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Jul
26
The Amazing Race, Ravenchase Style
2008 at 1pm Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Last night, I did something really cool. Bob and I joined our friends Mark, Patrick, and Leslie on a Ravenchase Adventure. Ravenchase is a Richmond-based company that now runs events throughout the U.S. and Europe, and it’s basically a scaled-down version of The Amazing Race. Here’s how the Ravenchase website describes it:
For large groups working in teams or for smaller crowds, families and groups of friends, Ravenchase will deliver a first clue and other must-have information (supplies and gadgets you should prepare) prior to the event.
When solved, the first clue will reveal the race start time and location. Ravenchase staff will meet your group at the adventure start location to provide basic instructions, helpful hints, handmade treasure maps and some of the remaining clues (some clues may need to be discovered along the adventure). Solve all the clues in the shortest amount of time and you win the race. The final answer in the race will ultimately lead everyone to the chosen destination where tales will be told and fabulously tacky trophies and bragging rights will be awarded (and libations poured.)
We received our clue via email earlier this week, and it was a toughie! Ever heard of a Polybius square? Neither had I. Luckily, Patrick the Boy Wonder recognized the puzzle and figured it out within five minutes…but he refused to share the answer! Wanting to help us get our heads in the game, he sent a series of emails offering “hints” that just served to make me angry…but when I finally figured it out, it was pretty exciting.
Having deciphered the clue correctly, we met at the designated starting point and scoped out the competition. Some of the other teams looked pretty hardcore, whereas we, Team Dilligaf (an acronym for “Do I look like I give a f***”), were just out to have fun. The organizers explained the rules and gave us a packet containing a map (tied with two pieces of string), 7 clues, and an answer sheet showing the number of letters in each clue’s solution. The clues directed us to Richmond landmarks and places I’d never been before, and even though this was a “beginner” game, it was quite a challenge. Once we located the correct statues, signs, and landmarks, we had to decipher clues embedded in them, do complicated alphabet-shifting procedures, and play with numbers until things worked out. Thank goodness for Patrick the Boy Wonder…and for the nice homeless man who kindly directed us to the right statue when we were sadly mistaken on our first attempt.
When Mark and Patrick sent the Ravenchase invitation a few weeks ago, I was pretty hesitant. It sounded like a good concept, but it was definitely one of those things that was either going to be really awesome or really terrible, with nothing in between. The first half hour had me pretty worried, but once we got going, we had a blast! Not only did we get to run around the city solving clues and feeling like we were in The Da Vinci Code, we got to watch our competition stand around looking just as puzzled as we were…or looking smug that they figured out something we were still working on…and we got to feel fantastic when we completed the 7 clues, called in with the password, and showed up at the final destination to discover we had come in first place! By 45 minutes! Go Team Dilligaf!
This was an on-foot race, and I would guess that we covered three or four miles in the 2 1/2 hours we spent solving the puzzle. It was a beautiful night, a great way to spend time with friends (would also make a great corporate/team building event), and we even got some exercise…but Ravenchase also does driving games, multi-day games–there’s a 2-day event coming up in Washington, D.C. for which the entry fee covers a Metro card–Hawaiian trips, and week-long games in Europe for advanced players. They’ve even teamed up with the local Segway store for a city-based Segway game. You can sign up to attend an event they’ve already planned, or you can contact them to plan a special event for your group. This was a really fun, affordable way to spend a Friday night and do something new. It would be a great date or double-date activity, and I can’t wait to do it again…maybe I’ll try to talk them into building a game around literary clues!
Visit http://www.ravenchase.com for more information!
Also, don’t forget to enter to Win my ARC of The Gargoyle by Friday, August 1st!
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Wow! That sounds like great fun. I will be checking out Ravenchase’s website.
Thankfully I found the first clue – go Boot!
My wife’s a big fan of The Amazing Race, so I’ll definitely be bringing Ravenchase to her attention.