Deathrun is a one-versus-many mode: a single terrorist — the "activator" or death — triggers traps along an obstacle course while the counter-terrorists race to the end. It is built entirely on AMX Mod X plus purpose-made maps; there is no separate engine mod to compile. This sets up a clean Deathrun server from a working CS install.
1. Start from a working AMXX server
Deathrun assumes Metamod and AMX Mod X are already running. Confirm:
meta list amxx version
If AMX Mod X is not installed, do that first — the Deathrun plugin is an ordinary AMXX plugin and needs the framework beneath it.
2. Install the Deathrun manager plugin
Deathrun logic — picking the activator, managing traps, showing the HUD — lives in a manager plugin. Place its .amxx in addons/amxmodx/plugins/ and register it:
deathrun.amxx
Add that line to addons/amxmodx/configs/plugins.ini. The general procedure is in installing AMXX plugin files. Our maintained implementation is CSB Deathrun Manager, which handles activator selection, glow, and reserved-slot fairness in one plugin.
3. Install Deathrun maps
Deathrun needs maps built for it — long linear courses with button-triggered traps, named with the deathrun_ (or dr_) prefix. Place the .bsp files in cstrike/maps/ and add them to your rotation:
cstrike/maps/deathrun_castle.bsp cstrike/maps/deathrun_temple.bsp
Add each map to mapcycle.txt. Standard CS maps do not work as Deathrun — they have no trap entities. Distribute the maps to players over FastDL as in installing custom maps, or players download them slowly on join.
4. Tune the round flow for the mode
Deathrun plays badly with default round settings. In server.cfg:
mp_freezetime 3 mp_roundtime 5 mp_buytime 0 mp_startmoney 0 mp_autoteambalance 0 mp_limitteams 0
The key ones: disable auto team balance and team limits, because Deathrun deliberately runs one terrorist against many CTs — leave balancing on and the engine constantly fights the plugin's team assignment. Zero buy time and money because there is no buying in Deathrun.
5. Handle the activator
The manager plugin chooses one player as the terrorist each round and moves everyone else to CT. Configure its behavior through the plugin's own cvars (typically in a deathrun.cfg the plugin creates on first run) — things like activator glow, reserved-slot priority, and whether the previous death can be picked again. If your plugin supports it, enable a glow on the activator so racers can see who controls the traps.
6. Optional respawn and quality-of-life
Many Deathrun servers keep dead players as spectators until the round ends, which is default. If you want late joiners to enter the current round, CSB Respawn on Join handles that cleanly. Advertise the map's mechanics with a server-adverts plugin so new players know how the traps work. Manage admins and map votes with CSB Admin Menu.
How a Deathrun round actually plays
It helps to know the flow the plugin enforces, because it explains the cvar choices above. At round start the manager picks one player and forces them to the terrorist team — the activator — and puts everyone else on CT. The CTs spawn at the start of the course and must run to the finish; the activator runs a parallel path lined with buttons that trigger the map's traps — crushers, spike floors, moving platforms — timed to catch racers. Because exactly one player must be T and the rest CT, any engine feature that reshuffles teams — auto-balance, team limits, or a scramble plugin — actively fights the mode, which is why you disable them. The activator is deliberately outnumbered; the balance comes from map design, not team size, so the usual "fairness" cvars are exactly wrong here.
Reward the winner
Most Deathrun maps end with a final one-on-one arena or a "free day" where the last surviving CT fights the activator directly. Some manager plugins grant the round-winning racer a reward — extra health, a weapon, or the right to be activator next round — configurable in the plugin's deathrun.cfg. Decide whether winning should be its own reward or carry a mechanical bonus; a small perk keeps players pushing to finish the course rather than hanging back.
Troubleshooting
- Everyone is on the same team / no activator picked — auto team balance is on. Set
mp_autoteambalance 0andmp_limitteams 0. - Traps do nothing — the map is a standard CS map, not a Deathrun map. Only
deathrun_/dr_maps have trap entities. - Plugin shows
bad loadinamxx plugins— wrong AMXX version or a missing module. Recompile or install the matching build. - Players cannot download the map — FastDL is not serving it. See FastDL not working.
Verification
Load a deathrun_ map with a couple of test clients. Confirm the plugin picks exactly one terrorist, moves the rest to CT, and that pressing a trap button kills or blocks racers as designed. Run amxx plugins and check the manager reads running. If one death faces a team of racers on a trap map without the engine reshuffling teams, your Deathrun server is set up correctly.
