The Circle of Seven is the new venery designed by antichaos, located at -1716, 5788 at the VoK Mega.
This venery is different to most. It is not a series of clues, but rather a game, played between 7 contestants, which is like a cross between takeskot, covered cartouche and the silent friends challenge from the Contest of 7.
The Basics
A lockbox is installed on each player. The box contains one of 7 keys, named for the 7 disciplines. The key opens one of the other players boxes, in a single circle. All 7 keys are needed to finish, but only the first 3 finishers win, and are allowed to judge. The challenge is to discover the correct order of boxes while minimising the number of other people who get your key. Cooperation is therefore important, as is backstabbing, misleading and general deviousness. One way to protect your key is simply to warp away and hide. This is fine, and can be an important tactic, but a few restrictions are needed so that people do not hold up the game unnecessarily. These are explained in more detail below. The game takes less than an hour to play. There is no hard limit, but hiding is banned after 45 minutes.
Signing Up
The Circle of Seven requires exactly 7 people to play at once. Announcements will be made in the BBC mic channel in game (/join BBC), or you can contact antichaos if you have a group of at least 4 ready, and I'll try and shedule a running at your convenience.
Rules and procedure
Once 7 people have signed up, the organised (usually antichaos) will install and configure a lockbox on each player. The venery will then be activated at which point the players are instructed to scatter until they are all out of click range of each other. This is necessary in order to give each person their first key. The organiser will come round to each player and temporarily unlock their lockbox so that they can collect their own key. He will then announce the start of the game on BBC.
Players must not approach each other until the start has been announced. They are of course free to chat each other and begin plotting tactics for the game.
Hiding Restrictions
Players are free to run or waypoint to anywhere in Egypt during the game. However in order to keep things moving along, they must not stay away from the game area for more than 10 minutes at a time. The game area is definded as the area visible from the venery gathering point. The organiser will stand at the gathering point and log on BBC when people leave the area. After 8 minutes in hiding, a 2 minute warning will be given, then a final warning. If the player does not return, the organiser will configure a lockbox on himself to mimic that of the player in hiding. If several players excede the limit, other lockboxes mimicing them will be installed on chests at the venery gathering point. When the player returns the mimicing lockbox will be removed.
Same rules apply if a player logs out during the game.
After 45 minutes, anyone going into hiding will just get a 1 minute warning before their lockbox is mimicked.
Once the game is over, players must allow their lockboxes to be removed, or risk being hunted down and slaughtered by a highly trained team of pox-infested ninja-sheep.
Comments from previous contestants
Tweetiti: An original and fun way to play a venery. I call it the "Leadership Venery" :)
Magrathea: A barrel full of laughs with the right group! Definitely a lot of fun :D