Wonderful rules allowing werewolves, vampires and priests into the game.

Guild Departments

The Officials

The game has two officials: Satan and the Bishop. Satan fulfils the same function as the Umpire in the standard Assassination Game, the Bisop that of the Chief of Police. Also required is a Necromanser, who is the equivalent of a News Editor.

Satan

Satan's function is to assign targets at random to all players before the game begins, and also to determine which players (a seventh of the total number) will begin the game as Werewolves. Satan informs each player of the name of his or her target, and tell the werewolves of their lycanthropic nature. Satan is obliged to accept the soul of any player who wishes to sell it: on death a player whose soul Satan has recieved becomes a Vampire. Satan must also be informed of any change in the Werewolf population: if a player is cured of, or infected by, lycanthropy Satan should be told. Satan must be informed of all murder attempts (especially any with possible delayed results), and of all deaths, including those by suicide. Deaths by zombification occur by means of a ritual which obliges the murderer to find Satan personally, and when this has occured Satan must inform the victim of his or her death. Satan will thus know at any time which of the players are Werewolves, Vampires, Zombies or just plain, ordinary dead.

None of this information is passed on to the bishop, except through the Necromancer. The Necromancer is Satan's mouthpiece, and publishes daily news of the progress of the game. Satan informs the Necromancer of killings, and of any information in the public domain concerning them. Typically, the news of a killing will give the circumstances of the death, but not the identity of the murderer, unless the killing was carried out in the official capacity by the Exorcists, or was carried out with wittnesses. However, a resurected Vampire is a valid witness to his or her own death, and if a murder victim is generally known to be working for a particular player as a Zombie this is sufficient proof of their guilt in killing them.

When a player dies, even if they are scueduled to become a Vampire or Zombie after their death, they are removed from the circle of victims, and their murderer is assigned a new victim. The Undead have no designated victims: Zombies serve a master or mistress and no longer have a life of their own, and Vampires kill at random, as the whim takes them, although this is to fulfil an innate need for blood. Satan informs the surviving players of any change in the identity of their victim. the game continues until a prearranged date, or else until everybody has died once (ie, is either dead or Undead). Satan should also keep track of the last blood consumed by each Vampire, and inform them of when they are weakened by blood starvation, and when they eventually crumble to dust.

As usual, Satan has the discretion to declare any killing invalid. These will include any, especially, in which it is deemed that a Zombie has acted outside it's intellectual capabilities. No penalty is imposed on those who kill players other than their designated victims, as this is thoroughly in the spirit of the game.

The Bishop

The Bishop is the leader of the Siblinghood of Exorcists, dedicated to obliterating the forces of darkness. The Exorcists have a duty to track down and kill all Vampires, Werewolves and Zombies, and the Bishop is expected to direct them in this. Vampires and Zombies are to be destroyed by means of Holy Water. Werewolves are to be killed by any means available: on the night of, and day following, the full moon, when they are both deadly and invulnerable, they will first have to be weakened with Holy Water.

The Bishop is naturally not privvy to Satan's secrets, and thus has no access to any information, other than that published bythe Necromancer. This means that the Exorcists must be particularly zealous and vigilant in tracking down evil, and also that they will be constantly on the lookout for anyone willing to betray their neighbour with information...

There are certain crimes for which the Exorcists face the ultimate penalty of excommunication. These are: selling one's soul to Satan, curing a Werewolf of lycanthropy (except at a full moon, when this is necessary to kill them, and a dispensation applies), harbouring (ie, failing to report the existence of) a Werewolf or one of the Undead, or failing to report such a crime perpetrated by a brother or sister Exorcist. The Bishop is zealous in the cause of rightiousness, and will excommunicate any Exorcist who is even suspected of committing such a crime. The excommunicated are stripped of their status as Exorcists, and it becomes the holy duty of their former brothers and sisters to hunt down and destroy them at the Bishop's discretion.

The Exorcists are quite aware of the need for occasional killing: thus no Exorcist will face any penalty for killing their assigned victims, although those killing other players (except, of course, those players who have sold their soul to Satan) may also be excommunicated at the Bishop's discretion.

The Necromancer

The Necromancer is Satan's mouthpiece, and the only official source of information for the Bishop and the players. The Necromancer is expected to publish up-to-date daily news on the Game's progress, as instructed by Satan. This should include accurate sunset times for the next few days. The Necromancer can be a player, but must have a lot of time on his or her hands.

The Players

Humans

At the beginning of the Game, all players are Human. Humans may kill and be killed by a limited number of standard Assassination Game methods: knives, poison and contact poison, all of which weapons behave according to the standard rules. Guns and bombs, and any other standard weapon not listed here, are not permitted. It is perfectly possible to pass through the Game without having any involvement with the supernatural.

Humans may also kill by zombification (see below), after which they are able to control the reanimated corpse of their victim: large armies of zombies may be created and maintained by this method.

Any Human may sell his or her soul to Satan in order to become a Vampire. A player who does so remains Human up to the point of their death, although they are protected from zombification by Satan, and are unable to enter Holy Ground. They are still unharmed by Holy Water. After their death (which may be by suicide, although Satan must still be informed of it), they become a Vampire.

Human players also have the choice of contacting the Bishop in order to become Exorcists.

Exorcists

Exorcists serve the Bishop directly. Their function is to track down and destroy all Vampires, Zombies and Werewolves. They can create Holy Water, up to a limit of a litre a day. The Exorcists have a hierarchy of command controlled by the Bishop: below the Bishop are Archdeacons, below them ordinary Exorcists. The Exorcists have only the babblings of the Necromancer to rely on for information, as the Bishop is given no privileged knowledge regarding killings. It is thus vital that an Exorcist is constantly vigilant and devious in sniffing out evil wherever it is to be found, and encouraging the righteous to betray their neighbours into their hands.

Exorcists are forbidden to sell their soul to Satan, or to kill by zombification. It is the holy duty of any Exorcist who suspects a brother or sister Exorcist of serving evil in either of these ways, or of being a Werewolf, to report him or her to the Bishop. Any Exorcist whom the Bishop suspects of committing such a crime will be excommunicated: he or she will cease to be an Exorcist, and it is the holy duty of the other Exorcists to hunt them down. In these matters, the Bishop's decision is final.

Werewolves

As the Game starts, a seventh of the Human players, (determined at random, and known only to Satan and themselves) are Werewolves. Werewolves appear Human to the other players, act as ordinary Humans, and have similar abilities. They may kill by zombification, or sell their souls in order to become Vampires on death. They may even become Exorcists, as the Bishop will not be aware of which Humans are Werewolves and which are not. However, a Werewolf's nature is contaminated by evil, and as an Exorcist he or she may not create Holy Water: if they attempt to do so, it will not work, so a Werewolf Exorcist will have his or her work cut out to remain undetected. Initially, a Werewolf acts as a Human, killing according to the same rules of the Game. They may create new Werewolves by biting Humans: this is represented by kissing, and both Satan and the new Werewolf must be informed of the change in their status.

A Werewolf may not enter Holy Ground (although his or her passage does not create Cursed Ground). Holy Water does not kill them: instead, it cures their lycanthropy and reduces them to the status and abilities of an ordinary Human player. Satan must be informed of any such alteration. Werewolves may be killed by any of the usual methods used against Humans, including zombification.

The advantage to being a Werewolf comes at the full moon. [In the first game played by these rules, the date of the first full moon will be Saturday 1 June, Saturday of Sixth Week.] For this night and the subsequent day (sunset to sunset) the Werewolves take on their animal form. For this night and day they are immune to all methods of killing (including zombification and attack by Zombies or Vampires), and can kill Humans by a mere touch, at which the victim's guts will be designated to have been messily ripped out. They cannot kill Vampires, Zombies or other Werewolves in this way. They are still reduced to ordinary Human status by Holy Water. After the second sunset the Werewolves return to their usual Human state.

The Undead

Vampires

When a Human dies who is due to become a Vampire after death, they do not rise from the grave until the sunset of the day following their death (thus if a Human who has sold her soul dies at 3am on Tuesday, she rises at sunset on Tuesday: if she is killed at 10am on Tuesday she rises at sunset on Wednesday). A Werewolf who becomes a Vampire has only the abilities and limitations of any other Vampire: effectively becoming a Vampire means one ceases to be a Werewolf.

Vampires may use the standard methods of killing, including zombification. In addition, Vampires may kill by draining all the blood from their victim. This is represented symbolically by kissing the victim on the neck, and can be accomplished by seduction, blackmail, surprise or any other reasonable method, although Vampires excel in seduction. Any Human killed by vampiric bloodsucking will themselves rise as a Vampire at sunset on the following day. A Vampire cannot kill another Vampire or a Zombie in this way.

Vampires have an insatiable appetite for blood, and must suck dry at least one victim every three days in order to survive, although they are of course at liberty to kill many more than this. A Vampire who has not killed in this manner for three days becomes weakened, loses his or her invulnerability to ordinary methods of killing, and may not kill by any method other than the sucking of blood. On the seventh day after a Vampire's last meal of blood, he or she crumbles to dust and cannot be resurrected. Vampires are immune to all standard methods of killing. Theoretically, a Vampire can only be killed by being beheaded after a stake is thrust through his or her heart. In practice, another player can immobilise a Vampire by any of the methods below. After this the Vampire will be deemed to have been despatched by the other player while unconscious (unless for reasons of their own the player chooses not to do so, in which case the Vampire remains inert until the next sunset). If killed, a Vampire cannot be resurrected as either a Vampire or a Zombie. A Vampire is immobilised if he or she:

          a) consumes any item containing garlic,
          b) comes into direct physical contact with a cross or Holy
                                                                Water,
          or
          c) is exposed to direct sunlight. Players who are currently
              Vampires will be deemed to be shielded from the sunlight
              during the day if they are wearing a large hat.

No other method of killing is effective when applied to a Vampire. One Vampire may kill another by any of the above methods, although they may find them hazardous, and might render themselves unconscious by accident (in which case they will be at the mercy of any player whom they encounter before sunset).

Vampires can be prevented from passing through a door or other possible entrance to a room by attaching a bulb of garlic above this entrance. Vampires are unable to handle garlic, and thus cannot remove such an impediment themselves, although of course they may use Zombies or accomplices. They are also unable to enter Holy Ground. Any area a Vampire does enter becomes Cursed Ground.

Zombies

Killing by zombification is difficult but rewarding, as it provides one with a near-indestructible slave for one's further murderous activities. Zombification is effective against all Humans, including Werewolves. Werewolf Zombies are indistinguishable from other Zombies, and have no particular unique powers. In order to turn another player into a Zombie, a player must first obtain an item intimately connected with the victim. Some texts claim that even a piece of soil over which the victim's shadow has passed will suffice, but for the purposes of the Game there are two options: some kind of bodily secretion or excrescence, such as sweat, blood, hair or nail-clippings; or alternatively an intimate object, such as an item or jewellery or clothing, stolen from the victim's person. Various rituals must them be enacted upon this item, which for our purposes consist mainly of summoning (finding) Satan and proving that the theft has taken place. At this point, the victim dies, a fact of which Satan will notify them as soon as possible. On the sunset of the following day (see above), they rise from the grave as a Zombie. Zombies are obliged to follow the commands of their controller (though only where such commands relate to the game, obviously...). They have no will or initiative of their own, being entirely under the control of their master or mistress. This means that they must carry out their controller's instructions to the letter, leaving no room for adaptation to changing circumstances. Any killing in which Satan deems a Zombie to have shown initiative will be declared invalid. Zombies can use all the standard Human methods of killing, but are also possessed of immense strength. This means that they are able to crush their victims to death by hugging them: as soon as a Zombie has got his or her arms around a victim, the victim is deemed to have been killed. A Zombie cannot kill another Zombie in this manner.

Zombies are immune to all standard methods of killing. However, they disintegrate into dust if exposed to Holy Water, and cannot be reconstituted. On the death of its master, a Zombie returns to its grave and is allowed to rest in peace. Zombies are unable to enter Holy Ground. Any area they do enter becomes Cursed Ground.

Theological features

Holy Water

Any Exorcist may bless water to render it Holy, up to a limit of a litre a day. Holy water renders Vampires unconscious (after which they may be immediately dispatched), and causes Zombies to disintegrate immediately into dust. It cures Werewolves of their lycanthropy. Water pistols primed with Holy Water may therefore be used as weapons against the Undead, though to Human players they are simply water pistols. Holy Water must be sprinkled throughout a room after any visitation from the Undead, or the room becomes Cursed Ground.

Holy Ground

A large cross placed prominently inside a room renders it Holy (unless the room is unpurified Cursed Ground, in which case it remains Cursed). College chapels and churches are also Holy Ground. The Undead, Werewolves and any Human who has sold his or her soul to Satan, may not enter Holy Ground. (Any player who genuinely wants to attend a particular church service may apply for special and limited dispensation from Satan).

Cursed Ground

A room which has been visited by member of the Undead (though not a Werewolf) becomes Cursed Ground. Any Human player sleeping the night on Cursed Ground dies. A curse can only be lifted by securing the services of an Exorcist with some Holy Water.

Scoring

The points system in any individual game is, as always, at the discretion of Satan. The following are merely suggested guidelines.

Humans (including Exorcists and Werewolves):
Killing one's victim by a non-supernatural method: 4 points
Killing one's victim by zombification: 8 points
Killing one's victim using a Zombie: 2 points
Killing a random player by a non-supernatural method: 2 points
Killing a random player by zombification: 4 points
Killing a random player using a Zombie: 1 point
Killing a Vampire: 8 points
Killing a Zombie: 8 points
Killing a Werewolf at the time of the full moon: 8 points
Surviving each ordinary day: 2 points
Surviving the time of the full moon: 10 points
Getting killed: -5 points
Committing suicide: -10 points

Exorcists:
Killing an excommunicate: 4 points

Werewolves:
Killing anybody at all at the time of the full moon: 4 points

Vampires:
Rising as a Vampire: 5 points
Killing by a non-supernatural method: 2 points
Killing by the draining of blood: 4 points
Surviving each ordinary day: 1 point

Zombies:
Rising as a Zombie: -5 points
Killing one's controller's victim: 2 points
Killing a random player at one's controller's command: 1 point
Surviving each ordinary day: 1 point

If Satan finds it amusing, it can also be determined which of the deceased players goes to Heaven and which to Hell. Simply count up the numbers of salvation points each has scored ("killing" includes designated victims: God doesn't discriminate...). If the result is positive, the player goes to Heaven. If negative, to Hell. If the result is zero, they go to Limbo for being boring.

Being cured of lycanthropy: 2 salvation points
Dying on Holy Ground: 1 salvation point
Killing a player who has sold his or her soul: 1 salvation point
Killing an excommunicate: 1 salvation point
Killing a Werewolf: 1 salvation point
Killing a Zombie: 1 salvation point
Killing a Vampire: 2 salvation points
Killing a player who is none of the above: -1 salvation point
Killing on Holy Ground: -1 salvation point
Dying on Cursed Ground: -1 salvation point
Rising as a Zombie: -1 salvation point
Suicide: -2 salvation points
Killing by zombification: -2 salvation points
Being a Werewolf: -2 salvation points

Joining the Exorcists invalidates all the above and guarantees salvation, unless you have committed a crime worthy of excommunication (even if the Bishop didn't find out, God knows...). Selling your soul ensures your damnation, and makes Hell inevitable.