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CATCH THE BARREL
Catch the Barrel is a cosplay game played every year in the halls of Anime Boston. It does not require you to sign up in advance and anyone may play, but you must be in full costume to participate - cosplayers in streetclothes and those in partial costume (i.e. just wearing a jacket or a headband over plain clothes) may not play. Attendees dressed as non-Japanese characters may also participate.
RULES for 2008:
CATCH THE BARREL: GOOD vs. EVIL! A team competition game for all cosplayers. Only cosplayers in FULL COSTUME may play (a ninja headband is NOT full costume).
At Cosplay Human Chess on Sunday there will be an Ultimate Showdown between Good and Evil! Starting Friday morning four target "Barrels" will circulate in the halls - white prop barrels with flags which say "Catch The Barrel". Each barrel contains a Secret Ultimate Weapon from a popular anime. Both Good and Evil want these weapons. All weekend the Good and Evil teams will compete to see who can capture the "Barrels" most often. On Sunday at Chess, we will count the capture marks on each "Barrel". If Good has more marks, Good gets that weapon - if Evil has more marks Evil gets it. This will affect which side wins at Cosplay Human Chess.
How to play: First, choose a team, Good or Evil. Pick the side which best suits your character, so people can easily tell which side you’re on. If you aren’t sure which team your character would be on, pick one. If you switch costumes part way through the con you may switch sides as appropriate. Whenever you find a barrel in the hands of someone from the opposing team, you may Challenge him/her to one game of Rock/Paper/Scissors. (If you see someone with a "Barrel" but aren’t sure whether they are Good or Evil, ask them - YOU MAY NOT LIE!) The winner of the Challenge keeps the "Barrel" (ties play a tiebreaker match) and carries it until it is taken by an enemy. Whenever you win a Challenge, as attacker or defender, put a tally mark in the area labeled for captures by your team, Good or Evil. Do NOT write your name on the "Barrel" - there are no individual winners this year, only teams. After you lose a Challenge, you must wait 10 minutes to Challenge again. In the end, the "Barrels" must be delivered to Mainevents Chess on Sunday Morning at 10:30 AM; prizes will be given to those who deliver them.
TEAM RIVALRIES NEVER DIE! Whatever the forces of Good and Evil may be up to, it can’t stop the epic rivalries between the great Rival Teams: Ninjas vs. Sinigami and Alchemists vs. School Clubs (including the Ouran Host Club, the SOS brigade and any other schoolboys/schoolgirls who want to play). Each of the four "Barrels" in the main Good vs. Evil game belongs to one of the Four Rival Teams, and contains that Team’s ultimate weapon. Each team must defend its own "Barrel" and keep away from all others; all teams also want to take away their Rival Team’s "Barrel" to prove they are superior! If you are cosplaying one of the four Rival Teams, whenever you see your Team’s "Barrel" or your Rival Team’s "Barrel" in the hands of someone not on your Team you may Challenge to take it, regardless of who is Good or Evil. If you succeed, put a tally in the area marked for captures by your team. If you wish, you may also put a tally in Good or Evil. Only your "Barrel" and your Rivals’ "Barrel" matter - you should ignore the "Barrels" of the two Teams who are not your rivals, though if you wish you can still Challenge them as part of the Good vs. Evil competition. You may NEVER Challenge anyone who is on precisely the same teams you are, so if you are a Good Ninja you may not Challenge another Good Ninja, but you may Challenge an Evil Ninja or Good Non-Ninja. At Chess on Sunday, if your Rival Team has more tallies on your Team’s "Barrel" than your Team does, your Team’s leader will have to publicly admit defeat and do something embarrassing of the enemy’s choice!
DO NOT wrestle, run or cause a disturbance. DO NOT Challenge inside showings or events. DO NOT intentionally ruin your rival Team’s events or photo shoots. If you want to attend an event or leave the convention for a while, give the "Barrel" to a teammate first. If you can’t get rid of a "Barrel", leave it by Masquerade Headquarters. Do not open the "Barrel" or something horrible will happen. DO NOT hide the "Barrel" or keep it among a small group without giving others a turn. IF YOU CHEAT AND RUIN THEIR FUN, GREED AND OROCHIMARU WILL HOLD YOU DOWN WHILE HOLLOWS BEAT YOU TO DEATH WITH TAMAKI’S WALLET!
PIRATE PROTECTION PROGRAM: In 2007 Anime Boston declared Pirates an endangered species, and until the Pirate population rebounds no one is permitted to fight Pirates at Anime Boston. This means that if a Pirate Challenges you for the "Barrel" you must give it to them immediately without combat (no Rock Paper Scissors). The Pirate must then give the "Barrel" to the next participant who asks them for it, again without combat. If several people ask for the "Barrel" at once, the Pirate picks who to give it to. No teams record any scores when this occurs. A pirate may do this only once every ten minutes.
Catch the Barrel is now part of the Continuing Cosplay Plotline! Starting in 2007 an overarching story involving rivalries between different groups (Ninjas, Alchemists, Pirates, Shinigami and more) has continued through all the main cosplay events (the Anime Dating Game, Masquerade, Cosplay Human Chess and Catch the Barrel) knitting them together into a single story. This Cosplay Plotline will continue at Anime Boston 2008, and have its spectacular finale at Cosplay Chess! For more details, how to participate in the Continuing Cosplay Plotline, and a summary of what has happened so far, see the Continuing Cosplay Plotline Page.
Cosplay Events Information |
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Copyright © 2008, New England Anime Society, Inc.
