# Assassin (game)
**Assassin** is a live-action party game in which each player is secretly assigned a target to "assassinate" using harmless, agreed-upon means such as water pistols, [Nerf](https://www.edgepedia.org/nerf) blasters, spoons, or pens labeled as knives, while trying to avoid being eliminated by the player hunting them.[1](https://devpost.com/software/assassins-37itsl) It is a folk game, passed on by word of mouth rather than a single published rulebook, and it is best known as a campus tradition in which a game can run for days or weeks in the background of ordinary life.[2](https://www.vintagerpg.com/2020/01/killer-1981/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Live-action elimination party game with secret targets, played in real life over hours, days, or weeks[1](https://devpost.com/software/assassins-37itsl) |
| Weapons | Harmless stand-ins: pens labeled as "knife", water pistols, and popular Nerf weaponry[1](https://devpost.com/software/assassins-37itsl) |
| Origins | Spread through universities from 1966, inspired by the 1965 film *The Tenth Victim*[2](https://www.vintagerpg.com/2020/01/killer-1981/) |
| First codified rules | *Killer* (1982), the first publication of formal rules for the game[2](https://www.vintagerpg.com/2020/01/killer-1981/) |
| Historical note | Possibly the first live action roleplaying game, preceding formally organized LARPs of the mid-1970s by about a decade[2](https://www.vintagerpg.com/2020/01/killer-1981/) |
| Parlor variant | A seated version in which a secret killer eliminates players by winking, and any player who identifies the assassin stops the game[3](https://psycatgames.com/magazine/party-games/assassin-game/) |
## How it is played
In the standard campus form, every participant receives a target, and eliminating a target usually assigns that target's own target to the eliminating player, so the game continues until one player remains.[11](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1993/2/19/assassins-game-spices-up-quincy-atmosphere/) Eliminations are carried out with harmless props: the campus version described by players uses "a variety of harmless toys or fake weapons which range from pens labelled as 'knife' to water pistols and popular Nerf weaponry".[1](https://devpost.com/software/assassins-37itsl) Because the game runs alongside daily life, players must combine ordinary social contact with ambush tactics, and a successful assassin is one who can approach a target without arousing suspicion.
**House rules carry the game.** The rule of thumb reported in published guides is that the longer the game runs, the more it needs clear kill rules and a system that tracks targets and standings automatically, since disputes over whether a kill counted can otherwise end the game.[4](https://unterjubeln.com/blog/assassin-game-rules) Groups commonly define where kills are allowed (classrooms, dorms, and public spaces are often restricted), what counts as a valid "weapon", and how a kill is reported to the organizer.[3](https://psycatgames.com/magazine/party-games/assassin-game/)
## The winking variant
A shorter, seated version is played at parties and around a table. One player is a secret killer who eliminates others by winking at them, and the remaining players watch the room; anyone who believes they have identified the assassin can stop the game and name them.[3](https://psycatgames.com/magazine/party-games/assassin-game/) A player who names the wrong person is typically eliminated, so accusation carries its own risk. This variant is closely related to the hidden-role family of games such as [Mafia](https://www.edgepedia.org/mafia-party-game) and Werewolf, in which a concealed minority works against an uninformed majority, but it removes the day-and-night voting structure and can end in a single round.[5](https://mafiaboardgame.org/mafia-vs-werewolf)
## History
Assassin developed as a folk game and spread mostly through universities beginning in 1966, the same year the [Society for Creative Anachronism](https://www.edgepedia.org/society-for-creative-anachronism) was founded, and it drew its inspiration from the 1965 film *The Tenth Victim*, in which contestants hunt one another for a television audience.[2](https://www.vintagerpg.com/2020/01/killer-1981/) The first publication of codified rules was *Killer* (1982), which collected and formalized the folk game; the same account notes that Assassin may be the first live action roleplaying game, preceding the formally organized LARPs of the mid-1970s by about a decade.[2](https://www.vintagerpg.com/2020/01/killer-1981/)
The game's influence shows up across later hidden-role and social deduction design. Its core loop of concealed identity, observation, and a single decisive strike reappears in the Assassin role of *[The Resistance](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-resistance-game): Avalon*, where the Assassin takes a final guess at Merlin after three successful missions and wins the game for Evil by naming correctly.[6](https://partygame.games/en/games/oath_dagger/rules) It also appears as the instant-loss card in Codenames, where picking the assassin card ends the team's game immediately.[7](https://games-netflix.helpshift.com/hc/en/59-codenames-party/faq/2096-roles-cards-and-clue-words/?p=all) These are distinct games that borrow the name and the hidden-killer idea rather than versions of the live-action original.
## Related games with the same name
The name "Assassin" attaches to several unrelated games. [Avalon Hill](https://www.edgepedia.org/avalon-hill) published a card and board game titled *Assassin* for 3 to 6 players aged ten and up, in which card play determines destination, transportation method, and distance traveled.[8](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1094/assassin) Separately, *The Resistance: Avalon* (2012) includes the Assassin as one of its special roles, and the base game of *The Resistance* contains no Merlin or Assassin roles at all.[6](https://partygame.games/en/games/oath_dagger/rules) • [9](https://hexagamers.com/avalon-vs-secret-hitler/) Video games in the *Assassin's Creed* series are unrelated to the party game despite the shared word.[10](https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/creed-is-good)
## References
1. [Assassins, Devpost (campus Assassin game project)](https://devpost.com/software/assassins-37itsl)
2. [Killer (1982), Vintage RPG](https://www.vintagerpg.com/2020/01/killer-1981/)
3. [Assassin Game Rules & How to Play, PsyCat Games](https://psycatgames.com/magazine/party-games/assassin-game/)
4. [Assassin Game Rules: How to Play Secret Assassin at a Party, Unterjubeln](https://unterjubeln.com/blog/assassin-game-rules)
5. [Mafia vs Werewolf: Differences, History & Which to Play, Mafia Board Game](https://mafiaboardgame.org/mafia-vs-werewolf)
6. [Oath & Dagger rules, partygame.games](https://partygame.games/en/games/oath_dagger/rules)
7. [Roles, Cards, and Clue Words, Codenames: Party Help Center](https://games-netflix.helpshift.com/hc/en/59-codenames-party/faq/2096-roles-cards-and-clue-words/?p=all)
8. [Assassin, BoardGameGeek](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1094/assassin)
9. [Avalon vs Secret Hitler: Which Should You Buy?, Hexagamers](https://hexagamers.com/avalon-vs-secret-hitler/)
10. [Creed Is Good, Magic: The Gathering news](https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/creed-is-good)
11. ['Assassins' Game Spices Up Quincy Atmosphere, The Harvard Crimson](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1993/2/19/assassins-game-spices-up-quincy-atmosphere/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Board, card, and puzzle games › Board games › Modern designer board games › Deduction and hidden-information board games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license