Sock Murder Game

Two years ago I ran this game in my department with my friend Graeme. This year, Joelle and I have revived it a second time (with the hopes of it becoming an annual event). I originally played this game in residence during my undergrad. I took the rules as I remembered them (and check the internet a bit to confirm) and typed them up as follows:

Sock Murder Game Rules

Goal: To be the last man standing or to have the most kills.

1. Everyone will receive the name of their target on a slip of paper. You may only kill the person who is your target at that time. Your kill is not complete until you email Joelle or Kim with your target’s name and notice of their death.
2. The name of your target is confidential information. You cannot trade targets with anyone else.
3. You must hit your target with a sock to kill them. If you miss, they are not dead. Benefit of the doubt goes to the target.
4. Only you can kill your target (no ‘hired assassins’). You must be holding the sock when you hit your target. You cannot throw the sock at your target. You may ball up a second sock in the end of your sock, but you cannot put anything heavy into the sock. You cannot have your sock on your foot when you kill your target.
5. You cannot kill your target if anyone else in the game is present and can see either the killer or victim at the time of the kill.
6. Once your target is dead, their target becomes your new target. Dead players can still witness murders, so kills do not count when dead players are around.
7. Safe zones are areas where you cannot be killed. These include (on 1st floor MSB, or 2nd and 6th floor HMRC):
a. All labs.
b. Bathrooms, cold rooms and hot rooms.
c. Offices on these floors.
8. Both feet must be in the room for you to be safe. Additionally, if someone is actively working (i.e. carrying film to be developed, bacterial cultures to warm room, samples to cold room), they are also safe. If someone is carrying an empty tube around as an excuse to avoid being killed, they are not safe.
9. You can block a killing blow with any object that is not your body. For example, you can block it with a bag or a book, and as long as the sock does not touch any part of your body, you are still alive.
10. The game is in effect until a winner is declared, i.e., kills can be made anytime and anywhere (in exclusion of safe zones).
11. Kim and Joelle will solve all disputes, should they arise.

We charged people 2$ to play and managed to sign up 60 people. The prize money will be distributed to the 'Last Man Standing' and the person with the 'Most Kills'.
In the two days the game has been going (it started Monday), 20% of the people have been killed! People have taken to the game like crazy and it's progressing at a faster pace than the original two years ago. In fact, not only is my department very into the game, I got an email from another department that wants to start their own game and needed the rules from me. I feel like I will have started this legacy at U of A for the Sock Murder Game. Pretty cool, no?