Assassins: betrayal, murder, and spoons

Home News Assassins: betrayal, murder, and spoons

Seventy targets dead. Only three assassins remain: sophomores Mitchell Irmer, Casey McKee, and Matthew O’Sullivan. However, these three formed what they call a “guild,” a pact not to kill each other.

“We decided we wanted to do something kind of funky and stick it to the gamemaster [sophomore] Andy [Reuss],” O’Sullivan said.

The three tied their weapons – spoons – together with a note quoting Peeta from “The Hunger Games”:“We are more than just pieces in their games.”

The game, Assassins, began on Sept. 25 at 9 a.m. Reuss, the game-master, sent out an email with the objective, rules, and safe-zones of the game to all interested players in the Simpson Residence. Players had to eliminate their targets while also avoiding their assassins. After eliminating his target – by tagging him with a spoon to the torso – the assassin assumed the target of the player he just “killed.”

Reuss played the game at his high school and had heard of it being played at Hillsdale College in the past. So last year he regulated two rounds through the Simpson Bible study. This year he opened it up to all of Simpson. He said it is the largest round yet. Reuss regulates the game and handles all discrepancies over kills.

In response to the surrender of the “guild,” Reuss said that if they refuse to kill each other and produce a winner, he will resurrect everyone in the game until all three die.

“But I have confidence in the depravity of man,” he said. “I’m sure one of them will end up winning.”

Both Irmer and O’Sullivan mentioned a possible gladiatorial contest where the three members of the gild would fight to the end.

Junior Garrett Holt, the player with the most kills, isn’t happy with the trio’s truce.

“They are total losers,” he said. “I hope they kill each other

and use knives for the final three just to make up for their complete lack of effort.”

Holt totaled nine kills this round before being eliminated by O’Sullivan, who chased him down in an SUV while Holt was biking. O’Sullivan said he was determined to kill Holt after he faked his own death to fool his target sophomore Casey Harper into believing he was dead.

Holt claims Harper was mocking and taunting him for a while; therefore, Harper’s elimination became Holt’s most creative kill. After receiving information that Harper was studying in Mossey Library, Holt dressed up as Charlie the Charger mascot and proceeded to hug and high-five students in the library.

“I ran up and gave [Harper] a hug, and he was completely unassuming,” Holt said. “I slapped him on the back with the spoon in my hand and whispered ‘screw you’ in his ear. I pulled away and showed him the spoon.”

Harper described himself as “an unsuspecting victim.”

“I fell to my knees after,” he said. “You don’t understand how intense this game gets.”

Harper said that while he was alive he had his spoon on him at all times, either up his sleeve or in his pocket.

Reuss said the game is a sort of bonding activity, and that he will continue coordinating the game as long as there is interest.

“It’s a good thing for freshmen to get out and be super paranoid,” he said.

Holt had different sentiments about the game’s bonding quality.

“It creates an intense atmosphere of distrust,” he said. “You hate everybody and you don’t trust anyone. Casey Harper and me are mortal enemies now, because I don’t like him.”

He added that his animosity extends to O’Sullivan as well.

“I might smother him in his sleep,” he said.

After this round of Assassins, Reuss is contemplating giving the guys a break from their paranoia and starting a game for the on-campus girls in the next two weeks. He said he will gauge the interest from the women’s residencies and go from there.

If enough girls are interested, Reuss said he will consider a coed version of the game in the future, although the rules might be adjusted in such a case. Holt agreed, but is not opposed to a coed game.

Holt said that more awkward situations might arise because of the essential stalking element of the game, especially because a lot of the killing takes place in the dorms.

“It would be a little weird dropping out of a ceiling tile onto a girl when she’s coming out of her room,” he said. “I don’t condone that.”