Rules

Teams
Teams must have four people. No more, no less. And pick a team name, lest we be forced to pick one for you. You must register by October 10, 2003.

One person must be designated team captain. This doesn’t give that person the right to boss the rest of you around, but we need to have a single person to harass for registration fees, to distribute the task list to, and to collect the final packet from. Please excuse the previous sentence that we end a preposition with. And that one, as well.

Entry Fee
Your team must pay registration by October 24, 2003. Otherwise, we will remove you from the sign-up list. We cannot accept late teams. We would like to be able to, but it just ain’t happening. A $20.00 (U.S.) entry fee is required per person to cover the cost of materials (such as maps, camera, etc.), prizes, and the after-odyssey party. We're doing this because we think it's fun. That being said, all collected money will go toward making this the best and coolest event possible.

Boundaries
All of the island of Manhattan west of Broadway, including Broadway, is the playing field. That’s right – from the top of the island to the bottom. While all of this territory is fair game, not all of it will be used. For the purposes of the hunt, avenues run north–south, and streets run east-west.

Playing
Teams may check in at the registration table beginning at 8:00am EST, Saturday, November 8, 2003. The registration area has yet to be determined, but we will inform you closer to the date. Each team member must sign in and have paid the $20.00 fee in order to participate. Each team will be given an orientation packet at this time, which will include several items that may help along the way.

At 8:50 AM, the day's list of tasks will be distributed to each team captain. And only to each team’s captain. The captains will wait in at the distribution table until we signal at 9:00 AM for them to open the task list. At that point, teams should begin the hunt. It is strongly advised that the team thoroughly review the complete list of tasks before embarking on the odyssey.

The task list will be made up of a large number of activities, with each task being assigned a certain number of points based on its difficulty. In general, it is up to the team to decide which tasks they want to try and complete within the allotted time. However, there will be a list of COMPULSORY tasks that MUST be completed by each team. You see, that's what "compulsory" means. These tasks will be clearly identified on the list and CANNOT be skipped. Any team that does not complete the COMPULSORY tasks will be penalized, making it well nigh impossible to win.

Teams may split up to cover more territory if they desire, but keep in mind that there will be times when this is not prudent. In fact, it will often be detrimental to split up. Sure, you’re competitive and want to win, but we want people to have fun and discover things together.

All tasks have been designed such to be both SAFE and LEGAL. If you feel as though you or a teammate is engaging in unsafe or illegal activity, STOP! You are off-track and this activity is not helping your cause. It’s probably not helping ours, either. We cannot be held responsible for participants' behavior. Unless, of course, you save somebody’s life during the hunt, in which case we claim full credit.

All materials must be turned in no later than 4:00pm EST, Saturday, November 8, 2003. Late materials will result in the team being penalized on a points-per-minute basis. No materials will be accepted after 4:30pm EST. Please note that film development is the responsibility of the team. Be sure to get the film developed early enough to have the pictures in by 4:00pm! Remember, a place that claims to have one-hour development doesn't necessarily say which hour that will be. This is not our fault. Not really.

Electronics
Use of the Internet, cell phones, PDAs, electrocardiograms, blenders, etc. is up to the teams. However, be forewarned that we gear this hunt to be done on foot, so what information you discover without observing it firsthand yourself may be erroneous. For instance, a place of business might give you a different answer to a clue than you would get if you went there yourself. Whining will not be tolerated.

Judging
Bo Bigelow, Brady Richards, Will Sakran, and their appointed minions will be responsible for judging you. We mean, judging each team's material set. Points will be tallied according to the tasks successfully completed. The team that accumulates the most points wins, as that seems to make the most sense. In the event that there is a tie, the winning team will be the team that turns in their material set earliest. There is no official bribing structure in place. The judges' ruling is final. Whining will not be tolerated.

Other Notes
It will be helpful for each participant to bring a backpack or messenger bag in which to carry around collected materials, as well as any small gifts you might want to get separately for the judges. Gifts probably have no bearing on a team's final score. Sherpas are not permitted in addition to the four teammates, so pick your companions accordingly.

You will be doing a lot of walking, probably more than you've ever done on a single day in Manhattan, with the possible exception of if you did last year’s hunt. Therefore, wear good shoes or sneakers and bring water with you or be prepared to buy it along the way.

It is also perfectly okay to wear a hat.

If you do not already have an unlimited ride Metrocard, we suggest that you buy one first thing Saturday morning. A One Day Fun Pass Metrocard is $7.00 and is good from the time that you buy it until 3:00am the following morning. It's good on subways and buses, and includes transfers.

The show will go on regardless of the weather. Please dress appropriately.

Whining will not be tolerated.

Refunds
Before October 24, we will be able to return a percentage of a team's registration fee if they drop out. After October 24, we will be able to return a percentage of a team's registration fee, and that percentage is zero.

FAQs:

Why four people to a team?
- Because three is not enough and five is too many.

What does the registration money go to?
- Most of it is for materials for the task packet. This covers printing costs, cameras, trinkets, food items, and that kind of thing. A lot of it also goes towards maintaining our website and other chronic operational and administrative costs. And a big part of it goes towards renting out the bar for the party at the end of the evening.

I knew about the hunt for a really long time, but I didn’t get around to signing up, and now the deadline has passed. I might be very good friends with Bo, Brady, or Will. I might have lots of money to throw around. I might be really cool and fun and worth spending time with. Maybe I’m attractive and flirty. Can I sign up late?
- No.

Can we use a car or bike or something to navigate the city during the hunt?
- Sure. Fat lot of good it will do you. Well, maybe the bike will do you some good, but a car? Come on. That’s a little excessive. This is Manhattan. Oh, and if you use one of those Segway dealies, you must let us try it out.

Are you guys native Manhattanites?
- No. We don’t even live there now. All three of us live in Brooklyn.

Who is the one with the curly hair?
- That’s Will.

Who is the one I saw in that Chinatown grocery store the other day?
- Probably Bo.

Who is the one that hates badgers?
- None of us hates badgers.

What happens if the solution to the clue is missing, damaged, or non-existent?
- We try to double-check all of the clues before the day of the hunt, but there remains the chance that construction, graffiti, or the like will make a clue unsolvable. We are reachable by phone on the day of the hunt, so if the issue comes up we will be able to check it out. Also, some clues might be very difficult or hard to find. As for damage to a clue, we hope that our participants are not selfish enough to vandalize what we put a lot of work into, but that is not always the case. If you see someone messing with a clue, let us know.

What’s the deal with cameras? I want to bring my own.
- You are welcome to bring your own camera, but we will only be accepting photos from the disposable cameras we will provide you. In the interest of giving everyone an equal chance, we won’t accept Polaroid or digital pictures, as those cameras provide the unfair advantage of immediately showing how pictures turn out. So. Bring what you will, but don’t expect anything outside of the provided materials to count towards your final score.

What if we don’t get our pictures developed in time?
- You lose a lot of points. A LOT of points.

What if a place of business gets really annoyed with us after a whole day of dealing with hunters?
- Please be nice and respectful. Avoid confrontation. Stay still, don’t make direct eye contact, and don’t bare your teeth. If you get the chance, back away slowly. If they appear agitated by your presence, speak in a firm, loud voice without sounding aggressive. Raise your arms above your head to make yourself look bigger. If they come at you, hold your ground. Chances are it’s a feint. If they knock you down, cover your neck and draw your knees up to your chest. Do not fight back unless they try to eat you. Note: this performance is also good when dealing with bears.

How do I get a Metro Metro t-shirt?
- Do you want one? If you really want one, contact us asap, as we are thinking about printing some up.

Why do people litter?
- I don’t know, man. I just don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense to me, either.

Why do people honk their horns so much?
- Because they are stupid and awful.

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