Q: Why benevolent assassination? What’s wrong with the good, old-fashioned violent kind?
A: We love the other kinds of assassination games, especially the original live-action role-playing version described here, here, and here. But we’ve noticed a trend lately to move games of assassination to more public spaces and to include more diverse social networks. As the magic circle of the game starts to encompass more people and places, we thought it would be a good idea to trade the water balloons and Nerf guns for interactions that create a more interesting social effect on both players and bystanders.

Q: "Cruel 2 B Kind" sounds familiar—where have I heard that before?
A: "Cruel to be kind" was originally coined by William Shakespeare in the play Hamlet.

GERTRUDE
Oh, Hamlet, you have split my heart in two!
HAMLET
...I must be cruel to be kind.

The line is spoken during one of Hamlet’s lovely fits of (feigned?) insanity. Cruel 2 B Kind aspires to be a game of much poetic insanity and epic Shakespearean proportions.

Q: I don't live near any of the currently scheduled games. Can I run one myself?
A: Absolutely! We’ve built our online system specifically to support other gamers in organizing their own live Cruel 2 B Kind events. See our host a game page to find out how.

Q: What else inspired the Cruel 2 B Kind game design?
A: Design notes coming soon.

Ask us another question! Write to: design at cruelgame dot com.