A new scenario for KILLER: Kill Evil Stevie!

The Killer rulebook strongly suggests that you not play at conventions. There's so much potential for disruption. But it's so much FUN . . . and LARPS are becoming more and more popular at cons.

"Evil Stevie Must Die" is an attempt at creating a scenario that can work at conventions without MUCH disruption. There is only one legal target in the game . . . and that target is also the chief referee. Therefore, almost all the action happens within sight of the referee, which is good for several reasons. (For instance, if any areas need to be off limits to the game, he just stays away!) And there's no argument about whether the target was hit; if he says he was hit, he was.

We ran this for the first time at EarthGate in Lexington, Kentucky. We printed up 100 copies of the rules and distributed them in advance. We bought a few good Nerf brand weapons for the MIBs, and a batch of cheapo (but amazingly good, for the price) single-shot dart guns for the assassins to use.

The game ran all day Saturday. There were over 80 signups, but some of them were repeat plays. Evil Stevie died several times.

It went pretty well. We got back all but one of our dart guns, and almost all our darts. There were no injuries, property damage or serious incidents. We had one report of young morons running down a hall, far from Evil Stevie, and running into someone. And there was an unpleasant incident where a short-tempered referee of another game, accidentally hit by a soft dart, cursed at the clumsy shooter and tore the dart up. That's actually a pretty good "incident record" by LARP standards, but it would have been better if nothing at all happened.

Will we try it again? Sure, next time we find a convention brave or foolish enough to want the event. In the meantime, we present, for your reading pleasure . . .

Evil Stevie Must Die!

Unfortunately, he has many dedicated bodyguards (the Men In Black) and many lives (his clones just keep coming back). But for the good of humanity, for the preservation of all that is right and just, he must be killed and killed again, as often as necessary . . .

The Target

The official target is Steve Jackson. He will only be a target on Saturday (because that's the only day the game runs, DOH!). And he is only a legal target when he is wearing the big red-and-white targets on his chest and back. When in doubt, look.

Not all his clones are exact duplicates, and sometimes they even come out better looking than the original. If someone else (of either sex) is wearing the target AND the official convention badge that says "Evil Stevie," then that person IS Evil Stevie . . . the legal target. There will never be more than one Evil Stevie at a time.

There is no wounding in this game; any hit on limb, body or head is a kill. That goes for hits on you, too. Evil Stevie's bodyguards cannot be killed; don't bother shooting them. Yes, they can step in front of darts to protect their evil master.

After being killed, Evil Stevie will return in a few minutes and can then be killed again.

The Weapons

Evil Stevie can be killed in two ways:

1. With the dart gun you get by signing up . . . see below.
2. With any other Class A weapon from the new edition of Killer, if you are signed up to play AND by advance permission of any of the referees. No weapon is legal unless YOU have gotten permission to use it. Yes, that means we will know what to look out for. Believe it.

Signing Up

You may only sign up at [wherever]. You must leave a $3 deposit for your dart gun. After you kill Evil Stevie (or die trying) please return the gun as quickly as possible so someone else can use it. There will only be a dozen killers in play at any one time.

When you get your dart gun, you will also get a Killer sticker for your convention badge. Removing the sticker for any reason will kill YOU. You must wear your sticker at all times until you kill Evil Stevie or die (or drop out and return your gun). It's not a legal kill unless the sticker is plainly visible on your badge when you kill him. Yes, this makes it much harder . . .

People who have played once MAY play again, but new players will always get preference over repeaters if there is a waiting list.

How Is Evil Stevie Defended?

His bodyguards are the Men In Black (some of whom are not men, and some of whom are not in black). And their guns are better than yours.

The MIBs cannot just wander around wiping people out. They are only allowed to shoot if they see you wearing a Killer sticker within 20 feet of Evil Stevie, or carrying a gun or other known weapon within SIGHT of Evil Stevie, or if you rush at him in a scary way. Once they can legally shoot you, they can pursue you, but they won't pursue far (because that leaves Evil Stevie undefended). Once they give up pursuit, they can't attack you again until you meet one of the above requirements again.

The MIBs are all completely dedicated, and will jump in front of a dart to stop it. And they are not like ordinary mortals; bullets don't faze them. So there is no point in shooting the MIBs . . . they don't have to "die."

So I Can Die Too?

You bet. The game is rigged . . . Evil Stevie is a hard target.

If we shoot you before you kill Evil Stevie, you're dead. Game over, man. We will mark through your sticker. You're welcome to get another sticker and play again.

If you shoot another assassin, he is NOT dead, but YOU are dead. In fact, if you shoot ANYBODY but Evil Stevie or a MIB, you are dead.

If you TOUCH anybody (Evil Stevie, a MIB, another player, or a bystander), or put somebody else up to touching them as a distraction, you are subject to being declared dead. We won't call you on this rule unless we think the touch is rough, stupid, or offensive, but it is OUR call. (E.g., no knocking MIBs out of the way. And don't try having three badgeless friends pin Evil Stevie to the wall so you can shoot him. Cute idea, but no way.)

And if you shoot Steve when he's not wearing the target, you are dead.

So How Can I Kill Him?

Be patient. Wait until he and the MIBs are distracted and not looking at badges. Maybe you can ARRANGE a distraction. (Teamwork is legal, but remember, only one of you gets credit for the kill.) Of course, betraying another assassin is also a great distraction.

To succeed, you will probably have to be very subtle, or very lucky.

Yes, you could just get together with five or six other killers and rush him. It might work. Or the invulnerable MIBs might just walk over and waste the whole bunch of you. Remember the "we can waste anyone with a gun in sight of Evil Stevie" rule.

What If I Kill Him?

Then you will immediately, with great fanfare, be given an I KILLED EVIL STEVIE sticker for your badge. And the BEST kill of the day, in our entirely subjective opinion, will get a copy of the new edition of Killer, autographed "You got me!" by Evil Stevie himself.

Don't Do This Stuff

Don't shoot anybody but Evil Stevie. REALLY.

If he's not wearing the target, he's NOT Evil Stevie. See above.

Don't attempt an assassination at a time when you might kill or ANNOY a bystander.

Don't start unofficial games with our dart guns and get people mad at us.

In general, don't act like an idiot and get the game cancelled.

Variations:

MIBs could die, at least temporarily. But that makes them much less effective bodyguards, and encourages mad rushes of assassins. Plus, if they can't be killed, nobody ever has to worry about whether they were hit.

In our first game, Evil Stevie carried a gun and sometimes used it. But you could also play with an unarmed target. You don't see the President walking around with a sidearm . . .

There could be more than one legal target, as long as they were all referees and all equally prudent. This could even turn into a "Godfather" scenario, where players on each team can choose between bodyguarding their own Godfather or attacking the other. However, if you do that, bodyguards have to die. And they will.