.  If you are uncertain, contact a GM!}  If you receive
memory packets in the course of the game---for instance, if you open one packet
and receive another inside---you may, in general, open the new packet if you
have previously heard the phrase or whatever.  If you are at any time uncertain
about opening a memory packet, ask a GM.  Memory packets may be kept in your
badge holder. 

\item {\bf Colored Headband:} 
Colored headbands indicate that their wearer looks different than one would
expect.  See the section on headbands.
\end{itemize}

There is information available online that players may look at and print out.
See Information below.  Printouts become game items. 

\subsection{Non-Player Characters (NPCs)} 

Not everyone in the world is playing this game.  Some people like to
sleep or study undisturbed; others just don't like having guns waved
in their faces.  {\bf Don't piss them off!}

You are encouraged to spread the gospel of real-time, real-space role-playing
to your friends.  However, non-players cannot knowingly have any effect
in-game.  They may not see anything which would allow them to guess that 
you are anything more than a slightly abnormal regular person --- that
includes things like holding or obviously concealing plastic guns, and
casually discussing Cthulhu's plans to rule the world.  They may not be 
used to hold items or information, deliberately spy for players, nor can
anything be hidden in a NPC's room, and they most certainly cannot 
be convinced to help you kill someone.

Any NPCs you see are students, faculty, staff, or random other people
who have a right to be there (see Arkham Vigilantes below).  If you do 
anything suspicous in front of them they are likely to scream, call the cops,
jump you, or do various other things detrimental to your welfare.  If you do
do anything suspicous in front of NPCs (AVOID THIS), call a halt and contact 
a GM immediately to find out what happens to you.  Please do not use the
presence of NPCs to shield yourself from attacks or anything else from other 
characters --- the GMs will deal harshly with anyone convicted of doing this. 
You may not attack NPCs (to get money or for whatever other reason) unless 
they are specified to be there in game, ie guards posted at a door or people 
working in a lab; in these cases see a GM.  If you violate this in an 
exceptionally egregious fashion the NPCs will probably be dedicated Arkham
Vigilantes (see below) who will look poorly on your actions.

Assume that all labs, offices, etc, are full of NPCs during working hours,
eight a.m. to six p.m., and do not attempt to do anything in them, unless your
character is authorized to, without asking a GM.  These NPCs are dedicated
college workers who work even on weekends, do not take long lunch breaks,
etc --- they will always be there from 8-6.

If you have an NPC friend who wants to hang around the game to see
what's going on, send him to the GMs and they'll arrange for Ghost
status for him or her. A Ghost is to all intents and
purposes ``Not Here,'' both in a player and non-player sense. Standard
rules for activities in front of non-players do not apply to Ghosts,
but Ghost status {\bf MUST} be cleared with a GM.  Any action that
takes place in front of a ``ghost'' who has not spoken with the GM's
will be considered to have taken place in front of a non-player.  Ghosts
should be wearing a white GM/ghost headband at all times while ghosting so
that players may glance around and quickly tell which people are players.
Note that a ghost may sometimes represent something ingame, as may a GM.
In this case they should have an additonal headband and probably a badge to 
let you know, and they will tell you what you see.

If, despite your most valiant efforts, some non-players do get upset,
{\bf call the GMs} and let them help calm them down!  Complaints to the
Dean's Office are to be avoided at all costs, because it wouldn't take
many of them to force us to shut the game down permanently.

``Non-Player Characters,'' or ``NPCs,'' can also refer to something else 
entirely. An NPC is a character that {\em does} exist in game, but is being 
played temporarily by a ghost or GM.  These NPCs, unlike non-players, {\em can}
be spoken to, bribed, attacked, killed... in other words, they are just like 
any player character.

An NPC CP is represented by a {\em blue} index card which says something
like the following:

``Miskatonic Campus Police Officer Foo Bar is standing here.  If you
want to do something in his presence that he might not like (anything
illegal or against Institute Policy), see a GM.

NOTE: If it is before [TIME1], or after [TIME2] he isn't here after all,
and you should ignore this card.''

This means what it says.  ``Before [TIME1]'' means from midnight until 
[TIME1]; ``after [TIME2]'' means from [TIME2] until midnight.

Of course, GMs/ghosts may play NPC CPs sometimes.

\subsubsection{Arkham Vigilantes}

The Arkham Vigilantes are a self-appointed group of righteous people who
wander around Arkham and environs, including MisTech, preventing people from
doing illegal/immoral (to them) actions, generally by beating the living
daylights out of them.  If you do anything that you really shouldn't in front
of NPCs, such as pulling a gun, the NPCs are likely to turn out to be Arkham
Vigilantes, as they are notoriously good at being where trouble is.  They are
also notoriously unswayable by bribes, threats, authority, or appeals to
comradeship.  Also, they're big on taking martial arts classes and are better
at fighting than average people.  ({\bf Hint:}  This is the GMs' subtle little
way of working enforcement of above-mentioned NPC rules into game.)

\subsection{Basic Strategy} 

Your first priority as a player is to make sure you understand the
rules.  If you are completely confused, call a GM and we will try to
clear things up.  After that, make sure you know enough about your
character to role-play him when you start talking to other people.
One suggestion that seems to work is this (and we apologize if we're
insulting your intelligence, but a lot of first- and second- time
players, and even a few older ones haven't yet discovered it):  Read
all of your bluesheets, and {\em then} read your character sheet.  The
order of this is important, because information in your character
sheet overrides {\em anything} in your bluesheets.  Then go to sleep.
When you get up, do it again, and before you start playing, do it yet
again.  We have done the best we can to ensure that everything you
need to know is in your packet somewhere; if you think we've missed
something, come to us and ask.  Feel free to make up irrelevant
details as you see fit; feel free to tell these to a GM (if you tell someone
you went to high school at Foobar High, and they come to the GMs to call
Foobar High and ask, you're not going to be in their records if you didn't
tell the GMs...).

As a character, your first priority should be to open lines of
communication.  Call people up, show up at meetings, and chat.  Ask people
questions on relevant subjects.  Sure, they'll probably lie, but you might
just find something out.  Try to be easy to get in touch with: a day's
delay can mean a world of difference to your game --- and your friends'.

There are no guarantees that you can trust anyone, but since cooperation is
the key to accomplishing things, you will probably be forced to trust
people anyway.  There are sometimes ways of proving loyalties, some of
which might change those loyalties ({\it a la} Heisenberg).  Probably the
most trustworthy people are those who need you.

Killing is always an option. It's not usually a good one, though.  The game
is set up so that random killing is unlikely to get you the desired results
and will most probably cause the killer a large amount of difficulty.  It
is quite possible to kill the only person who has abilities or information
that can win you the game.  Oops.  We'll try not to feel too bad for you.

\subsection{Game Action}

Game action begins Friday at 6:00 pm.  Before then combat may not take place,
nor may special abilities be used, nor anything done ingame that requires a
GM; basically, all you can do ingame is talk to people in character, which
you may do as soon as you wish (it is recommended that you first become
thoroughly familiar with your character packet).  Game action ends Sunday
Jan 24th at noon (wrapup at 2).

From 4pm until 8am there will always be at least one GM on duty.  From 
8am to 4pm is ``dead time'' due to the GM shortage; during this time there
will be at least one GM in the Control Room {\em asleep}.  If you unavoidably
enter some situation where you {\em must} have a GM, come wake one up.  Do
{\bf not} {\em plan} on entering such situations during dead time or the GMs
will be very, very mad at you; the same holds if you didn't {\em absolutely 
need} a GM {\em right away.}  Clear?

The exception to the Dead Time is the last day of game.  Since game action
ends at noon on Sunday Jan 24th, the 8am - noon period that day will {\em not}
be Dead Time; GMs will be available.

There is also a Game Break.  Game Break is from 6pm Tuesday until 6pm 
Wednesday.  During this time the GMs won't be available at all.  You may still
perform game actions during Break, just as in dead time and normal time, but
if you encounter a situation during Game Break that requires a GM, you are
time-halted until the GMs return.  Avoid this.

\section{Items and Information} 
 
\subsection{Reality and Game Reality} 

There is a big difference between reality and ``game reality,'' real 
items and game items.  This game does {\bf not} give you the right to
do in reality anything normally prohibited by laws or Institute rules.
Under {\bf no} circumstances may a player's real room be entered or
searched, or real items taken, without the express permission of the
player in question.  ``Hacking'' is technically illegal.  If you're caught
doing something illegal, don't bring us into it. We won't protect you. Who
are you, anyway? And how'd you get that badge?

\subsection{Items}

A game item is anything made specifically for the
game, a real item is anything else.  Remember, a GM can always write
up an index card to represent a real item in your possession.  You may
very well at some point wish to steal an item from someone, either by
surreptitiously stuffing it into your pocket, looting an unconscious
or dead body, or demanding it from a a player held at gunpoint.  If it
is a game item, just take it.  If it is a real item, put a small sign
on it saying ``STOLEN'' and contact a GM, who will give you a game item
to represent the real item.

If an item is stolen from you in this way, you may not use it for game
purposes until you could reasonably have replaced it.  For instance, if your
in-game room key is stolen, you may not use anything you left locked in your
in-game room until you go down to the desk where you could get another key.
Desk staffer players are not desk staffers in game and their characters may
not use their powers to get keys, look at mail, or anything of the sort.
Guest lists do not exist in game.  Note that everyone will be given item cards
for their room keys, so that the real world keys will in fact not represent the
game ones (unless you attach the item card to them), but this example is
traditional.

Anything written on {\em white} paper may be a game item, except for these
rules. Playerlists, recipes, maps, and newspaper clippings are game items.
Anything you write on paper is a game item.  Anything pre-printed for the
game on colored paper --- character sheets, bluesheets, greensheets, etc.
--- is not a game item and may not be traded, read by other players, and so
on.  Ingame papers may be copied, photocopied, etc; make sure the copies
indicate that they are Horrors game items.

As noted before, {\em white} cards are item cards and represent game items;
colored cards (mostly yellow) cards are not game items.  {\em Blue} cards are 
NPC CPs.  {\em Pink} cards are Plague cards.

As a note of advice, decide right now what things are game items. If you
are going to keep game items in your backpack, for instance, then your
backpack is a game item and you should have an item card for it.

To hide an item, whether in a public or a private
location, you must actually hide the item there.  If another character finds
it, you have to figure out how to get it back.  If you believe you have lost
an item to an NPC, contact a GM and they'll try to deal.
If you want to hide an item in a non-game location, don't.

Note that if you hide items in your room, further concealment is pointless.
Since players searching your room will not be physically searching your room,
it is automatically assumed that anyone who manages to search another person's
room finds all the items there, unless special abilities come into play.

\subsection{Game Locations and Searching Them}

Game action may take place only in Game Locations. 
This includes everything relevant to the game, {\em including} in-character
discussions. If you are in a non-game location, you are Not Here and may
not do anything related to the game.  The only exception to this is that
you may dial in to Athena from any location, and you may use
a phone in your dorm, ILG, or office to call other players.

Most places on campus that are publicly accessible are Game Locations up to
and including the third floor, but not above.  Dorms and ILGs are game 
locations on all floors, as is the Student Center.  ILGs are considered to be
on campus --- the distance between the ILG and campus does not exist in game.
Your office that only you have a key to is not a game location.  Other
people's offices are not game locations, including activity offices such as 
the MITSFS and APO; not everyone has equal access to these places, there tend
to be NPCs there, and the people running the office tend not to appreciate 
Assassin gaming there.
Bathrooms, locker rooms, and access-limited lounges such as the Cheney room are
all off-limits for game.  {\bf Don't do anything in-game in these areas.} 
Hiding in a bathroom is not allowed.  Athena clusters are game
locations for purposes of talking and using Minerva, but no other game action
(such as hiding items, martial combat, or gunplay) may occur there.  Again,
do not use these rules to hide; the GMs will force your character to leave
a cluster or other public location if they become convinced you are using the
rules as a shield from other characters.

The Miskatonic Institute of Technology (MisTech, pronounced mis-tech, mis-tic,
or mis-take) looks remarkably like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MassTech), except that floors above the 3rd do not exist in any buildings 
other than living groups and the Student Center, which exist on all floors.  
The GMs may use the nonexistent floors to represent virtual locations; please
do not use them as detours while Not Here, so as not to see anything you 
shouldn't.  If you are on these floors for some noncharacter reason (for 
instance, you the player work there), remember that your character is Not Here
and cannot do things like find stashes (nor try to).

Most places other than labs correspond to their MassTech equivalents.  That
is, the Student Center is the Student Center, LaVerde's is LaVerde's, Athena
is Minerva, which is the same thing with a different name (see Computers),
Hayden is Hayden, etc.  If you want to use the library, go and use the library.
If you want to use some facility to which your player does not have access,
for instance, Hayden for some non-students, come to the GMs and we'll get you
in, or, if it is the Med Center or some such, we will virtual your use.  If you
want to do something in a MisTech activity office, do {\bf not} use the 
MassTech office; tell the GMs and it will be virtualed.

An important difference between MisTech and MassTech is security level.  In
general MisTech has far better security.  For instance, the CPs (and more
recently, the National Guard) search for guns so thoroughly that it is almost
impossible to illegally bring one onto campus.  Locks at MisTech are not 
trivial to break or pick.  Desk staffers are protected so that you cannot 
easily steal keys or force them to give them to you.  Etc; if something you 
would like to do seems like something the Institute wouldn't want you to do,
it's probably harder at MisTech than MassTech --- ask a GM if you have doubts.
And don't forget the Arkham Vigilantes roaming around.

To search a game location, you must actually search it.
If you find something, wonderful; if you don't, oh well.  Don't bother
trying to search non-game locations; even if it isn't illegal, it won't do
you any good because no one's allowed to hide things there.

To search a game location your player does not have access to, such as a
person's room, find a GM and convince them that your character can get in,
by picking the lock or whatever, and the GM will work things out (usually
you will be told to go stand by the room for ten minutes while your character
searches, in case the person comes back, or some such).

To search an unconscious or dead person, you must have privacy for at least
30 seconds, or 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 the search is interrupted by anyone, call a GM.
Note that even if the victim has no items on him, it still takes you 30
seconds to determine this.

Written information is a game item.  Any information can be encrypted;
you can simulate this by real encryption.  You may have connections to
organizations which can decode anything, but it takes weeks to get
through all the red tape, so you must actually decode any coded
information you happen to acquire.  Information may not be hidden by
writing it in the middle of your 8.03 notes (effective as that may be),
as all agents are specifically trained to recognize information, coded
or otherwise. Your character may have more effective (de)coding abilities;
if so, you will know. Don't write on your colored sheets; if you need to write
things down, use white paper. 

Some of you know languages other than English.  All of you are assumed to
know English; any spoken or written language in game is by default English.
Text in other languages will be in an envelope with the name of the language
on the outside.  If the envelope says ``a fragment of text in French,'' you
may open it and read the paper inside if and only if your character knows
French.  Player knowledge confers no ability.  If the name of the language
is not one you recognize, your character doesn't recognize the language.

Books that are not represented by their real-world copies will also be 
envelopes.  On the outside of the envelope will be something like this:
``a book in French.''  Inside will be paper(s) with text and an index card.
You may not open the envelope at all if your character does not have that
language skill.  If you do, you may look at {\bf the card --- not the paper}
--- immediately.  The card will say something like this:  ``a book in French
about astronomy.  Takes two hours to read, one if you have Astronomy skill.''
This tells you that if a French-speaking character spends two hours reading
the book, during which time the player may be doing homework or something,
as long as (s)he is awake and not doing other game action, the player may
then read the paper in the envelope.  This will contain a summary of the 
information in the book. 

Hopefully it is obvious that anything you take out of envelopes representing
text, books, or any other thing mechaniced this way, must go back into the
envelope.  Remember, in game that thing is a book, not an envelope with a
piece of paper in it.

\subsection{Rooms} 

\subsubsection{Roommates} 

Every character has his/her own room, whether in campus housing or the 
Hotel Miskatonic.  Players who live together have seperate quarters for
game purposes.  If one person, player or not, lets you into their room, you
are {\bf not} in the room of any of their roommates, unless {\bf they} give
you permission to enter their room as well (at which point the three or more
of you may well be in two or more rooms at once.  Yeah well).  

NPC roommates are still NPCs.  The same rules apply.

\subsubsection{Jhereg Rule} 

The Jhereg Rule (named for Steven Brust's series) is this:  a player may
not be present ingame in another character's room unless invited there ingame.
That is:  if you pass by a player's room and see the door open and the player
no where around, you may {\bf not} physically enter and search.  If you go
over to another player's room and they open the door for you you may {\bf not}
enter without permission.  Furthermore, regardless of whether you the player
are invited into the room, you may not take any game action until invited to
do so by the other player.  You may not, standing in or out of the room, shoot
someone who is in their room, unless the other person has started discussing
game business with you, performed game actions on you, etc, in which case
they forfeit this protection.  Do not use this as protection; your characters
are unaware of it.  It gives you safety to go over to your friend's room to
work on math homework without either of you getting shot.  If the player
whose room it is starts discussing game (visitors may {\bf not} do this first)
all bets are off.  Shoot away if you like.  

If you want to go to someone's room specifically in-game, you should indicate
this by something like using your character name when they ask who's there.
If they open the door for your {\bf character} you are considered invited to
conduct game business.

\subsubsection{Off-Campus Housing}

Several players live off-campus at ILGs or real-world houses.  These are
all considered to be on the fringes of campus for game purposes.  The interior
of TEP exists, but the distance between it and MIT does not.  If you want to
take some action at an off-campus location, and you do not have the time
or the means to get there (some players live in Somerville), find a GM and
they will try to find a way to kludge it.

\section{Violence}  

This is a game.  This means that you are playing this to have fun, a
fact that's really easy to forget when you are about to die.  Do try to
keep your temper.  Any real violence which breaks out is liable to get
someone thrown out of the game.

There are all sorts of weapons you can use in this game.  If you have a
strange idea for a weapon, feel free to call a GM and see if it is
reasonable.  In order to use a weapon you {\bf MUST} have an item card for
that weapon. In addition, many weapons require that you have a physical
representation of the weapon.  The next section gives a more specific
description of the sorts of weapons in game.  Several restrictions apply
to all weapons, however.

\begin{itemize} 
\item {\bf Size:} It must be fairly small, so NPCs won't notice it.

\item {\bf Appearance:} It must be clearly unreal so NPCs won't care if they
do notice it.

\item {\bf Functionality:} It has to simulate what it does.  All guns must
shoot something, bombs must go beep or something, poisons must taste or
feel odd, etc.

\item {\bf Safety:}  It must cause no real damage whatsoever, either to people
or property.  Water balloons are out of the question.  Any accidental damage,
real or perceived, must be repaired at the victim's convenience and the
offender's expense.  A basic rule of thumb is that a GM must be able to hit you
with it repeatedly and with full force without causing any damage.  The GMs
may well wish to test this.
\end{itemize}

Please don't walk around areas with non-players with any sort of weapon
visible.  Guns, even plastic ones, tend to disturb people, and boffers can
look like lead pipes at a distance.  Don't take any chances of annoying
non-players. 

\subsection{Types of Weapons} 

\begin{description}
\item[Guns:] Some of you will have guns.  In order to use an
in-game gun, you must have a representation of a gun as well as an item
card. 

\item[Disk Guns:] A normal gun is a disk gun.  These can be purchased from the
Guild; if you want to buy one, ask us and we'll tell you who to see.  Other 
sorts of player guns represent unusual ingame guns and are not acceptable as 
representation for normal guns.  A normal gun shoots bullets that kill people,
as usual; they do, however, hold twenty shots.  Gun effects are detailed
in {\bf Gun Combat}, below.

{\em Note that ammunition is an in-game item! You {\bf must} have an item
card for it in order to load your gun, and when you re-load your gun, you
lose the item!} This is different from standard Assassin rules; pay
attention.

To load your gun you must have an item card for ammunition.  Destroy the card
when you load.  Ammo item cards are always for twenty shots.  If you already
have some disks in your gun, {\bf you need not remove them, but you do not
end up with extra ammo.}  I.e. if your gun has five disks in it, you destroy 
a twenty-bullet card to reload it and end up with a gun with twenty bullets
in it --- and no extra bullets.

This holds for normal guns --- twenty-shot disk guns.  If you have something
else, you should also have the appropriate information for it.

\item[Dart Guns:] A taser is a dart (Patrol) gun.  These can be
purchased from the Guild too.  A taser stuns you with an electric
charge.  Big, strong people, and people on drugs, tend to be resistant
to tasers --- they just make them mad.  After a taser has been fired, it
needs to be recharged before it can be fired again.  Doing so requires
setting the dart gun next to any standard electrical outlet for {\em one
hour}.  A taser that is fully charged should have a dart in it, a taser
that is not, should not.  Tasers are very rare.

A dart gun with a ribbon tied to it looks like a weird taser but acts
exactly like one unless specified otherwise.  Taser effects are detailed
in {\bf Gun Combat}, below.

\item[Shotguns:] A shotgun is a double-barrelled dart gun.  {\bf Note:
The darts used by the double-barrelled guns are not the same as Patrol
darts, so don't try to interchange them.}  Shotguns are nasty and getting
hit with one causes a lot of damage.  Shotgun effects are detailed in
{\bf Gun Combat}, below.

\item[Knives:]  If you have a knife, get a short black boffer 
(foam cylinder) to represent it.  The GMs will try to have some in case
you need one.  To attack someone using your knife, you must have this
boffer out and visible. You {\em don't} actually need to hit your
intended victim with it.  A knife boffer must visibly have a piece of
tape around one end; this end is the blade, the other is the hilt.  If
you hold the knife so that the tape is not visible, you are holding the
blade and if you attack someone you are using your knife like a club.

\item[Swords:]  Swords are a lot like knives (use tape), but 
they are represented by full-length boffers.  Also they hurt the person you 
hit them with a lot more.  Swords take some skill to use effectively.  

\item[Thrown weapons:]  Throwing knives,
shuriken, and such are represented by ping-pong balls. Being
hit with one is just like being hit with a bullet, only quieter.  They require
skill to use in any way.  If you have the skill, you'll know.  If you don't,
you can't use them or catch them or do anything but get hurt by them.  (If
there is one on the ground you may pick it up and give it to someone who can
use it, of course.)

\item[Clubs (including blackjacks, baseball bats):]  Use a
long boffer. Again, you must have it out if you're using it.  Most odd weapons
can be considered to be clubs.  A gun can be used as a club.

\item[Small weapons:] Most other weapons are small enough so as not to be
visible before they are used, and therefore don't require physical
representations. Just hold the item card. If the weapon requires a physical
representation, the item card will tell you what to use.

\item[Grenades:]  In order to throw a grenade, you must
have an item card and a physical representation.  The physical representation
is a popper-snapper.  To arm the grenade, rip up the item card.  If you have
not done this, the grenade will not go off even if the popper-snapper does
({\bf please do not set off a popper-snapper if you have not armed a grenade}).
If you have, your grenade is live; be careful about putting in back in your
pocket if you decide not to use it!  Everyone near you who can see you can
tell that you are arming a grenade.  Anyone can tell on sight whether a 
grenade has been armed.

The armed grenade goes off when the popper-snapper goes {\bf pop}.  If it 
fails to for some reason, there is an unexploded live grenade on the floor.
If you are within five feet of a grenade explosion you are effectively hit by
three bullets in the head/torso (see Gun Combat, below; you take 30 hit points,
fall down, are unconscious for at least 5 minutes, and bleed).  If you are
farther, but within ten feet, you are effectively hit by one bullet in the
head/torso.  If you are farther, but within fifteen feet, you fall down and
drop whatever you are holding but take no damage.  Things like vests that 
protect against bullets do {\bf not} protect against grenades unless otherwise
specified.  Grenades (and bombs) are not set off by the explosion of others,
unless specifically made to do so.

\item[Bombs:]  An bomb consists of two parts: the explosive
and the detonator.  The explosive requires only an item card. The detonator
requires both an item card and a physical item which will make some sort of
noise when it's supposed to be exploding: a timed detonator might be an
alarm clock, for instance. If it doesn't go off for any reason, neither did
the bomb.  Roleplay accordingly.  The blast radius of a bomb varies. If a
bomb explodes, FIND A GM immediately so we can tell you what happened.  If
you plant a bomb, TELL A GM so we know what happens.  If you want to plant
a bomb that may go off soon, and there isn't a GM around, you may instead
try to find a sufficiently clueful ghost (i.e. one whom the GMs have cleared
as knowing enough to do this), explain the bomb to their satisfaction, and 
the ghost will call the halt and tell everybody what happens when/if the bomb 
explodes.  You should use a GM whenever possible.  Note that bombs are
{\bf loud} and draw witnesses, even if no one gets killed.  If you want a 
deadman device, it must do something any time your character dies or loses 
consciousness.

\item[Poison:]  Poison can be anything that makes food taste
wrong (salt, for example) or items feel wrong (vaseline, for example). The
poison must be noticed by the victim (subject to GM override) for it to
take effect; if the victim didn't notice, you didn't use enough.  All
poisons are assumed to take effect slowly: although the victim notices he's
been poisoned immediately, he may still engage in combat for another thirty
seconds, and falls unconscious after two minutes.  All poisons are assumed
to be killing poisons, not tranqs, unless specified in advance to a GM.
Some poisons may do other things; if your poisoner (or a GM) tells you
about them, believe him.  Prompt medical care may save a poisoned victim,
or it may not.  Contact poisons are only effective against bare skin:
gloves, napkins, etc.  do protect against it.  You are immune to
accidentally poisoning yourself with your own poison (of any sort), but
intentionally placing poison on yourself will affect you.  If in doubt,
contact a GM.  In order to use poison, you must have an item card for it.
The item card will say how much you have; when you use some, be sure to
mark its use on the card.

\item[Strange:] Foam pellets represent something most people don't know about.
They are thrown and act {\em exactly} like bullets and throwing knives in
terms of effects when they hit you.  The person who threw it will tell you
what you saw happen, but the details aren't very important.  Foam pellets
do not exist except when being thrown.  If you see one on the floor, nothing
is there (you should probably bring it to a GM to recycle).  If you see 
someone holding one, you see nothing, but the character looks like he's ready
to attack someone.  You cannot catch a thrown one of these --- if you catch
the foam pellet, you have been hit in the hand by the whatever-it-was.

\item[Other:] If you are hit by {\em any other kind of weapon} you are at the
very {\em least} knocked unconscious.  {\bf Fall down.}  Whoever hit you will
tell you what happened.

\end{description}

\subsection{Combat} 

Combat may occur at any time, but take notes on limits on GM use as specified
in Game Action, above, and act accordingly.  Combat frequently results in
someone needing a GM.  There will also be a local area halt
for the Patrol games in building 36 during the evenings of Saturday Jan
16th and Saturday Jan 23rd.  Combat may occur in any game location (see
above section on Game Locations), except for Athena clusters. However:

{\bf NO FORM OF COMBAT, MARTIAL OR OTHERWISE, MAY TAKE PLACE WHERE THERE
ARE NON-PLAYER WITNESSES.} Even if they aren't looking. Even if they say
they won't tell. If for any reason a non-player sees any part of a combat,
TELL A GM IMMEDIATELY.  Probably they do something you will not enjoy;
Arkham Vigilantes may well figure prominently.  Note that any attempt to abuse
this rule --- for instance, deliberately declaring a combat in front of a 
non-player or in area where non-players are likely to appear, to get the other 
characters in trouble too --- will result in very angry GMs who have the power
to kill your character (also see the Soulcatcher clause, above).

Note the Jhereg Rule, above, for combat in players' rooms.

\subsubsection{Hit Points} 
Your Hit Points are a measure of how much damage you can take.  If your
hit points are positive, you are conscious, unless there is a special reason
for you not to be (like being asleep!).  If your hit points are zero or below,
you are unconscious.  If your hit points are at negative ten or below, you
are dead.  

If you are alive and your hit points are below your maximum, you may recover.
While you are awake you regain one hit point every three hours (medical 
attention may alter this).  While your hit points are nonpositive you regain
one every ten minutes.  While your hit points are postive you regain one for
every continuous hour of sleep your character gets.  Broken limbs will {\bf
not} heal until you receive special attention; in general you recover 
naturally only from damage inflicted in martial combat.  You can sleep off 
being beaten up; you can't sleep off having your arm blown away.

\subsubsection{Bleeding} 
If you are shot in the head/torso, or if you take more than five hit points 
damage from a single Martial Attack made with a sharp weapon (including
knives, swords, claws, and teeth, but not clubs or hands), you begin Bleeding.
While Bleeding you lose one hit point per minute unless and until you receive
medical attention by someone with the appropriate skill.  Bleeding is not
cumulative; if you are shot twice in the chest you fall down and take 20 hp,
but you only bleed one hp per minute.

\subsubsection{Gun Combat}  
Gun combat is directly simulated by combat with plastic guns. If you are
hit with a {\em normal gun} (disk gun) in the head (but see Head Shots,
below) or torso, you are knocked down, drop all items you are carrying
in your hands, and take 10 hit points of damage immediately; you are
also Bleeding as above.  A hit to a limb causes you to lose the use of
that limb until you receive medical attention; if it is a leg, fall
down, if it is an arm, drop anything you hold in that hand.  Note that
the body is considered to be the head/torso, right arm, left arm, right
leg, and left leg --- no further subdivisions.  Limbs are not considered
to bleed.  However, each inactive limb reduces your MA and MD (see Melee
Combat) by one-quarter their original values (round half or less kept
down, i.e. 12, 13, 14, 15 go to 9, 10, 10, 11).  That's right;
quadraplegics are not very good in combat.  Torso hits do not damage
MA/MD; limb hits do not damage hit points.

If you are hit with a {\em shotgun} (double-barrelled dart gun) {\em
anywhere} you fall down and drop what you are holding.  Furthermore if
you are hit in an arm or a leg, that limb is {\em gone}, and you are
Bleeding, as above.  MA/MD loss is as disk guns above.  If you are hit
in the head/torso you take 20 points of damage, and are also Bleeding.

If you are hit by a {\em taser} (dart gun) {\em anywhere}, you fall down
and drop what you are holding, and are rendered unconscious for one
minute.  There is no permanent damage of any type.  Also, note that some
people may be resistant to tasers and will ignore these effects
completely.

Even if you are wearing protective gear, the initial effect of a gunshot is
still the same: hits to head or torso still knock you over and force you to
drop all items in your hands; hits to the legs still knock you over; hits
to an arm still forces you to drop everything in that hand.  You may (or
may not) then be able to get up and retrieve your lost items (if you
haven't been killed otherwise).

\subsubsection{Disarming}

It is possible to disarm someone of a gun they are holding --- not of anything
else.  To disarm someone, you must be within Zone of Control (see below) and
(clearly) say ``Disarm!'' to them.  Disarm is automatically successful.  The
disarmed character drops the gun immediately.  The player may drop the gun or,
to prevent harm to players' property, gently set it down.  Anyone who can get
the gun can get the gun; of course, they may just be disarmed again....  If you
gently set your gun down, remember that your character {\bf dropped} it.  You
must stand up fully before you may pick it up.  Reaching down, letting go of
it, and grabbing it immediately is illegal.

If someone tries to Disarm you from out of Zone of Control, however, believe
them --- they may have a pertinant special ability.  Don't do this unless you
know you can.

\subsubsection{Cover}

A character can achieve {\em cover} by touching the barrel of his gun to
the victim and declaring ``cover.''  Provided that the covering player then
keeps his gun within two feet of his victim, he then can take one free
shot, at any time, at the victim, until such time as he loses the cover by
being out of range or voluntarily dropping it. The covering player must
continue to pay attention to the person being covered; if he looks away or
is significantly distracted, this counts as voluntarily dropping cover.
This free shot is retroactive in the sense that he gets to take it if the
victim declares martial attack, disarms, or tries to escape.  If so, and the
retroactive shot hits and disables the victim, the attempted attack, disarm,
or whatever failed.  A third party can attempt to break this cover by
martially attacking the coverer.  If the coverer is surprised (no martial
defense), the cover is broken.  If, on the other hand, he declares martial 
defense, he then has a choice of either defending xor taking his free shot.

\subsubsection{Head Shots} 

It is not good for players to shoot at each other's heads.  Never do this.
Any time an attack of yours hits a player in the head, your character hit
that character in the torso.  Aiming for the head in gun combat will gain
you nothing but ill will.

To be able to shoot or stab a character in the head you need essentially the
same circumstances as for a Killing Blow.  To shoot, hold your gun {\em next
to} your victim's head, say ``I am shooting you in the head'' or some such,
and fire {\em past the head.}  As long as your gun does not jam and no one
disarms you before you fire, you have shot the person through the head.  
Your victim should be dead.  To stab or otherwise attack the head, go through
an analogous process with your foam boffer or whatever.

\subsubsection{Hand to Hand Combat}

Hand-to-hand or melee combat is initiated by pointing at your opponent
while within Zone of Control (see below) and declaring ``Martial
Attack.''  Your victim then has two seconds to respond with ``Martial
Defense.''  If he does not say ``Martial Defense'' within two seconds,
then you surprised him.  If you achieve a surprise Martial Attack and
you are using a weapon, you do an extra five points of damage in your
surprise attack.

(BE CAREFUL when attacking by surprise!  Some players have been known to react
suddenly and dangerously when approached by surpise; in addition, you do not
want to be taken for a mugger.  Use caution; you are better off failing to
surprise a character than surprising a player and being {\em really} knocked
out.)

If someone declares Martial Attack on you from outside Zone of Control, the
proper response is to declare Martial Defense and {\em then} point out that
they were too far away.  They may have a pertinent special ability that allows
them to attack you from there.  Don't do this unless you know you can.

The defender's Martial Defense (MD) is subtracted from the attacker's Martial
Attack (MA).  If the defender was surprised, his MD is {\em zero} for that
round.  The result, if positive, is subtracted from the defender's hit points.
If the defender was not surprised, the converse happens also (simultaneously,
in-game); the attacker's MD is subtracted from the defender's MA and the
result, if positive, lost from the attacker's hit points.  If your hit points
become nonpositive you are unconscious.  If both parties are still up, either
may reinstate the combat by saying ``Martial Attack.''

Multiple combatants: all attacks declared before defense is declared and
within two seconds of the first attack are taken together.  The defender
may apply his Martial Defense against as many of the attacks as he
wishes, but his effective MD is lowered by one for each additional
attacker he defends against.  Ie, defend against one person at full MD,
or two at MD-1 each, or three at MD-2 each, etc.  The defender gets to
counterattack one attacker (his choice).  Attacks made after defense is
declared are considered seperate; the defender uses his MD against each
such attack and counterattacks each such (group of) attacker(s).

Attack with a weapon adds to your martial scores.  A club or clublike object
(a gun can be used as a club) adds +1 to your MA.  A knife or sword adds +2.  
People with skill get more benefit out of weapons, of course; this is for just
picking it up and waving it around.  If you achieve a surprise Martial Attack 
and you are using a weapon, you do an extra five points of damage in your 
surprise attack.  If you do more than five hit points damage in a single 
attack with a sharp weapon you cause Bleeding as above (this will be noted
on the weapon item card).  The bonus for using a weapon is not subject to
division due to some of your limbs being inactive, as long as you have an
arm to use it with; but anything else that divides your MA or MD does so
{\em after} the weapon bonus is added (additional bonuses for skill {\em are}
cut for limb loss, even if it's a leg).

You may voluntarily use any integer nonnegative MA or MD less than your own.

Martial combat takes place in {\em real time} with respect to anyone not
directly involved in the combat.  Another player may freely join into the
combat on either side, fire a gun into the combat, shout for help, or
anything else he may choose to do, regardless of how long the combatants
are fiddling.  Please don't abuse this; {\em stalling to give your friend
time to show up is abusing the rules} and will probably get you eited.

Drawing weapons:  if you have a weapon out, ie in your hand, ready to use, you
may use it when attacked.  If a melee weapon, you may use it for combat; if a
gun, you may fire instead of martial defending (you may not do both).  If your
attacker is shot down the attack is void.  If you martial attack you may not
draw a weapon during the combat.  The defender may {\em not} draw a weapon
during the two seconds of response time.  People engaged in combat may not
disarm, so a third party with a gun can easily come up and blow you away.  In
this case the last round of attacks made still takes effect.

A normal adult human has Martial Attack 9, Martial Defense 6, Hit Points 12.

\subsubsection{Zone of Control} 

Your are in another character's Zone of Control, and they are in yours,
if your outstretched arms can touch fingertips.  Fairly simple.

\subsubsection{Escape}

Either party in combat may try to escape.  Simply say ``Escape'' instead
of martial defense or attack when a round has ended.  You do not get to attack
the round you escape.  If the other person chooses to attack, you use only
one-half (round down) your MD and may use no weapons to defend.  If you are
still up you have successfully fled; move ten feet away from your opponent.
You probably want to flee.  Leave.  Say that you are running if you are; under
no circumstances should you actually run.  If someone pursues you, they keep
constant distance unless you enter a dead end or some such.  All characters
run at the same speed.

\subsubsection{Killing Blow} 

Any character who is not in a position to resist can be killed almost
instantly.  To do this, you must be within Zone of Control and declare
``Killing Blow.''  Anyone within your Zone of Control or the victim's
capable of moving at all can stop you.  The rescuing player must say
``No'' or ``stop'' or ``I prevent you'' or {\em anything} indicating
that you are opposed, within two seconds.  You are assumed to have
broken your victim's neck, causing death instantly, if you succeed.
Killing Blows may be applied to someone who is unconscious, securely
bound, or otherwise unable to move or defend.

\subsection{Death and Inactivity} 

Death.  It happens to all of us sooner or later, and to quite a few
characters during the game.  Try to be a good sport about it all. 'Nuff
said?

If you think you may be dead or injured, contact a GM as soon as possible.
If you are unsure about your condition, you are inactive and ``Not
Here'' until the matter is resolved.

If you die, please try to stay in the area, i.e. role-play the dead body,
for at least fifteen minutes.  If someone searches you, act accordingly;
if someone examines you, tell them what they see.  After fifteen minutes
it is probably OK to leave; you should probably go to the GMs.  {\bf You
are not a Ghost unless and until the GMs have declared you one officially.}
This means that other players, even ones who know you're dead, should not
be giving you game information.  This is a Lovecraftian game, remember;
who knows whether dead men tell tales?

However, dead (and inactive) men certainly do {\bf not} tell tales unless 
specifically instructed to do so by a GM or ability card.
Neither do they talk on the phone, drop hints, or fill their conversations
with significant silences.  You must do your best to communicate {\bf no}
information to {\bf anyone}, including non-players.  If someone telephones
you about game business, tell him the phone is still ringing.  If someone
sees you in person, tell him you're not really there.  The ``I'M NOT HERE''
side of your badge should be displayed.  If you do become a Ghost, you will
be given a Ghost headband and may freely receive information from players
just like any other Ghost, however, {\bf until the game is over, you may still
not convey information to any player.}

You should get all the items on your body together to give to the first
person who searches your body, or to the GMs if the authorities find you
first.  You should also get together all other items in your possession
(i.e. stashed someplace that no living character knows) to give to the GMs
in case anyone finds them --- we will give you a ``See a GM'' card to put
in your stash location.  Please try to be cooperative with your killer(s),
no matter how bad you may feel.  It was probably nothing personal.

It is {\bf very important} that you tell the GMs when you are dead {\bf soon!}
If you can't go yourself for some reason, send a ghost or the person who killed
who, but {\bf let the GMs know quickly.}  It is much, much preferable if you go
yourself --- maybe the GMs will tell you you're not dead after all.

\subsection{Kidnapping for Fun and Profit} 

Most kidnappings require considerable planning.  It is strongly
recommended that you discuss your plans with a GM first, even more so
than with ordinary assassination attempts.  As always, if you don't
understand the rules and thus screw yourself over, you're out of luck.

First you have to get your prisoner.  Martially subduing him or sticking a
gun in his back are the two most popular methods, but feel free to be
creative.

Next, you have to get him wherever you are planning to keep him.  If you
are going to march him along with a gun at his back, then do so.  If he is
unconscious, he will have to be carried.  Since this would be
uncomfortable, not to mention potentially dangerous, it is simulated as
follows: After establishing to the victim's satisfaction that it would be
possible for the kidnappers to actually carry him, the attackers must make
8.5x11 signs, one per kidnapper, that say in large colorful letters, ``WE
ARE CARRYING AN UNCONSCIOUS PERSON.''  The kidnappers and the victim must
then walk along the intended route to the the intended place, {\bf openly}
displaying the signs.  If any non-player passes within view, you have been
spotted by an NPC who will probably make a fuss.  You should contact a GM
immediately. You're probably in trouble.

Once you have your victim right where you want him, you have to make
sure he stays there.  Explain to the GM what sort of restraints you are
using and what precautions you are taking (like searching to find the
knife he was hoping to cut your ropes with).  The captive is inactive
with respect to everyone except those people who can actually get to
where he is being held.

\subsection{Getting to the Truth}
First of all it should be emphasized that {\em while characters may
lie to other characters at almost any time about anything, {\bf
players may {\em never} lie to anybody about anything}}.  For fairness,
all of your characters are defined to be fairly familiar with Lovecraft's
works, so players may not lie to each other about what is in the stories,
and you should tell someone if they ask and you know.  You may also ask the
GMs about anything in Lovecraft.

\paragraph{Torture} 
Torture is amusing but inefficient.  Unless you have something special
available to you, you have no way of really forcing the person to give you
information.  Even trained agents can be broken, but it will probably take
much more time than you have.  In a torture situation, the torturer will 
describe the chosen method of persuasion to the victim, who will then
role-play accordingly.  This means that it is entirely up to the victim what,
if anything, he will say, and how much truth it contains.

Special abilities may alter these conditions; if so, they will contain the 
appropriate information.

\paragraph{Drugs}
If your character knows, you'll know.  Things like truth serum will contain
appropriate information on the paper in the ingestible's envelope.

\section{Special Abilities} 
Certain people will have special abilities listed on their ability sheet.
If necessary, there will be an associated greensheet explaining how to use
the ability.  Some special abilities may modify the basic rules. You cannot
tell someone, for instance, ``I have a Swimming ability,'' you may,
however, tell them that you're a good swimmer.  Your character may in fact
tell someone you are a good swimmer even if you do not have the ability,
but if you actually have to swim, you won't be able to.

There are three general types of abilities.  Some abilities, such as
``Electronics,'' are simply listed on your ability sheet. Most of these are
fairly straightforward. Their effects and uses are descriped on the ability
sheet.

Some abilities cannot be adequately described in a few lines. These
abilities will have an associated Greensheet which explains in greater
detail how to use the ability, both as a character and as a player, and
what the ability allows you to do. If you have such an ability, it will be
listed on the ability sheet with a note to ``See Greensheet.''
If you have such an ability but are missing the Greensheet, see a GM.

Finally, some abilities, for example, ``Seduction,'' have a card to
play.  If you have such an ability, it will be listed so on your ability
sheet; make sure you have the appropriate card.  To use such an ability,
you show the card to the player on whom you are using the ability, and
the card will describe its effects. Note that some abilities have
limitations on when you may use them; be sure to heed these limitations.
{\em Ability cards do not usually describe the ability fully --- only what
the victim can discern.}

If your ability has a card, you should show it to the target if at all 
possible.  However, if you are in combat, or your character is holding a gun
in each hand, or similar circumstances make this very difficult, it is
sufficient to just say what the effects are.  Be sure to give {\em all} the
information on the victim side of the card, including type of ability if given
and any special markings on that side of the card.

\section{Control Room} 

The Control Room for this game will be 37-232.  There is no Control Room 
during Game Break.  Friday the 15th there should be at least one GM logged
on to answer questions from 1pm until 6pm, when game action starts
and the control room becomes 37-232.

For those of you new to Assassin, the Control Room is a good
place to look for a GM. It is where we keep all the nifty things that you
shouldn't see, as well as where we will probably eat and sleep for most of
game. Do not go in there without a GM's permission.  It is a good
place to deliver food to.

If you need to see a GM for one reason or another, there will be a {\bf
queue} in a room near the control room. We'll try to be competent about
checking that room often to see if there are players waiting for us, but
please forgive us if we're slow. We're only human.  Typically the Queue Room
will be the same as the Lounge; when it is not, the queue room is NOT a 
legal place to hold in-game conversations or carry out in-game actions.  If you
have to see a GM and you are Not Here, you should put your name on the queue
and loiter in the hallway rather than be in the Lounge if there are people
around who might be doing things.

If you want to just hang out with other characters, try the Lovecraft Lounge
(technically the Virginia M. Lofton Lounge, but everyone calls it the Lovecraft
Lounge). This is a legal game location.  It will be 37-212 (right next to
37-232) except before 6pm on the 20th (during game break) and before 6pm on
the 22nd (someone else is using the room).  It is the place students, faculty,
staff, and visitors usually hang out.  Note that you {\em can} be shot there, 
but that's the chance you take.  The Lounge is considered to be NPC-free --- 
that is, no virtual people will be there (and no non-players should be in 
there, either, but treat them normally if they are).

All public meetings will be held in 35-225 unless specified otherwise.  
Eldritch Horrors has it reserved from 6pm on from Jan 14th - Jan 24th.

\section{Other Combat Card Stats}

\subsection{Sanity} 

Two of the attributes on your combat card are Insanity and Stability.  These 
are player information; your character does not know it unless you have some 
appropriate skill, so you usually may not discuss it as a point value.  You 
may, of course, say things like, ``I'm perfectly sane'' or ``I'm nuttier than
a fruitcake'' if you so desire.  Average Stability is 10; standard deviation
is one-half.

Effects of insanity come in stages.  A sane person has Insanity 0
and is at Stage 0, which has no effects.  At Insanity = 1 * Stability you 
are at Stage 1.  At Insanity = 3 * Stability Stage 2, at 6 * Stability 
Stage 3, at 10 * Stability Stage 4, etc --- you hit Stage N at (0 + 1 + 2 + 
... + N) times Stability, so the farther reaches are much harder to get to.

Your Pinksheet has a Quirks section on it.  If you are not sane, one or more
of these will be readable; anything they say about you is true, and represents
the effects of your insanity.  After the readable Quirks will be those for
stages of insanity you have not yet reached.  These will be rotated one letter
backward (ie ``a'' instead of ``b'').  DO NOT read these until instructed to
do so!  This code is not for you to break but to keep you from accidentally
reading them.  When you hit a new stage of insanity, decode the Quirk for
that stage; it is now true of you.  You should also try to see a GM sometime 
soon after hitting a new stage, but it's not urgent.

In general, things that cause insanity do so only the first time they are
experienced.  I.e. if you see something and it drives you insane, you should
assume that it does not do so on subsequent sightings, unless specified 
otherwise.  {\em Abilities} that people may have to make you go insane are 
always of the repeated type unless it's just from the person looking strange; 
that is, if someone has a card-type ability to make you gain Insanity and it's
not because of their strange appearance, it works on you even if it's worked 
before (the card will specify this).

\subsection{Alpha, Beta, Gamma}

Three of the stats on your combat card are $\alpha$, $\beta$, and $\gamma$.
These represent something most people don't know about; you don't either unless
told otherwise.  You may not discuss these scores unless your character knows
about them.  However, you may still ``spend'' alpha, beta, and gamma, without
knowing what they are.

The stats listed are your {\em maximum}; like hit points, your current may be
other than your maximum at any given time.  Unless specified otherwise, 
anything that refers to these scores refers to your current scores, not your
maximums.

You may spend any of these whenever you have more than zero of it.  You may
hold an item and spend 5 alpha at it, spend 10 beta into the air, or spend
7 gamma while someone is holding your hand.  You may also spend a score 
without saying how much; this will only do anything if you are in a situation
where something tells you it does something.  For instance, you may find a
candy bar in game with an envelope labeled, ``open this if you spend alpha
while eating the candy bar.''  If and only if you decide to spend alpha while
eating the bar, open the envelope; it may say something like ``you spend five
alpha and the candy bar tastes really good, if you have at least that much
alpha; drop your alpha to zero, if not.''  In general, you will know when
and how it is appropriate to use these stats.

Whenever your current score in any of these is below your maximum it recovers.
Recovery rate is one for every hour awake or twelve minutes asleep.

Other things may alter these scores, of course.

\section{Miscellaneous}

\subsection{Fleeing in Horror}

There are some things so nasty that when you encounter them you might run away
in horror as well as maybe going insane.  Such things will say ``Flee in 
Horror level \#'' somewhere.  If the level is greater than your Stability,
you Flee in Horror for one minute per point of difference; otherwise you are
unaffected (although it looks scary).

While Fleeing in Horror you move as quickly as possible (character runs;
player {\em walks}) {\bf away} from whatever scared you.  You are clearly
horrified and fleeing.  You can scream ({\em quietly enough not to disturb
NPCs}) or babble incoherently about what scared you, but attempt no other
communication.  You may not do anything else except what is absolutely 
necessary --- do not pick things up, do not attack people, do not stop and
look around, do not use special abilities, etc, etc.  You are not thinking of
anything except getting the hell away.  If attacked, you may defend normally,
and counterattack if cornered, but you will attempt to escape as soon as 
possible.

When the time is up you are normal again.  Note that in general, like
Insanity-inducing things, things that make you Flee in Horror only do so
the first time you encounter them.  If you encounter it again do not Flee in
Horror unless specified otherwise.  {\em Abilities} that people may have to 
make you Flee in Horror are always of the repeated type unless it's just from
the person looking strange; that is, if someone has a card-type ability to
make you Flee in Horror and it's not because of their strange appearance, it
works on you even if it's worked before (the card will specify this).

\subsection{Plague}

As mentioned in the blurb and recent history, there's a plague going on at
MisTech. {\em Pink} cards are Plague cards.  If you see one within ten feet
of you you MUST pick it up unless you know otherwise.  Read it and follow the 
instructions.  If you are {\em given} a Plague card by a GM or another player
you must also read it and follow the instructions unless you know otherwise.

\subsection{More about name badges}

Name badges in Eldritch Horrors contain the following information:

\begin{itemize}
\item {\bf Number} This is the large three-digit number on the badge.  It
has no in-game meaning.

\item {\bf Character's name} in large type.

\item {\bf Player's name} in smaller italic type.

\item {\bf Age} This represents approximately how old a character looks.  It is
your best guess; you might tell someone, ``Oh, John's about 45 years old,''
even though he might actually be younger or older.

\item {\bf Appearance} This will be one or more adjectives describing the
character's obvious physical appearance, just after the apparent age.

\end{itemize}

\subsection{Appearance Cards} 

Everyone has an appearance card.  After spending at least twenty minutes 
continuously in close proximity to a character, you may ask to see his or her
card.  It will usually have something written on it.  It will probably be
meaningless to you; it may trigger a memory packet.  Note that the character
then realizes that your character was peering intently for the past twenty
minutes, as does anyone around, so you might want to have an excuse ready
for being nosy.  Your appearance card should be kept in your badge holder.
You may look at your own appearance card (if you want, stare in a mirror for
twenty minutes first).

\subsection{Locks}

Lots of rooms are locked. In fact, any room with anything interesting
inside is probably locked.  As has been mentioned, MisTech has better security
than MassTech.  In general locks are key locks.

A locked door will have a sticker on the edge, near the bottom.  Make
sure you check before entering.  Most lock stickers will have numbers
and/or letters on them; a key with a matching combination of numbers and
letters will open the door.  If a lock sticker has something other than
numbers and letters on it, you cannot open the door unless you know
otherwise.  You can't tell what's holding the door shut -- it just won't
open for some reason.  If a door has multiple lock stickers, you must
have a key for or otherwise be able to get past each of them to open the
door from the outside.  All lock stickers for this game will say
``Horrors'' on them.

Lock stickers with numbers do not prevent you from opening the door from 
inside the room unless otherwise specified (the jail, for instance).  Lock
stickers without numbers prevent the door from being opened at all unless you
know otherwise.

The Morgue (16-134) is accessible only from the Med Center (16-136) as it is
actually part of it.  The door from 16-134 to the corridor does not exist
ingame.  The door between 16-134 and 16-136 is locked; you can go freely
from the Morgue to the Med Center but not vice versa.  The Med Center itself
is not kept locked; there are always NPC doctors there.

People's rooms are also locked.  You should have a room key for your own
room.

\subsection{Money}

Cash in Eldritch Horrors is represented by Yen bills from {\em Storms of 
Change.}.  Players may not fake these.  The denominations in yen are large;
the printed number is the value in {\em cents.}  A 100-yen bill is actually
a 1-dollar bill ingame.

\subsection{Headbands}

A headband indicates that the wearer does not look as one would expect.  Please
do not wear a headband during game, especially while Here and near game areas,
except for game purposes.  White headbands indicate that the wearer is a ghost,
GM, or game mommy.  If the white headband is their only one, they are Not Here.
Thus you can tell at a glance who the non-players are.  If the ghost/GM is 
also wearing another headband, it means the same for them as it does for a 
player to be wearing it.  A GM/ghost wearing a {\em green} headband represents
a normal-looking NPC.

Colored headbands mean different things.  When you see someone wearing an
unfamiliar color headband, you should ask (from a safe distance) what you see.
Every headband of the same color means the same thing, so you only have to
ask about red headbands once, but if you then see someone with a blue 
headband, ask again.  Combinations of headbands have seperate meanings; 
except for white, they don't just add.  Ie ``white and blue'' equals ``white''
and ``blue'' but ``red and blue'' does not equal ``red'' and ``blue.''

\subsection{States}

Normally you are in no ``states'' (or ``have no states'').  Various things may
cause you to enter or leave a state; these will indicate ``you are in A-state
for five hours,'' ``you are in B-state until you eat,'' etc.  If you are in
a state, entering another state doesn't make you leave the previous one (that
is, you can be in multiple states at once).  This is player
information; do not discuss it in character unless your character has some
reason to know about it.  You must keep track of what states you are in.

\subsection{Computers} 

When using the computer system, please keep in mind that this is a
role-playing game, based on personal interactions, not a computer hacking
contest.  Computers should, therefore, be considered as an aid to
playing in the game rather than as the point of it.  In general, the GMs
will be glad to show you how to do most normal things.

Computers may {\bf not} be used for anything which is illegal at MIT, in
Massachusetts (although it is permissible to sleep with one), or the
United States.  This includes looking at someone else's files without
his express permission, even if he has left them world-readable,
grabbing his screen, and just about anything else that the average user
would object to.  Possession of privileges in real life, whether
rightfully yours or acquired through more creative means, does not
confer them in the game.

The computer system of MisTech is Minerva, a system remarkably like Athena.
You may use Minerva for anything Athena may legally (by anyone) be used for.
Please cc game email to horrors@athena.  Email is secure; only the GMs will
get to read this, but it gives them a good way to know what's going on in
game.  (In games where email is not secure no-one sends anything interesting
by it, so the insecurity becomes pointless, in the GMs' opinion.)

Playing in this game in no way exempts you from the standard rules of
terminal room etiquette; being in a terminal room in no way exempts you
from the rules on dealing with non-players. If you have a loud
conversation, take it out in the hall.  Be willing to surrender your
terminal to someone with real work to do.  Use common sense here, and err
on the side of caution.  It wouldn't take many more complaints to get us
kicked out of all of the terminal rooms permanently.  {\bf NO} combat may
take place in an Athena cluster.  Other game action may begin in Athena
clusters if their are no non-players present, but should be relocated
elsewhere as soon as possible for the sake of courtesy.

In addition, do not leave your terminal screensaved for extended periods of
time.  If you will be gone longer than a half hour, log out.  The GMs
reserve the right to reboot workstations that have been left unattended for
long periods, especially if there is a shortage of available workstations.
Also note that Athena staffers (and others) have been known to
automatically reboot machines left screensaved for twenty mintues.

If you have any questions about what may or may not be done on the
computer, contact a GM.  We reserve the right to cruelly over-react to
any abuses of the computer systems, whether the abuse is one of computer
use or terminal room courtesy.

You probably want to subscribe to instance eldritch-horrors for this game.  Add
these lines to your .cshrc.mine file:

zctl sub message eldritch-horrors \*

alias zeh 'zwrite -i eldritch-horrors -s ``[character name]'''

Then use zeh to write to eldritch-horrors as your character.

\subsection{Information}

These rules, the playerlist, the history, and a summary of Lovecraft's works
are all online.  To access, type

attach jemorris

cd /mit/jemorris/Public/Horrors

\section{Closing Notes}

These rules are imperfect, and poorly typed.  Because of these
imperfections, we reserve the right to violate the letter of these rules in
order to preserve their spirit.  We hope that these rules are reasonably
clear, but if you have any doubts about our interpretation, talk it over
with us in advance.  By doing this, you may avoid honest mistakes that
appear to be intentional.  {\bf ALL GM RULINGS ARE FINAL, REGARDLESS OF
WHAT THE RULES SAY.} We reserve the right to expel from the game anyone
whom we believe to be violating the spirit of the rules or the game.

Let us also add that, as much as we hate to admit it, we GMs are human:
when all of our carefully laid plans collapse, we may lose our cool.
Remember, the best way to deal with people is by remaining calm and
friendly. Offering food doesn't hurt either.

We welcome any suggestions you may have on how to improve these rules
and the game in general.  This game has been in a constant state of
evolution since its humble beginnings as a circle game years ago.  It
has become what it is now because of people who cared enough to make
suggestions, and hopefully it will continue that improvement through
your help.

And so, good luck, and remember\ldots

\begin{center}
{\Large
TO ERR IS HUMAN\ldots

TO FORGIVE IS NOT OUR POLICY.
}
\end{center}

\end{document}




