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Q: Are there any more prepuzzles to be found, apart from the obvious cluster on the Teams page? Are we going to be the only team to show up without the transcripts of every case that Taft heard as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
A: No.
Q: Is that a sly way of indicating that we do, in fact, need to bring the transcripts of every case that Taft heard as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
A: No.
Q: Is this page a stereogram?
A: No! Stop staring!
Q: So what should we bring?
Definitely bring:
You might find a GPS useful, but we will not be providing coordinates.
We suggest that your codebook include at least the following information. Yes, we know, same old, same old.
In addition, you should strongly consider bringing:
Other materials will be provided at the start of the show.
Q: Where and when does the game begin?
A: That's for you to find out. Please notify us when you do, or (especially) if you haven't by April 8 or so.
Q: How will the Game be scored?
A: With Taft's own home-brewed system.
Q: Have our waivers/fees been received?
A: Please check this page; it will be updated as frequently as possible.
Older questions from the FAQ (some of which are still relevant) follow.
Q: Who? What? Where? When? How much?
A: In order...
Q: What's this Game thing, anyway?
A: Simply put, it's a chain of puzzles in which each answer tells you where to go next. However, you should be ready for anything, including physical challenges and interaction with various interesting environments in the Bay Area. You can find info on the Game here. That said, you should know that we emphasize puzzles over challenges like inducing the entire city of Berkeley to signal in semaphore while driving a jetski full of snakes down Mount Diablo, not that such things do not have their place.
Q: How many teams are you planning to accept?
A: 18, at the most, and we will accept teams of up to six players. We will also accept up to two alternates. This is our first big event and we'd like to keep it manageable.
Q: How will you decide who gets in?
A: If you solve the metapuzzle based on the five pre-puzzle answers, you're in, as long as a slot is still available. (You don't need to solve all five pre-puzzles.) If not all slots have been filled by the cut-off date (February 28, 2006), we'll fill them based on number of pre-puzzles solved and various intangibles.
Q: Should we just e-mail you when we've figured out the pre-puzzles?
A: Actually, those are your key pieces of insight into Mr. Zorg's personality, so you should use them on your application form.
Q: What happens once we've been accepted?
A: We'll ask you to submit your application fee and waiver, produce a piece of creative media (it will be fun and not too time-consuming), and solve one more puzzle to figure out where the game begins. We won't require you to drop things off in person or solve additional pre-puzzles to determine what to bring.
Q: So is there a chance that my team could be "fired" several hours into the event and have to quit early?
A: Every team will complete the entire event, and no team will be singled out and penalized, because that would be, you know, no fun whatsoever.
Q: You guys are a relatively new team. What's your style? How difficult will this be?
A: We include a minimal number of puzzles that rely on traditional encoding systems (Morse, Braille, etc.) and puzzles that require extensive outside knowledge or use of a Google-equipped home team. Feel free to take a look at some of our BANG 13 puzzles (representative samples here, here, and here). The puzzles in this game will be harder than our BANG 13 puzzles, and about as difficult as the puzzles in a standard Game.
Q: Will I need extensive knowledge of The Fifth Element / The Apprentice?
A: You will need to know some basic information from the movie, and you will enjoy the theme more if you've seen it recently. There will be more subtle (non-clue-related) references for more hardcore fans. As for The Apprentice, all that you really need to know is that a candidate is fired at the end of every show.
Q: Will I need extensive knowledge of William Howard Taft to play?
A: Sadly, no.
Q: We're planning to fly in.
A: We recommend that you fly into the Oakland Airport (OAK) and find a hotel in the area for Friday night. The game will begin on Saturday morning in the Berkeley area, and it will disperse by about 2 AM on Sunday morning. Don't buy tickets until your team has been accepted. :)
Q: I am Larry Hosken, and I predict that the game will end at the Fifth Element Spa in the Mission District.
A: Nope; you won't even be going to San Francisco. Nice try, though.
Further questions, comments, or offers of playtesting can be sent to [tazinfo@taftraft.com].