The Sunday Stalker
Rules of Play

See also the separate sheets explaining legal regulations and expenses.

1 - Personel & Equipment

1.1    The game is played using two teams of six friends (Red Team and Blue Team).
1.2    Each team-member is randomly attributed one of six data-cards. These cards carry a rank-value: ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA, DELTA, EPSILON, or ZETA. Each team consequently has one member of each rank, but as each data-card looks physically the same, the team members do not as yet know their ranks.

1.3    Each team member has the following:

Data-card (containing rank data)
Card-swipe (piece of kit with two card-slots in it)
Camcorder (with 7 cartridges)
Zapper (radio-pulse device)
Battery-pack / pulse detector (in a colour-coated plastic back-pack / front-pack)
Pen and notepad
Compass
GPS tracker
Utility belt with map pouch, and holders for the card reader, card, compass, pen, zapper, camcorder media etc.
Each team is also given a selection of maps and £600 expenses (which must be fully accounted for).

1.4    The card is kept in the card-swipe. Removing the card will disable the player's battery-pack. See Section 5.
 

2 - Aims

2.1    To capture the "totem" of the opposing team between 7:00pm-8:45pm Sunday.
2.2    To rack up as much cash in the process.
 

3 - Set Up

3.1    The two teams are assigned starting locations an equal distance from each other and from their final destination (the Stalking Ground).
3.2    At their starting location, the team is given a map showing the area of Sunday's Stalking Ground. On it is marked the location of the team's totem, but not the opposition's. The totem will be placed in the shown location at 7pm on Sunday. Also marked on the map is a neutral HQ.
 

4 - Tasks & Filming

4.1a    Each team can rack up prize-money by performing tasks from a list (ie. getting a photograph taken of yourself with Shrewsbury's mayor).
4.1b    Tasks have different rewards dependent on their difficulty - anything from £10 to £500. The total possible value of the listed tasks is £15,000.

4.2    Teams may split up (into groups no smaller than pairs) in order to perform more tasks through the week.

4.3a    The carrying out of tasks must be filmed by at least one camera.
4.3b    Tasks that are not caught on film are invalid and will not be rewarded.
4.3c    It is only necesary for a task to be recorded by one team member, but two members must be involved (one to do the task and one to film it). Ghosted players can not take part (see below).

4.4    All team members must record the exterior of every building they enter as fully as possible.

4.5    Each team member must fill at least one cartridge with footage. The footage must contain at least one other player as much as is possible. £10 will be deducted for every minute of footage deemed wasted by the Editor. Wasted footage includes over-long shots of buildings, footage of inanimate objects etc.

4.6    In addition to tasks and entered buildings, the zapping and capture of opponents must also be filmed. See section 5.

4.7    Used and part-used cartridges must be handed in to the Runner at 9pm every day, when the team-members will be invited to watch the highlights of the opposition's footage for the previous day. Data cards will be read at this time to collate other data.

4.8    Tasks may be performed on any day except Sunday.
 

5 - Zapping and Capture Protocol

5.1    Any Active player accompanied by an Active player on the same team may "immobolise" or "zap" a player from the opposing team by firing a radio-pulse device (similar to a remote car-key) in the direction of the opponent's back-pack from within 100 metres. (See 5.14 below for definition of Active).

5.2a    Players must keep their detectors uncovered, and unobstructed. Covering backpacks and frontpacks will result in disqualification (see section 9).
5.2b    Detectors may be sheltered by natural phenomena such as wall and trees.

5.3    If the pack is zapped succesfully, the battery-pack in the backpack will cut out, disabling the camcorder, GPS and zapper of the victim. An alarm will also sound for 5 seconds.

5.4    Once the battery cuts out, the victim (Zappee) must stay where s/he is. The Zapper should approach the Zappee and the two players must insert their cards into the Zapper's card-swiper. The display will reveal the ranks of the two people involved.

The display of the card-swipe reads:

RED CARD     #
BLUE CARD   #
...where # is either +, - or =. If Red is the higher rank, then the display is:
RED CARD    +
BLUE CARD   -
If it is a tie then it reads:
RED CARD    =
BLUE CARD  =
5.4.1    If the Zapper is of a higher rank than the Zappee, the Zapper must confiscate any used or partly used camcorder cartridges held by the Zappee.

5.4.2    If the Zapper is of a lower rank than the Zappee, the Zapper's battery-pack will cut out and an alarm will sound. The Zapper must then hand his/her cartridges to the Zappee, along with both data-cards. The cards are inserted into the Zappee's machine, reactivating the battery pack.

5.4.3    If the Zapper and Zappee are of equal rank, the Zappee takes both cards and puts them in his/her machine, reactivating the battery pack. S/he then gives the Zapper his/her card back.

5.5a    Any tasks recorded on captured camcorder cartridges count for the capturer rather than the captured.
5.5b    Wasted footage on captured cartridges is not penalised.
5.5c    If two or more team members have recorded a task that appears on a captured cartridge, the task's money still goes to the capturer and not to the team that did the task.
5.5d    Any previously captured cartridges from the opposing team that have been acquired during the day are handed over alongside the player's own cartridges.
5.5e    The captured cartridges are retained by the victor of the exchange, as is the opponent's data-card.

5.6    The loser of the exchange is consequently left without batteries until 9pm when s/he will be reissued with a card of the same value by the Runner.

5.7a    Such encounters are the only way of establishing rank. They also provide an alternative to performing tasks.
5.7b    Captured cards are rewarded with £100 and should be handed in with cartridges at 9pm.

5.8    Zapping and Capture encounters should be filmed by the Zapper's team. The film should be taken by someone not involved in the encounter (ie. the partner of the Zapper, in the case of pairs).

5.9    On rare occasions, the Zapper and Zappee might get zapped by each other. This is not a major problem. In this case it doesn't matter whose machine is used for the card reading. The face-off continues in the same way.

5.10    The winner of a confrontation is not allowed to zap an opponent for a period of five minutes. The five minutes are timed following the card swipes.

5.11a    If the Zapper accidentally zaps more than one opponent ahead of the card swipe, s/he should zap the last zapped player again, reactivating him/her.
5.11b    The Zapper should then continue the confrontation with the first zapped player as outlined above.
5.11c    If the Zapper fails to reactivate any illegally zapped players, or fails to complete the card-swiping process, s/he will be disqualifed from the game. See Section 9.

5.12    The companion(s) of a Zappee should get out of the area quickly to avoid being zapped themselves.

5.13    If there are two pairs (AB and XY) and A zaps X while Y zaps B, the confrontations should be carried out one at a time so that both can be filmed.

5.14a    Players who have lost their data cards are said to be Ghosted.
5.14b    Players who still have their data cards are said to be Active.

5.15a    Any player who finds themself alone after escaping an encounter must seek out the rest of their team as quickly as possible.
5.15b    A lone player may not zap or carry out tasks.
5.15c    An Active player accompanied by a Ghosted player (and no other players) is bound by the same restraints as a lone player.
5.15d    Lone players may be zapped and captured.

5.16    Zappers do not work between 9pm and 7am. On Sunday they only work between 7pm and 8:45pm.
 

6 - Navigation & Logistics

6.1a    No player is alowed to re-enter a 1km square (as depicted on OS maps) having left it. So navigation should be well planned.
6.1b    Each player's GPS tracker will log their movements onto their data-card.
6.1c    Re-entry to a square incurrs a £500 fine for each player that re-enters.

6.2    Teams are encouraged to buy new OS maps as needed.

6.3a    Teams should pay for food, drink and lodgings using their expenses.
6.3b    If lodgings cannot be found before 9pm, teams may sleep in the back of the Runner's van.

6.4a    Teams may not use private transport or self-driven hire vehicles.
6.4b    They may however use public transport.
 

7 - Sunday Evening Play

7.1a    At 9pm on Saturday, all players exchange their camcorders and cartridges for headset radio-cameras.
7.1b    These are to be worn from 7pm on Sunday. Failure to do so results in disqualification and the associated measures relating to it as outlined in section 9.

7.2    Between 7:00-8:45pm the teams are invited to capture their opponents totems. Capturing the opponents' totem is the only way to ensure the banked prize-money.

7.3    All confrontational gameplay on Sunday must take place between 7:00-8:45pm in the Stalking Ground. Zappers are disabled ahead of 7pm on Sunday.

7.4a    The totem is placed in its location at 7pm. The totem is six inches high and may either be kept at the original position or carried in the utility belt of any player.
7.4b    The totem may not be moved to a new site and abandoned.
7.4c    Misuse of the totem is penalised by £500 per minute.
7.4d    Hiding the totem during a zapping confrontation may result in the team's disqualification.

7.5    Zapping confrontations work as before except lone Active players can zap, and players can work alone rather than in groups. The confrontations are filmed using the headset cameras.

7.6a    Captured players must hand over any captured data-cards and any totems they might have.
7.6b    If the players are of equal rank, the winner of the contest is whoever has the most captured data-cards.
7.6c    If they have equal numbers of data-cards, it is a draw, and nothing is swapped.

7.7    Ghosted players must head to the HQ to get a new data-card of the same value as their previous one.

7.8    At 8:45pm, the zapper equipment deactivates, and all players must head to the HQ as quickly as possible.
 

Determining the Winner and the Purse

8.1    If one team has both totems, they win whichever is the higher amount from "all the cash they banked during the week" or "£100 for each captured data-card during the Sunday game".

8.2a    If both teams have a totem at the end of play, their captured data cards are totted up and the team that captured the most data cards during the Sunday wins.
8.2b    If the two teams captured the same number of data-cards, then the winning team is the one which captured the most cards during the week.
8.2c    If they captured the same amount during the week, the winner is the team which banked most money.
8.2d    If they both banked the same amount, then that amount is split between the two teams.
8.2e    For wins then...

8.2e.1    If the team have their opponent's totem, they win whichever is the middle amount from "all the banked cash", "half the banked cash" or "£100 for each captured data-card".
8.2e.2    If the team have their own totem, they win whichever is the lower amount from "half the banked cash" or "£100 for each captured data-card".
8.3    The losers go home with replica totems, as do the winners.
 

9 - Disqualification

9.1a    When a player is disqualified, they may no longer participate in the game, and their accrued portion of the team's banked cash will be deducted from the total and added to the opposing team's banked sum.
9.1b    A further amount of £1000 will also be transferred.