Milton

Gangs of marauding bacteria look for people to infect. Unfortunately, they've ended up in a conference of pathologists who are keen to stop the bacteria from multiplying...

The winning team is the one with the most points at the end of the game.

The playing area

Any large area suitable for the number of people you have. Hiding places over a large area is a possibility, or you might want to have everyone together in a smaller space to make the bacteria think more about targeting specific pathologists, rather than simply giving chase.

Designated within the playing area are two zones a few metres in diameter: one will be the sanatorium, the other will be the most foul and pestilent place you can possibly imagine.

Starting positions

Randomly allocate the role of bacteria to a small number of players by giving them a bacterium card. This will also tell them what type of bacterium they are.

The remaining players are all pathologists and should each be given a randomly selected immunity card.

Bacteria start in the pestilent place, whilst pathogens mill around in a conferency networking stylee. No players are allowed out of the play area. All players must walk toe-to-heel at all times (to prevent running). Players should keep the faces of the cards that they carry hidden.

At least 1 non-player (bogeyman) staffs the pestilent place, and at least 2 (nurses) staff the sanatorium. The nurses need to have the vaccination cards with them. Nurses and bogeymen will keep track of cards as part of the scoring process.

Bacteria

The aim of the game for bacteria is to multiply in number as fast as possible. They do this by 'infecting' pathologists and turning them into bacteria.

Bacteria don't like being alone. To be able to move around outside the pestilent place, bacteria must form teams with two other bacteria (of any type). When moving around outside the pestilent place, bacterial teams must a) walk heel-to-toe and b) walk in a line, with a hand on the bacterium in front's shoulder. Bacterial teams spotted breaking these rules will be sent to the sanatorium and taken out of play for a pre-determined amount of time.

Individual bacteria must wait in the pestilent place until two more bacteria are present to form a team. Bacteria do not have to stay in the same team throughout the game and can team up with bacteria of any type.

Once outside the pestilent place, bacterial teams must select a pathologist that they want to try and infect. To challenge a pathologist, they must tap the pathologist on the shoulder. Once this happens, both bacteria and pathologist stand still whilst it is determined if the pathologist will become infected or remain healthy.

The challenge

The bacterial team nominates one bacterium to make the challenge.

This bacterium asks the pathologist if they are carrying an immunity card against [whatever type of bacteria they are].

If the pathologist is carrying a corresponding immunity card, then there is no infection. The pathologist enforces a time penalty of 20 seconds on the bacterial team, during which it can neither move nor try and infect any other pathologists. At the end of the time delay, both bacterial team and pathologist go their separate ways. The bacterial team must find a different pathologist to try and infect: they cannot attempt to infect the same pathologist twice in succession.

If the pathologist is not carrying a corresponding immunity card then they become a host for the bacteria and the two players enter into a fight to see if the pathologist becomes infected or not.

Fight

The fight is in the form of rock-paper-scissors. Best of three.

If the bacterium wins the pathologist becomes converted to to a bacterium, they have to to to the pestilent place and exchange their immunity cards for a bacterium card.

If the pathologist wins they take the beaten bacterium to the sanatorium whilst the others return to the pestilent place to reform another team. At the sanatorium, the pathologist gains an immunity card corresponding to the bacterium just beaten.

The bacterium has their card taken off them, and they have to return to the pestilent place to be reallocated another bacteria type.

The pathologist can either return to the conference or trade for a vaccine.

Vaccines

Pathologists are able to trade 3 immunity cards for a vaccine card. The vaccine card is selected at random from the pack held by the nurse and may protect the pathologist from one or more types of bacteria.

When a pathologist is first challenged by a bacterial team, the pathologist can choose to present a vaccine card. The pathologist should only do this if the vaccine card protects them against the challenging bacterium, if they play an inappropriate vaccine card, then they automatically become a bacterium – cards are handed in to the bogeyman and a bacterium card allocated.

If the pathologist successfully plays a vaccine card, then all three of the bacteria in the team are taken to the sanatorium. Their cards are taken by the nurse and, after a 1 minute delay, they are allowed to return to the pestilent place to be allocated new bacterial identities.

Milton grenades

If more than 10 bacteria are present, then a pathologist may ask the nurse to use a Milton grenade to disinfect the sanatorium. The bacteria are killed off, and those players become pathologists.

Scoring

Bogeyman:

• Immunity card – 10 points to bacteria
• Vaccine card – 25 points to bacteria
• Number of bacteria at end of game – 10 points each

Nurse:

• Bacteria card – 30 points to pathologists
• Number of pathologists at end of game – 50 points each
• Used vaccine cards -