The bagel necklaces, the pocketed stuffed animals, the Caesarean leaf crowns. Frantic victims running from attackers armed with socks.
This scene has become familiar on Grounds in the past few weeks, as most of the first-year dorms have set up their own Assassins tournaments, arranging for all interested residents to partake in a game that might be described as a cross between hide-and-go-seek and tag. But perhaps the most easily recognizable feature of the game is the immunity.
"The immunities are what make people want to play or not want to play, and they keep the game going, so I tried to make them entertaining," said Jenni Allen, second-year College student and Resident Advisor. Allen was Metcalf's Assassins coordinator -- she assigned each player someone to kill, kept track of the murders and mediated technical arguments.
Immunities save players in the game from getting "killed" -- anything from shaving one's head to carrying a phone book can keep a player in the game. Meanwhile, each person is assigned someone to "kill," whom they must strike with a sock at a time when the victim displays no immunity. To keep the challenge fresh, the immunity changes on a regular basis.
Players who are least embarrassed about the immunities find the most success in the game.
"It started out being just something to do, but once I made a fool of myself with the immunities, I had to win," said first-year Engineering student and Assassins winner Heather Gardner.
First-year Engineering student Adam Giannini, who had forgotten he was playing, had a different viewpoint. "I'm too lazy. They wouldn't leave me alone so I signed up. I don't wear the immunities because anyone could kill you in the moment you take it off -- it's not worth it."
As some point out, Assassins is so well known around Grounds that the immunities are recognizable and not completely embarrassing. Upperclassmen don't seem to be surprised either, as they recall their own days of towel heads and "kick me" signs.
For first years, the unusual accessories took a while to catch on. First-year College student Sarah Dupee recalled a story about a girl at a First Year Fellowship meeting who walked to the front of the room with a phone book in her hand. A confused member asked, "Is she insecure about her height?"
"It's all about being crazy and not caring, but it's a sort of unified craziness," Dupee said.
Perhaps it is this "unified craziness" that helps the first years adjust to dorm life and bond with dormmates.
"The biggest purpose of this game is to establish dorm unity," Allen agreed. "The game forces you to interact and it also displays how outgoing you are -- when you see someone wearing a toga, it reveals something about that person."
The game also serves as a way for dorm residents to get to know one another. The sort of desperation that stems from the urgency to identify one's assigned victim causes one to learn a face that he or she won't easily forget. This is especially true if that face belongs to an immuned player who must be stalked relentlessly before a moment of weakness allows for murder.
"The game was really creative and definitely bonded a lot of people that didn't know each other before," first-year Engineering Student Graham Schnaars said.
While many have attested to the importance of learning names and getting to know dormmates in the process, certain tensions arise from the competitive nature of the murderous game. First-year Engineering student Steve Yang, coordinator of Maupin's Assassins game, said he thinks the game is more about the competition than the prize money. He adds that many are very technical about the rules and sometimes "get a little too excited."
Allen agreed: "I had to clear up the issue of how to kill someone in the dorm room, and there were also arguments about dealing with drunk people."
Some Assassins players admit to forming alliances or having a "hit man" do the job for them; others display fake names on the front of their doors. Whatever the strategy, there's no doubt that the who-you-know aspect plays a big role in this friendly killing game.
After her killer made a critical flaw in identifying her victim, first-year College student Eileen Kim had the help of her roommates during an unexpected high-speed sock chase.
"I ran all the way to the AFC one night when my killer spotted me on my way to O-Hill. She had mistaken me for a hallmate, so I had time to start running. When I got to the AFC, I realized she was waiting for me at the dining hall, so I ran back to the dorm and my hallmates had my immunity [a towel to be worn as a cape] waiting for me," Kim said.
On the offensive end of Assassins, first-year College student Mary Talbert had a frustrating encounter with her victim at Arch's, when her assigned kill escaped to the bathroom and had her roommate guard the door. According to Talbert, her victim was able to make the day's immunity -- a sign that said, "Sometimes I just get the urge to wear a sign" -- using paper towels, hair ribbon, her keys and a pen. She triumphantly exited the restroom equipped with a fresh immunity, leaving Talbert hopeless.
Others used creative strategies to learn their quarry's identity. "One guy went around with a fake petition so that he could learn every player's name and dorm room," third-year Commerce student and Resident Advisor Matt Davis said.
Schnaars simply regrets, "I didn't run fast enough."
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