The Great Seattle Wumpus Hunt 2002, a seven-clue scavenger romp across downtown Seattle that Lisa and I designed over the last couple of months, occurred this past Saturday. Much fun was had by all. I didn't sleep the night before, too busy finishing up the final touches on the game, so I was a little wigged out for the actual game and subsequent party, but it was still very fun. Having never done this kind of thing before, I learned a lot from the experience, and look forward to applying that knowledge toward a sequel.

Wumpus hunters in attendance are invited to send me feedback about the game: was it too easy? Too hard? Which parts? Puzzle design is difficult, and my expectations for what was easy and what was hard were way out of proportion from the actual reaction of players.

Yes, there will be a web site containing all the clues and pictures and stuff, so others can play along. And I promise I won't put it off like my road trip website. :) People who couldn't make it (or didn't hear about it in time to attend) can grab a souvenier at their local newsstand any time between now and Wednesday evening: see page 30 of last week's issue of The Stranger. Horny Toad was part of the game.

Many, many thanks to all who came. Also thanks to The Stranger's ad production department (who gave us a special rate), and to the Belltown Pub & Café for putting up with our ever-changing demands and pretty much letting us own the place for a day, even though fewer people came than was expected (they even set up tables for us in case we overflowed our private room), and we showed up and left much earlier than was planned.

There will be an Episode II! Probably not until next year, but it will happen. In the meantime, others are encouraged to throw their own scavenger hunts, so I can actually play one for once.

Hmm... See Seattle has Seattle hunts and scrambles for hire, $10 per person, $200 minimum; limousines are extra. Sounds like a quick and easy party right there. Also, US Scavenger Hunt is a company for hire that designs hunts tailored to groups, mostly Fortune 500 companies looking for employee bonding activities. I didn't know you could make a living designing scavenger hunts! :)