BANG - Nothing to See Here — LiveJournal
Feb. 20th, 2006
10:03 pm - BANG
It's a small world. It turns out a friend of mine (
thomas_g_feed) just participated in a BANG ("Bay Area Night Game"). Another friend, 
lessachu, has been involved for quite some time in these games. They really sound like a lot of fun, though it also sounds like there's a lot of awfully clever people who have been playing them for a long time, so it's a bit daunting. The next one's in Petaluma, which is about a 90 minute drive from home. I haven't yet figured out what's involved in getting involved either. Hm. *ponders*
Current Music: 24 (not really music :)
You form a team of between 3 and 5 people that enjoy:
a) puzzles
b) yours and each other's company
c) mildly stressful/competitive situations (i.e., that don't fall apart completely when the puzzle solution is frustratingly elusive and everyone is cold and hungry)
You may also want people that are deal reasonably well with cold, hunger and puzzle solving in the darkness/dim lighting, as someone on the team usually forgets sufficient outerwear, adequate food and/or flashlights, at least on the first go around.
You either frequently check the BANG wiki for announcements or you join the low traffic BANG mailing list, where the game dates and registration procedures are announced.
Then when a new game is announced, you register your team and then show up at the start location with a clipboard, cell phone, pen, paper, flashlight and some snacks, prepared to walk, puzzle and have fun. BANGs are designed to be new team/puzzler friendly (relative to the full length 24 to 26 hour games), but there is a definite learning curve to these things (generally related to how quickly teams are willing to take hints), so new teams should also prepare to finish near the back of the pack.