70 Students to Play Assassin As 'Killer' Begins at Harvard

It's late at night. You're alone in your room. There's a knock at the door. You open it to find an FTD delivery man holding a bouquet of flowers. He reaches into his pocket and nonchalantly pulls out a blue water pistol. "You're dead," he says.

This strategy is one of the many available to the 70 registered participants in "Killer," a game of cloak-and-dagger intrigue organized by three freshmen. "Killer" and similar games known as "Murder" and "Assassin" are rapidly becoming a fad on the nation's campuses.

The object of "Killer" is "to kill without being killed." For a two-dollar registration fee, participants receive a plastic water pistol and an official entry card with the name of their intended target. To "kill" his victim, the assassin must show his water pistol and say. "You're dead."

Death

After he has killed his first victim, the murderer receives the name of his next target. He may kill as many victims as he likes, as long as no more than a total of four people witness the killings. The cycle continues until only one more assassin remains. The game can be played at any time of day--there are no "out-of-bound" hours.

"'Killer' will convert Harvard's tension into paranoia," Walter T. Burr '84, the game's on-campus organizer, said yesterday. Burr and his roommates Michael G. Ereli '84 and Richard D. Hegdal '84 began publicizing the game Thursday, distributing fliers in the Freshman Union and in freshman dorms.

The organizers are offering a $60 prize, two-thirds of which will go to the assassin with the most kills and the remainder to the final surviving participant. And additional $60 prize will be offered for the second game of "Killer," scheduled to begin March 1.

So far, registration fees have just about offset the cost of the guns and advertising, Burr said, adding that the three plan to use any profits to throw a party.

Enforcing the game's rules may be difficult, Burr said. "We have a secret system to catch the people who do cheat, although we can't prevent them from cheating," he added.

Would-be assassins greeted the challenge with enthusiasm. "It's inventive--out of the ordinary," one registered participant said. Another player agreed, "It sounds really amusing. Harvard is a boring place."

Burr said he thinks that "Killer" has been so well received because the game caters to Harvard students' competitiveness, adding. "Besides, it's a great way for people to meet each other."