MURP has always had a long tradition of hosting internal tournaments, especially in the first few weeks of semester. These infernal torments give people a chance to show off their writing skills, lets people get a taste for a variety of games they might not normally have played and most importantly, renews the sense of MURP being a club rather than a group of individual games.

So what exactly happens during an Infernal?

As part of the whole Infernal Torment tradition, MURP always lays on the grand feast, replete with at least 5 or more different pizza types. In days of yore, the Infernal Torment included a barbeque at Sports and Rec, with plasticburgers and mystery sausages, but those times have passed, leaving only the chaos liquid known as Slades as their legacy.

Providing this sort of smorgasbord makes the general member a bit sluggish and contented, and also provides an opportunity to hide any of the evidence from the previous tournament. The Slades begins to work its magic, distorting their senses and making the room spin.

Each Infernal Torment has its patron demon, and this event was no exception. The members are herded together and mystic rites are performed with their names, splitting them into particular cabals. Their names are read out and then we call upon the patron. In this case, we had previously decided to call forth the old one daverogerson, and by the sacrifice of a beer, a cricket bat and the telling of the bear joke, the old one was brought forth to oversee our efforts for the night.

And then, the ... roleplaying. Of course, most people once playing in character don't show up on film, but the sudden flash can disturb them briefly enough to give some idea of how things normally appear. MURP members are usually old hands at roleplaying, and can kick back and relax while their characters run in fear from a giant and evil, if clumsy, crocodile.

After many hours of roleplaying and having fun, the night is finished up by the prizegiving and gladiator games. The first Infernal Torment is before the AGM and committee elections, so death matches are arranged between the candidates, so that MURP members may gain a better appreciation of which candidate will be able to protect them from the ravaging beasts which periodically assault our coastal villages. Armed only with pieces of paper and various body piercings, the candidates are forced high up onto platforms specially greased and encouraged to leap from table to table, in an attempt to knock their opponents to a terrible death on the carpet many feet below.