From Old Lyme to Old Saybrook to Clinton, high school seniors are embracing senior assassins, a water gun elimination game that marks the countdown to graduation. While the game is a shared tradition, the rules and regulations differ from town to town. This article compares how each high school plays the game, highlighting key similarities and differences in their rules and approaches.
What Are The Basic Rules From School to School?
Senior Assassin is a game solely for the seniors here at Morgan (TMS). In order to participate, each team needed to pay $15, or $7.5 per person. The game began on April 25th at 2:45 pm and will end by June 10th at 7:00 am, unless enough applicants have been eliminated. Each round starts Friday at 2:45 pm and lasts till Friday the next
week at 7 am. They then receive their targets that Friday.
Similarly to Morgan, Senior Splasher at Lyme-Old Lyme high school (LOLHS) is only for the graduating class. They have to pay $10 per person or $20 per team.
However, at Old Saybrook high school (OSHS) they have assassins. This school is different in the way that the game isn’t solely for the senior class. Anyone can participate in a team if they have a valid driver’s license. Each team has to pay $20, or $10 per person. Rounds last Monday through Sunday with a cool down period, Sunday from 12:00 pm to 12:00 am. Each team then receives their targets for the next round on Sunday.
What Are The Elimination Rules?
At Morgan from Monday through Friday, you can play from 2:45 pm to 7 am, but there is no playing through school hours. During the week, the game must not be played from 7:01 am to 2:44 pm. If players have not been shot by their targets, they will move onto the next round. The game can not be played on school property. If an attempt at eliminating someone on school property occurs, it does not count as an elimination.
People who are playing in sports practices and games are also safe. Because of safety reasons, there are many regulations for no shooting while driving, working, or whilst on private property without permission and the only way to get someone out is with permission from the property owner. Leading to the rule of no trespassing, camping outside of property, or entering private property. Breaking these rules can lead to removal from the game.
At LOLHS, in order to move into the following rounds, you must eliminate your targets. Players can not be terminated between the hours of 11:00 pm and 5:00 am. Blocking driveways is not allowed from 6:00 am to 8:00 am. Termination and possession of water guns is forbidden on school property at all times, including after school events and sports games. Other safe zones include religious buildings, the player’s place of work, and inside the target’s home unless given permission. However, parking lots are fair game unless before a shift of work.
Trespassing onto private property is also considered a safe zone, as well as the gym. Though assassins may attempt at eliminating their targets as spectators of away games but only in the parking lot outside the game. Players are safe during the game as well as on the bus after. After the first round, only teams can pay $20 or $10 per person to return to the game if they have been eliminated. Players can not be eliminated in a moving car, however, can be eliminated on a motorcycle or bike.
At OSHS each person can spray their target only once per day. You may not shoot your targets on any school property at any time of day or anything school affiliated, except for pasta dinners for sports teams. Though, if you are on the same team, you can not target each other at pasta dinners. Other safe zones include places of worship and inside the gym, but not entering and exiting.
Immunity and Purges
TMS allows for floaties and goggles as one life or one chance to be immune from elimination. If one of these immunity items is used, it only works once every other round. Videos must be sent to the Instagram of immunity items being used as well as elimination in order for it to count.
Purge days at TMS last from 2:45 on Thursday to 7:00 AM on Friday and occur each round. On purge days, any player can shoot any player and immunity items do not work. Unless a team has already eliminated both targets, which then means they are safe from the purge for that round.
LOLS high school allows for floaties and goggles as well when they are worn correctly. However, their purge days are on Tuesdays and Thursdays and do not allow for floaties and goggles to be used for protection. If a player on one team has been terminated, their partner then has 24 hours to avenge them by hitting their partners’ assassin. Within this day, the terminated player may not hit their assassin, but once their partner has, they are back in the game.
OSHS allows for goggles, floaties, and a tube as protection devices. If a player is wearing all three items, they another life and can continue to use the immunity. Purge days do not exist in Senior Splasher at Old Saybrook High school.
Final Rules and Rewards
All schools require teams to pay before playing and once the game is complete the winning team or teams gets rewarded the money to split from all participating teams.
