Apparatus of Capture

and animated pendants

Foreword

The Bridge and Tunnel Crowd

In what will perhaps be the most important album of this decade, the references are fleeting; one needs to be an archaeologist or anarchist to note the allusions to the game. In Otis, however, the fourth track on Kanye West and Jay-Zs album, its symbolic prominence is more easily apparent. The lyrics are not explicitly about Capture the Flag, but one must allow the identification of a ludic spirit running through this and other tracks. Looking in particular at Otis - a song named for the famous soul musician Otis Redding - one sees the creation of an affective economy that discards much of the confrontational spirit of twentieth century hip-hop in favor of a more conceptual and ironic approach. In one sense, this is made possible by the success of the genre and its subsequent incorporation or even recuperation within the mainstream: the collaborators are exceptionally wealthy, each having assets in the hundreds of millions. In another, however, this is symbolic of a certain mastery of lyrical craft, a certain profound intelligence. The artists are conscious of the former dynamic, channeling it to build the latter. An intensely political album, released in a year that saw widespread civil unrest and political alienation around the world, the album is hardly a compromise, or even a manifesto. Instead, we might identify it as what it is: an instructional manual.

Welcome to Havana. Smoking Cubanos with Castro in his cabana;

This line, spoken by Jay-Z as the song approaches its climax, shows the only gesture making reference to the gigantic American flag in the background. The flag is stylized and was customised by Italian fashion designer Ricardo Tisci, but recalls Jasper Johns famous flag painting, an imperfect interpretation that appropriates the US national symbol for the purposes of culture. In front of the painting the artists gesture, directed by critically acclaimed filmmaker Spike Jonze, on foot and in a customized Maybach luxury vehicle. Yet arguments that this is a celebration of American culture or an example of the possibilities of a supposedly post-racial culture miss the point completely. Biting satire and taunting satire is deployed against their enemies, now not simply the police or the casual racist, but the entire vulgar apparatus of nationalism. The mockery of the flag is a poignant gesture, recalling the poster for Patton, a film about the supposed national hero General George Patton: a figure with a penchant for abuse and far right political philosophy. Jay-Z has Pattons flag; what is more, he has it in Havana, a place which American citizens are prohibited by law from ever visiting. The artist links his presence in Cuba with the presence of millions of undocumented immigrants on American soil, refusing to engage with the discourse around immigration, mocking it completely. While scholar Angela Davis was forced to flee to Cuba in the 70s, Jay-Zs flight is a symbolic one that is acclaimed and powerful. Jay-Z takes the flag whether recalls his first song (My First Song) or as he advances towards critical acclaim (see video). This is the significance of the flag capture that has taken place and will take place, in the next round of whatever game :

Build your fences, we digging tunnels.

FLEXIBLE DEFENSE

BAROQUE CAPTURE

Scholars, gamers and dissidents alike tend to be most aware of the practical applications of detournement, the method of montage developed by members the Situationist International and subsequently applied to various media forms. This is true for a variety of reasons; this method was elucidated explicitly in texts such as A Users Guide to Detournement and was practiced most widely by the groups various affiliates at the peak of their impact. Similarly, the practice of derive - a method of wandering used to explore the affective geography of an environment -was clearly intended for the physical terrain its authors inhabited. In the work of Debord, however, conceived both during and following the project of the international, we find a similar techniques applied in a novel context. While the drive typically deals with physical space and architecture, and the detournement with images projected or displayed on screens and walls, in Debords writing style we find analogous methods applied to theory, history and criticism. There appears a moire - a pattern created via interference - that occurs from the imperfect application of strategy and narrative from one particular period or situation over another, substantially different moment in space-time. One might juxtapose the strategy of medieval warfare onto modern conflict, or produce an experiment: play chess on a board designed for monopoly. Of course, these are merely exaggerations of a common process, since no two moments can ever be identical and the simulation and simulated can never directly map to one another. What Debord does prolifically, however, is expose and exaggerate this disjuncture to a point where it now cannot be ignored; consequently, through this technique the machinery exposed is itself captured. This logic also drives the simple, perhaps childlike dynamics of the game known colloquially as Capture-the-Flag. In the most basic variant, two teams are charged with protecting their territory in general, specifically a flag that can be taken by members of the opposing team and brought back to their territory. While in enemy territory, players are vulnerable; they can be tagged and made to either return to their territory or await rescue in a designated jail. If one team manages to retrieve the flag without the carrier getting caught they score a point. Based on a game played by Scouts and other youth groups, the game supports both modification and elaboration through new rules and boundaries. Each new terrain and ecology in which the game is played will set its pace and will consequently also refresh its novelty. One builds a knowledge of allies and opponents, of how groups and teams interact and how a landscape or architecture might itself help or hinder a certain tactical maneuver. First and foremost, however, one builds a knowledge of the alternate worlds starting with the difference in physical terrain between various territories. Most significant, however, is not this environmental asymmetry but rather the divergence between the affective qualities of each area. A territory in which one is at risk, outnumbered and quite possibly lost will appear quite different to the same territory for its supposed defender, confident in their power within the environment. The space in which the game occurs has been symbolically transformed by it. Gilles Deleuze speaks of the power of Baroque architecture, which perhaps surprisingly works according to a similar logic. By a dialectical shearing apart of two spaces, one creates a more formally intelligible world structured by its oppositions and perhaps by its incomprehensible boundary. Writing in relation to Liebniz, the French philosopher asserts that:
the Baroque contribution par excellence is a world with only two floors, separated by a fold that echoes itself, arching from the two sides according to a different order. It expresses, as we shall see, the transformation of the cosmos into a mundus. [Deleuze 1993, 29]

Capture the Flag works, then, because of its capacity to create a world out of the oppositions within a certain microcosmic territory. Yet this is true not only within physical space, but within simulations actualised within a range of mediated spaces. Tabletop war games often follow this generic pattern, from complex military simulations to abstract renditions. In tests of network integrity, security professionals have developed variants that use hardware instead of physical architecture and train participants to penetrate or defend systems. Perhaps most involved and varied adaptations emerge within computational video games, a medium in which there have been attempts at emulation across the whole range of genres and platforms. Perhaps the first games to directly use the symbolic elements of CTF - titled Capture the Flag [1983] and Bannercatch [1984] - were produced for the Atari home video game system. While the latter emulated the appearance of classic arcade games of the period, the former constituted a profound innovation in that its author Paul Edelstein, demonstrated a rudimentary but fluid use of raytraced three dimensional graphics. Most contemporary variants can be compared to these prototypical iterations; they can be delineated based upon whether one is expected to view the game from the perspective of an individual participant or from the perspective of the team as a whole. As with the affective territories of assault and protection, the oscillation between holographic and applied modes of gaming experience helps to produce a huge range of variation. Further, while other video games may not directly employ the symbolic regimen of CTF, many approximate certain rituals within it. One might refer to the philosophical foundations of Deleuzes theory of the Baroque - the monadology of Gottfried Liebniz - in which one sees both indivisible and compound agents known as Entelechies:
they have in them a certain perfection (echousi to enteles); they have a certain selfsufficiency (autarkeia) which makes them the sources of their internal activities and, so to speak, incorporeal automata. [Leibniz 1996, 18]

II : WARM MACHINES
CLASSICAL CAPTURE

Systems emerge through experiment: agents parse affective experiences and a certain logic into vectors of movement and exchange. Giles Deleuze and Felix Guttari speak of how the first forms of society were constructed as a so-called territorial machine that codes flows, invests organs and marks bodies. Any form of social organization constituted an effort to deal more effectively with the perceptions and potential actions - the flows - of constituent elements. As such, deterministic as it may sound at first, their perspective actually renders the individual agent (the monad in Liebniz) more precarious, since it is caught up in increasingly complex and unpredictable systems. The declension of alliance and filiation that the machine undertakes appears to create what one might call (following Deleuze and Guttari) war machines: the compound agents of Liebniz. These groups might to be said to attain consistency through a baroque method; internally, they tend towards dissent and diffusion, but are once again solidified through any encounter with alterity. This also describes accurately the nature of both teams as a whole and constituent subgroupings in Capture the Flag. As one analyzes the development both of real-world and online variants of the game, one begins to notice that in more advanced versions a process akin to what Deleuze and Guttari call segmentation occurs. A development of the social machine, it occurs through a mixture of strategic and tactical thought. Strategic segmentation occurs as decisions are made by the social body to assign players to certain roles - defensive, offensive or perhaps subversive - in line with their interests and specific abilities. Tactical segmentation occurs as agents become familiar with a specific games dynamics and terrain, allowing to develop certain routines (or even, following Galloway, algorithms) to increase their potential. A critical fallacy in Anthropology destroyed by poststructuralist thought is the conception that primitive societies have no history. Rather, conflicts emerge in relation to terrain and situation, constituting a history that is dynamic and open social reality. [Anti Oedipus 150] This is also the ludic reality embodied within the scenario in question. All history can therefore be read under the sign of classes, assert Deleuze and Guttari in summation of Karl Marx. Perhaps ironically, a history of mediated incarnations of Capture the Flag can also not avoid discussing the development of class. In the late 1990s, two teams of amateur designers began to produce modifications to the popular first person shooter Quake. The latter team would evolve into Valve and subsequently produce the critically acclaimed Half-Life. This would be an apocalyptic survival game set in a desert research facility that would set a new standard for the use of narrative in game design. The former, however, is more immediately relevant; building on the relatively novel multiplayer facility of the game engine they developed a variant of Capture the Flag. Game mechanics were specifically balanced to foster cooperation; not only was a capture almost impossible without a team effort, but the game allowed its players to chose from a variety of classes which could complement each other in intriguing ways. There was, for example, a medic class that could heal other players, an engineer class that could build elaborate defences and a spy class that could disguise itself as members of the other team; in addition to these support classes, there were a variety of different variants on the soldier such as sniper, pyromaniac and demoman or explosives expert. Obviously, these classes are hardly analogous to the sociocultural classes described in Marxs economic writings. Thirdly, they show the amazing potential for synchronicity between different modes of game design and development.

While the developers of Half-Life concentrated on developing a compelling storyline and modifying the original engine to increase its aesthetic and affective impact, the authors of the Team Fortress modification used their limited resources to refine and balance the formula and gameplay dynamic they had created. Far from competing, the developers varied strengths allowed them to build a symbiotic relationship. The Team Fortress developers were invited to join Valve and produce an updated version of their game using the more modern engine; the popularity of that and subsequent other modifications allowed Valve to become an industry giant within a decade. Half-Life, with its strongly diegetic approach to narrative and slow, calculated pacing bears more resemblance to a Hitchcock thriller than to its popular partner title. Similarly, games of the Team Fortress franchise seem more analogous to gladiatorial games or professional wrestling than to its critically acclaimed alternative. Yet baroque culture of video game modification allowed seemingly opposed parties to mutually complement one another. What changes as games advance in scale or scope is not the nature of this exchange, but rather the degree to which it is incidental. Following Quake, it became increasingly common practice for developers to produce support or include tools to create additional levels, environments or characters for their games. With a range of notable exceptions, modifications have since generally been permitted, if not actively solicited by producers. This is true for two reasons; firstly, because the enormous amount of playbour or venture labour conducted by fans is an enormous source of revenue for developers, in that it increases sales and popularity of their game without any substantial further investment. Producers have generally been successful at recuperating modifications that develop any substantial success or independent following into more standardised and polished titles. Further, gaming has advanced to a point whereby even the runaway success of a particular independent project poses no direct threat to major studios, which own distribution mechanisms, servers and proprietary technologies. The damage to a studios brand that would result from them attempting to shut down all but the most controversial projects would generally far outweigh the benefits of intellectual property defense. In Capture the Flag, a solid strategy involves capturing or disabling a substantial portion of the opposing team before attempting a capture of the flag itself. Another winning strategy involves the negation of class, whether it takes the form of the hard delineation made possible within video games, the strategic designation as an attacker or defender, or the desired affiliation with a particular role; the more flexible and dynamic team normally wins. Winning rounds of a particular game is not the same, however, as being the beneficiary of the game itself. In all variants, it is the flag itself that benefits from its inclusion and valorisation in yet more complex systems incorporating yet more affective energies. Deleuze and Guttaris observation about the becoming of the State could easily be applied to the flag itself:

its internalization in a field of increasingly decoded social forces forming a physical system; its spiritualization in a superterrestrial field that increasingly overcodes, forming a metaphysical system. [Deleuze and Guttari 1984, 222]

III : CAINS ARCADE

ROMANTIC CAPTURE

In an essay and book of indescribable importance, French philosopher Jean Baudrillard speaks of what he calls Simulacra and Simulations. Far from analysing the specifics of simulation, however, the theorist uses its mechanics as analogy or description for the world we inhabit: the real is produced from miniaturized units, from matrices, memory banks and command models. Baudrillards perspective recalls pre-modern conceptions of reality; in scholastic philosophy, reality is synonymous with perfection, something that is completely produced according to plan. This is not necessarily the plan of the agents, but of the system; that being said, it is not the system that makes the machinery, but us. (the deserts which are no longer those of the Empire, but our own.) A recent video premiered at the 2012 DIY Days festival in New York by filmmaker Nirvan Mullick tells the story of Caine Monroys simulation. Caine - a nine year old boy from Los Angeles - has produced an entire arcade out of cardboard boxes in a spare garage at his fathers auto repair shop. With the transitions brought about by digital media, business is slow at the arcade; most of the physical traffic passing through his fathers store has now shifted to online orders on the auction site E-Bay. As such, Caine sits bored in the arcade until the arrival of Mullick, who develops a profound respect for his creation and plays several of the games. Deciding that his discovery is worthy of popularity and significant reward, Mullick organizes a flash mob through sites such as Facebook, Reddit and Tumblr. With the assistance of the boys father, he organizes a surprise for Caine; dozens of eager supporters show up to eagerly await his arrival and the chance to play one of his homemade games. In many ways, it is difficult to be critical of this project; the film is emotionally gripping and brings a tear to the eye of many. Furthermore, an online fundraising campaign conducted alongside the non-profit film raised over $100,000 to facilitate Caines University education, presumably in Engineering. On the other hand, the history of Social Media campaigns seemingly suggests that they should not be trusted, regardless of their positive appeal or intentions. To simulate is to feign what one hasnt, writes Baudrillard. In early 2012, a group affiliated with the Squatters Network of Brighton began organizing public, real-world games of Capture the Flag in various locations across the city. The game used as its board or map relatively large segments of the urban environment, including many unconventional or architecturally notable areas. For many of the young participants, it was their first experience playing a real world incarnation of the game, though a fair number had played some form of mediated variant. The rules were therefore cobbled together from the recollections of experienced players, with gaps patched by the inductive reasoning of players before, after and during breaks in the game. One can only speculate as to the reasons for the popularity of the project: first and foremost, it was a means of entertainment that required no money, private space or prior experience. The games provided a means to meet others in the local area with similar interests, thereby building and strengthening the social network or milieu of those involved. Following the first game, tags were introduced, making it slightly more difficult to capture opposing players and easier to distinguish them from teammates or bystanders. In addition, maps were introduced marking boundaries and - beginning with the third game - detailing rules and suggesting possible locations for the flag. These modifications were made necessary due to the growing number of participants and the difficulty of establishing or refining rules mid-game. Since locations varied each game, the maps assisted participants in becoming familiar with the environments they navigated.

Beginning with the fifth game, increasingly complex modifications were attempted; the circle of facilitators also widened to accommodate new umpires. If you shoot the brain, you kill the ghoul, developed by Tanya B. and Lily J.S., attempted to simulate an apocalyptic zombie thriller using asymmetrical teams; the initially smaller zombie team had the ability to capture humans and turn them to their side, while the humans had to recover a certain amount of boxes and deliver them to a scientist. The game was played at night in a park; while the humans had to wear head-torches and the boxes were illuminated with glowsticks, the zombies appeared only as shadowy figures. In many ways, it makes sense that squatters and their allies would appreciate this model of game. Developed by scouts, it sought to teach youngsters about orienteering and navigating their environment. By playing it within an urban environment, the games focus is changed slightly; rather than training scouts for jungle exploration, it trains them for urban subterfuge. The ability to critically appraise architecture and passages through the urban sprawl, to move covertly past buildings, to use communication networks and dynamically form affinities; these are all requisite skills. Further, the networks ability to mobilise large numbers of people - as was necessary to conduct a game - also would be required due to legal and political challenges to their practiced lifestyle. Though Team Fortress Classic - the CTF modification for the game Half-Life - became supremely popular, it was not this but rather another title that would prove to be the most popular modification for that game, cementing Valves ascension and dramatically influencing the video game industry. Counterstrike posed a similar, team-based model of gameplay, with several notable modifications. While Team Fortress and its successors employed a fantasy aesthetic, Counterstrike was supremely realistic and profoundly topical. In the mod - released only three years after 9/11 - one team would play a team of terrorists, charged with blowing up a target or protecting hostages. The other would be an elite group of paramilitary commandos, charged with liberating hostages or defending certain sensitive locations. There were no classes, but a reward system allowed players to purchase better weapons based on their and their teams performance. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a players death in a round was final; after being killed, the player entered ghost mode and was left to watch other players performance, while talking to other dead players. Counterstrike was thus innovative, perhaps even constituting a new mode of modification; while other developers had mapped a real-world game onto a media platform, Counterstrikes developers had mapped a game back onto the real world. Using Jean Baudrillards definition of realism, the game is supremely realistic; it is a simulation of a simulation. Yet the game also fulfills the project of realism, perhaps of gaming itself: it shows the true nature of the world through its approximation.

CAPTURED FLAGS
POSTSCRIPT

My point with this short essay was to explain a game I have thought intensely about, both in terms of strategy and tactics, but also more generally with regard to the theoretical underpinnings of such a game. Presumably, the idea originated in reference to medieval warfare, where knights and their officers would charge their troops with the task of defending their own or assaulting the enemys standard. The standard itself was indicative of strength and morale; while a detachment could obviously fight on without its standard, its absence would suggest insecurity, weakness, impaired conditions. Such a practice continued through the nineteenth century; though flags have largely disappeared from the battlefield, this is more because the battlefield itself has been diffused. As such, we see flag burnings and brandishing in street protests and civil unrest. The importance of the embassy is paramount, as recent events have clearly demonstrated. Yet the conditions of warfare have changed and continue to change. With the Cold War and conflicts of the Twenty First Century, cultural warfare once again outpaced conventional warfare. As such, one struggled to convince not just weapons designers but also scholars, composers and playwrights to defect. This investigation was accompanied by a project; a plan for a yet-to-be-attempted game. Noticing the way other game modifications had been derived (drive-d?) from video games, I thought back to some of my favourite underappreciated modes and models I have experienced. I spoke earlier of Counterstrike and Team Fortress Classic; both featured a buggy and generally unworkable attempt at a VIP protection mode, where one player would play a celebrity or politician and the others would either assault them or defend their escape. I felt that making the flag a subject brought up interesting themes in relation to the transition from archaic Imperial Structures to modern Liberal States, from the personal to the abstract. As such, I drew upon a range of cultural sources including: David Lynchs adaptation of Dune, Eugene Ionesco's play Exit the King, the discography of emotional hardcore bands Texas is the Reason and At the Drive In, the rap compilation in opposition to anti-immigration bill SB1070, the film Predator, and many more. What emerged was an abstract action game involving role playing and fantasy, strategy and detournement of the urban spaces we pass through. I feel my hardly canonical and somewhat haphazard addition builds on a legacy of cultural scouting and capture. To close, I find interesting that the ways in which the song mentioned in my foreword, Otis, has gone on to inspire a range of derivative works, including a piece by a duo in Atlanta working with far less fashionable equipment and a piece by a pair from California that transpose the song into a meditation on the experience of Asian-Americans. Another video, produced by rappers in support of the campaign against SB1070 - a controvertial bill passed by the Arizona State Legislature that would allow law enforcement officers to stop and check the papers of anyone that they might suspect of being an illegal immigrant - is of particular interest. In it, musical artists and poets from a diverse set of racial, ethnic, national and class backgrounds discuss the fallacies of the impending legislation, questioning the motivations of its authors and speaking of its fundamental contradictions, its fundamental opposition to values such as liberty and social justice. Artists use musical different styles, but also different approaches; some analyse the state, others threaten it. Others make particular appeals to different demographics: youth, migrant communities, white allies, the legislators themselves. That being said and considering recent incidents of interracial violence dissected by the media, the artists stand united and proud of the assorted flags they have captured.

APPENDIX

& BIBLIOGRAPHY

Appendix A
TEXAS IS the REASON : an imperial elegy.
An end is a very delicate time. Know then that it is the year one thousand nine hundred and seventy seven. The known galaxy is ruled by the God-Emperor of Texas, Archbishop of Austin, Transformation Master of Lubbock and President of the Lone Star Federation. Yet the Empire is not what it used to be. The logic which helped solidify its arcane structures and complex institutions has reached the point of collapse. The economic system which once afforded such opulent rituals has collapsed, while industries have been sabotaged by unknown, indecipherable forces. Food riots are more common than meals, schools have been transformed into arsenals. The hospitals have been overrun by those seeking a panacea for the misery: junkies and suicides. Some will no doubt talk fondly of the ruler at some point; the magical galleries and grand public works projects that marked the earlier, happier part of their reign. Yet as of now they have few friends; unable to venture out into the country, they have withdrawn within their palace and are seen only by the most trusted of bodyguards. Despite their paranoia, their fortifications and their tenacity there remains a certain hint that their days are numbered. As we speak, a cacophony of invisible societies, secret guilds and guerilla squadrons are making their preparations. One could barely begin to count all those who have lost a limb, taken a bullet or dyed their hair for the insurrection. Their anger grows and resonates, shaking the very foundations of the Empire. A silence has fallen. Nobody will speak or think to announce it because everyone will already know. The air is thick with elegy. The palace is stormed: like a dream... like a silent film. The revolutionaries will find a crown, but no king; a mountain of shredded documents and sorry statues. The challenge is as follows: the EMPEROR or EMPRESS (1) is surrounded by a few of their closest BODYGUARDS (3) and, if they can find them, a few other spies who might choose to act as scouts or SPIES (0-4). BODYGUARDS and SPIES have the same abilities and powers, but only three BODYGUARDS can be within 50 FEET of the EMPEROR/EMPRESS. They get SUNGLASSES and TIES, while their commander will have some sort of interesting costume and illumination (bike lights!) and several tags. All other players are REBELS, and have TWO TAGS (color doesnt matter), one to be worn on the belt and the other to be worn around the head or arm. If an AGENT - a BODYGUARD or SPY - touches a REBEL, the REBEL is ARRESTED and must freeze, placing their hands up. If they are touched by another REBEL, they are UNARRESTED and can move again. If however they are not freed within ten seconds, an AGENT can EXECUTE that rebel by removing their waist tag. The REBEL must fall to the ground convincingly for five seconds, after which they can get up. To return to the game, however, they must find and be RECRUITED by a MASTERMIND (2-4), who is a REBEL that has access to ADDITIONAL TAGS. If this MASTERMIND is ARRESTED, however, they must reveal their secret to their interrogators and give up all tags. SPIES might try to find the location of the MASTERMIND to improve their teams chances of success. If, however, a SPY is ambushed and touched by two or more REBELS, they can be held HOSTAGE and must act like an arrested rebel. They cannot, however, be killed. In addition, there maybe one or more characters from the MEDIA. (0-2) The ultimate trickster, they can help the REBELS or BODYGUARDS by revealing the location of the EMPEROR or MASTERMINDS. They cant be arrested or killed, but might get pepper sprayed or have their camera broken. They get a NEWS VAN that is cleverly disguised as a BIKE.

The starting location for the EMPEROR is the PAVILION PALACE, seat of the Texas Empire. The finishing location is the CENTER OF THE LEVEL, where the helicopter will be arriving to take the Emperor into exile in East Hastings. If the EMPEROR reaches the extraction point before the time limit runs out, the EMPIRE wins. If the REBELS catch the EMPEROR or prevent their escape, the REBELS win. Q: Wait, I dont get it, what am I supposed to be doing? A: Depends who you are. If youre a REBEL, try to find the EMPEROR and take their tags (assasinate them) without getting stopped by a BODYGUARD or a SPY. If youre a BODYGUARD, protect the EMPEROR with your life so you can draw a pension from their Swiss Bank Account. If youre a SPY, try to find the MASTERMIND or clear the route ahead for your boss, Jack Bauer style. If youre the EMPEROR, try to keep your underwear clean and make it to the chopper on time. Q: What happens if Im a REBEL and get touched by an AGENT? A: You put your hands up and freeze, unless an AGENT drags you somewhere (which theyre allowed to do). Count down from ten in an honest way, preferably aloud, then put one hand down. Youve been through the system and have been found guilty of disorderly conduct, for which the penalty is DEATH. An AGENT can carry out the sentence by pulling your tag, or leave you to rot. If they leave you, you can return to the game as soon as a REBEL touches you or the AGENT is no longer close (lets say 50 feet?). Q: If Im executed, do I get my tag back? A: No. The AGENT keeps it. You can get another one from a MASTERMIND. Q: Wait, did you say REBELS could FREEZE an AGENT? A: Yes, but only when theyre not near the EMPEROR. If two REBELS are able to touch a SPY before they are touched by them themselves, the SPY has to put their hands up. They have to then be guarded by a REBEL at all times, or they are allowed to escape. They can be moved, but only a few feet. Q: Im lost and cant find a MASTERMIND/the EMPEROR. What can I do? A: If you want, you can call the MEDIA (number TBA) and try to get information from them. Most likely, however, they will give your information to the other team, so dont trust them. Q: Whats the time limit? What are the boundaries? A: Not quite sure yet. Theyll be announced soon, though! Q: Are there safe zones? A: Yes, the immediate vincinity of the cowley will probably be a SAFE ZONE for REBELS, while REBELS arent allowed in Pavilion Gardens or the LEVEL* (*=except if the emperor is there) Q: Do you need any help running/promoting/balancing the game? A: Yes. Q: Should I bring anything? A: Extra ties, sunglasses and lights would be useful! Q: Did you invent this game? A: Yes. But it draws inspiration from all sorts of places. See the wall for details. Also, thanks to Tanya and Lily for coming up with the amazing Zombie Apocalypse game and to Dan and Tom for making Capture the Flag so awesome! Q: Will it work? A: We can only hope!

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Media

Back to Arizona (Anti 1070) (2010), Single on Youtube, Man Up Squad, Tempe. Bannercatch (1984), Video Game for Commodre 64 Console, Scholastic Inc., New York. Capture the Flag (1983), Video Game for Atari Console, Sirius Software, California. Counterstrike (2000-2003), Half-Life Modification, Valve Corporation, Kirkland. Team Fortress Classic (1999-2003), Half-Life Modification, Valve Corporation, Kirkland. Watch the Throne (2011), Studio Album feat. Jay-Z & Kanye West, Roc-A-Fella, New York.