1.11 Fetch the Letter

From DoctorWhen

Status

::FINAL-READY::

Location

Name And Address: Far west end of Crissy Field (two people)

Parking: Park at the free lot at the intersection of Mason Street and Pearce Street

GC PoC: Erik, (415) 475-8463, lab@trenchwood.com

Notes: Approach via Mason Street because of construction street closures. No permit required for "picnic" or similar events with fewer than 50 people.

Type

Mandatory Puzzle

Plot Setup

  • Iconoclast scientist Doctor When has attempted to demonstrate his time machine before an audience of VIPs.
  • But it malfunctioned due to a faulty key component. The players have helped fix that.
  • The malfunction is causing the Doctor to bounce around randomly in time from era to era, facing untold dangers!
  • Repairs also required access to the Doctor's supercomputer, but the team successfully hacked the password.
  • Along the way they learned someone named "Buffy" was important to him back in high school.
  • The players helped the Institute rescue the Doctor from the Big Bang
  • The Doctor has asked not to be returned to 2012, but rather sent to Paine Memorial High School on May 31, 1986 at 2 PM
  • Once there, the Doctor discovered he had lost an envelop containing "information vital to restoring the timeline" somewhere during his random bounces through time
  • The players discovered the envelope was lost at Fort Point in San Francisco

Props

Crazy Tracy

  • reach grabber
  • award certificate
  • safety goggles
  • pocket protector
  • nerd glasses
  • rubber gloves
  • flask
  • electric meter
  • red tape
  • agent badge
  • sunglasses
  • binder
  • handcuffs
  • fedora
  • memo pad
  • light bulb canister
  • photography magazine
  • microphone
  • golf club
  • prospectus
  • piggy bank
  • Wall Street Journal
  • day planner
  • tobacco container

Archeologist

How To Give To Players

The phone call at the end of Locate The Letter continues with the lab assistant saying:

For Game with Rain

Now that you mention Ft. Point, that reminds me of something: I read that there was some sort of archeological dig there. But they didn't think that anything they found there was important there so they just stored all the artifacts in the repository's basement. Maybe they were wrong and our treasure is there! Go to the repository's basement at 610 Old Mason Street in San Francisco. As the receptionist to direct you to the "Big Room."

Once you complete your investigation just call any lab assistant at the Institute. Now go!

SUPPLEMENTAL EMAIL

Research Project Title: Retrieve The Envelope
Objective: Check the artifacts stored at the basement storage and see if by some miracle the envelope Doctor When lost back in 1958 is among them
Location: Archeological Artifact Repository--Basement (go to the "Big Room"), 610 Old Mason Street in San Francisco.
Upon Completion: Call the Institute and speak with any lab assistant.
Parking: Free lot
Need To Park: Yes
Personnel Required: All
Bathrooms At Location: Yes
Snacks At Location: No

For Game Without Rain

Now that you mention Ft. Point, that reminds me of something: I read that there was some sort of archeological dig there. But because of security concerns, they moved all the findings just a little ways away to the western edge of Crissy Field. You should start your investigation there. You'll probably want to take Mason St. because of construction closures on Lincoln Ave. Park at the intersection of Mason Street and Pearce Street, then walk west the rest of the way.

Once you complete your investigation just call any lab assistant at the Institute. Now go!

SUPPLEMENTAL EMAIL

Research Project Title: Retrieve The Envelope
Objective: Check the artifacts recovered at the Fort Point archeological dig and see if by some miracle the envelope Doctor When lost back in 1958 is among them
Location: Far western edge of Crissy Field, San Francisco (approach via Mason Street because of construction street closures; park at the intersection of Mason Street and Pearce Street, then walk west the rest of the way.)
Upon Completion: Call the Institute and speak with any lab assistant.
Parking: Free lot
Need To Park: Yes
Personnel Required: All
Bathrooms At Location: Yes
Snacks At Location: No

Plot Point to Convey

Doctor When isn't seeking "vital technical information." Rather it is something to do with a traumatic event he endured at his high school science fair. And he's willing to deceive the players to get it.

Short Description

Retrieve the envelope from where it's been waiting for 50 years.

Open Time Period

Crissy Field: Saturday, 5 PM - last team finishes (16 teams Game 1, 17 teams Game 2) estimated 8:30 PM.

Staff Instructions

ALL SITE STAFF should know where each other's location is! Archeologists need to be able to direct players to Crazy Tracy, and potentially vice versa. Make sure you scout this information upon arrival, calling in to GC if necessary.

Interaction Instructions:

All staff, if non-players approach out of curiosity, explain out-of-character:

Hi! This is part of a scavenger hunt event. Our players have to interact with us to get what they need, before they move on to their next location.

Crazy Tracy

Your Role: a crazy dumpster diver, peddling your crap as priceless treasures.

Greet players:

Welcome to Crazy Tracy's Show-Me Shop! I've got something for everyone, you need it, I got it.

Let them freely examine the wares. However, your prices are exorbitant. 5 billion dollars; 278 gazillion dollars; make up any giant numbers. Require foreign currency; whatever will block them from actually trying to pay you. You're Crazy Tracy! You make up your own rules. You don't even have to be consistent or make sense. You just have to make sure each team only takes one item, and that they have a coupon for it, which they get from the Archeologist.

If they don't seem to know what they're doing, or don't realize the archeology people are elsewhere, prod them:

Are you looking for something specific? [get them to describe the envelope] Oh, an old envelope? I have nothing like that, maybe the archeology folks know something about it. They're over there.

Point them towards the Archeologist.

Players who visit the Archeologist first will likely present their coupon without prodding.

Oh, I see you have a coupon for one free item! Ok, here's how it works. You can choose any item you want, but you have to grab it with this. [hand them the grabber] And you have to do it behind your back. That's right, turn around, and reach behind you. Yes, your friends can help you, but they can only talk, no touching!

If they ask which one they "should" take, rebuff them. You have no idea! (It's the Archeologist's job to give hints about the "right" item.)

When they get the item they want,

Nicely done! That's a beautiful treasure, I hope you like it. If you need to exchange it, just come on back, I'll be here for hours.

They may keep it, they needn't bring it back when they're done with this puzzle site.

If they come back to exchange something, take the old item but make them play the grabber game to get a replacement.

Archeologist

Your Role: (unrelated to Trenchwood) Caretaker of a makeshift depot of artifacts, for the convenience of some local experts who have been invited to conduct independent research on them.

Greet players:

Hi, folks! Can I see your invitations, please? [puzzled looks from players] You did get invitations, right? ... I'm sorry, this is a private research station. If you don't have your invitation, you'll have to prove your eligibility to me some other way.

Let them improvise for a bit, and ad lib reasons why you're not convinced. After a short time, let them off the hook with a hint:

No, I'm sorry, I really need some physical proof that you are who you say you are. We archeologists are used to dealing with artifacts, they provide the best evidence -- no, your IDs are no good, HQ didn't give me a guest list. I should really bug them about that. Anyway, sorry you came all this way for nothing. Actually, I've got a coupon I can give you for Crazy Tracy's Show-Me Shop, over there [*see below]; at least you could take home some souvenir from your visit to the big city. Bye, now!

  • Give them the coupon, and give them specific directions how to reach Crazy Tracy's. The location may be determined last-minute based on weather, so be sure to scout that information when you arrive.

Teams should return to show you a souvenir item they got from Crazy Tracy's (See Crazy Tracy's section for the details of what transpires there). These souvenirs match specific roles (the color of their badge), as follows:

Scientist blue award certificate, safety goggles, pocket protector, nerd glasses, rubber gloves, flask, electric meter
Government red red tape, agent badge, sunglasses, binder, handcuffs
Journalist yellow fedora, memo pad, light bulb canister, photography magazine, microphone
Investor green golf club, prospectus, piggy bank, Wall Street Journal, day planner, tobacco container

If a team brings a mismatched item:

Hmm, I don't know. That looks more like something a [APPROPRIATE ROLE] would have. Aren't you a [TEAM ROLE]?

This activity is partly intended to close the gap between lead teams and trailing teams. Hence, stall the early teams by making up reasons for rejecting their first two items. Middle teams only get one rejection, and late teams are accepted on their first try. (You may exercise judgement, especially to avoid annoying teams who really aren't enjoying this.)

Feel free to ad lib the rejections, but be sure to hint at what might be more acceptible. Here are some examples:

That certificate is clearly fake! I'll need something more sincere than that.

Red tape? Really? That's just a metaphor, you know. Don't you have anything more authentic?

Come on, I know nobody uses giant mics like that anymore. Surely you're up on the latest fashions.

Seriously? Some old prospectus? Maybe if you had something more current, I'd be convinced.

When you're ready to grant them access,

Ah, an [OBJECT]! Clearly you are real [ROLES]. Come on in; sorry for doubting you! Let me tell you a bit about what we're doing here. For the last few decades, the Jones Archeological Institute has been working on a big project called the "Civic Refuse Archeological Project." We catalog and organize different sorts of refuse found at dig sites from all over the country. This station was set up for visitors such as yourself to select an artifact to take home for independent study. So, is there a particular artifact you'd be interested in?

The team should mention something about trying to retrieve an envelope that was lost here in the 1950s (1958, to be exact).

Hmm, we did have a dig here in 1958, I think. The site overseer would have put his findings in a tagged envelope ... see, each envelope has a different two-letter sort tag that uniquely identifies which dig site it was from. Let's take a look...

Show them the tub of envelopes. Pull out two copies of "1958 log" and two copies of "memorandum". Make a show of visually scanning the log.

Hmm, I don't see the cities recorded in the log. Maybe this memo will help you figure out which tag was used for this site back then. Come on back when you know which envelope you want.

If they ask to look inside the envelopes, explain it's not allowed:

Company policy says we're not allowed to open the envelopes here, and I can only give you one of them. So I'm afraid you are going to figure out exactly which envelope you need.

The team should now go to work on the puzzle from the "1958 log" and the "memorandum".

You are responsible for dispensing hints. Please familiarize yourself with the solution section later in this document. Role play it like you're just figuring it out on the spot.

Stuck, huh? Well, show me what you've got so far, maybe I can help. [they do] Hmm. Well, maybe you should try [HINT].

When they request a tag, ask them how they figured it out. If they can't justify their answer, stall them:

I'd hate to give you the wrong envelope. You'd better be absolutely sure you know which one is from here.

If they insist on just taking a chance, give it to them but caution them:

Okay, I really hope this is the one you want. It'd be a real shame if it was something useless, like old paper towels or something. I've heard the site seers back then were kind of jokesters, sometimes.

The wrong envelopes will indeed have paper towels in them.

If they come again with a wrong tag:

Look, we're very busy here and can't just go through all the bins based on your silly hunches. You need to be absolutely sure of the correct sort tag.

The correct tag is "LA". Eventually they will be absolutely sure.

Great job! Here's your envelope. I hope your studies reveal something useful, for the benefit of mankind. That's what archeology is all about, right? Now we need to get back to work, so take care!

The team is supposed to bring it with them to the next puzzle location, where they will deliver it to the lab assistant there.

When they leave, restock the bin with another "LA" envelope, and two more copies each of the "1958 log" and "memorandum".


Site Close Down:

  • Break down and pack up set
  • Call GC
  • Return materials to GC
  • Return your name badge(s) and lanyard to GC HQ at the end of your shift

Other Instructions:

  • Stay in character.
  • Except ... if a team says "time out," break character and help them.

Detailed Description

The letter has been salvaged by "Jones Archeology Institute, IN" along with other artifacts from dig sites all over the country in a massive project spanning years. They are being held at a temporarily-erected station for observation and analysis by visiting archaeologists. Players must gain admittance past the station guard, and then interpret the cataloguing scheme to locate the letter.

The site overseers were using fake names to put on the official log, and the administrative assistant eventually figured out how they came up with the names and left a memorandum with hints. When players understand the naming system, they'll know which envelope has the two-letter sort tag that came from the dig here at San Francisco.

Puzzle Answer

Players must request the envelope labeled "LA".

Puzzle Solution

The station guard informs players they cannot gain admittance without proof of their legitimacy. He takes pity on their "wasted" visit and gives them a coupon for a nearby junk peddler. There, they must obtain something that suits their role (scientist, journalist, etc). They guard may reject them until they produce an item he is satisfied with, giving them hints on why they failed.

The re-organization log contains a list of two-letter tag names and Site Seer names that are fake (which players can infer from the Memorandum).

Here's the list of names and tags:

Let 1 Let 2 Name
D T Tana Tal
E E Rachel Tot
G M Tina Onason
I U Ken Rowy
L A Cat Hiwi
N I T. F. Lin
N S Morti Abel
O A Glen Alesso
O E Lily Kattesca
O O K. T. T. Collier
R Y Wilma Euke
S T Carson F. Cains
T F Nick Saytas
T S Frank Gords
U L Ken Soap
W C Cal Ao

Note that the sheet is already sorted by the tags. A hint on the last paragraph of the Memorandum suggests that players should SORT by something else, however. The natural thing is to sort by surname:

Let 1 Let 2 Name
N S Morti Abel
O A Glen Alesso
W C Cal Ao
S T Carson F. Cains
O O K. T. T. Collier
R Y Wilma Euke
T S Frank Gords
L A Cat Hiwi
O E Lily Kattesca
N I T. F. Lin
G M Tina Onason
I U Ken Rowy
T F Nick Saytas
U L Ken Soap
D T Tana Tal
E E Rachel Tot

The first letters of the tag names now spell out the message NOW SORT LONGITUDE. This implies that there is some geographical data hidden in this list. Players will now need an aha about the Archeologists' system -- that their fake names are actually anagrams of cities and towns in the USA. (This is vaguely hinted by "Site Seer" = "Sightseer", and by the memo's author having "decided to play along"; she named herself "Diana Spinoli" which anagrams to "Indianapolis".) Each city has a longitude, and then the list can be sorted by longitude from east to west:

Let 1 Let 2 Name City State Lat Long
I U Ken Rowy NewYork New York 40.664167 -73.93861
N S Morti Abel Baltimore Maryland 39.283333 -76.61667
E E Rachel Tot Charlotte North Carolina 35.226944 -80.84333
W C Cal Ao Ocala Florida 29.187778 -82.13056
N I T. F. Lin Flint Michigan 43.01 -83.69
D T Tana Tal Atlanta Georgia 33.755 -84.39
R Y Wilma Euke Milwaukee Wisconsin 43.05 -87.95
O O K. T. T. Collier LittleRock Arkansas 34.736111 -92.33111
T F Nick Saytas KansasCity Missouri 39.1 -94.58
T S Frank Gords GrandForks North Dakota 47.925278 -97.0325
L A Cat Hiwi Wichita Kansas 37.688889 -97.33611
G M Tina Onason SanAntonio Texas 29.416667 -98.5
O E Lily Kattesca SaltLakeCity Utah 40.75 -111.8833
U L Ken Soap Spokane Washington 47.658889 -117.425
O A Glen Alesso LosAngeles California 34.05 -118.25
S T Carson F. Cains SanFrancisco California 37.7793 -122.4192

Now the second letter provides extra information about the Archeologists' system: USE CITY OF SAME LAT. It turns out that every city in this list can be paired with another city of the same (or really close) latitude in the list:

Let 1 Let 2 Name City State Lat Long Pair
N S Morti Abel Baltimore Maryland 39.283333 -76.61667 1
T F Nick Saytas KansasCity Missouri 39.1 -94.58 1
T S Frank Gords GrandForks North Dakota 47.925278 -97.0325 2
U L Ken Soap Spokane Washington 47.658889 -117.425 2
N I T. F. Lin Flint Michigan 43.01 -83.69 3
R Y Wilma Euke Milwaukee Wisconsin 43.05 -87.95 3
I U Ken Rowy NewYork New York 40.664167 -73.93861 4
O E Lily Kattesca SaltLakeCity Utah 40.75 -111.8833 4
L A Cat Hiwi Wichita Kansas 37.688889 -97.33611 5
S T Carson F. Cains SanFrancisco California 37.7793 -122.4192 5
E E Rachel Tot Charlotte North Carolina 35.226944 -80.84333 6
O O K. T. T. Collier LittleRock Arkansas 34.736111 -92.33111 6
D T Tana Tal Atlanta Georgia 33.755 -84.39 7
O A Glen Alesso LosAngeles California 34.05 -118.25 7
W C Cal Ao Ocala Florida 29.187778 -82.13056 8
G M Tina Onason SanAntonio Texas 29.416667 -98.5 8

With that information, they should be able to infer that the Fort Point dig site must be the one with the overseer "name" of Cat Hiwi, as Wichita has the same latitude as San Francisco. So they should ask for the envelope with sorting tag LA.

Budget

$300 props, estimated

Credits

  • Concept: Sean
  • Development: Sean, Erik, Wei-Hwa

Manager

Sean

Hints

Ask teams what they have done, probing details if necessary (often this will get a team unstuck by themselves).


Response to Correct Answer

When team calls in congratulate them with words to the effect of,

You didn't just locate the envelope...you retrieved it?! That's fantastic. We need you to get it to one of our lab assistants out in the field so that they can rush it back to the Institute. From here we can use the time machine to send it to the Doctor in 1986.

Then continue the phone conversation with the lead in to the next puzzle (probably an optional or Consolidator 1).

To Do

  • Itemize full set dressing
  • Itemize puzzle components
  • Stage a mockup station for play test. The actual site is a plain grass field, so the play test can be anywhere.

Other Notes

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