Scenario and Rules:


A notes before our event begins.

First, if you have not had the opportunity to be
in one of these events before: please don't take
anything that is said or done personally.  Most
of your fellow guests are very nice people, but
they may not be portraying very nice
characters.  If people are sharp, short, or
sarcastic, remember that they are merely role-
playing. 

Likewise, feel free to let yourself go as much
as you feel comfortable.  Remember you are
someone else and may have good reason to
hate (or even love) some of the people around
you.  All in all, the characters are not a very
savory lot though, so if you run into someone
you don't know, please don't hold their
attitude against them.  REMEMBER THE
PERSON YOU ARE PLAYING IS NOT
YOURSELF. Your character may be
thoroughly vile, wretched, and is likely to be
at least villainous and venal.  Of such stuff is
homicide made.  Some of you may find
yourselves in romantic plots opposite people
you don't know.  Usually there is some
character reason to act with a degree of
reserve.  Under any circumstances, play such
parts as strongly as you feel comfortable, and
be aware if you are making the other person
involved uncomfortable.  Likewise you may be
in a position to do grievous harm to someone
you do know.  Remember, we are playing
here, and no one means any harm.  If there
were no treachery and confrontation, there
would be little excitement.  This is not a game
where anyone wins, save by causing as much
drama as possible.

Finally, be free with what you know. 
Obviously you shouldn't blurt out private
information at the drop of a hat, but if you do
not make critical confidences and foolishly
forget yourself, then information will not
circulate, and our little mystery will be a duller
thing.  Use any opportunity to gossip,
especially with those you trust.  

1987

The setting for our event is October 1987,
primarily because that was the year it was first
written.  If you need a quick update, 1987 was
both the pinnacle of the Reagan era, and the
beginning of the end. 1987 was the year of the
first trillion dollar budget and the first
widespread condom ads, and the first year that
the Dow Jones closed above 2000.00.  1987
was also the year of the Tower Commission
Report, Iran Contra hearings, and the U.S.S.
Stark incident.  Here on October 24, we are
just six days past the resounding 508 point
crash of October 19.  Yesterday, Congress
rejected Robert Bork as Reagan's Supreme
Court nominee.   
                                       
Scenario

You have been invited to attend a birthday
party at the country house of Mr. Grant
Cochran, and have apparently chosen to attend.

The house lies in rural Virginia, several hours
south of the Capital.  The exit is off of U.S.
81, near a popular ski resort, but the last
dozen miles of the journey are a wrenching
trip up and down a badly paved secondary
road around the side of Cider Mtn.  The only
access to the immediate area is an aging WWII
temporary bridge that spans a violent river.

Getting in was no real problem.  It was still
somewhat light. However the river was already
swollen and red with mud, and conditions were
deteriorating rapidly.  It will not be easy to get
back out again.

If you have never participated in an Interactive
Literature event before, or even if you have,
please observe a few notes about this game.

The game is quite serious and emotional.  For
that reason, you are requested to arrive in
character, and to remain in character
throughout the evening.  Try to remember this,
and converse in character with the character
your other acquaintances are playing, not with
the player, whom you know.  

The Game will not be stopped for any reason. 
Any sickness or injury, no matter how severe,
will be treated in character, including situations
which require evacuation.  For this reason, we
advise that you remain healthy.  Please be
advised that, except in the case of serious
injuries, we will not allow you to leave.  The
murder should culminate around midnight, so
do not plan to leave before midnight.

Try to avoid actually killing anyone....

...it would be...awkward.


"Enjoy" yourself...

The Rules


Characters:

You have received a character hint which gives
you some information on your character.  At
game time (or earlier) you will receive a more
detailed "character sheet."  This will detail
things that you believe to be true, as well as
telling you more about your background, and
connections.  

You are the character in the sheet.  Within
reason you should feel free to improvise on
details not found in your sheet.  Use common
sense and discretion.  If you went to school
with someone, it is certainly not unreasonable
to say "remember the time we got caught
cheating on Dr. Filbert's exam?"  You would
not, however want to make up things like
"remember the time we were mercenaries in
South America and killed a hundred people." 
Discretion.  Common sense.  The point is to
join the other characters in creating the
common fabric of a work of Interactive
Literature: the more elaborately embroidered
the better. 

If someone makes something up which
conflicts with your character sheet, let them
back out gracefully.  If they for example place
you at the World Polo Championship in
Eczuma Mexico, and your character sheet
specifically says that you did not qualify for
the world Polo Championship that year, try not
to blurt out "No my character sheet says that's
impossible!"  Demurrals such as "I think
maybe you have me confused with someone
else," or "No, I think it was the year after
that," are good ways to maintain the ongoing
elaboration of background without bringing
everything crashing to a halt.

Your Host

Your host will act as "Gamemaster" (GM) if it
is required for them to adjudicate the results of
combat between participants, or any other acts. 
Your host will designate someone else to act as
a "back up" if they are unavailable.

In general, the GM's do not do anything other
than referee the results of altercations.  If you
absolutely need to ask them a question, try and
be discrete.  Try to work with the knowledge
you have, and consult a GM only if you have
really serious problems understanding what is
going on.  

If you have to consult with a GM, try to have
specific questions and be brief.

Remember to try to get information from other
players before you ask a GM out of character,
or better ask a GM in character.  For example,
if you can't remember if the upstairs is an off
limits area for interaction, rather than pulling
aside a GM and asking "Is the upstairs off
limits" you might ask the GM's character. 
"Say, do I remember seeing a stairway in the
front when I came in." To which you might
get the reply "No, the house is single level",
or "Yes but it only goes to the crawl space."

The Site

Do not break
Do not fold, spindle or mutilate the site.  This
may require some slight curtailment of
complete realism.  For example, no matter
how frustrated your character is, you should
not begin tossing the crockery about in a rage. 

Out of game locations
On doors, exits, etc. leading to places that do
not exist within the framework of the game,
there may be a card telling you what you see
instead.  IE: "There is no stairway here, just a
blank wall"

Mechanics

There is only one non-combat game mechanic
in this murder.  From time to time you may
see pastel-colored cards, taped or secured face
down around the house.  If you can look at
one or more of these cards, you will have
information telling you this.  If you have not
specifically been told that you can look at such
cards, then do not read them.

These cards simulate certain special
knowledge.  If you see someone reading a
card, then what you have seen is that person
carefully scrutinizing the vicinity of the card. 
You cannot tell what they learned, but if you
notice them reading the card, you are able to
notice that they were paying close attention.

Weapons and Fighting

How to fight

To fight with another person, please
pantomime attacking them, in slow, or
relatively slow motion.  Do not strike them, or
wrestle with them.  If you want to do
something like throw them against a wall, say
"I'm throwing you against the wall."  Try to
pantomime combat safely.  The GMs will give
you slack if you favor safety over form.

A GM will tell you what has happened to you
based on our knowledge of relative character
strengths etc.  If you are injured and should
fall down please do so unless you are
physically incapable of doing so.   

Weapons

Please do not bring any "weapons" real or
otherwise, unless you have been specifically
instructed you to.  If you need a weapon, it
will be provided to you, on loan, by the GM. 
If you want to use a household item as a
weapon, you may pantomime it, but DO NOT
ACTUALLY THREATEN ANYONE WITH
A KNIFE OR OTHER DANGEROUS
IMPLEMENT.  If someone pantomimes
picking up a knife and coming at you, act like
they are holding a knife.

If you are assaulted by any weapon, please die
promptly, unless you have a weapon ready to
fight.  If there is an actual fight, your GM will
very quickly inform the loser by calling out
"Dead".  Please keep your dying comments to
a minimum.  We will try to be just, but please
expire promptly. 
If you see a weapon, assume for game
purposes that it is real, whether it looks like a
toy or not.  Likewise, do not panic if you see
a gun being pointed at you, as we have a
penchant for realistic props, and promise not to
use real live firearms.  
 
You may not actually be dead, your GMs will
tell you your actual condition, etc. when we
get a chance.

Characters that expire gracefully may be
allowed to re-enter the game in some capacity. 
There has never been an actual murder at one
of these events, and we would hate to have to
start with you.  There has been one serious
stab wound in a game of this type, and we
would hate to start a trend.  If you want to
attack someone with an object, pantomime
picking it up.  The GM's will try to take it
into account.  

TO REPEAT: ON NO ACCOUNT MAY
YOU BRANDISH REAL KNIVES, CLUBS,
BLUDGEONS, ETC. AT OTHER
PLAYERS.  ONLY WEAPONS PROVIDED
TO YOU BY A GM ARE SAFE TO
BRANDISH AT OTHER PLAYERS.     

Emergency:

If you have an emergency or last minute
difficulty, or need directions, please phone 

(   )____-_________
