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This is a teams variation on the Spy vs Spy round.
Somewhere there is a bomb. (I suggest a big mock-up in KAOS Corner). Along with the bomb there are a detonation code, a disarm code and the Premature Detonation track. The codes are alphabetic or numeric. The track is a series of boxes.
There are two teams. One is tasked with detonating the bomb correctly, the other with disarming it. Each member of each team is given an envelope containing a letter of the opposing teams' code, with a clue written on the outside. You may look at the contents of your own envelope, and share that information with the other members of your team if you wish.
Upon killing a member of the opposing team you take (only) their envelope and must as soon as practical return this to Q. If it contains the next letter of your team's code, this letter will be marked off. If it is the last letter of the code the round is over, your team wins. If it is not the next letter of the code a box will be marked off the Premature Detonation track. If the track runs out of boxes the round is over and both teams lose. Either way, the Letter and it's associated Clue become known by the team.
To respawn deceased agents return to Q who will issue them with another envelope for their team. In this way Q controls what letters are available. The number of letters in play need not match the number of letters in the code, or even be a complete set any given time. Importantly, at any one time there should if possible be more than one agent with a copy of the next letter in the other teams' code.
Clues
Clues take the form of a word or phrase written clearly on the envelope. Get enough clues and a team should be able to break the code which will enable them to identify what letter an enemy agent is carrying by getting a look at the envelope. Example codes might be
- the nth letter of the phrase (or from the end of the phrase)
- the doubled letter <- ie 't'
- the most common letter
- the first letter of the title of the song the lyric is from (some googling may be required)
Each teams' envelopes should use a different code.
There are 3 main ways of viewing clues
1. sneak a look at the envelope somehow (or hire/bribe someone to - usual rules regarding hiring mercenaries/spies apply, remember Q is eminently bribable and knows not only all the clues, but what they mean and who holds what envelope )
2. if you achieve a surprise or gullibility kill on an agent you may instead choose to look at their envelope. They then have a 5 minute immunity/invisibility to your team (if timing/honesty becomes an issue agents may need to start noting the time they made the 'kill' on the envelope and signing it).
3. You may at any other time negotiate the end of a battle by one side looking at the other side's envelope. Such negotiations must be carried out in good faith - no using the offer to lure your opponent out then killing them. (Stalling for time while your partner sneaks around behind them is probably allowable, but only as long as they sneaker remains unnoticed.) As above a 5 minute immunity/invisibility applies to the agent/s whose envelope has just been viewed. (This may be mutual in an I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours kind of a way.)
4. You might also duel for it - winner gets to see losers envelope.
The hard choices
1. The codes should share letters, so that at some point each team realises that they have in their possession the next letter they need, if they just execute the team member holding it. However if you execute a team member they are out of the round, leaving you a person down.
2. If the Premature Detonation track is running hot an agent who knows they have the next letter of the opposing teams' code may find themselves in a position where it is preferable to let themselves be killed (prolonging the round) than to kill opposing agents in self defence.
Accelerating the Premature Detonation track
If this round is run over multiple days the track should probably be shortened by some amount each night such that the bomb will go off at the end of the round. If the round is run over a day this could be each hour.
Q may also add/subtract boxes from the track at whim - perhaps as a reward for style kills, or as a penalty for bystander kills.
Likely flow
Stage one - lots of action on the Premature Detonation track as agents kill blind to get envelopes and match clues to letters with the occasional lucky strike at the beginning of the codes.
Stage two - lots of negotiations, surprise kills and ambushes as teams try to find out who has the next letter they need -without- advancing the track. Occasional flurries of activity on the track as targets are identified, hunting parties go out and team members who aren't next-in-line scramble to protect the target, resulting in deaths on both sides. Or one teams finds they need to kill off members of the other team just to bring a particular letter back into circulation.
Stage 3 - a potential surge in activity as one team falls behind and takes either of "damn the torpedoes" or "if we can't have it, neither can you" approaches and starts killing indiscriminately in desperation.
Variation
"The Mole" - each team starts with one (unknown) agent of the other team in their ranks, who will try to acquire and pass on information about letters and clues (and other plans) to their own team. If this agent is caught and executed they respawn on the other team as normal. If a loyal agent is executed on suspicion of being the mole their letter is handed to Q for processing and they are out of the round as per "Hard Choices" above.
~~~
This is what comes out of my brain at 4am.
Somewhere there is a bomb. (I suggest a big mock-up in KAOS Corner). Along with the bomb there are a detonation code, a disarm code and the Premature Detonation track. The codes are alphabetic or numeric. The track is a series of boxes.
There are two teams. One is tasked with detonating the bomb correctly, the other with disarming it. Each member of each team is given an envelope containing a letter of the opposing teams' code, with a clue written on the outside. You may look at the contents of your own envelope, and share that information with the other members of your team if you wish.
Upon killing a member of the opposing team you take (only) their envelope and must as soon as practical return this to Q. If it contains the next letter of your team's code, this letter will be marked off. If it is the last letter of the code the round is over, your team wins. If it is not the next letter of the code a box will be marked off the Premature Detonation track. If the track runs out of boxes the round is over and both teams lose. Either way, the Letter and it's associated Clue become known by the team.
To respawn deceased agents return to Q who will issue them with another envelope for their team. In this way Q controls what letters are available. The number of letters in play need not match the number of letters in the code, or even be a complete set any given time. Importantly, at any one time there should if possible be more than one agent with a copy of the next letter in the other teams' code.
Clues
Clues take the form of a word or phrase written clearly on the envelope. Get enough clues and a team should be able to break the code which will enable them to identify what letter an enemy agent is carrying by getting a look at the envelope. Example codes might be
- the nth letter of the phrase (or from the end of the phrase)
- the doubled letter <- ie 't'
- the most common letter
- the first letter of the title of the song the lyric is from (some googling may be required)
Each teams' envelopes should use a different code.
There are 3 main ways of viewing clues
1. sneak a look at the envelope somehow (or hire/bribe someone to - usual rules regarding hiring mercenaries/spies apply, remember Q is eminently bribable and knows not only all the clues, but what they mean and who holds what envelope )
2. if you achieve a surprise or gullibility kill on an agent you may instead choose to look at their envelope. They then have a 5 minute immunity/invisibility to your team (if timing/honesty becomes an issue agents may need to start noting the time they made the 'kill' on the envelope and signing it).
3. You may at any other time negotiate the end of a battle by one side looking at the other side's envelope. Such negotiations must be carried out in good faith - no using the offer to lure your opponent out then killing them. (Stalling for time while your partner sneaks around behind them is probably allowable, but only as long as they sneaker remains unnoticed.) As above a 5 minute immunity/invisibility applies to the agent/s whose envelope has just been viewed. (This may be mutual in an I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours kind of a way.)
4. You might also duel for it - winner gets to see losers envelope.
The hard choices
1. The codes should share letters, so that at some point each team realises that they have in their possession the next letter they need, if they just execute the team member holding it. However if you execute a team member they are out of the round, leaving you a person down.
2. If the Premature Detonation track is running hot an agent who knows they have the next letter of the opposing teams' code may find themselves in a position where it is preferable to let themselves be killed (prolonging the round) than to kill opposing agents in self defence.
Accelerating the Premature Detonation track
If this round is run over multiple days the track should probably be shortened by some amount each night such that the bomb will go off at the end of the round. If the round is run over a day this could be each hour.
Q may also add/subtract boxes from the track at whim - perhaps as a reward for style kills, or as a penalty for bystander kills.
Likely flow
Stage one - lots of action on the Premature Detonation track as agents kill blind to get envelopes and match clues to letters with the occasional lucky strike at the beginning of the codes.
Stage two - lots of negotiations, surprise kills and ambushes as teams try to find out who has the next letter they need -without- advancing the track. Occasional flurries of activity on the track as targets are identified, hunting parties go out and team members who aren't next-in-line scramble to protect the target, resulting in deaths on both sides. Or one teams finds they need to kill off members of the other team just to bring a particular letter back into circulation.
Stage 3 - a potential surge in activity as one team falls behind and takes either of "damn the torpedoes" or "if we can't have it, neither can you" approaches and starts killing indiscriminately in desperation.
Variation
"The Mole" - each team starts with one (unknown) agent of the other team in their ranks, who will try to acquire and pass on information about letters and clues (and other plans) to their own team. If this agent is caught and executed they respawn on the other team as normal. If a loyal agent is executed on suspicion of being the mole their letter is handed to Q for processing and they are out of the round as per "Hard Choices" above.
~~~
This is what comes out of my brain at 4am.
