-=++=- G A M E O F C H A O S by The Pack (http://www.angelfire.com/wa/berserk/index.html) Information Collected & Edited by Urso Soulwarden of Shrouding Mists The Power is a fast-paced game of skill and stamina. In this game, the hunted and the hunter switch positions frequently as one person attempts to fend off the attacks of up to a dozen others. Fortunately, there are no lives in this game and no way to become shattered. And yes, there is a way to win. If you don't run out of breath first, that is. Players 3-12 Purpose 1 - Build skill with all forms of melee and thrown weaponry. 2 - Build battlefield stamina. 3 - Train new players in hit recognition. (See Rule #7) Rules of Play Stage One: The Choosing All of the beginning participants of The Power arrange in a circle, much like a melee for captains before a normal battlegame. All of them gain 1 point of full-body natural armor for that battle only. The winner of this battle is the first person to have The Power. Stage Two: The Game of Chaos This stage is simple. If you do not have The Power, you attempt to chase down the person that does and kill him or her. If you do so, you have The Power, and it's your turn to defend yourself against everyone else. Whenever the power changes ownership, all wounds are healed and all killed people are returned to life. Keep in mind that it is possible to get The Power back by landing a kill-shot on the person who just took it from you. Rules and Clarifications 1 - No magic or relics allowed. Relic weapons are treated as normal weapons. 2 - Any person playing the power may use ANY melee weapon and shield. Also, any player can pick up and use any throwing weapon, regardless of class. Bows, crossbows, and any other type of non-throwing projectile weapons are prohibited. 3 - Armor (worn, natural, invulnerable, or other) does not count. 4 - All weapons deal 1 point of damage, regardless of size or other factors. 5 - The only person who may wound and kill someone who does not possess The Power is the person that currently owns it. All other hits are ignored. 6 - Subdual blows are not allowed. 7 - Rhinohiding may well result in the offending player being banned from the game. In a fast-paced exercise such as The Power, not taking your hits can and will interrupt the flow of the game and raise tempers, and is therefore strictly prohibited. 8 - To win this game, the person owning The Power must kill everyone else on the field twice without losing The Power. After he or she has done so once, all players come back to life and the game resumes as normal. After he or she has done so twice, that person has won the game. 9 - New players may join The Power simply by announcing that they are joining the game. Players may leave The Power at any time simply by leaving the field or sheathing/stashing their weapons and announcing that they are becoming a spectator. Variations 1 - Marathon Man In this variation, being hit in the leg does destroy that leg, but does not affect walking and running ability. One caution - this can make for incredibly nasty games, especially if there are a lot of pokeys on the field. 2 - Berserker Battle All players gain 1 point of sectional natural armor. This is renewed whenever The Power changes ownership. Whenever a person gains ownership of The Power, that person gains 2 points of sectional natural armor until he or she has been killed. In this variation, red weapons deal 2 points of damage, and will destroy shields as normal. 3 - Tournament All players must use the same style of weaponry. Possible styles include single blade, dual blade, blade n' board, pokey, phalanx (pokey n' board), and two-handed blade. Use of projectile weapons in this variation is prohibited. 4 - Streetfight Players may only use daggers and throwing daggers. Upon gaining The Power, the new owner gains 2 luck points as per the Duelist class. Caution - Due to close contact, there is a fair chance of actual injury with this variation, therefore this is suggested for experienced fighters only.