Bay Area Treasure Hunt
29 Sep 2001

We want the BATH to be an amazingly fun event, with the coolest, most interesting, and incredibly fun puzzles possible. Can any group of organizers provide the best puzzles? No way!

So we're tapping into the creative potential of puzzle-solvers like you.

Ever think, "Hey, that tree looks like a Z! That bush looks like an O… and that flower looks like an O, too. I wonder if people would go to the zoo if I showed them pictures of these plants?"

Well, this is your chance to find out. Submit a clue to the BATH.

If, on the other hand, your team really doesn't want to write a clue, don't sweat it. This year there will be 12 clues in BATH - two written by Game Control, and 10 written by teams. With a limit of 30 teams, that means that 2 out of 3 teams will not write a clue. So don't feel pressured if you'd rather just play. After all, there's plenty of creativity in just solving clues!

Why Should You Submit a Clue?

• If your clue is accepted, your team will automatically get credit for solving it during the game - that's like money in the bank. You get a slight solving-time-advantage over teams who don't submit clues, and you don't have to risk calling for hints on your own clue (=losing points). You will, however, have to visit all clue sites, including your own, during the game.

• Other players will be awed by your amazing ingenuity.

• At the end of the hunt, all the teams get to vote for their three favorites. The creators of these top three clues will be honored at the EndGame festivities.

• Clue development is a great reason to get together with your friends.

Okay, I'm Sold! What are the clue guidelines?

Clue format:

Create any puzzle you like that that sends people to a specific location in San Francisco. Four people with minimal equipment should be able to solve these clues in approximately 35 minutes, including driving time. Players will know in which sector each clue is located, and the game will be organized so that sequential clues are in adjacent sectors, if possible. We expect driving time to take maybe 5 to 10 minutes of the 35.

We expect teams to have scratch paper, writing implements, access to telephones and phone books, a few portable reference books, and a willingness to question bystanders.

Your clue can be a paper clue, or a physical object. It can be a puzzle, a riddle, a trivia quiz, a punny reference to a San Francisco intersection, an interactive clue (you provide the actors, please!), or anything else your mind can imagine. Check out the YABA and Stanford game clues for inspiration (elsewhere on the thunts.com site).

Clue Budget:

The clue competition is about creativity and fun. Your clue budget is $1.

A buck. One measly dollar. But we know you can wow us!

Show us what you can make out of toilet paper rolls, pencils, coke cans, junk mail, toothpicks, matchbooks, packing peanuts, penny candy, free CDs (such as the ones AOL has been sending us all for the past 3 years), old magazines, sidewalk chalk, newspaper ads, pennies, chewing gum, gravel, or a couple of hours of your mother's time.

Locations:

If you've got a favorite place in San Francisco, select that location. Otherwise, review our list of sectors and select one that sounds interesting. Spend an afternoon exploring the sector, pick your favorite spot in the area, and build your clue. Click here to see a list of sectors.

We would like to have a good variety of locations for people to visit during the BATH. So, we're encouraging clue submissions from a variety of sectors in San Francisco. If someone else has already chosen your favorite sector, think of it as an excuse to explore a different part of the city!

Before you start writing your clue, drop us a line here to let us know what sector you'd like; we'll let you know whether it's already taken.

Deadline:

In order to get everything ready in time for the BATH, we need your clue submissions by 15 Sep 2001. You must get your clue to BATHGP by that date. You have several delivery choices.

Mail:
     BATH 2001
     P.O. Box 47-5333
     San Francisco, CA 94147-5333

FAX:
     208-361-1271

E-mail:
     BATHGP@yahoogroups.com

Hand-Delivery:
We have people both on the Peninsula and in San Francisco.
Please phone 415.289.BATH to make delivery arrangements.

Final Points

Nobody gets hurt. Your clue will not pose a hazard to players or bystanders. The BATH is about having fun. Bleeding all over San Francisco is not fun. 'Nuff said.

You dream it up, you help us build it. We have no illusions about how inventive you are. You can create puzzles we could never imagine, let alone try to duplicate. Accordingly, we expect you to work with one of our crack BATH organizers to put your clue together for the 30 teams in the hunt. Just think--yet another excuse to get together with your friends!

You do not have to submit a clue. We want everyone to enjoy the hunt. This part of the BATH is geared toward people who like to create clues as well as solve them. If you think the whole clue-creation process sounds like revolting chore, then DO NOT submit a clue. Remember, we want you to be able to tell all your friends about the wonderful time you had at our event!

Still have questions? Contact us!

E-mail:
     BATHGP@yahoogroups.com

Phone (voicemail):
      415.289.2284 (289.BATH)