2.00 Sign In Act 2

Status

::FINAL-READY::

Location

Name And Address: Peach Frontier Laboratories, actually Highlands Elementary School, 2320 Newport St, San Mateo, CA 94402

GC PoC: Erik, on-site

Parking: School lot or street parking

Bathroom: Yes

Food: No

Type

Mandatory Puzzle

Plot Setup

Players returned to Trenchwood Institute to see Doctor When's return from his misadventures through time.

Props

Instruction handouts and forms.
80 registration packs (one for each player), each including instructions and forms
Enough crayons for everyone
16 sets of Peach Frontier security badge inserts
80 or so pamphlets for the International Museum Of Pretentious Art--one per player
Lab coat for each registrar
Peach Frontier name badge and lanyard for each registrar
Table (may be in school's storage area)
4 chairs (may be in school's storage area)
Hint materials:
- Corkboard
- Printed Hint Strips
- Colored pushpins or Thumbtacks

Plot Point to Convey

This is a new timeline...none of the actors or GC have any knowledge of what went on in Act I since for them it didn't happen
The players have all been invited to witness the unveiling of Prof. Chronos's life's achievement.

Short Description

Signing in to presentation is a complicated puzzle that requires collaboration between different roles.

Open Time Period

Saturday, Setup at 9:15 PM; Open 9:45-10:15 PM

Staff Instructions

Your Role: You are a lab assistant to Prof. Catherine Chronos, head of Peach Frontier Laboratories.

What To Wear: lab coat + Peach Frontier Laboratories nametag

What Your Character Knows: You know nothing of Trenchwood Institute nor the hi-jinks of Act I (it never happened in this timeline!). Similarly, you've never seen the players before. You have heard of Doctor Wesley When. He is a visiting scientist (traveling with his wife Buffy).

You don't know what Prof. Chronos will be demonstrating. You've been so focused on your little part of the endeavor that you don't know the "big picture" (and Prof. Chronos is very secretive).

Puzzles At This Site: Registration Maze

Where To Get Materials: GC HQ

Handout Instructions: There is only one puzzle to hand out here: "Registration Maze." You will be sitting at the registration tables outside of the lab. Teams will queue up to speak with you one at a time. Note that they may be very confused because the last time they were at this location it had a different name. Deny all knowledge of this different name. Profess that this is the very first time you have ever met them even if you've seen them during Act I.

Example interaction

REGISTRAR: Good evening. Welcome to Peach Frontier Laboratories.

TEAM: "Peach Frontier"?! But we were just here this morning. It was "Trenchwood Institute."

REGISTRAR: I've never heard of "Trenchwood Institute." This has always been Peach Frontier Laboratories. Are you here for the grand unveiling presentation?

TEAM: Uh, yes....

REGISTRAR: What are your names? I'll just look you up.

TEAM: ___________

REGISTRAR: Here you are...on our exclusive guest list. Welcome!

I wouldn't worry about that "Trenchwood" thing. Sometimes the lab equipment leaks a wee bit of radiation that causes people to have déjà vu. And cancer. Well, hardly ever. The cancer that is.

Here are your security badges.

Hand them their badges.

REGISTRAR: I see you already have lanyards, and that you sent in your liability waiver.. But you still haven't given me C.R.A.P.

TEAM: Given you what?!?

REGISTRAR: Your C.R.A.P.: Cross Reference Approval Permit. I have to take C.R.A.P. from everyone. [sigh] They tell me it's part of the scientific method.

I guess you'll have to apply for a permit now. Here is a blank form for each of you.

The registrar hands a form (and appropriate writing instrument, i.e., an appropriately-colored crayon) to each visitor.

TEAM: Uh...thanks.

REGISTRAR: But how can you get your permit approved at this late hour? This form requires a lot of official notarizations and sign-offs.

Hold it...I have an idea: there are a number of officials among the other guests. Perhaps they will be able to help you get the required sign-offs.

Please go inside and fill out your form with their help. Just give it to any of the lab assistants when you're done and they will check that your permit application has been properly approved.

Answers: Note that each player, not each team must submit a form. When a player submits a correct form, lab assistant says words to the effect of:

Your C.R.A.P. looks good. Now we just have to wait for the other visitors to complete their forms.

While you're waiting, here is a preview of the reception we're hosting after the demonstration. The prestigious San Mateo International Museum Of Pretentious Art is letting us in for a private viewing. You're in for the time of your life!

Then hand that player an IMOPA flyer.

Site Close Down: Clean up a bit, join the presentation inside.

Other Instructions:

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

Detailed Description

"Cross-Referenced Approvals Permit" (or C.R.A.P. for short). This puzzle is isomorphic to the 4-desk version of Robert Abbott's Bureaucratic Maze.

Players navigate the maze by acquiring a sequence of signatures from other players, according to certain restrictions which are different for each role. The roles are color coded as follows:

Journalist = Yellow 
Government Official = Red
Scientist = Blue
Investor = Green

The puzzle is solved when they reach the only dead-end; that is, when no more signatures are possible in compliance with the restrictions.

How To Give To Teams

Done in person, so see Site Instructions

Puzzle Answer

A correct answer should end in Blue-Red-Blue-Green-Yellow.

Puzzle Solution

The next signature is dependent on what the previous two colors are. This is a visual representation of the maze -- you can think of it as if there were highways connecting the four colored "interchanges" (people always drive on the right), and appropriate ramps determine where you can go based on where you were coming from and where you are. The maze has a lot of loops, but the last five interchanges before the exit are always the same, as you can see by tracing backwards from the Finish.

Budget

Crayons.
Color Printing.

Credits

Author: Wei-Hwa
Flavor: Erik

Manager

Wei-Hwa

Hints

Put up hints on the bulletin board in order, 4 minutes between hints.

Use colored pushpins to put the hints on. There is a small letter that tells you the correct color pushpins, and the order of hints. x is ten, e is eleven, t is twelve.

Response to Correct Answer

Done in person so see Staff Instructions.

To Do

Other Notes

Second Draft of the puzzle, in DOC form:

First Draft of the puzzle, in DOC form:

This draft was playtested on 9/15. Erik and Sean each took 32 minutes to solve it.