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{\main Jamaharet}\\
{\arab Trhmj}\\
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{\Large Basic Rules}\\
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These are the rules, and it will be assumed that you have read them.
Follow the spirit of the rules, governed by common sense.  A reminder:
{\bf When a GM contradicts the rules, the GM is right.}  If you do not
follow the rules and abide by the wishes of the GMs, you will be
removed from the game.  Play nice.  {\smdrag Jamaharet} is copyright
\copyright 1995 by Cyrus Eyster, Stephanie Rosch, Nathan Sanders, and
Nathan Williams.  It has been written under the auspices of the MIT
Assassins' Guild.  All rights reserved.

\section{The Packet}

There are lots of things in your packet.  You should open it and at
least look through it to make sure you have everything that is
supposed to be there.

\subsection{Character Sheet} 
This pink sheet of paper is a description of your character's history,
personality, and goals.  You should read this.  It also has a list of
things that should be in your packet.  If they aren't, contact a GM.

\subsection{Badge Holder and Badge}  
 The badge holder is spiffy.  It costs money.  Don't lose it.  Return
 it when the game is over.  The badge is a piece of paper with a
 number, your character name, and a brief physical description of your
 character.  The number on characters' badges are relatively
 important.  The last two digits represent the character's apparent
 age, while the first digit represents the character's class (obvious
 by posture, clothing, jewelry and other adornments, etc.).  Badge
 numbers xx00 are characters who have no apparent ages in human terms.
 Badge numbers 0xxx are dressed as holy men, 1xxx as royalty, 2xxx as
 nobility, 3xxx as servants.  Anything else is non-human and has no
 apparent class structure.  The second digit is used to distinguish
 characters who match in class and age.

\subsection{Statistics Card} 
 This card has a matrix of nine statistics on it.  {\stat MA}, {\stat
MD}, and {\stat HP} are described in the section on combat, and {\stat
SA} and {\stat SR} are described in the section on seduction.  The
remaining statistics $\omega$, $\mu$, $\delta$, and $\sigma$ are
special scores that, unless you know otherwise, mean nothing.  The
stats on this card should match those on your character sheet.

\subsection{Bluesheets}  
These are groups sheets that provide common histories and goals for
groups of characters.  You should read them before reading your
character sheet.  Anything written in your character sheet supersedes
anything written in bluesheets.

\subsection{Greensheets}  
These describe mechanics.  Anything that goes beyond the bounds of
this set of rules will probably be mentioned in a greensheet, or have
one of its own.

\subsection{Ability Cards}  
These two-sided cards describe special actions that your character can
do.  One side tells you the conditions of the ability, as well as the
effect, while one side tells only the perceived effect to outsiders.

\subsection{Memory Packets}  
These small manila envelopes have words, phrases, or numbers written
on them, called the trigger.  When your character sees or hears the
trigger, you may open the appropriate memory packet.  You cannot act
on the fact that you have a memory packet, i.e. don't go searching for
``a red door with engraved gold decorations''.

\subsection{Item Cards}  
These cards represent items.  You should also go to the GMs and get a
physical representation for the item as well, and affix the item card
to the phys rep before game starts.  In the case that a card get
separated from a phys rep, the {\em card} represents the item until a
new phys rep can be found.  Phys reps do {\em not} exist in game
without an item card.

\section{The Real World$^{\rm TM}$}

\subsection{Non-Players}  
There may be non-players (NPs) in the game area.  Rule \#1 of the
Guild is {\bf DON'T PISS OFF THE NPS!!!}  This just can't be
emphasized enough.  Don't do any game action in front of them.  Don't
talk about game stuff in front of them.  Don't act goofy in front of
them.  If they get mad at us, Bad Things$^{\rm TM}$ might happen.

If an NP walks into game area, {\em stop} game action and conversation
immediately, and call ``NP halt!''  Remain halted until the NP has
left the area, then resume (usually with a three count if something
interesting was going on).  If other players wander in in the middle
of a halt, quickly tell them that they are now in the halt as well.

\subsection{Other Stuff}

Bathrooms are not in-game.  Do not hide in them.  Do not stash items
in them.  Do not have combat in them.  Do not hold game conversations
in them.  If you have to go, go, but you can't stall there.

Real world laws still apply to you (no matter what your ego tells
you).  If you damage property, it's your responsibility.  If you kill
someone, you have to go to trial for it.  Don't blame the Guild if you
break real laws.

And if you deliberately use any of these rules to affect the game, the
GMs will be immensely pissed and will do Horrible Things$^{\rm TM}$ to
you.

Really.

\section{Combat}  
Combat is really simple.  You have three relevant scores (all listed
on your stat card), {\stat MA}, {\stat MD}, and {\stat HP}.  When you
wish to attack someone in hand-to-hand combat, you must first be
within zone of control (you should be close enough or closer to touch
their hands if you both extend your arms out).  The attacker announces
``Martial attack''.  If the defender declares ``Martial defense'' or
``Martial attack'' within two seconds, a normal combat round
occurs. Also note the other special combat instances below.

\subsection{Normal Combat Round}  
Both players must now play Rock, Paper, Scissors (RPS).  Someone calls
out ``1...2...3!''  On three, both players show a symbol.  Rock beats
Scissors, Scissors beats Paper, Paper beats Rock.  Whoever wins tells
the other person any number up to or equal to their {\stat MA}.
Clearly, if you're out to kill someone, you should probably use the
full value.  If the winner's {\stat MA} is higher than the loser's
{\stat MD}, she loses points from her {\stat HP} equal to the
difference.  If the damage taken doesn't drop the loser to 0 {\stat
HP}, combat continues as above.

\subsection{Surprise}  
If the defender fails to say ``Martial defense'' or ``Martial
attack'', she is surprised.  A character who is surprised
automatically loses RPS, but still retains her value for {\stat MD}.
Combat then continues normally.

\subsection{Waylaying}  
If the attacker attacks from behind the defender, the defender should
hold her arms out as far back as possible with the palms facing
outward.  If the attacker is standing within the arc formed by the
defender's arms, the defender has been waylaid.  If not, the attack is
a normal one.  Waylaying is a powerful sneak attack.  Anyone who is
waylaid takes full damage from the attacker with no defense.  The
attacker picks a number up to his {\stat MA} and tells the defender,
who then subtracts it from her {\stat HP}.  The defender may then turn
around and continue normal combat.

\subsection{Weapons}  
Unless you are trained otherwise, weapons only add +1 to your {\stat
MA}.  This goes for anything you might want to use as a blunt weapon,
including chairs, tables, rocks, whatever.  If you plan on using
something as a blunt weapon, see a GM first to be sure it's okay.
Plain black foam boffers are used as phys reps for blunt objects.
Boffers with colored tape around one end represent scimitars, with the
colored end representing the blade.  If you know how to gain benefits
from a scimitar (other than +1 {\stat MA}), you will have an ability
card that says so.

Throwing knives are represented by patrol (dart) guns.  The gun itself
is not here.  Don't take any action based on the fact that you see
someone with one.  If you are hit by a dart, you take 1 {\stat HP} of
damage.  You may dodge darts. Some skilled people are more adept at
their use and may cause more damage.  They will tell you if you take
more damage than normal.

\subsection{Running Away}  
If a character decides she doesn't want to be fighting anymore, she
can say that she is running away.  This means the attacker gets a free
attack as if the defender had been surprised.  Once this attack has
occurred, the defender (if still conscious) is out of zone of control.

\subsection{Multi-person Combat}  
This really isn't that difficult.  If you have more than one person
involved in combat (each of them must say ``Martial Attack'' or
``Martial Defense''), each participant must choose a target by
pointing her RPS fist at the target.  You can only have one target.
If two people choose the same target, she plays RPS with the one she
is pointing at, with standard results for normal combat.  The other
combat counts as surprise (i.e. the result is the same as if she lost
RPS).  Thus, ganging up on someone has a clear advantage: you get at
least one automatic hit.  Note that if one of the attacker's in a
multi-person combat is in a position to waylay the defender, waylay
rules apply rather than surprise rules.

\subsection{Other Things}  
If a character wants to do some other complex action (turning around
doesn't count, but drawing a weapon or picking something off the
ground does), the same rules apply as for running away: the defender
is treated as if surprised.  Combat continues as normal.

\section{Hit Points, Unconsciousness, Healing, and Death}  
When your {\stat HP} falls to a non-positive number (zero or lower),
you are unconscious.  You will wake up in ten minutes with 1 {\stat
HP}.  You will regain one more point every half-hour afterwards.

You can be killed.  If someone comes up to you and says ``Killing
blow'', and no one stops them within two seconds (by stepping into
zone of control and saying something to the effect of ``I stop you'')
or your character is unable to stop them (unconscious or tied up),
then you are dead.  End of story.  Thank you for playing.

\section{Seduction}

Anyone in game can try to seduce characters.  Each character have two
statistics, {\stat SA} (seduction ability) and {\stat SR} (seduction
resistance).  To seduce someone, the seducer must be engaged in
one-on-one conversation with the seducee for five minutes without
interruption.  After five minutes, the seducer tells the seducee that
she has tried seduction and tells him the seducer's {\stat SA} (or any
lower positive integer).  If the defender's {\stat SR} is lower than
the number the seducer gave him, the defender has been seduced;
otherwise, he can refuse to be seduced or accept.  The difference in
the two scores is the amount of time in minutes the seducer has to
find a suitable spot (i.e. private) for sex.  The seducee does {\em
not} give out his {\stat SR}.  The time limit for finding a suitable
place should be kept secret.

If no suitable spot has been found, the seduced character is now free
of the seduction and may leave, if desired.  He may also decide to
continue, pretending to be seduced.  Anyone who successfully defended
against seduction may also leave at any time.  Once a suitable place
has been found, sex begins, and lasts for ten minutes (or until
interrupted by someone else).  After sex, both players may look at
each others' items.

For the purposes of this game, all characters are assumed to be
heterosexual.  Unless otherwise specified, every character's {\stat
SR} is infinite versus characters of the same gender.

\section{Carrying Things}

Every item card that has no colored dots on it is a zero-dot item.
Wherever the phys rep can be put, the item can be put.  Item cards
with one or more dots are non-concealable and must always be carried
openly (even if the phys rep can be concealed).  It takes one hand per
dot to carry an item, so a normal person can only carry one two-dot
item, or two one-dot items.  Characters can work together to carry
multi-dot items.

An item that has one dot more than makes it allowed to be carried can
be dragged.  For instance, a normal human can drag a three-dot item,
and two humans working together can drag a five-dot item.  Human
bodies are three-dot items.  Items may be put into containers which
have at least as many dots as the item.

\section{Locks}

To unlock a lock, you must have a key whose item number matches the
lock's item number in the last two digits.  Otherwise, there is no way
to open something that is locked.  Smashing or burning a locked
container destroys the contents as well.

\section{Fire and Water}

Flammable objects (wood, cloth, paper, etc.) that come in contact with
fire will burst into flame.  It takes five minutes per dot for an item
to be consumed with fire.  Zero-dot items are consumed instantly.  It
takes an additional five minutes after being consumed to be destroyed
and turned to ash.  Zero-dot fires can be extinguised by stamping on
them, rubbing them in the sand, etc.  All other fires require water,
five gallons per dot.

\section{Game Area}

The game area takes place in buildings 1, 3, and 5, on the second and
third floors.  The second floor represents the surroundings of the
Oasis of Bitter Tears (grassy, trees here and there) with the rooms
representing tents.  The third floor is the Imam's temple.  The first
floor, the fourth floor, and higher floors do not exist in game.
Building 7 does not exist in game, so do not use the Infinite Corridor
to go between buildings 3 and 5.

\section{Weird Stuff}

There are two mechanics that have out-of-game representations.  The
first is magic, which is represented by a foam pellet.  If you are hit
by a foam pellet, the person casting the spell will tell you the
effect.

The other mechanic is colored headbands.  There are two colors: white
and red.  A white headband represents an observer, a non-player that
has been officially recognized to watch the game.  Observer's cannot
interact with characters, and if you don't want an observer around,
you may ask them to leave.  Red headbands represent non-human
characters.  This includes animals, djinn, and monsters.  If you see a
red headband, ask the person wearing it what they see.

\section{Final Words}

Thanks to Michelle Goldberg, our Game Mommy$^{\rm TM}$ , and Mike
Person, our zampolit-no-really-that's-all-I-am, for all their help,
words of wisdom, encouraging speeches, rants about the good old days,
and hitting Nathan when he deserved it.

Thanks to Ranjana Mitra for providing the initial motivation for this
game, as well as moral support in getting it off the ground.

Thanks to the MIT Assassins' Guild for giving us their
auspices...whatever those are.

Thanks to you for playing.

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