Murder in the 3rd Degree : an F3 whodunnit by sparrow

A Murder game where you perform exercises to reveal clues and hope no one stabs you in the back.

-Sparrow

Simple Rules

  1. Your team of three visits each clue station around the AO. After completing the required exercise, one person on your team may read the clue to the rest of your team. The clue will give you the names of one or two PAX who are not the killer. Cross them off your list (provided).
  2. When one name remains on your list, that’s the killer.  Run back to the flag and write your guess on the paper attached to the flag. Each pax has one guess per game. If you are the first team to correctly guess the killer, you win.
  3. If you know for sure that someone is a killer and you feel threatened by them, you may kill them in self defense. 
  4. If anyone touches you and says bang, you are dead.

If you don’t like complicated games, you can stop reading. With those 4 rules you can play the game, and maybe win.



Detailed rules 

for those who want to be killers

The Killer

If you submit an application to be a killer the night before the game, you will provide the clue maker with private details about yourself, true anecdotes that only you will recognize. The clue maker will sprinkle your anecdotes in with the other clues.  At the beginning of the game you will not know you are the killer. The killer will realize his secret identity as he recognizes the self describing anecdotes he provided before the game.

Example Clue: The Killer is not Cookies or Jazz Hands. The killer wet his pants in the third grade, but managed to play it off as a spilled drink.

When you become fully aware that you are the killer, you must whisper “I am the killer” under your breath. You will then need to make a choice regarding your teammates: lie to them, kill them, recruit them (or all three but not in that order.)

Lying 

After you whisper “I am the killer”, you will at first have no bullets, so you should lie. You might volunteer to read the clue after your team completes the next exercise. Whatever is written on the paper, you might choose to say “It says the killer is not Body Pillow or Me, and that the killer drinks Michelob ultra and grew up on a farm.” Only one pax per team is allowed to see each clue, so they will have to take your word for it.

Killing

If you are the killer, you earn bullets (or credits if you prefer that word) by completing the exercises at the clue stations. After you whisper “I am the killer”, you begin earning 1 bullet for each future pain station you complete. If you have two civilian teammates, you must complete two pain stations before you have enough credits to dispatch them both at the same time (preferable, if you ask me). To kill a PAX, touch them and say “BANG”. They are dead. 

Recruiting

The killer can recruit people to his killer team, where they can earn bullets together and make kills.  One recruiting method is a finger between the shoulder blades and a whispered “Freeze, join my team or I’ll kill you”. 

Winning

At any point during the game, any living pax may run to the flagpole and make an accusation by writing the killer’s name on the flagpole paper. 

Ways to identify a killer: 
1. Complete the pain stations to reveal clues that eliminate all suspects except the killer. You will be provided with a list of Pax who could be the killer. Pax who show up without HCing the will still be allowed to play, but their name will not be on the list. 
2. Witnessing a murder. If you are witness to a murder, but have not been killed yourself, make a run for the flag pole and write down your accusation. You cannot be killed while touching the flagpole, so hold the pole and write carefully. 3. A hunch. If someone on your team of three starts acting funny, maybe he has realized he’s the killer and is saving up credits to kill you. Now is your chance to peel off and win the game. 

After you have guessed

Each pax can make only one accusation per game, So a team with 3 Pax will have a total of 3 guesses and if one guess is correct the whole team wins. After guessing, you may continue completing stations to reveal clues as long as one team member still has a guess remaining.  The first team of three that has a member make the correct written accusation wins right to display the justice emoticon: :scales:

Losing

If, without breaking any rules, the killer can prevent his name from being written on the flagpole paper by a live pax within the time frame allotted, he wins, gaining freedom, respect, and the right to display the killer emoticon. The killer does not have to be alive to win. 

End of Game

When multiple teams have written their accusations and have stopped pursuing clues because the killer’s cover is blown, that’s when the cluemaker will declare the end of the first game. There may be time for a quick reset and a second game with a second set of clues. 

Game Play

Guns

Weapons are allowed. See 2nd Amendment.

Amendment 1 – The Killer’s Team

When the killer first becomes aware of his role (by reading clues), he has zero bullets and must earn them one at a time by completing new pain stations. If the killer successfully recruits both of his teammates to become killers, their new team of 3 killers immediately receives one bullet per each clue station previously completed by that team. If they revealed 6 clues before becoming a team of killers, then that team has 6 bullets. Moving forward, your team earns one bullet for each killer pax who completes each pain station. A team of 3 killers earns 3 credits per pain station. A team of 6 killers earns 6 credits at each pain station. The team of killers (or Mafia) can grow as large as they choose, but their success is only measured by their ability to protect the one original killer from accusation. The killer’s team must stay together as a tight group and should therefore be easily identifiable as such. No two members of a killer’s team may be more than 12 feet from each other. Killer teams may not dispatch a runner, or spread out in any way. Killers may be killed. 

Amendment 2 – The right to bear arms

Small nerf Guns, rubber chickens, small squirt guns, or other non-painful items may be used as weapons. All weapons must be declared and demonstrated during warm-o-rama or else they may not be used. To kill with a weapon, shoot or touch someone and then say “BANG” loud enough for them to hear you. They are not dead until they hear you say bang.  Laser pointers and flashlights may be used as weapons, but must include shouting the PAX’s name between each kill, and may only be used within 20 feet of the victim. Examples: If you were well hidden, you could shoot nerf bullets at 3 people in quick succession and then say “bang, bang, bang”, and all three would be dead. If you had a laser pointer, you must say the pax’s name and “bang” while the light is touching them, so you wouldn’t be able to “sweep” your light across three people and then say bang bang bang. 

Freezing

Instead of “bang” a killer may say “freeze”, and you are then held at gunpoint for up to 30 seconds. This gives you a chance to talk. He can still kill you during the 30 seconds. Calling a freeze does not cost the killer any credits. Each killer can freeze one person at a time (so a team of three killers could freeze a regular team if they were quick enough.)  If the killer walks away without killing you, you are no longer frozen. Whenever the freeze is over (30 seconds or the killer leaves), you are free to kill the killer.

Self Defense

Civilians (i.e. non-killers) can kill in self defense. They do not need to earn credits. They must, however, be absolutely sure that the person they kill is indeed a killer.  If a civilian kills someone who is not “the killer” or “on the killer’s team”, they become guilty of manslaughter and are out of the game, must do 20 penalty burpees, and face a firestorm of media criticism. Self defense will be defined very loosely for the purposes of our game. If a killer and civilian kill each other at the exact same time, then the tie goes to the unarmed-or-less-heavily-armed person.

Dead PAX

If you get killed, that is unfortunate. You cannot reveal who killed you or make other helpful comments to those still in the game. You can however continue exercising at each station as though exercise were your only real reason for coming today and who cares about a silly old game anyway. 

Strategies

Unlike the killer’s team, civilian teams are not required to stay close to each other. If desired, they could run to three different pain stations and try to acquire three clues.  At each station one PAX would have to do 3X the reps to cover the reps of the missing teammates. If 3 pax are together and one peels off to record a guess at the flag, the two remaining pax should cover his reps if they want to keep advancing through the clues without him. If a team loses one pax to death or the dark side, they do not have to cover his reps as they advance through clue stations. 


Fine print for Archive and people who think like him.

  • Touching the flag pole grants immunity. Pax cannot be shot or killed while touching the flag pole.
  • Killers must stay 12 feet away from the flag pole.
  • The Flag pole, flag-pole-accusation-paper,clip board, and pen cannot be touched or moved by killers.
  • Clues may not be moved, hidden, stolen, obstructed, forged, burned, or obscured in any way.
  • There is no limit to the size of the team that a killer can recruit, but the killer’s team must stay in a tight group and will therefore be more easily identified as it grows. 
  • If “the killer” gets killed, but no one writes his name on the accusation paper before the time limit, then the killer wins. The killer’s associates may continue to defend his interests and honor after he is killed.
  • We will start the game with a mosey around the AO to identify the 12ish clue stations. Clue envelopes will be visible at our standard workout spots (Hoffa, Cooties, Dan Taylor Alley, etc.)
  • If the first game ends quickly, we will play a second round. The entire game ends at 6:10, so please help the Q clean up the clues starting at 6:08am.

Winner Round 1: Team Panhandle, for correctly accusing Saga of mass murder.


Winner Round 2: Big Mac, for silently killing a number of PAX without being accused before the round ended. (lightning round)

Run Club

Backblast: Run Club
Date: Friday, 12/10/2021

AO#ao_ground_zero

PAX:  @Jolly@Tortuga@Panhandle@Toto@pillow mint@T-bone@Spokes@TBTF@Gummi Bear@Ranger Rick@SAGA@Crack@Milk Duds@Big Mac@Cheese
FNGs: 0
Q@Tortuga
Total: 15

WOR: Leg stretches OYO. Walked the first minute or two.Thang: Ran the Prairie Path east.  Some rucked.

COT:

  • Crack’s friend, Bryan, cancer diagnosis,
  • finals week at Wheaton College,
  • Crack traveling to Colorado to move K-Pop home from college,
  • 2.0’s spiritual growth and faith walks,
  • M’s

Moleskin: James 1:19 “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”  This was my moleskin from Tuesday.  I need to add to it that we can’t do this.  We can’t have that kind of patience.  This is why we need a savior.  This is why God sent us Jesus.  Aye?
@Jolly  replied with, “Could you repeat that?  I wasn’t listening.”

The Scorcher

Backblast: The Scorcher
Date: 12/07/21
AO: #ao_mastodon
PAX: @SAGA @TBTF @Beaker @Panda Express @Hancock @Tortuga @Sparrow @T-bone @Pink Drink @Aloha @bumble @Jolly @Katniss @Big Mac @Da Vinci @Paul Davis(Hat Trick) @Panhandle @Banks @Zoro @Bloomer @Crack @Giggles @8-Track
Q: @Tortuga
Total: 23

Conditions: A chilly 11 degrees in the shade.

WOR: 52 ssh IC, goof balls, a variety of punches, 5 T-Bone burpees, etc

Thang 1: 20 high knees (1=1), 10 burpees, 20 forward punches. AMRAP. We were going to do this for 10 minutes. About three minutes in, I changed the plan. First to finish five sets yell out and we’ll all stop. Big Mac did so. Quickly.

Thang 2: 20 high knees, 10 Bonnie Blairs (1=1), 20 backfists. First to finish five rounds stops us all. I couldn’t tell if it was Big Mac or Zorro on this one to finish first.

Thang 3: 20 high knees, 10 jump squats, 20 overhead punches. First to finish five rounds stops us.

Thang 4: Bringing it all together.
One round of each of the above, followed by a lap of the parking lot. AMRAP

Mary: 52 flutter kicks IC, followed by some stretching.

COT: Prayers were lifted up for patience, especially with those we are close to. Thanks for good friends, bodies that work, and cold mornings to enjoy together.

Moleskin: James 1:19 – Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

Most of the beatdown was from the darebee website.

St. Nick Run/Ruck


Date: 12/06/2021
AO: #ao_mastodon
PAX: @Jolly @Sparrow @Spokes @Cheese @Tortuga @Beaker @Panhandle @Shiplap @SAGA @Zoro @Archive @Da Vinci
FNGs: 0
Q: @Da Vinci
Total: 12WOR

After the Saint Nick EC we ran and we rucked.

From William Bennett’s The True St. Nicholas

Yes, Santa Claus is sometimes overexposed and exploited. But anything good is open to being exploited. In fact, anything good is likely to be exploited. Such is human nature. Saint Nicholas, in his heyday, was arguably just as overused and overexposed as Santa Claus is today. People called upon him to fulfill every conceivable desire, from finding a husband to conquering an enemy. The citizens of Bari went so far as to steal his bones to give their city a boost. For that matter, Saint Nicholas was well connected with commerce and materialism long before Santa Claus came along. Many a ship captain prayed to Nicholas for a profitable voyage, many a merchant invoked his name in sealing a lucrative deal. Trade guilds appropriated him in hopes of selling more buttons, barrels, and boots.

Even so… “Santa Claus is, in a very real sense, the result of a Christ-inspired goodness that has rippled down seventeen centuries, from Nicholas’ time to our own. Despite secularization and commercialization, Santa Claus is a manifestation of Nicholas’s decision to give to others. The history of Saint Nicholas is a kind of miracle in itself. It is a legacy that resonates with God’s love.”

Takeaway: Behind Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas, and behind Saint Nicholas is the Christ whom he defended, suffered for, and in whose name he gave gifts.

Ultimate Football

Backblast: Ultimate Football
Date: 12-04-2021
AO: #ao_tar_pit
PAX: @wet burrito @Panhandle @T-bone @Jolly @Katniss @TBTF @Tortuga @Archive @Banks @Big Mac @pillow mint @Shiplap @Bloomer @Cheese @Noodles @SAGA @Spokes @hat trick (FNG) FNGs:1
Q: @T-bone
Total: 18

WOR: Tbone burpees and yoga dogs

The Thang: run to Ackerman Park. Ultimate football with LED light up ball and wrist bands. 1/2 way thru some kind sole lit up the field creating an awesome visual effect on a brisk foggy morning. Return to AO for COT and Dunkin

COT: prayers for people of Afghanistan, healthy bodies and F3 fellowship.

Moleskin: the Means IS the End. Life is about the journey and how we live it.

Ski Season Workout

Backblast: Ski Season Workout
Date: 12/04/21
AO: #ao_mastodon
PAX: @Captain Crunch (AJ)@SAGA@TBTF@Beaker@Hotbox@Panda Express@Hancock@Jäzz Händz@Tortuga@Sparrow
Q: @Ralphy *VQ
Total: 11WOR: Side straddle hops IC (x20)
Abe Vigodas IC (x10)
Picking Daisies
Michael PhelpsThang 1:
Cross country skiing mixed with moguls in the form of…
Black Snake (indian run while weaving through PAX) around the softball field and Hoffa part of the AO.Thang 2:
We hit the slopes. Pax had to complete one each of the following "routes" (increasing in difficulty) before being free to choose.
:large_green_circle:– 10 Lt. Dans, 10 overhead presses, run up Hoffa
:large_blue_square:– 10 blockees, 5 mucho leg-o’s, 10 curls, run up Hoffa x2
:black-diamond:– 20 merkins, 10 American hammers, 10 Bobby Hurleys, murder bunny up Hoffa
:black-diamond::black-diamond:– 15 coupon swings, 15 thrusters, 20 merkins, murder bunnies up Hoffa x2A prize was awarded to the PAX who completed the most routes with the most value going to the harder routes. @Bloomer crushed the workout and went home with new send-o-vision glasses.COT: @Tortuga‘s sister, @Beaker’s family following the death of his M’s grandma*Thanks to the PAX for supporting my VQ on a Saturday morning!

Beach Body 2021

Backblast: Beach Body 2021
Date: 12/02/2021
AO: #ao_mastodon
PAX: @Bloomer @bumble @Pink Drink @Panhandle @Tortuga @SAGA @Spokes @Giggles @Hotbox @T-bone @Panda Express @Hancock @Gummi Bear@Katniss @Archive @Shiplap @Banks @wet burrito @Ralphy @Big Mac @Sally(FNG)
FNGs: 1
Q: @Banks
Total: 21WOR:
7xMotivators
15x Mountain Man Poopers IC
15x Tappy Taps IC
10x Merkins ICTHANG 1: Beach Body
PAX circled up and each were given an exercise, one PAX was in the center and had to complete 12x Sandees. Once the PAX in the center finished, we rotated.
Exercises:

  • Bent Over Rows with Sandbag
  • Overhead Press
  • Star Jumps
  • Merkins with a Sandbag
  • Grave Diggers with a Sandbag
  • Single Arm Curls
  • No Surrenders
  • Thrusters
  • Tricep Extensions
  • Sprints
  • Dips
  • Abyss Merkins
  • Table Press
  • Big Boy Situps
  • Blockees
  • Goblet Squats
  • Derkins
  • Step Ups
  • Pick Your Own

We also had a few songs mixed in where we paused and worked out together:

  • Chumbawamba Tubthumping – SSH and a burpee for every "I get knocked down"
  • Moby Flower – Go into a squat for every "Bring Sally Down"
  • Drowning Pool Bodies – Hold Plank and Donkey Kick on "1, 2, 3, 4" and do a Merkin on "Let the bodies hit the floor" (The speaker malfunctioned during this one, so we cut it short)

Overall we completed 1 full round and ended right on time!COT: Prayers for a strong finish to the week, and for all of us to remember what this holiday season is aboutMoleskin: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts" – Winston Churchill

Backblast: November Black Diamond “4 Corners”

Backblast: November Black Diamond “4 Corners”
Date: 11/22/2021
AO: #ao_tarpit
PAX: @Big Mac @T-bone @Panhandle @Jolly @Banks @Archive @Zoro
FNGs: 0
Q: @Katniss
Total: 8
Conditions: Maybe the chilliest yet.
WOR: Merkins, Bonnie Blairs IC, Tappy Taps, Quad stretch
THANG 1: Mosey to "The Wheel" – Do 25 burpees, sprint up the driveway, mosey down the steps. Repeato X2THANG 2: Mosey w/ coupons to back practice field beside the track. Q establishes 4 corners of the practice field. At each corner, PAX will perform a specific count of an exercise until they count down from 10 reps to 1 (i.e. first corner 10, next corner 9, next corner 8, 7, 6 and so on down to 1 rep).Between corners (but still on practice field): Sprint the sidelines, bear crawl the endzones
Upon completion of one full cycle (e.g., all 55 blockee reps) you must exit practice field to the track, sprint the longs and bear crawl on the track around the endzones. Then come back into the practice field for your next round/cycle.Rd 1 – Blockees (10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1)
Rd 2 – Thrusters (10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1)
Rd 3 – Jumpover burpees (we got through maybe 10, 9, 8?)THANG 3: You-call-it Mary w/ blockee pacer. (A PAX calls a Mary exercise for the group to do, they do it until he completes 10 blockees)

Moleskin: None. Extra prayers for those affected by the tragedy in Waukesha. Prayers for safe travels and holidays.December black diamond nominee: Given to @Big Mac before he heads off to Mexico for 5 months!

Backblast: Old School Ruck for the OG

Backblast: Old School Ruck for the OG
Date: 11/29/2021
AO: #ao_mastodon
PAX: @Shiplap @Ranger Rick @TBTF @Archive @8-Track @Sparrow @Da Vinci @Panhandle @Big Mac @Jolly @SAGA @Tortuga @Katniss
FNGs: 0
Q: @Shiplap
Total: 13
Conditions: AmazingTHANG 1: 3 PAX ran (@Jolly @Panhandle @Tortuga) The rest shuffled and rucked to the soccer fields – complete 75 yards of ruck pullsThang 2: Shuffled to the pool parking lot. On one end complete 20 cruchy frogs with ruck and 20 American Hammers with Ruck. We then shuffled across the parking lot and up the stairs. Once there we completed: 5 Ruckbees, 10 OH Squats, 15 Merkins, 20 BBSU, 25 Standing tricep extentionsEach round we added 1 rep to the BOMBS.Thang 3: @Archive special. Move from light pole to light pole. Complete 2 burpees at each light pole. To get from light pole to light pole you need to crab walk, bear crawl, crawl bear, and bernie in that order.COT: Prayers for selling my house and getting into the other one – if it is meant to be. Spoiler alert – the sellers just bailed on us. Guess it wasn’t meant to be.

Moleskin: Brick by Brick – take one little step at a time – focus on consistency and getting better each day.

Backblast: Thankful for EMOM

Backblast: Thankful for EMOM
Date: 11/25/2021
AO: #ao_mastodon
PAX: @Shiplap @Beaker @Captain Crunch (AJ) @kodak(downrange), @Da Vinci @Spokes @Archive @CHiPs @SAGA @Gummi Bear @Katniss
FNGs: 0
Q: @Shiplap
Total: 11
Conditions: Surprising mild – perfect for a good latherTHANG 1: Burpee Mile – run the @Captain Crunch (AJ) mile and stop ever 1/4 mile to do 12 burpees.Thang 2: At the COOTIES – EMO2M – 5 Pull ups, 5 Burpees, 5 Merkins, 5 Dips – add a rep each round working up to 10 of each – then back down to 5. This would account for 22 minutesThang 3: 11s – 10 BBSU/1 Leg raise – sprint the hill, 9BBSU/2 Leg raises go back down the hill…………time expired and no one finishedCOT: Prayers for the PAX, health, and praise for all the wonderful things in our lives that we may take for granted.

Moleskin: Enjoy little things in life like a warm place to sleep, food to eat, and family. Not everyone is blessed with those little things we take for granted everyday.