Rules of a Host

Jack tilted his head to the side.

"Killing everyone?..."

He appeared to be recalling something, which made him fall deep into thought. After a few moments, he smiled rather brightly and lifted a finger into the air.

"We don't have to do that! I think doing what feels fun is most important."

Brian nodded a few times, his smile widening a little.

"Well said, well said. I too believe that is the most important thing."

There was a strange taciturn agreement the two of them had at that moment. Brian lifted up the teacup to his mouth and held out his pinky, taking a modest sip of the tea. Jack watched on closely with unblinking eyes.

Then, he tried imitating him, at first holding the handle with all of his fingers, before awkwardly sticking out his pinky. He nearly let go of the teacup by accident but was able to hold on. With that, he continued to drink the rest of the tea.

Brian let out a chuckle as he set down his teacup.

"The full rules are quite hefty to go through, so read through as you drink. Just do your best to remember all of it, as even a seemingly insignificant portion could be what allows you to reverse the tides. Although we may be the hosts, we are still competing in a different way. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask."

He took out a red and black checkered card before a holographic projection appeared. Right after, he put away the card, yet the projection itself stayed. Jack took a close look at it.

[Hosting Rules - Version One]

[For those granted the ability to host, they will be allowed to participate in a game two floors below them to guide the players. The main jobs of the host are to clearly explain all of the rules, operate the game as required, and enforce punishment if rules are broken.

While the host is responsible for giving a proper explanation that is not misleading or obscured, they are not held liable should a player choose not to listen or otherwise impair their ability to understand. If a player is naturally impaired, they will be given a separate explanation that the host does not need to concern themselves with.

Instructions for game operations will be given beforehand. The host is expected to fulfill everything required within the rules. During operation, the host is not required to go by the explained rules, but must not be directly confronted while the host's actions deviate from said rules. In the case of correct confrontation, affected players are allowed to demand a reset of the game. Every reset will lead to the responsible host being punished with the same punishment the player would receive for failing the game unless stated otherwise.

Should a player break one of the rules they are bound by, explained or not, the host is allowed to take action as far as they deem necessary. This includes if the player attempts to afflict or attack the host in any way. Incorrect confrontations also count as broken rules. A player that has their body parts or life collected during this process will count towards any execution rewards that pertain to that specific game.

Rewards and fees are specific to the kind of hosted game. All hosted games come with a base reward that comes so long as the game has been hosted correctly. Execution rewards come from players who are killed, injured or fail the game. Special rewards come from players who take certain kinds of actions, but the host cannot directly communicate such actions. Suggestions are allowed along with supporting said actions. Additional rewards can increase should multiple conditions be fulfilled.

The host can request a tip from the players themselves. All tips will be directly transferred to the host without any fees. Coercion through threats or implications is not allowed to encourage tips. Should the host receive tips, they are allowed to break certain explained rules depending on the tip and directly suggest special actions that help the player. Rules broken this way will not count as correct confrontation so long as it favors the person who has given the tip. It is not required for the host to support players who have given tips.]

While Jack was slowly reading through everything, Brian spoke up in the middle.

"Ah, something I should clarify is the version. Note that this only applies to hosting on the first floor. You've probably already seen that the systems work differently depending on the floor."

Jack enthusiastically nodded.

"Is there anything special that you will be doing?"

Brian let out a hum. He finished the tea with a sip before he started to speak.

"Ah, that is indeed a good question to ask given different hosts tend to have different strategies to maximize their rewards. However, I tend to do things on a whim so there isn't truly a standard of any kind. In truth, I tend to follow my curiosity more often than not. While I don't wish to make assumptions, it seems you do as well. That is part of why I decided to choose you."

Jack put down his teacup and raised his hands in the air.

"Yay! What is the game that we are going to host?"

Brian got up and let out a chuckle.

"It's a game of poker. Although it's a shame you won't be playing given your wits, I'm sure you'll enjoy this experience anyway."

He led over to a black door with no handles that was locked by a keycard reader. To open it up, he had scanned it with the red and black checkered card that displayed the basic host instructions earlier. With a beep, the door slid open, revealing the spacious interior that contained a variety of different holographic displays and menus lined up against the walls. Everything was painted white, making it almost seem like it was a padded room.

Brian walked straight through them, not paying too much mind, instead heading to a door at the opposite side of the room. Jack curiously looked at them, seeing the information for various different games that were displayed. Though he made sure to keep up. His gaze did not linger for too long.

The second door was also locked, but Brian once again took out his keycard to get through. The room here was significantly smaller, this time holding several different pedestals that were either red or black, standing out quite clearly.

Brian brought Jack over to one of the pedestals and gestured towards it.

"Take your time to read over it. While the instructions will still be visible once we've entered, there is no harm in being prepared."

Jack nodded and stared at the floating projections. He took in a deep breath, overwhelmed by the verbose wall of text.

[1st Floor | Class: Outlier | Poker]

[Note: This game requires a host assistant that does not necessarily follow all of the normal host rules. The host assistant is not required to have an Outlier Class Host pass or a General Host Pass. However, they are still bound by rules.]

[Rewards for Hosting include a pair of 7's and a Blood Card. This reward will be given to both the Host and Assistant so long as no errors occur during hosting.

Maximum Execution Rewards: 1 Death, 2 Collection

(Death: Should there be a player that is unable to fulfill their punishment or dies by means within the rules of the game, acquire a Blood Card.)

(Collection: Should the player be punished and lose one of their extremities, receive a card that is one higher than the rank of the extremity. Should there be more cases than the maximum, only the highest will be counted. The highest card that can be received this way is a 6)

Special Rewards: A player chooses to continue playing despite meeting conditions for victory and directly forces at least one player to lose by winning against them.

Given Explanation (By Host): Welcome to Poker!

The rules are the same as a standard Texas Hold 'Em. Should the player need further clarification, it will automatically be given to them.

Each player will be given 10 chips. Small Blind is one chip, while Big Blind is two chips.

Playing cards can be used to replace one of the cards in their hand before the final round of betting. They can also be converted into chips equal to their face value. One can go into debt in order to play more chips, but if they lose, the corresponding body part will be collected for that debt.

If a player has no chips, they can choose to forfeit. If they continue, then they will go into debt for further bets. While unable to go further into debt, the player automatically loses.

If a player has 50 chips, they can choose to cash out their chips into random cards and will win. 

Full Explanation: 8 Players will be in the game. Players are not allowed to attack one another unless attacked first. Players are not allowed to change their hands without using a playing card. Players cannot reveal others' cards while they are to be hidden, nor are they allowed to look at the deck... (Continued in Host manual).

The Host and Assistant will always be aware of all cards. The Host is responsible for shuffling, dealing, and collecting cards. When shuffling, the cards will be randomly switched without the Host's knowledge.

Due to the volume of players, an Assistant will support the Host in detecting cheating as well as retaliating against any Player who breaks the rules.

Actions allowed for tipping will be different depending on the Host or Assistant receiving a tip. While other rewards are given to both parties, tips will only go to the individual that receives them. Further explanation of legal actions will be given once tips are received.]