3.11 TRASH

Status

::FINAL-READY::

Location

Name And Address: "Paine Memorial High School" -- actually Highlands Rec. Center. This puzzle uses three sites at that location: Lockers, Dumpster, Principal's Suite

GC PoC: Erik & Melissa

Parking: N/A

Location Notes

High School, 1986.

Type

Mandatory Puzzle

Plot Setup

• Players have just fixed Prof. Chronus's time machine and are returning to Peach Frontier Laboratories to see her re-materialize.
• But upon returning to the lab they found it is once again Trenchwood Institute and they realized they are right back at the beginning of the Act I timeline
• The Doctor's time machine demonstration has once again gone awry.
• The visitors have instantly solved three key technical problems for fixing the time machine: unscrambling the core dump, designing a new co-keypad #34, and hacking the password to the supercomputer
• The Doctor realized the players are in an infinite time loop...which reminded him of strange poem in his high school yearbook...which he didn't understand at the time...but the players decoded to reveal instructions on how to break the loop.
• The players have been sent through the repaired time machine back to Paine Memorial High School in 1986 and so that they can do the newspaper-altering mission
• The time machine has created some sort of disguise field around the players so that they blend in to the era they are visiting
• The players have just escaped from Detention and so can resume their mission

Props

• The envelope,
• locker hallway garbage can with sign,
• poster with TRASH rules,
• whiteboard with the TRASH daily log,
• pile of blank paper,
• principal's suite garbage can (with basketball hoop and some garbage inside),
• 1986-appropriate basketball poster for principal's office

Lockers

• Props for inside locker, including torn picture of Buffy (these should already be onsite)
• “TRASH Can C” sign (should already be onsite)
• 100 or so iridescent smiley-face stickers
• List of teams

Dumpsters

• T.R.A.S.H. Poster (should already be in place)
• Daily Log whiteboard (should already be in place)
• 17 T.R.A.S.H. grid handouts
• 17 flyer Vol. #1 handout
• 17 flyer Vol #2 handout
• 17 maze diagrams

Principal's Office

• Sign over door, "Principal's Suite"
• Sign "T.R.A.S.H. Can B" (may already be on site)
• Trash can (may already be on site)
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar poster (may already be on site)
• 1986 NBA playoff bracket poster (may already be on site)
• mini basketball hoop (may already be on site)
• 16 or 17 Manila envelopes, each with a newspaper clipping inside

Plot Point to Convey

The players need to find the envelope so they can break the infinite time loop in which they're caught.

Short Description

Locate the letter after Chronos discards it.

Open Time Period

Sunday, approximately 11:30 AM - 2 PM

Staff Instructions

Note To All Staff: During this portion of the Game you're pretending you're in 1986. So don't let the players see you use any modern technology (such as cell phones and laptop computers).

Lockers

Your Role: Assistant to Tiresias, the high school's head janitor.

What Your Character Knows: Due to the disguise field that the time machine projects around the players, they appear to you to be students. You know nothing of Trenchwood Institute or time travel.

Setup Instructions:

• Make sure correct props are in locker 413 (combo 1-11-9)
• Make sure there's no envelope in locker

Handout Instructions:

(Most) Teams will come to this location twice. So when a team comes for the first time discreetly check off the team on the list so that when they come back the second time you know they've been there before.

The two two things they will come to do are:

1) To search the locker to find the envelope (these teams will NOT be trying to put an envelope in the locker). To these teams, you should say as soon as they start poking around the locker:

“What is this, Grand Central Station? This is the third time someone’s been poking around this hallway - first the dorky guy in the lab coat, then the woman in the lab coat, then you guys. Just don’t make a mess.”

The teams should use the locker combination that they learned in Act 2 to open the locker, whereupon they will find NO ENVELOPE and a picture of Buffy torn in half. (They saw Chronos do this in Act 2.)

At this point, three things should suggest to the players that the envelope is in the trash can: 1) the fact that it’s not in the locker; 2) your telling that them that a woman in a lab coat has already been here; and 3) the torn picture of Buffy. If they can’t figure out to look in the trash can, however, you can suggest to them that the woman in the lab coat took something out of the locker and threw it in the trash can.

IMPORTANT:

• do not let players take anything out of the locker - say “that’s the property of a student! Leave it there!”.
• Do not let them fiddle with any lockers other than 413 - say something like “those lockers are under repair. Please don’t touch them.”
• after the players have searched the locker, make sure the torn picture of Buffy is still on top, and then close the locker again for the next team

When they search the trash can, they will find that it’s empty. At this point, they should notice the sign above the can that says “Can C” and also “Lost something? Information about T.R.A.S.H. is located at the main dumpster (near the entrance to the parking lot at the front of campus).” This tells them to go look at the dumpster, where they’ll find the TRASH puzzle.

If teams are confused about how to find the envelope, point out the sign above the trash can, and suggest that they go to the dumpster at the front of the school to figure out what’s happened to the contents of the trash can.

At 2 PM, you will place an envelope with a newspaper in the trash can; teams that do this step at 2 PM or later will therefore skip the TRASH puzzle.

2) To place the envelope with the altered newspaper in the locker. These teams may try to slide the envelope through the space at the top of the locker - it probably won’t fit. Eventually, they’ll open the locker and place the envelope inside. Do not let them take anything in the locker - say “that’s the property of a student! Leave it there!.”

After they’ve placed the envelope in the locker and closed it, give each player two iridescent smiley-face sticker and make sure each attaches it to himself in a visible location (like the front & backs of their badges).

The players should know to go to the gym next. But if they're confused say words to the effect of “I hear there’s a big science fair going on at the gym. Why don’t you go check it out - and say hello to Tiresias, our janitor?”

When they leave, open the locker, REMOVE THE ENVELOPE, and close the locker.

Site Close Down:

• Clean up.
• Return all materials to GC HQ

Other Instructions:

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

Dumpsters

Your Role: You are Johnny Doe, an assistant to Tiresias, the head janitor of Paine Memorial High School.

What Your Character Knows: Due to the disguise field that the time machine projects around the players, they appear to you to be students. You know nothing of Trenchwood Institute or time travel. Your (character's) shift is over at around 2pm and you would like these students to stop hanging around there by that time.

Setup Instructions:

• Make sure there is a TRASH poster (or two) on the dumpster.
• Make sure there is a “Daily Log” whiteboard easily visible near the poster.
• Make sure there are copies of the TRASH rules for the players. This includes the TRASH grid (the same as the grid on the poster) and a message from Tiresias warning them that TRASH is really complicated.
• Make sure there are hint materials for you to give to the players.

Handout Instructions:

When teams first arrive, tell them:

"Are you looking for something?"

(Players will probably indicate that they're looking for an envelope and/or something that was thrown away.) Regardless, continue:

"If it was in a TRASH can, then you'll have to figure out our school's TRASH system to find where it's gone. Also you'll have to know the contents of ALL the cans before a janitor will let you look in a can."

(If teams ask about this, tell them the poster and other materials have more information. "Contents" means the _state_ of the can - whether it contains garbage, recycling, both, or neither.)

Hand them the rule grid/note from Tiresias handout (3 copies per team).

"Make sure to read that note from Tiresias. He designed TRASH - it's VERY complicated and we have some extra materials that make it much easier to understand, if you want them. You can get those from me now, or at any later time. Note that the school's TRASH system gets closed in about X minutes [see note below], so if you need to get something, you'll have to retrieve it before that time is up."

"X minutes" is the amount of time remaining until 1:55pm. (Don't say "it closes at 1:55 pm" - give the actual amount of time left: an hour and 20 minutes, 50 minutes, whatever.)

The three materials they can get are the TRASH flyer Vol. 1, the TRASH flyer Vol. 2, and the maze diagram.

Our goal is to have teams finish TRASH by 1:50 PM, so strongly encourage teams that arrive after 12:30 to at least take the two flyers, and very strongly encourage teams that arrive after 1pm to take all three materials.

At 1:55pm, you should give all players that are still working on the puzzle the answer (but if there are a lot of teams, you should stagger them a little bit, so perhaps start doing this earlier, in 5-minute intervals):

“Wait, are you guys looking for an envelope? I think I saw it when it was going through the TRASH cycle. I think it’s in can B.”

Site Close Down:

• Clean up.
• Return materials to GC HQ

Other Instructions:

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

Principal's Office

Role: You are an assistant janitor at Paine Memorial High School.

What Your Character Knows: Due to the disguise field that the time machine projects around the players, they appear to you to be students. You know nothing of Trenchwood Institute or time travel.

Setup instructions:

The tub of props should be in the storage closet, through the door on the opposite wall of the desk.

• Make sure sign is over door.
• Make sure there is a trash can with a sign saying TRASH Can B.
• Put one envelope in the can.
• Place a small amount of (not too gross) garbage over the envelope.
• Place something (a 3-ring binder? A clipboard?) over the garbage can so that players can't see inside.
• Replace the 2011 poster of Dirk Nowitzki with the 1986 poster of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the wall.
• Replace the 2011 NBA playoff bracket with the 1986 bracket, covering the bulletin board.
• Re-hang the mini basketball hoop above the trash can.
• Make sure you have a stack of envelopes (each one with a newspaper page inside).

Handout Instructions: There’s no puzzle here. Instead, teams will come here to find the envelope after they’ve solved the TRASH puzzle.

Answers: When teams arrive and ask to look in the trash can, say:

You can only go through trash cans in this school if you’re certified in TRASH. To prove to me that you’re qualified, you must tell me the contents of all trash cans in this school.”

The correct answer is:

• Can A (in the detention room) has recycling (after 1pm, “garbage and recycling” is also acceptable)
• Can B (in the principal’s office) contains both garbage and recycling
• Can C (in the locker hallway) is empty
• Can D (in the journalism classroom) contains recycling

If they get it right, say:

“Wow! You must be a TRASH expert. You can look in this can.”

The teams should find the envelope and take it. After they leave, you should place another envelope beneath the garbage. If a 2nd team enters the principal’s office while one team is there with you, ask the 2nd team to wait outside until the first team has left.

After 1:30 PM, DO NOT ask for the contents of the cans; simply let a team look in the can when they ask.

Hints: Teams cannot call in for hints, since they’re in 1986.

If teams are just “exploring” and don’t know the contents of the cans, tell them they’ll have to get more knowledge of TRASH and that TRASH instructions are available at the dumpster. If it’s before 1pm and teams give the answer:

• Can A (in the detention room) has both garbage and recycling
• Can B (in the principal’s office) contains both garbage and recycling
• Can C (in the locker hallway) is empty
• Can D (in the journalism classroom) contains recycling

Tell them:

It sounds like you know a lot about TRASH, but you’re not quite an expert. Remember that expert janitors complete a TRASH cycle in as few steps as possible!

Detailed Description

Present at the puzzle site are:

- A poster with some cute graphics, labels and locations for the four cans (A/B/C/D), and the rules of the TRASH (Tiresias Recycling And Sanitation Heuristic) system.

- A whiteboard showing the Daily Log, which describes the starting position of the TRASH cans (can A has garbage, can B has garbage, can C has recyclables, and can D has recyclables. (Can C was empty, but Chronos put recyclables - namely, the envelope - in it.) The whiteboard also shows the daily ending condition, which is that can C must be empty.

- The TRASH rules form a four-dimensional maze. The assistant janitor has a detailed description of the maze. Janitors move from place to place in the maze by moving contents from one can to another.

- The goal of the maze is to get can C empty again. The shortest solution to do so takes 26 steps. Players must find the exact final position (i.e., know the contents of each can) to be allowed to look in one of the cans.

- After solving the maze, players must check the route that the envelope traveled to find its final location, then go to that location and search the can.

- Using the notation E, G, R, B for Empty, Garbage, Recycling, Both, the starting position is GGRR (for cans ABCD respectively). The correct route through the maze is:

0) GGRR (envelope is placed in C and remains here until step 22)

1) GGBR

2) GBBR

3) BBBR

4) BGBR

5) RGBR

6) RGRR

7) RGRB

8) EGRB

9) EGRR

10) EGBR

11) EBBR

12) EBRR

13) EBRB

14) RBRB

15) RRRB

16) BRRB

17) BRRG

18) BERG

19) BEBG

20) BRBG

21) BRBB

22) BRGB (envelope goes to can B and stays there)

23) RRGB

24) RBGB

25) RBGR

26) RBER

The file below contains the mockup for the daily log whiteboard, the graphics for the TRASH poster, hint materials, and (on the final slide) the drawing of the maze.

File:TRASH3.ppt

Puzzle Answer

The envelope is inside the garbage can in the principal's office. To get access to the can, the players will also need to know that can A holds recycling only, can B (the principal's office can) contains both garbage and recyclables, can C is empty, and can D holds recyclables only.

Budget

See props, above - probably about $100.

Credits

Erik Stuart

Manager

Erik

Hints

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

- This will likely be a hard puzzle for most teams, so liberal hints are available. Tiresias' note on the rule grid handout encourages teams to take these hints - you should to!

- The first hint is the flyer, Vol. 1. This describes the general theory of 4-D mazes and how they can be represented as four 2-D mazes.

- The second clue is the flyer, Vol. 2. This gives a 3x3x3x3 example of how to represent the TRASH system as a maze - that is, how to represent the rule-grid constraints as maze walls.

- The third clue is the maze diagram itself. A copy is HERE - File:TRASH maze diagram.ppt

- To find where the envelope is, the players must solve the maze - that is, get to the "can C = empty" state - and then track the envelope's movement through the maze.

- The shortest maze solution takes 26 steps.

- Intermediate goals for solving the maze:

• You need to get can C from the right wall to the far-left wall. There's only one "hole" in the middle of the upper right maze - so getting can C from Both to Garbage requires going through that "hole".
• Before you get to that hole, you need to get can B to the "bottom" (that is, empty).
• So, roughly, sub-goals are: get B to the bottom/empty; then get C through the hole/to garbage; then finish it off.

- Some teams may find a slightly longer path to the end goal - one of them is characterized by EGER (cans A and C empty, can B with garbage only, and can D with recycling only and the envelope); another has BBER, with can B still having the envelope. A team that suggests either answer can be told that "it sounds like you understand TRASH very well, but you're not quite EXPERTS yet - remember that expert janitors complete TRASH in as few steps as possible. (But you're really close.)". If they show any sign of frustration, they should be told that they should back up a just few steps from their finish and find a slightly shorter route.

Response to Correct Answer

n/a; they give answer in person; see Staff Instructions

To Do

Create poster, get props