Killer

About this board game

Killer is a live-action role-playing game for 3–50 players, with a listed play time of 360 minutes. Its goal is to successfully “kill” your opponents within the rules, using carefully designed scenarios that avoid dangerous weapons.

The simplest scenario assigns each player another participant as a target, along with a picture when necessary and a dart gun. If you successfully “kill” your target, you take that player’s target as your new mission. You may not shoot anyone who is not your assigned target, except in self-defense.

Because the game is played in real time, Killer is better suited to a school, game convention, or similarly extended setting than to a typical afternoon at a friend’s house. A moderator is required to oversee the game and help ensure that its rules are followed.

• Secret target assignments and changing objectives
• A live-action format played over an extended period
• Scenarios designed around safe, non-dangerous weapons
• Additional science-fiction, mafia, and spy-versus-spy settings

Beyond the basic dart-gun scenario, the game includes several other situations and suggestions for more elaborate weapons. These options can give groups different themes and styles of play while preserving the central hunt for a target.

Released in 1981, Killer turns a familiar role-playing premise into an ongoing pursuit among real participants. With its moderator-led structure and adaptable scenarios, it offers a distinctive social game built around planning, observation, and the suspense of discovering who is hunting whom.