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V3.0: Costumes

Sorted so that every 3 go in a bag (1-3 in a bag, 4-6 in a bag, etc.) and the first of the 3 is one of the larger items (so that the bags do not overfloweth)

1. Expectant mother
2. Bird watcher
3. Secret agent
4. Marine biologist
5. Real estate agent
6. Chef
7. Pirate
8. Maid
9. Harry Potter
10. Hazmat team member
11. Cheerleader
12. Darth Vader
13. Cowboy
14. Detective
15. Construction worker
16. Race car driver
17. Princess
18. Dentist
19. Japanese schoolgirl
20. Snorkeler
21. Surgeon or house painter (SARS mask)
22. frat boy
23. Vampire hunter (bulbs of garlic)
24. news reporter (microphone)
25. Rock star
26. fairy
27. burger king

MAJOR OVERHAUL WOOOOOOOO!

Nothing says crazy like overhauling a game that was already working. So, after our massively productive discussion, here's the new game we've come up with:

At the beginning of the game, you're given a card that has the following information on it: a person you're looking for, a location, and a picture you're trying to recreate. They also get a costume and a bag to conceal it in. The card would look something like this:
For demonstration's sake, our player is the pirate. So, the pirate goes running around and finds the ninja (following the same mechanic we've established with the indirect communication), and the two of them toddle off to the White House, put on their costumes, and have their picture taken. When they have successfully recreated their picture, they're given another card that looks like this:

Now, the pirate and ninja (in blue) must find the pink team. Once they find this team, they must recreate the picture shown here, with the blue team's "puzzle piece" set next to the pink team's "puzzle piece" in front of the library. Once they have successfully recreated THIS picture, they are given another card:

Now our pink/ blue team has to track down the red/yellow team. And so on. The basic combination structure would work a lot like a basketball bracket:

The idea here is that teams are finding one another and getting larger and larger and creating more and more elaborate pictures. This creates a situation where people have to cooperate to progress, costumes and picture taking are still fun, and we take that damn scorekeeping element out of it.

So we'll still have moderators with cameras at our locations. The moderator will be responsible for taking a picture, verifying that a team has assembled their picture correctly, and hand over the next level of the bracket. We keep our three locations, and the three of us moderate.

SO. Things we need to work out:

Pairings/bracket structure

Build the pairing cards and larger team puzzle cards

Containers for players to transport their costumes in

New rule sheet

BIG ASS PLAYTESTER LIST

Honestly, we should try to schedule people as soon as possible so that we can work out our bracket and card sets to accomodate the right number of people.

Flickr me

The past 2 games are now online!

Photo op pictures!

What's this bag of stuff?

Those are your props. They'll be explained later. The sheet of paper is your bingo card, which will also serve as part of your score card.

Okay, so I have a bingo card. Now what?

Your goal is to complete a "bingo" (three in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) by completing the photos described in each space. Completed bingos are worth five points. At the end of the game, points your card has earned will be added to points you earn for individual photos, and the person with the highest score will be the winner. Check out the sample card below.

Fairy Princess Maid Tommy Trojan	Secret Agent American Idol Swim Stadium	Movie Star Judge Leavey Library
Fairy Princess Expectant Mother Swim Stadium	Secret Agent Fisherman Tommy Trojan	Movie Star Barbarian Swim Stadium
Fairy Princess Detective Leavey Library	Secret Agent Movie Star Leavey Library	Movie Star Deep Sea Diver Tommy Trojan

What is this photo business?

This is the crux of the Photo Op game. In order to mark off a square on your bingo card, you must create a photo that contains all the elements in the square. The top item is a costume from your stash. The second is a costume from an opponent's stash. The third is the location where your picture must be taken. Once you have found your other person and your location, put on your costumes and smile for the camera!

These look like toys, not costumes!

Yeah, we know. Full costumes are expensive, whereas props that suggest costumes are not. We have complete faith in your acting abilities.

Now, why would my opponent want to be in my picture? Or, why would I want to be in someone else's picture?

As a reward for being helpful, you will receive a sticker (worth 1 point) every time you pose for another person's picture. At the end of the game, you'll cash in your stickers and your bingo card and the person with the most points will win. So, the more helpful you are, the more points you'll earn. Isn't that nice?

So, I just ask someone if they have the costume I'm looking for, and if they do, we go get our picture taken?

Not exactly. You may not directly ask someone what costumes they have. For example, you may not ask someone "Are you the fairy princess?" You may use any other terms you like, hint and infer as much as you want, but under no circumstances can you use the actual terms listed on your bingo card. you also may not ask for prop items. For example, "Are you the fairy princess?" and "Do you carry a wand?" are not allowed. "Do you hang out with Tinkerbell?" would be acceptable. This includes the terms that describe your photo locations.

Are other people going to see these photos?

If that's okay with you. The photos will be collected and posted to a Flickr album, which we'll link you to. However, if you don't want your picture included, just let us know and we'll leave it out.

Places and People V2.0

Costumes for version 2:

- Expectant mother
- Movie star
- Secret agent
- Judge
- Detective
- Real estate agent
- Chef
- Ribbon dancer
- Bird watcher
- Cheerleader
- Hazmat tech
- Darth Vader
- Scuba Diver (Deep sea diver)
- Japanese schoolgirl
- Maid
- Race car driver
- Rock star
- Singer
- Pirate
- Ninja
- Cowboy
- Construction worker
- Princess
- Dentist
- Surgeon or house painter (SARS mask)
- Marine biologist
- Vampire hunter (bulbs of garlic)

Locations:
Tommy Trojan
Olympic Diving Board
Leavey Library
Bookstore

Thoughts based on last playtest:

-need to reconsider our scoring system--as Jeremy pointed out, the only real way to score points is to get a bingo--maybe some sort of currency?
-thoughts on the prop swapping idea Jeremy mentioned after the last round?
-need to emphasize the language rules, as they weren't being closely followed
-Rule sheet is too long (as always)--can we get it down to half a page?
-can we do a bingo card that fits in the pocket, with punch-out holes or something?
-If we can, it would be worth it to try a two-location game for this next test; if not round two, then definitely by round three
-Scheduling is a major issue in the next two weeks
-Bought a ton of new costumes/props on Saturday--that should cover us for awhile
-Lily, do you know how much you've spent so far? I think I'm at like, $20.

That's all I've got for now. Don't forget, meeting tonight from 8-10. Location TBD?

-D