GothamQuest II: Rules

Who will win: At the end of the race, only one pair will be crowned “ultimate champions”. The winning team will have accumulated seven keys (described below) and will have uncovered the location of the Quest’s final landmark. The first team to do this and to arrive at this destination will be the winner.

Who will lose: Everyone else will lose, eventually. The quest will be an elimination race, which means that teams that fall behind of the other teams will be eliminated at specifically designated points in the race. In the end, only a handful of teams will remain to compete in this year’s “final stage”, after which only one pair will be awarded victory.

Your teammates: All that we are telling players is that you will ALWAYS be paired with your partner. That is to say, my mother will always be paired with my father. A “single” player will be paired with another “single” in advance, and this constructed pair will remain together throughout the race. You will not be split.

However, other teammates might join you and leave you throughout the Quest. We are NOT disclosing how this will work out.

Your time commitment: The Quest starts at 7:30am. Meet in the lobby of our apartment building (our address is 66 Madison Avenue, b/w 27th and 28th, Apartment #12L). Please, please do not arrive late.

We are REQUIRING that all teams (including eliminated ones) stay through to the completion of the race. We would like all teams not racing to be at the finish line, and there are no exceptions. We estimate that the finish could occur anywhere from 5:30pm to 7:30pm (depending on how smart you guys are…), so do NOT plan anything prior to that.

Race boundaries: Quest landmarks are entirely contained within the island of Manhattan and no further north than 100th Street. Sentries will NOT be located ON or IN tunnels or bridges (a reminder to last year’s racers who made this unfortunate mistake).

Basic game: Each team will be given “clue cards”, which are to be used to identify a particular New York City landmark. Competitors will have to use cleverness to uncover the identity of the next destination by deciphering the meaning of the clue. If you think you have a good idea where to go based on the clue alone, you certainly can head there, keeping in mind (of course) that you could be wrong…

After uncovering the landmark’s identity, teams must head to this correct landmark, where they will find a race “sentry” (Dan, Pete, Krishna or David). Teams must present the clue card to the sentry to advance to the next clue. The sentry will then “check-in” each team (described below) and provide the next clue card for the next City landmark.

If you cannot uncover the identity of the landmark (i.e., if you’re stumped by the clue or if you went to the wrong landmark), you can call one of the sentries for a “simpler clue”. But, be advised – teams can only access these simpler clues 30 minutes from the time that they received the actual clue…AND once they arrive at the correct landmark, they will be held for 10 minutes before being allowed to advance. Bottom line – you have a lifeline available to you, but it comes with a pretty hefty penalty. It is designed to keep teams moving forward (albeit slowly) and to prevent teams from getting “stranded”.

Check-in: Teams will be “checked in” to a particular landmark once ALL members of the team arrive and all penalties are taken (i.e., required holds for requesting simpler clues, etc.). Each team’s “check-in” time will be recorded by the sentry and passed along to other sentries throughout the race. Your team will not be given the next clue until “check-in” has occurred.

Number of landmarks in this year’s Quest: We are not telling you in advance of the race. Last year, however, there were nine landmarks…

The concept of “keys”: This is a new feature to this year’s race, although you might be disappointed to know that we won’t be telling you much about it in advance. At various points in the Quest, the most successful teams will be given access to “keys”, which will serve as clues to the identity of the final landmark site. The winning team must accumulate all seven keys. We are not saying at this time how these keys will be won. You’ll just have to wait and see.

Means of transport: You can use any of a number of means of transport (i.e., walk/run, take the subway, take a cab, take a bus, etc.). You can even rent a bike or a skateboard. However, you cannot enlist others (who are not in the race) to assist you in getting around (i.e. a friend who is stationed to help you out or a complete stranger who is fascinated by the Quest and wants to lend a hand for the day).

Cash: Each pair will be allowed a fixed amount of cash to be used in the race. This amount has not yet been determined. However, all teams will start the Quest with the SAME amount of cash on hand.

If you run out of cash, and you feel like you need more to continue on with the race, you can ask the sentry at the preceding destination or at the next destination for cash. HOWEVER, for every dollar that your team receives in additional cash, a one minute penalty will be applied to your time at the next destination. For example, say that you arrive at Destination #6, and you are strapped for cash. You ask that sentry at Destination #6 for $20. You will be given the $20 immediately, but at Destination #7, 20 minutes will be added to your arrival time. If you reach Destination #7 at 2:30 pm, it will be considered 2:50 pm. If someone arrives at 2:40 pm, even though you beat them to the destination, you will have arrived later.

Frequently asked questions:

Can I use my cell phone during the race? Unless there is an emergency at home (i.e. a pregnant wife, children being watched, etc.), you CANNOT use your cell phone. Some of you will be allowed your cell phones in the race, but they are NOT to be used except in cases of emergency OR if you need to contact a sentry OR if a sentry needs to get a hold of you or your team. You CANNOT receive non-emergent incoming calls from anyone except the quest organizers.

Bottom line: keep your cell phone in your pocket and don’t use it unless you are calling a sentry, a sentry is calling you or an unforeseen event occurs at home. No exceptions. Friends/family members not in the race are NOT ALLOWED to assist you in any way.

Can I use a pay phone? No. Same basic principle as with the cell phone: there is to be no communication with friends or family, unless there is an emergency of some kind.

Can I use my blackberry? Nope. You cannot use your blackberry or any Internet-capable handheld device at ANY time during the race.

How can I communicate with the outside world? Short of an emergency situation, you are NOT allowed to contact your friends or family.

Can I talk to strangers? You absolutely CAN talk to strangers. In fact, this is STRONGLY encouraged, provided that:

1. They are STRANGERS. That is, you have never seen, met or contacted them before. Nor are you EXPECTING to contact them. Real deal strangers allowed only.

2. The strangers are subjected to the same rules to which you are subjected (no usage of cell phones/pay phones to call loved ones; no usage of Blackberry or portable Internet devices).

3. Stranger costs will be incurred by you and will be deducted from your cash budget.

4. A stranger cannot help you for more than one of the destinations in the quest. That is, you can’t bring them along for the entire race. A specific tour guide, for example, can only be used to help you get to one landmark. You can, however, find another tour guide.

In addition, you can ask/beg strangers for money, but you cannot receive more than $20 total from strangers over the entire race. This includes MetroCards (for example, if a stranger gives you a card with $14 on the card, the value on the card counts as if it were cash).

How can I use strangers? You can use them for what they know, not what they can look up for you. That is, if a stranger reads the clue that you show them, and he/she helps you uncover that the landmark is the Brooklyn Bridge (based on prior knowledge), that’s great! However, he/she CANNOT use a cell phone, blackberry, etc. to look anything up for you. A good way to look at it is – if you are not allowed to do something, they can’t either. They are held to the same restrictions by which you are held.

You can ask strangers for directions, too. For example, if you think that the next landmark is Cleopatra’s Needle, by all means seek out a stranger who can point you in the right direction if you don’t know where it is.

If I live in the City, can I use my home or someone else’s home to look things up? No, absolutely not. If other teams do not have such a luxury, it is not fair to have such an advantage.

Can I use Internet cafés to look up information? Yes, you can. It’s likely, however, that you will need to pay to use any computers, so use your money wisely.

Can we follow other teams if we don’t know where to go? Yes.

Can I use credit cards, library cards, metro cards or any sources of funds other than cash? In a word – no. We will be “frisking” you at the start of the race to make sure that you do NOT bring these things along with you. Save us the trouble – don’t bring them. If you wish to PURCHASE a library card or a metro card during the race, DO SO! However, you will be using your finite supply of cash to purchase these items. Bottom line: each team will go through the race with the same resources at the start.

Can I bring food or drink with me for the race? Nope. Anything you need to eat or drink must come out of your fixed cash budget. Sorry.

Finally, expect the unexpected…
The game (and the rules) can be changed at any time during the Quest!