Running Man: Championships

The Running Man Championships is an event created by the Seven Tribes as a compromise to end the Materion War. The games comprise of 1 **opening game**, 3 **solo matches**, 3 **team matches**, and 3 **final matches**. In between those matches are 4 **mini games**. The winner of the games will win a piece of the Materion for their tribe.

## Opening Game

### Do not Walk, Keep on Running!

**Gameplay**

Each player will be given a randomly selected item to walk across the aerial pathway with. After receiving the items, they race to the end of the pathway and enter the path of choices, where they are once again given a randomly selected area to cross through towards the center, where the R point is located. The first one to insert their flag in the R point wins the game.

**Rules**

* Players are not allowed to take off their items until they reach the end of the path, however they may trade their items with other players.

## Solo Matches

### Bell Hunter

**Time Limit**

30 minutes.

**Gameplay**

Set inside a tall tower, the chosen 'hunter' will be given a few minutes to hide marbles all around the rooms of the tower before the game begins. After hiding the marbles, the remaining players, aka the 'prey' will be tasked to find the marbles in the tower while simultaneously hiding from the hunter. The player who obtains the most marbles wins the game.

**Rules**

* Although it's said that the player with the most marbles wins, if the hunter ends up successfully catching all the 'prey', then the hunter will automatically win the game.
* The hunter is given a necklace of bells to ensure that the prey will be able to hear when he is near.
* The hunter will be kept inside a cage at the bottom of the tower for 5 minutes to give the prey ample time to find the marbles before the hunter is set free.

### Superpower Battle

**Time Limit**

Infinite

**Gameplay**

Each player is given a 'superpower ring' which, when attached to the watch, gives them a unique superpower. Like a regular Survival Game, the last player with their emblem intact wins the game.

**Rules**

* Each superpower has an energy limit, which is indicated by the bar in the watch. Once the ring is used up, the player will not be able to use their superpower anymore.
* The players are not given information on what the others' superpowers are.

### Escape from the Ultimate Tower

**Time Limit**

Infinite

**Gameplay**

The players are held in prisons similar to the ones in the 'Bell Hunter' game, where their main goal is to escape their cell in the first floor and leave the tower by escaping through the highest floor of the tower. While ascending, each floor comprises of several rooms with doors on each end of the staircases. However, not all the doors are able to open. Whoever leaves the tower first wins the game.

**Rules**

* The prison doors' lasers automatically turns off every 12 minutes.
* The building rotates every time a player ascends a floor, changing the position of the opening doors.
* The higher a player ascends, the stronger the security of the tower will be.

## Team Matches

### Train Escape Game

**Time Limit**

Infinite

**Gameplay**

A secret game constructed by Charming Gold. The goal is to escape from the infected pullulu and find the cure of the virus at the end of the train. The first pair to escape the train successfully win the game.

**Rules**

* The game is divided into pairs attached with handcuffs.

### Change Battle

**Time Limit**

Infinite

**Gameplay**

Each team will be given 'change balls' in their respective team's color, which will be kept in their watch. Each team is able to throw the change balls to the opposing team member and, once hit, will change the opposing member's team color into the thrower's color. However, if the opposing member is able to catch the ball before they get hit, the member will gain that ball as a bonus. Once the team captain is knocked out, the surviving captain wins the game for the team.

**Rules**

* Team Captains cannot change team colors.
* Only a captain can take out another team captain with a change ball.

### Pyramid Pursuit

**Time Limit**

Infinite

**Gameplay**

Each team will be divided into two, with the winning players of the last mini-game being the **fugitives** while the remaining members, labeled as the **'pursuers**' are divided into pairs. The players will be transported in a five story pyramid where the pursuers will begin the race at the first floor while the fugitive team start at the second. As they race to the top, the pursuers are tasked to take the golden key from the fugitives before they reach the 5th floor. the first team to insert the golden key into the slot wins the game.

**Rules**

* Each floor is full of obstacles that the teams have to get through in order to ascend. Underneath the obstacles is a giant metal crusher that is assumed to kill the players if they fall into it.

## Final Matches

### Battle for the High Ground

**Time Limit**

Not specified. Assumed to be 1 hour.

**Gameplay**

Players from both teams will race their way to the R point, the highest platform in the arena, where they have to fight the opposing team member out of the platform. If the opposing team member takes out the shield of the other, then they are tagged out of the game. The team with the most members occupying the R point wins the game.

**Rules**

* A player is forced to enter the arena every 10 minutes.

### Zone Battle

**Time Limit**

30 minutes

**Gameplay**

Set inside a floating platform divided into 7 zones, players from each team are tasked to claim the zones using the emblems kept in the shield of the opposing team, where they will then insert into the R point of each zone to claim it. The first team to claim at least 4 of the 7 zones win the game.

**Rules**

* If a player enters the zone claimed by their opponent, the player's gravity will grow heavier the higher the number of the zone is.

### Catch the King

**Time Limit**

Infinite

**Gameplay**

Each team will be given 5 minutes to select a king, which will be indicated based on the crown on the king's shield. After choosing a king, the teams will run around the stages of the previous games trying to find their opponents' king. The first team to take out the opponent's king will win the set.

**Rules**

* The team's only form of communication will be through their watches.
* The game will be comprised of three sets. The team with at least 2 wins will win the game.
* Players will have a 10 minute break before the start of each set.

## Mini Games

### Monster's Mealtime

**Time Limit**

Infinite

**Gameplay**

One player will be chosen as the 'monster' for the game. As the monster stands at the opposite end of the playing field, facing away from them, the remaining players will ask, "Monster, monster, what time is it?". The monster will reply in two ways -

* The monster will state a time ("4'o clock!") and the players will take that many steps (4 steps). The players will then ask the question again.
* The monster will state "It's mealtime!" as he turns around and chases the other players, taking their bells away.

Each contestant will take turns playing the 'monster' and the player with the most bells wins.

**Rules**

* If the monster takes the bells of all six players, then the monster will win the game by default and the solo match will begin.

### Hammer Bingo

**Time Limit**

Infinite

**Gameplay**

Each player will be given a bingo board containing the emblems of the competing tribes. Once the game begins, the players are tasked to find the emblems of their opponents hidden throughout the stage. Hitting the corresponding emblem will knock the player out of the game and the emblem will be struck off the player's bingo card. The first player to create 2 bingo lines and yells out, "Bingo!" on top of the R-point will win the game.

**Rules**

* Because there are only 7 competing tribes, the remaining three slots will be replace with an R sign and thus, cannot be used to create a bingo line. The R slots on each bingo card will be randomized to each player.

### Lord of the Ttakji

**Time Limit**

Infinite

**Gameplay**

Via a raffle draw, the players will battle by pairs, the winners advancing to the next round until two players are remaining in the finals. The player who is able to flip their opponents' ttakji in the final round will win the game as well as receive the **Ultimate Ttakji** .

**Rules**

* Because there are 7 competing tribes, one player will win by default and advance to the preliminaries.

### Find the Golden Key

**Time Limit**

1 hour

**Gameplay**

The main goal of the game is to obtain the three pieces of the golden key and escape via the platform in the middle. Ballbots are scattered in the area, with three containing hints to where the key pieces are located. The player/s who assemble the key in the middle will win the game. Failure to escape will give the players a penalty for the main game.

**Rules**

## Trivia

* Some of the games are referenced directly from the Korean variety show the animated series was based on. Games such as -
	+ Superpower Battle = "런닝맨 최강자전"
	+ Bell Hunter = "방울 숨바꼭질"
	+ Escape from the Ultimate Tower = "런닝맨 유임스 본드 특집"
	+ Train Escape Game = "런닝맨 좀비 전쟁"
	+ Pyramid Pursuit = "Running Man 146 - Catch the Traitor!"
* The winners of the mini games will be given a certain advantage to help them in the next round of the main games.
* According to Charming Gold, 'Lord of the Ttakji' is one of the three grand games in Tree City.
* While it is widely believed that the games are an annual event, an interview from the production team actually states that the Championships are held every **ten (10)** years.

## References

1. ↑ Article 24, Paragraph 39 of the Running Man Championship Regulations
2. ↑ [애니메이션 런닝맨] 애니갤러리 170824｜런닝맨의 인기 비결｜Animation Runningman