Raleigh water weapon game leaves losers all wet

About 150 people signed up for Raleigh Wars this year, a three-week game in which people use water guns to hunt down and "kill" their competitors.

Posted 8:00 p.m. Jun 23, 2011 — Updated 11:26 p.m. Jun 23, 2011

RALEIGH, N.C. — A band of assassins is afoot in Raleigh, but these stealthy souls aren't a threat. They’re players in a contest where losers leave the game all wet.

About 150 people signed up for Raleigh Wars this year, a three-week game in which people use water guns and other acceptable water weapons, such as water balloons, to hunt down and “kill” their competitors.

"You are here because you have a ruthless assassin inside of you, waiting to get out," according to the game's website.

Pure paranoia ensues as something as simple as walking to the car could be the end of the game for some contestants.

In the game, each competitor is assigned another competitor as a target. He or she must assassinate that target with a water weapon. Those who succeed inherit whomever they were hunting. The game continues until there is only one assassin left.

In this final week of the game, only 30 assassins have stayed dry and stayed in the game. The rest, the wet ones, are listed on the Raleigh Wars website under "obituaries."

The Game Master, who asked WRAL News not to reveal his identity, says he knows what it feels like to be “killed.”

“I went up to my car and bam, I got shot. You can imagine the adrenaline and the fear and the rush that comes over you,” he said.

Dodging water gun squirts isn't easy. One woman got wet as she entered her apartment.

“When you step outside that door, they've got their guns, their water balloons aimed at you. It’s three weeks of pure adrenaline, pure terror,” the Game Master said. "The real key to survival is to have fun and to stay dry.”

The finalists will meet for an Assassins Ball on Friday in downtown Raleigh where they'll celebrate and have one last watery duel. The winner gets a prize pack and the coveted "Golden Gun.” Prizes can include dinner at The Pit, Raleigh Times or Tuscan Blu, main stage Hopscotch tickets or cash.

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