ROOKIE REFERENCE GUIDE

This document contains general information about THE TREASURE HUNT. It is intended for novice hunters, but may be useful to experienced hunters, as well.

HISTORY

The Phoenix section of the IEEE initiated the Hunt in 1951. The Hunt had been an annual event in the Chicago area, and with the development of the electronics industry in the Valley, many transplanted Chicagoans (mostly Motorola engineers) persuaded the Phoenix section directors to sponsor a Valley version. It has run annually since then.

In the early years, The Hunt had a definite engineering flavor, but it has evolved to be more reflective of the social nature of the event. While there are still some occasional clues requiring engineering knowledge and proficiency, the material relates more to current events and general knowledge. This evolution has made it more enjoyable for participants. Each of the 78 six-person teams historically consisted of three husband and wife pairs, but more present day Hunts have consisted of more diverse teams.

OVERVIEW

The basic idea of The Hunt is quite simple: solve as many clues (or puzzles) as possible in the given time (approximately 5 hours).

There are a total of 26 clues, labeled A through Z. The committee has placed them in an open desert area bounded approximately by Bell Road to the south, the Cave Creek - Carefree area to the north, and between 19th Avenue and 148th Street. This is roughly 300 square miles.

Hunt procedure:
  1. CHECK-OUT -- all Hunt teams meet at the designated check-out location.
  2. THE HUNT -- 5 hours of delightful mania.
  3. CHECK-IN -- you "drop off" your Score Sheet and unopened emergency envelopes and the committee records your finish time.
  4. DINNER -- you enjoy a steak dinner while the committee tallies the scores.
  5. WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED! Shoot for second place... you’ll find out why!
  6. IF YOU WIN, YOU GET THE PRIVILEGE TO SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS -- you and your teammates will plan and conduct the Hunt with two other teams for the next three years.
Now this might seem like a lot of work but you will have lots of help if you do win. Just consider the perks:
  • There are 18 committee members so the workload is shared.
  • You get to learn new job skills that look great on any resume.
  • You'll have lots of guidance with a process that has been honed for over fifty years.
  • You get to INFLICT the confusion on your fellow Hunters, instead of being the recipient.
CHECK-OUT

You should plan to be at the assigned check-out location before your team's assigned check-out time (received during the registration process). You have the ability to do some of the required paperwork (release form) prior to the hunt which eliminates the need for maintaining a position in line prior to the start of the hunt.

The Waiver form will be posted on the website and sent out if requested. This will give teams the ability to complete the form and get all team member signatures before the hunt. Each team is encouraged to have the team member expected to arrive at check-out first, bring the completed, and signed form (or they could sign multiple copies if they weren’t sure who was going to arrive first). When the team member arrives at check-out, the release form will be reviewed for correctness by a committee member. Once the Committee member determines that the form is correct, the team receives a numbered “Check-Out Ticket”. The number on this card will be the team’s car number. The Check-Out Card will not be handed out unless the Release of Liability form is completely filled out and signed by all Hunters on the Team.

A sample of the Check-Out Ticket is shown below.

There will be a large clock that displays HH:MM:SS as the “OFFICIAL HUNT TIME”. The Check-Out Ticket will include not only a team number but also the official check-out time for that team. For example, Team 1’s check-out time would be 6:15:00 and Team 2 would be 6:15:12. Even if the Team fails to show up at their scheduled Check-Out time, the Team will still be checked out at that time and their Brown Bag set aside until they show up THIS WILL BE A DETRIMENT TO THE TEAM, SO WE ENCOURAGE TEAMS TO BE ON TIME.

This policy will also be stated on the numbered card so that all teams understand that their official start time will be the time on the card, even if the team is not physically present to take possession of the Brown Bag.

We believe that people will still enjoy the friendly banter of the check-out process, and will gather in groups where the check-out line used to form. A “sales table” will also be set- up to sell items that may be used in the hunt, since there will not be a captive line to walk up and down selling items.

The Check-Out procedure allows Committee members to finalize Check-Out and get to their Clue monitoring tasks more quickly than was possible in the past.

A sample of the check-out ticket is shown below.

Below is your Car Number and Check-Out time for the Hunt. You must be in line at least 10 minutes before your Check-Out time and in numerical car number order. Your Hunt Clock starts at the time listed below even if you have not yet checked out.

Check-Out time 6:15:00PM
Car #1


Above is your Car Number and Check-Out time for the Hunt. Your Hunt Clock starts at the time listed above even if you have not yet checked out. You must be in line at least 10 minutes before your Check-Out time and in numerical car number order.

Meal tickets will also be handed out when the release forms are turned in. The meal tickets therefore have the same designation as the check-out tickets. By not handing out meal tickets until the night of the Hunt, more tasks can be completed electronically (if desired) and eliminates the possibility of forgotten meal tickets.

Prior to actual Check-Out, there is a good chance (nearly 100%) that you will be given the opportunity to purchase a small item from a Committee member. It is suggested that you have several dollars handy and take advantage of this opportunity. In no event will this amount be greater than $5.

THE BROWN BAG

Each team is presented with a large manila envelope (called "The Brown Bag") at check-out. On the outside of the bag will be your car number. This envelope contains the following:
  1. THREE NEARLY IDENTICAL COPIES OF THE HUNT MAP
  2. EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS
  3. A SCORE SHEET
  4. CHECK-IN INSTRUCTIONS
  5. MISCELLANEOUS "STUFF"...

THE MAP
The map is drawn closely to scale - down to 1/50th of an inch accuracy on a 2 inches per mile scale. It is re-drawn each year to accommodate the changing face of the desert. The committee goes to great pains to place important landmarks and major streets in their proper location -- to keep you from getting lost! There are, however, some "slight adjustments" (where needed) to enhance a clue site. These adjustments do not detract from the quality of the map.

There are generally around 100 clue sites located on the map. The map identifies each clue site (including the bogus ones) by a circle with an arrow protruding from it. The clue site is at the tip of the arrow. The circle typically contains a number, although it is possible that it may contain a letter, a symbol -- virtually anything.

While most of the streets and roads (and other details) on the map are labeled with their actual names (e.g., Bell Road, 56th Street, Cave Creek Dam, etc.), there are many "assigned" names - with no basis in reality but a strong potential of being part of a clue solution.

EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS
There is a stack of sealed envelopes in the Brown Bag. These are the emergency solutions to give you the solution and exact clue site location should your team get stuck on a particular clue. The text of each clue will identify a specific emergency envelope to open if you are unable to solve the clue, but you are assessed a 20 minute penalty for doing so.

THE SCORE SHEET
Also included in the Brown Bag will be your Score Sheet. It will have a rectangular area for each letter of the alphabet. At each clue site there will be an envelope with a self-adhesive, peel-off clue label. To receive proper credit for finding a clue, you must put the label on the correct space on the Score Sheet.

CHECK-IN INSTRUCTIONS
There will be a small map in the Brown Bag showing the location of the check-in site.

STUFF
The Brown Bag is loaded with stuff! Previous brown bags included such neat things as: a keypunch computer card, a strip of paper with letters all over it, a copy of National Weather Service reported temperatures, a stick of chewing gum, a page of movie listings, etc... Hunters are likely to find almost anything in the bag! These items are HINTS and/or will be required to help Hunters solve the clues! Well, at least SOME of them are. It is up to you to determine if one of these items will help you solve a clue.

HINTS WISE OR OTHERWISE

And speaking of hints... The "Hints Wise or Otherwise" sheet you received in your registration packet may (or may not) contain helpful hints to aid in the solving process or to indicate additional items to take on the Hunt. Sometimes, the "HWOW" sheet contains the clue solution itself!

And a "word to the WISE": it may even be necessary to combine something from the HWOW sheet with something in the Brown Bag, along with the clue!

CLUES

At every clue site there will be a wooden stake with a wire ring through it and a "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on it. Attached to the wire ring will be white envelopes, numbered 1 through 81. Each envelope will be labeled with the clue letter (e.g. "CLUE A" at one site, "CLUE B" at the next site, and so on).

The numbers identify each envelope for a specific car. At check-out, your car will be assigned a number from 1 to 78, as labeled on your Brown Bag. You are to take the envelope with your car number on it and leave the rest alone. Should your envelope be missing, you may take one of the spare envelopes numbered 79, 80, or 81.

Inside the envelope will be A LETTERED, PEEL-OFF LABEL which must be affixed to the score sheet in the designated space for that clue. Also in the envelope are instructions for the appropriate emergency solution envelope to open if you are unable to solve the clue. Because the peel-off label is the only proof that you visited a clue site, great care should be taken not to lose the label (e.g. as a result of several extra pairs of hands "assisting" in the opening of the envelope).

The clue at a site can be one of three types:
  1. PAPER
  2. VISUAL
  3. WORKING VISUAL
PAPER CLUES:
At a paper clue site, only the wooden stake and envelope ring will be present. Three copies of a paper clue are contained in the envelope and are typically printed on the sheets wit h the emergency solution instructions. The solution of the clue will direct the Hunt team to the next clue site.

EXAMPLE: A direct solution: The clue is 5 + 3 and the solution is 8. You will find a circle on the map with the number 8 in it. An "association" solution: The clue is Sylvester and the solution is on the map, because there are two "roads" in close proximity labeled Stallone Dr. and Rambo Rd. The circle can contain any number, letter, or symbol, possibly totally irrelevant to the clue.

VISUAL CLUES:
At the site of a visual clue, in addition to the ring of envelopes, is some "object" or set of objects from which you are to derive a solution to get you to the next clue site. The solving concept is similar to that of the paper clue in that the solution will be a number, or something related to a map detail.

WORKING VISUAL CLUES:
The site of a working visual clue is very similar to that of a visual clue, but with two differences: (1) there are two or more identical clues at the site so that more than one team may be working on a solution at the same time. (2) You will be required to interact with the clue at the site. As the name suggests, you will need to make the clue "work" by either measuring something, manipulating something, or somehow doing something that will allow you to arrive at a solution.

"THE SPECIAL" LOCATION:
There is just one more type of location that has not yet been mentioned - the Jackass. The tradition behind the Jackass site is that every clue is solvable, and the correct solution will lead you to one, and only one, correct clue site. Occasionally, however, there is that certain clue that is, indeed, very, very tricky. Solving it incorrectly will lead you to a location that has ONLY a figure of a jackass. A member of the committee may be there with a camera to preserve the moment for posterity.

EXAMPLE OF HOW THE HUNT WORKS
CLUE LETTER CLUE LEADS TO CIRCLE CLUE SITE FOUND MAP REQUIREMENT
A 5 + 3 8 B None
B Sylvester 773 C Stallone Dr. & Rambo Way
C Let's Twist Again XX D Drawing of a tornado
D Those with Physical Attraction live under a Lucky Star 15 E None - the HWOW #15 "Madonna's on the borderline; she knows everybody"

Your first clue can be any one of the 26 clue sites. An emergency envelope will be attached to the outside of the Brown Bag. This will lead you to your first clue. Open it quickly and read aloud the main intersection (to at least get you going in the right direction). You will discard the emergency envelope and its contents (in your car), as you are to turn in only UNOPENED emergency envelopes, and the Score Sheet.

Using the example from above, let's say that your starting emergency envelope is for clue site C. The directions in the attached emergency will lead you to the clue site at Circle 773. At clue site C, you grab the envelope with your car number, take out the label, and affix the label to your Score Sheet in the C position.

Solve clue C (which is "Let's Twist Again"), and follow the same procedure as above to get you to clue site D at Circle XX.

Now, let's suppose that at clue site D, where you find the clue about "physical attraction", you do not know that "Physical Attraction", "Lucky Star", "Borderline", and "Everybody" are all songs sung by Madonna. You might decide the clue really means that the clue site is the one on the map that has a big star in the circle. Well, if you did this, you would be looking and looking and would be finding cactus, Palo Verde trees, and washes, but no clue site. After a "reasonable" amount of time, you might consider opening the emergency envelope, since you could be looking in the wrong spot all night! The correct emergency envelope to open for this particular example is indicated on clue D. (In this particular example, the solution to the clue is the HWOW number - 15).

CHECK-IN

All teams are expected to check-in between 11:15 P.M. and 11:30 P.M. at the designated check-in location. Any team checking in past 11:30 P.M. is assessed DOUBLE PENALTY TIME for each minute past 11:30 P.M..

SCORING

While the Hunters are enjoying a late dinner and looking through the solution book (distributed upon arrival at check-in), the Committee processes the Hunt results. The measure of performance is the lowest average time per clue solved. Note that it is NOT the total number of clues found, but the number of clues found divided by the sum of the elapsed time and penalty time. Adjustments are made for the distance from the check-out site to the first clue and for the distance from the last clue to the check-in site.

RESULTS

The second and third place finishing cars are recognized for their accomplishments and are presented with appropriate prizes to acknowledge their performance. The top finishing team is presented with a coveted "Wizard" hat for each team member and a symbolic treasure chest for each couple. They also receive the "privilege" and responsibility of serving on the Hunt committee for the next three Hunts.

PRO Team Exemption
If a team consists of at least 3 Hunters who have:
  1. either -
    1. served on the Hunt Committee within the past 3 years, OR
    2. served on the Hunt Committee for a total of 6 years , AND
  2. decided to declare themselves, at registration, a PRO team
That team will not be considered as competing against the rest of the “amateur” Hunters. If a PRO team manages to achieve the lowest time per clue of any team, amateur or PRO, PRO patches will be given to the members of the team with previous Committee service. However, their finishing position in the Hunt will not be tracked. In other words, Lowest Time per Clue and First Place are not identical designations for a PRO team. A PRO team can NOT achieve first place, since by definition that would result in 3 years of Committee service.

"HELPFUL?" STRATEGIES

A team can prepare for the Hunt by meeting for a strategy session on some evening before the Hunt. During this meeting, you can decide on:
  • the vehicle to be used
  • who will drive it
  • who will navigate (take detailed measurements from the map)
  • who will collect the opened clue envelopes (for disposal)
  • who will collect the labels and place them on the Score Sheet
  • who will hold onto the unopened emergency solutions that must be turned in
  • who will "manage" the Brown Bag contents
  • who will bring the scale accurate to 1/50th of an inch
  • who will bring the extra flashlight batteries (everyone?)
It is advisable to have a "brain-storming session" on the Hints Wise and Otherwise and world events (news, sports, entertainment, etc...) that have occurred over the past year. Also, you can determine what (if any) reference materials you'd like to bring along (like a pocket-knife, dictionary, Bible, Thesaurus, atlas, first aid kit, etc.). A "practice session" with a veteran Hunter using past Hunt materials can help to reduce rookie mistakes on Hunt night.

DURING THE HUNT

Finally the moment has arrived! You rip the Brown Bag out of the Committee member's hand, make a mad dash for your vehicle (which has already started pulling out of the parking lot), take a flying leap through the window, AND YOU'RE OFF!

But where are you going?
  • Open the emergency envelope stapled to the outside of your Brown Bag (and don't forget to tell everyone the car number.)
  • The next step is to examine the contents of the Brown Bag. It is a good idea to call out what is in the bag, so that everyone will have a chance to use this knowledge for clue association. Some Hunters bring a large box in order to see all the contents easily, some a folder with clear sleeves to file items for quick reference, and some use a pegboard to display the contents.
  • At any rate, be sure to "lug" the Brown Bag (or its substitute) to each clue site, "just in case" one of the items may be needed to solve a clue.
  • Also to be called out amid the confusion are unusual map details (which may be essential to solving a clue).
OK, you've gotten to your first clue site, and now you must solve a clue!
  • Pre-agree on a time limit for solving a clue. If you feel that you are not close to a solution after that time, open the emergency (even though it will cost you an additional 20 minutes) and get on with things! Don't waste time if no one has an inkling of how to solve the clue!
  • At a clue site, the clue will be relatively easy to find - at the base of a Saguaro cactus, under a Palo Verde tree, in a wash, etc. Look for other Hunt teams searching in the same area. If no other team is around and you just can't seem to find it, consider opening the emergency - you may have solved the clue incorrectly.
  • If you discover a clue site out of sequence, grab the envelope. This out-of-sequence label will count only as a half credit, but all subsequent in-sequence clues receive full credit. You may wish to try to return to the original sequence by opening the previous emergency.
  • Be aware that, while everyone plays fair, there IS a certain amount of "gamesmanship."
  • Towards the end of the Hunt, WATCH YOUR TIME!
  • You do receive mileage credit for both your starting clue and the last clue you solved before checking in.
  • On the way in, be sure to bundle your UNOPENED EMERGENCY ENVELOPES inside your SCORE SHEET with the rubber band provided in the Brown Bag. Also, make sure that you have affixed all the clue labels to your Score Sheet.
  • GET YOUR ENVELOPES AND SCORE SHEET TO THE CHECK-IN TABLE AS SOON AS YOU ARRIVE AT THE RESTAURANT.
  • Please drive carefully. The Hunt does not reward driving "skill" - it rewards THINKING skills. You can drive safely AND win!
HAPPY HUNTING !