----- The Games of Mayhem and Ultimate Mayhem ----- David MacKay and Davin Yap Darwin College February 6th 1995 ----- Mayhem ------ There shall be N teams, for example N=2. Each team should have at least two players. The more the better. There shall be N reservoirs, one per team. (e.g. a dustbin full of water) There shall be N home buckets, one per team. (e.g. a large bucket) The reservoir and home bucket of each team shall be on opposite corners of a square (if N=2) of a regular hexagon (if N=3) or of the appropriate regular polygon (N>3). The playing area has no boundaries. Object of the game ------------------ The aim of the game is to fill one's home bucket to overflowing within the rules of the game. Equipment and string -------------------- Every player shall have a long shoelace tied several times round their right ankle. (This is not obligatory, but is needed to be a fully functional player) Each team shall have at the start of the game a set of moveable equipment in addition to their home bucket and reservoir (which they are not permitted to move). For example, a small bucket or two and a one litre bottle. The starting equipment should be pretty similar for all teams. Round each homebucket a circular exclusion zone may be defined. Only players from that team are permitted in the exclusion zone. Player status ------------- Players are either alone or tied up. If you are tied up, then one of your ankles is tied to the ankle of another player (presumably on your team). [Ankles are only tied together given the consent of both parties. You can tie or untie yourselves whenever you want. If you want, you can be tied up in a group of more than two people.] A 'group' will now refer to a set of players who are tied up together. Any particular player is in one of six states Alone + Empty-handed Alone + Carrying a piece of equipment Alone + Carrying water Tied up Tied up in a group that is carrying equipment (if anyone in your group is carrying equipment) Tied up in a group that is carrying water IF you are Alone + empty-handed then you must have one hand on the ground, at all times, and must move about on hands and knees or hands and feet if you are some sort of mutant. IF you are Alone and carrying water OR tied up and carrying water, then you are not allowed to move your feet. IF you are Alone and carrying a piece of equipment (that does not contain water) then you can move around in any way you wish. IF you are tied up, or tied up and carrying equipment, then you can move around in any way you wish - but those ankles must stay tied together! EXCEPT - no-one is permitted to step on or over anyone else. (So creative empty-handed individuals may be tempted to form chains of bodies lying on the ground, for example, obstructing the progress of the other team, and hopefully not your own.) [Note this rule does not forbid the passing of equipment and water over people. Just stepping over.] ----------------- Water ----- You are not allowed to take water out of other teams' reservoirs. Or from any other source of water. If you are carrying equipment and you are at your own team's reservoir then you may fill your piece of equipment from the reservoir. {If a reservoir becomes empty you may go and fill the reservoir from a nearby river. No cheating!} Obviously you then become a player who is carrying water, so then you are not allowed to move your feet. Bummer! So maybe someone carrying nothing crawls up to you. Then you can give your water-containing vessel to them. Or empty it into an empty vessel carried by another player if you want. Or throw your vessel, or the water to (at?) them. You may pass your water or your equipment to anyone you want. Probably only passing it to people on your team is the best idea. Then you can crawl a few yards and have it back from them, or whatever you want. Creative water-transporting techniques are expected to emerge. The game is a 'non-contact' game, with the exception of shoulder tapping Shoulder Tapping ---------------- If a group taps a lone player on the shoulder, then that player must surrender whatever equipment or water they are carrying to the group. If a group taps another group on the shoulder, then the tapped group loses its equipment and water to the tappers, BUT ONLY IF the tapped group has FEWER players tied up in it. Whichever team's bucket overflows first is the winner. ----- Ultimate Mayhem ----- The rules are identical to the rules of Mayhem with the addition of one or more frisbees. Anyone can throw a frisbee anywhere they want (eg to someone on their own team). If you are holding the frisbee, you may not move your feet. But all the other rules of mayhem apply to you. If the frisbee is stationary on the ground then anyone can pick it up (unlike real Ultimate); whoever touches it first, if two people are going for it, is entitled to the disc. No snatching! When the frisbee is in the air or moving along the ground, you can attempt to catch it or intercept it, but always subject to the other rules of Mayhem - one hand on the ground, or whatever. Whoever catches the disc is entitled to it. [Just touching a moving disc doesn't entitle you to the disc.] You can throw it to yourself if you want, but remember that you are only allowed to run around if you are tied up in a group or carrying an empty piece of equipment. The object of the game remains as in Mayhem. There is one additional rule, to motivate the frisbee business: If the frisbee lands in any team's home bucket, then a member of that team must empty that bucket back into any one of the reservoirs. The bucket emptying person is temporarily out of the game, and is allowed to carry the bucket to and from the reservoir without the rules of Mayhem applying. Stealing water or the home bucket from the bucket emptying person is not permitted. Note that the exclusion zones can be defined such that getting the disc in a home bucket is a difficult feat. Alternatively a bigger frisbee exclusion zone can be established if there seems to be a need for a larger distance. Hee hee! ----------- that's it, version 0.1. If you play this game, let us know how it works. mackay@mrao.cam.ac.uk, dscy1@cus.cam.ac.uk.