LAMP Alternate Reality Games
Mini Alternate Reality Games (mARGs), collaborative play and quests as part of LAMP residentials or AFTRS inductions. Please note all games are Copyright.
Contents
- 1 NON-RESIDENTIAL GAMES
- 2 LAMP RESIDENTIAL GAMES (REVERSE CHRONOLOGY)
- 2.1 LAMP Residential VIII Marysville, Victoria feb 08 - OLD FOREST
- 2.2 LAMP Residential VII Couran Cove, Queensland Nov 07 - THE COURAN COVE ENIGMA
- 2.3 LAMP Residential VI Freycinet, Tasmania May 07 - THE ZANCHETTA BROTHERS
- 2.3.1 USER JOURNEY:
- 2.3.2 Level 1 – Introduction
- 2.3.3 Level 1 – Puzzles
- 2.3.4 Level 2 – Second Life/Gold Coins
- 2.3.5 Gatekeeper: Kit from Bartender
- 2.3.6 Level 3 – SL/RL Treasure Hunt for Story Fragments
- 2.3.7 Gatekeeper: Treasure Chest from Bartender
- 2.3.8 Level 4 – Story Creation
- 2.3.9 Level 5 – Presentation
- 2.4 LAMP Residential V Freycinet, Tasmania Oct 06 - THE ITALIAN CONNECTION
- 2.4.1 User Journey:
- 2.4.2 Intro:
- 2.4.3 Direction #1: Back of puzzle
- 2.4.4 Direction #2: Computer/Second Life
- 2.4.5 Directions #3 – In Second Life
- 2.4.6 Direction #4: Kit from Bartender
- 2.4.7 Direction #5: Map
- 2.4.8 Direction #6: Ace Card
- 2.4.9 Direction #7: Treasure Chest
- 2.4.10 Direction #8: Drink Bubble
- 2.5 LAMP Residential IV Milson Island Jul 06 - VOICES FROM THE PAST
- 2.6 LAMP Residential III Perth May 06 - HUNG LONG
- 2.7 LAMP Residential II Dec 05 - TIME SLICER
- 2.8 LAMP RESIDENTIAL I Oct 05 - "THE LEGEND OF THE AMELIA ROSE"
NON-RESIDENTIAL GAMES
AFTRS INDUCTION Jan 2006 - THE CURSE OF AFTRS
INTRODUCTION
Created by Christy Dena, Gary Hayes and Jackie Turnure © 2006
...for 50 new students as part of a 'working together' induction. This was specifically developed to encourage collaboration in and between teams, as well as learning by doing such concepts as distributed narrative, locative gaming and user journey.
BACK STORY
In late 2005, a grad dip doco student, Christine Greeves, is filming in and around the school when she notices a shadowy figure in her view finder. Convinced the school is haunted, Christine starts to research the AFTRS past and discovers a group of rejected applicants have placed a curse on the school. Christine is shaken by the intensity of their vitriol but she resolves to find the spell and overturn the curse. She confides in her boyfriend, Roger telling him she has found the spell to reverse the curse, but he wants no part in it. That night Christine goes alone to the school to do the spell and is never seen again. Guilt stricken, Roger is desperate to find out what happened to her but has been banned from entering the school, for some reason, by its directors. He has to work remotely and manages to hack into an induction student group who are taking part in a Working Together digital media exercise - using computers to research the school. He secretly appeals to the fifty students for their help in finding Christine and finally ridding the school of the evil curse.
WALK THROUGH
All students were sent an SMS the night before
"I'm Roger. A student is missing, you're my only hope to find her. AFTRS is hiding it. Secretly go to www.roger-that.info at tomorrow morning's event. Dont reply "
They were given a bogus assignment (to look for dramatic stories in blogs) by presenter Gary Hayes, in the morning. They were then set-up in random teams by drawing coloured 'quote' wrist bands from a hat. They were then distributed around the school to specific locations with computers on wireless internet where they eventually logged onto http://www.roger-that.info - if you go there you will get an idea of how things started out.
From this initial site they then got more back story from Roger with clues that he has not yet fully investigated
To back up the story other sites were created to provide context and more sense of realism a news site was set -up at http://www.australiannewsonline.com/454454523h345uh_article.html
On the site were three videos that showed Christine in varying states of panic having discovered something ' evil'.
Here is a still from the final sequence from the 3rd film
At a point where all participants had explored the sites they were sent an "IP detect notice and told immediately to go to the attached wiki - this important backbone exchange can be followed on http://www.roger-that.info/wiki/
From the wiki they were sent to 6 locations to discover more - this included a place where a radio recording where Christine, on a talk show hears that something is very wrong with the school, a real interview with the director of the school, various physical clues in offices and studios as well as a blog http://aftrssucks.blogspot.com/
And here is a link to a clone of the WIKI chat, remember this was used dynamically as the central backbone of most of the investigative element of this ARF The AFTRS Curse wiki page
From the clues and various locative arts hunting around for rune symbols the whole thing ended in a curse removing ceremony in the Studio 1 dictated by another site we set-up http://www.cursecleanse.com/ - follow the building/unsolved/australia/aftrs route to get to the conclusion ceremony.
A list of unsolved building curses
The beginnings of the ceremony.
Here they finally are able to match the rune shapes that they recovered around the building with the ingredients they need for the curse removal ceremony. One was the Lucky Charm that a security guard at the school, Taska mailed around earlier in the week
The step by step guide to completing the ceremony - by this time all 50 participants were gathered around a podium marked with a hexagon, chanting etc
A surprise final element came midway through the ceremony - a mask needed to be destroyed, smashed but where was it. A mask that hung in the foyer for the last two weeks was indicated on this pop-up
After the ceremony was repeated, the mask was smashed and of course the sudden re-emergence of Christine who in keeping with a theme that ran through the whole week as dragged off by a gorilla - you don't want to know more than that!.
We would have used more cross-media elements (portable media devices, mobiles etc) but creating 'alternate reality' takes time!
LAMP RESIDENTIAL GAMES (REVERSE CHRONOLOGY)
LAMP Residential VIII Marysville, Victoria feb 08 - OLD FOREST
Conceived and produced by Gary Hayes with writing support from Matt Costello
A video was made of some of the experience on YouTube called Second Life - Mixed Reality Game 'OLD FOREST'
1 Introduction and Backstory - In Development
A Mixed-Media, Cross-Reality Game "The Old Forest" is set in Marylands, a large old house and grounds hidden from time in the 'Mystic Mountains', part of the heavily forested Yarra Range and Great Dividing Range, Victoria, Australia. The story begins with one of the first settlers in 1875 Mary Baxter who was banned from England as a teenager for witchcraft and forced into the mountains by a nervous Melbourne Major (she was suspected of starting the Fire of London). Mary protested her innocence but, as in the frenzy of all such witch hunts, to no avail.
Image of Mary Baxter aged 23 in 1895 (actually Emily Ada Sparke from 1895 (taken in the town) the second wife of Thomas Barton one of the first settlers of Marysville)
Soon there were rumors in the valleys -- already steeed in superstition that blended the legends of the Aboriginal Dreamtime with the more gothic fears of the Europeans -- that Mary had brought her White Witch Coven practices to the area. Someone said that had they had even seen her carrying an infamous ancient spell book known as 'Old Forest' (a rough translation from the Slovakian) itself a copy of a papyrus manuscript that predated the birth of Christ. This had come into Mary's possession when she was in Eastern Europe, on a family trip in 1882 (aged 10) - an old lady in a decrepit hotel insisted the family look after it for her.
To the man who spotted the book. Soon after making the charge, that man disappeared returning home one night from a local Inn.
After years of taunting the locals, who soon grew to fear and respect Mary, she died in very suspicious circumstances when the fires of 1939 surrounded Maryland's House just before the Second World war. The supposed book vanished with her. There was actual incriminating evidence, documented by the locals, who claimed that she was casting grand spells that were partly causing global unrest, of course nonsense.
But that nonsense was seemingly supported by images and maps, pictures of historical figures and places of the time, now covered with arcane symbols and words from no language known to anyone.
During the war Maryland's was used by Melbourne Girl's Grammar school as an evacuation centre. Their arrival was deeply troubling. Missing their parents, the place had very dirty living standards and very dubious characters in the local area and some of the reject teaching staff. The girls soon bonded together in the face of weird teachers and the odd, superstitious locals. They soon realized they might be in greater danger here than in their former homes. The social fabric of the once prim and proper school broke down when one of the girls discovered the book 'Old Forest' hidden in the grounds scrubland. Some of this book was in an English, but many pages were filled with disturbing images and words that themselves made gooseflesh rise on the arm. Worlds like ‘Ry’leh…Soggoth…Fhtagn’.
There was a fight for ownership and one evening the books pages were ripped out as the girls fought for it. After this they broke into groups which became tribes, each with particular spell pages. Soon each ‘tribe’ of girls began to have vivid dreams, seemingly explaining and instructing them in the power of their pages.
One group had power of distant communication, one of travel across time, one had curses to hex people and places and the final group had a set of spells to morph and change things. The rest of the hundreds of spells, including many of the antidote spells, were torn to shreds in the chaos and buried later in different places in the grounds by one of the caretakers who discovered the mess in one of the dorms late that same night. He feared for the house being known as a Coven, but he feared even more the repercussions of destroying such powerful pages.
Each of the girl tribes was transformed from a clique of young girls into something stranger, now driven, each with an acknowledged leader, each tribe with its rank of followers,,,,The tribes set about doing endless supernatural experiments, trying to contact parents in the war, putting curses on dastardly teachers and so on. Any attempt to do ‘good’ resulted in even more terrible things occurring. In the end, the tribes submitted to this, recognizing that the power they had was indeed dark.
Things deteriorated into pure anarchy as each tribe moved to take control and their frustrations spilled over into mystic fights against each other. Over several weeks, girls were banished into the future (only to communicate through paintings on the wall), some were made dumb and had to write their communication on cards, others turned into plants and statues, and in desperation one tribe placed a large curse on the entire grounds and building. Over several weeks the place became silent in the day, but unlivable in the evenings, as countless invisible portals to some other evil universe opened. No one could sleep due to the endless visitations, strange smells, lights, creaking walls and muffled screaming.
When finally nervous authorities arrived to investigate the strange occurrences at Marysville, the school children were eventually discovered by the teachers and authorities as being, not victims of what was happening, but the cause of the breakdown. Many were missing or deranged. The original pages were confiscated and burnt and the ashes all taken to a new temporary school nearer to Melbourne.
As to those who attempted to destroy the tribes’ pages, nothing in known. But the locals say each and everyone came to terrible and grisly ends.
But the legacy remains. The ill doings of that time, several mysterious murders and scandalous events have occurred since, quickly laid to blame for either the pages buried, or even the ashes—since some say the cursed book can never really be destroyed, at least in a conventional way.
If it’s ever to end, something more than mere buuning will be needed if anyone should ever rest in this valley in peace, to have dreamless nights free of the horror. The terrified locals know that only when the truth is found can the curses uncovered and reversed?
As time has shown us, there never seems to be a shortage of those who seem to think…they can end a centuries old curse and stop evil.
And for them, Maryville awaits.
On-going running order and dev of game play
RW = Real World VW= Virtual World
- A taste of the back story. Read out - the set up.
- Gary does the local myths, Matt done the ‘research’ at the esteemed Arkham University (or perhaps Miskatonic U.) before flying to Oz.
- A random allocation of teams. Teams based on the original girl tribes. So each person draws out of a hat - a random 'rip' of paper (6 pieces from 4 spell/graphic pages).
- Instructions on the back of the spell page allows them to track down the first 'soul card' (we choose the Croquet Lawn). The overall team goal is "find out what happened to your named girl in your team, 6 of them? In doing so you will discover something much more sinister - which you will share with the rest of us later. But you must work in your teams. The Gorgons, etc:
- RW: On the back of this first card it mentions the 1st Croft of Hay a room with special powers. This is the SL room
- VW: Various too and fros with puzzles, images and ghost whisperer objects pointing at locations where they can find the soul cards.
- RW: The photograph contains a hidden mobile number where they can speak to one of the girls on the other side.
- RW - One of the 2,3 or 4th cards will have a clue that says "You need 4 cards before you go to the Frozen Garden. But there is a photograph of me in the old part of the building. Hidden in there is a number only you can call and I will tell you about the Frozen Garden". Each team calls that number to talk to the girl trapped in the house 'who wants to come home'. This girl mentions something about a curse, and needing to break it. She tells them about Bruno's Garden, where many girls are hidden. The girl on the phone tells them about two of her friends - "Susan was turned into a goat holding a beer glass and Gemma a Eagles Spirit. Don't believe Bruno, he is a Wizard and keeps the secret safe"
- RW - So after much going between RW and VW getting another 3 cards, they can then go to the Frozen Garden for numbers 5 and 6 AS a team.
- On both of the cards placed near the statues it says - "return with all the girls soul cards to the MystiScope Hall and perform the Cleansing - (to be worked out)" - but when they start the ceremony a part says "Take the fragments of pages and hold them to the sky" - of course a 'what pages emanates'. The reveal of where the treasure chests are to be revealed.
- If based on the suggested story-secret, it could involve something as simple as locking the pages away together and restoring Mary’s reputation (a gravestone, a marker, flowers, a poem composed in her honor, etc?)
To incorporate some props for rituals etc: and a few more artifacts. At some point in the structure the existing fake websites Gary set up will be modified and used - Curse Cleanse and Australia News Online http://cursecleanse.com/build_australia.html http://www.australiannewsonline.com/454454523h345uh_article.html
The panorama I took below shows the conference wing on the left, the restaurant and bridge linking middle and main building reception and public rooms on right. A super high rez 10 000 pixel wide image is here
The Cards
Team slips - Four different location puzzles to take them to their first card 1-4
- Cards - all will have a picture of a girl on the front, a symbol and on the back a short narrative
- Cards 1-4 - Four girls who discovered the MystiScope (a device to see the parallel universe) - so something like "secretly I spent many hours in Haycroft 1 and used my scope to uncover all that was happening around me, as it was happening. The majesty, terror and power of it all"
- Cards 5-13 - Found cards around the grounds. So 8 short backstories, again voices from the past. Bits about Mary the witch, the pages, the curse etc
- Cards 14-17 - A card that talks about being able to communicate with those 'behind the curtain' - it mentions find my photograph, I will hide a telephone number to call
- - tel: diversion. A short script to now guide the teams to the Sculpture Garden. This will be a live call
- Cards 18-24 - Two sets of cards. One will be about how to remove the curse, one about being frozen in time.
But thoughts on the card collecting gameplay - each card having to be earnt. From a team perspective they all work together to find the cards (representing the living souls of the 'parallel universe' kids)
The Teams and Name Sequence
The 'Kronons' Time Traveller Spell Clic
- Ruth Gould - in croquet leads to SL room
- Lucy Ross - Backstory about fire
- Louise Gould - Backstory about pages
- Janet Frecheville - picture in SL and house
- Maria Chester - turned into first statue
- Mary Jane Yates - second statue
The 'Mercs' Communicate across distance and time spell clic
- Marlene Fiske -
- Mary Davis - back story about tribes and screaming
- Ruth Creer - back story about Mary Baxter history
- Mary Hossick - picture in SL and house
- Clara Sparke - first statue
- Bridget Roche - second statue
The 'Gorgons' Change things and people spell clic
- Mary Kenealy
- Annie Gould - bs about book
- Marlene Halliday - bs about tribes fighting
- Rosemary Wright - picture frame
- Alice Dix - 1st statue
- Margaret Passing - 2nd statue
The 'Ravens' clic who had the hex powers, long time curses
- Olive Oxlee
- Marjorie Cromie - bs about teachers and dark words
- Jean Dolan - about the book and Mary Baxter
- Helen Jennings - picture frame girl
- Alice Hodson - 1st statue
- Emma Walker - 2nd statue
Writing on the back of the cards
GAME PART A Four cards found after the opening puzzle sheets put together - Matt and I will actually do a puzzle on the back before we tear them up
Olive Oxlee
I held the pages, and then, in that darkest room of the school the first Croft of Hay, I could see someplace else. Not this world, but something shadowy, teasing in the way it reached out to me. A window to a place of wonders!
Lucy Ross
In the darkened first Croft of Hay room, as I looked at the images of the pages, I felt a breeze; gooseflesh rose on my arms, and I could see all my friends! We were there together, but it was different somehow, and then, just before that image faded , I saw others circling from the outside. I just knew I wanted to see more.
Mary Kenealy
I didn't tell anyone. But I went to the dark room the first Croft of Hay, where we hid the torn pages from the book. And suddenly the room became filled with a dark light. I could see the other girls then, even myself, in this other world. Where was it…what did it mean? I had to know more.
Marlene Fiske
Some of the girls were too scared to enter that room the first Croft of Hay. Not me. I walked in and shut the door, alone with the strange pages with the confusing words and images. I closed my eyes. And I saw things, a world like our world but different. But suddenly I felt dizzy, my head spinning. And though I did not tell the others, I felt so scared.
GAME PART B - In haycroft 1 the computers have a simply team label with the note, four souls to find... Here they are wondering around second life and it delivers to all teams 3 locations after they do inworld puzzles or stumble across clues. In these two locations are 4 cards each. One location is a picture frame and two are in the grounds close by.
Jean Dolan
The others teased me, saying I was scared of her, the one they called the witch from so long ago. But she was real, Mary was real—and then the pages of her book let me see a world where no one would ever tease me again! No one would….dare!
Ruth Gould
One girl said that Mary Baxter was her name, the one they called a witch….they said she had started the Fire of London, and they drove out of Melbourne up to these lonely hills. And they say she started practicing her witchery right here, and the valley was never the same again.
Annie Gould
Such silly girls…that’s what I thought. Simon, the crazy-eyed caretaker told us that this old book, with its twisted images of an Old Forest, was her secret. That inside that book…could be found the source of her power. But we were young and foolish, and the truth was something no own could ever imagine! And one day Simon disappeared never to be seen again.
Ruth Creer
Mary died. Or so they say. No one saw it happen…nobody saw how the flames began that eventually circled the house and finally consumed her. The townspeople thought she was creating the terrors about to engulf the world. They say…she died in that supposedly accidental fire. But did she?
NEXT FOUR
Marjorie Cromie
We girls had once been together, holding each other close with so many strange teachers and people surrounding our school. But then…one of us found her old book. It was real! There were words in English, frightening words…but also words we had never heard before… Ry’leh…Soggoth…Fhtagn! And once we heard those words, we could not forget them
Louise Gould
I remember the fight, all of the girls fighting over this old book, the pages tearing, ripped out, flying through the air like the dry dead leaves of fall. Some gathered the pages up and hid. And then, for all of us, that's when the dreams came, the nightmare voices that started to explain thing.
Marlene Halliday
We used to be one, all of us standing together. But now, each small group, holding their tattered pages close, became like enemies. And when we found that our pages could show us how to do things, amazing things. We became giddy with the amazing and wonderful powers. Some could speak across great distances, like a whisper in your ear. Others could move from place to place like the wind. But the group that could curse others, damning them to pain and fear…yes, they soon became the most feared of us. Even the teachers became terrified, knowing who really ran the school now.
Mary Davis
I remember the screams. At night, girls from the different groups, like tribes, waking up, howling, And some of us knew that we didn't really control these things, these powers. They controlled us. So when the town’s authorities surprised us at night, taking the pages form the ancient book and burning them, many of us prayed that they would succeed.
Helen Jennings
Fire is nothing to this other world. But I can help those who reach out to us. So simple….this is my image, of who I once was. Call the number I hide here and I can tell if you really intend to end this…and what you must do.
Janet Frecheville
My picture—who I used tot be—you have found. And found, you can, yes, speak to me though you will not believe how very far away I am. You must call for I will tell you how to end this curse on all of us.
Rosemary Wright
You have found my image, you have spoken with me. I told you to enter the frozen garden. But you did so at your own risk. Look not too long at any of these figures.
Mary Hossick
My image, who I once was, must be found. Then you can speak to me by a simple call. I will tell you what you need to know, what your world must know. Just be sure you have the first four images before entering the cursed world of the frozen garden.
GAME PART D - THE FROZEN GARDEN The phone call would have sent them to the Bruno Sculpture Garden. The first card will be behind the hidden statue also in the Black and White image. The first four are more about back story BUT contain a clue to the last card behind 4 final statues as added below
Alice Hodson
They say the fire that consumed the school was an accident. But you know that isn't the truth., And now, it falls to you to remove the curse on this place. My best friend joined me here, her limbs turned into serpents...
Maria Chester
Never forget…this began with Mary, it will end with Mary, the real Mary. And when the curse is removed from this garden, when my spirit and all the girls spirits are free, that shall be revealed. My dearest friends soul turned into an old lady with a hat, her grandson beneath her
Alice Dix
The pages were brunt; but what matters that to an evil that crosses the universe to touch our world? But that opening can be closed if you remove the curse on me, on the others, on this garden of horrors. I don't want my best friend spending an eternity trapped in her snail shell.
Clara Sparke
If this is to end, if Marysville is ever to sleep in peace, mere burning will not be enough. Only if the curse is reversed, will the evil end. And to do that just look into your heart at what has happened, and all the frozen ones here will be freed. Where is my best friend, musical she was, frozen in time player her long green flute.
BEHIND THE FINAL STATUES
Emma Walker
The one who free this valley will place our souls together; we will be as one, as we were before the book was found. And when the missing pages are found, they too must be restored to she who how was their guardian. Go to the place to exchange our souls for the pages.
Mary Jane Yates
Each girl, each image…must be placed together, as we once were. And only then will the missing pages be found. Then the must be restored to the guardian, she who was so wrongly accused. Only then will the evil sleep move more., Go to the place to exchange our souls for the pages.
Margaret Passing
Gather us together, like the school children we once were. Then the way to the missing pages can be found. But do not hesitate…restore them to she who was the guardian against their horrors. Then Marysville will sleep again. Go to the place to exchange our souls for the pages.
Bridget Roche
Every girl’s soul must be restored placed with all the others. Then the way to the missing pages will be clear. But do not think to hold them for long. They must be returned to she who was their rightful guardian. Do that, and the nightmares and evil in this valley will end. Go to the place to exchange our souls for the pages.
Matt Possible Challenges
So, perhaps the RW locations can be tied to, as mentioned, a differently cursed ‘girl’, and so each curse comes from a different sprit realm. Perhaps one physical, one visual, one mental, one illustrative. (Body, Eyes, Mind, Hand) And each spirit is guarded by a challenge and we make them as tied to the story as possible.
So a physical challenge could be- -The Red Knot. Someone in the group must grab a blood red cloth, not let go, and tie it into a knot, without releasing their hands, or having their hands in the knot itself. (An old carny challenge, but do-able.) Clues to doing it could be gotten from the girl-sprit or be found in the VW. -Defying gravity. Someone in the group must take a jar with a marble and hold it completely upside down for 13 seconds without the marble falling out.
A mental challenge could be: -A variant of the Wolf/Goat/Cabbage problem, where people from the group become the wolf, goat etc ….and someone has to bring them across a divide one a time, but in a way that those left behind do not eat each other.
Other mental problems can be found in the power point I’m also attaching.
A visual problem would be a riddle or a clue which uses the setting and someone will have to figure out the riddle to determine where to ‘look’ , in sequence, to get their symbol.
An illustrative problem could be a variant of the ‘Missing Alien’ problem I do in my presentation, or – in the attached PP, the last problem slide involving a dog, a tree, a twelve foot leash, and a bowl of food 15 feet away…the solution must be drawn.
Some of the above could of course await in the VW. i.e., you get the symbol in the RW (and some story hint) and go to the VW where more awaits when you have done the challenge.
Oh, re: Lots of nice courtyards to use and very hidden fountains – cute Great for a visual challenge, following lines of sight, riddles pointing to certain statue, etc…
How to deliver the challenges, a list, Gary
Useful to have a list of practical ways of delivering puzzles and messages
Virtual World
- Can click on pictures or objects - a notecard can pop up, it can talk in chat, a sound byte can play
- Sensors will trigger an action when the avatar walks past. Again sound, chat, or texture change (eg: an image can morph into something else)
- Ghostly objects can pass through avatars - floating around the area. As they pass through again short sound byte, chat
Note: For messages from the other side suggest more flexible is a notecard that pops up as we can change later on. So things like where to go, anagrams etc: Picture clues can be revealed images.
- We could have say one 'mentor' planted avatar who could be a sort of guide inworld, befriend those who look lost...
Real World
- Want to have some sound that starts in the VW and then they have to find a tree and hear the rest. Sort of the avatar walks past a 'specific' tree outside the venue "My life is split between here and the real tree, and my time on this earth ended when..." - the player then find the real tree and hears the rest of the message (iPod with speakers on a loop on a branch) Continuous.
- Parts of spell pages left in several locations. Also riddles that point back to virtual world.
- Still thinking about the cards - can we get the into story?
- Several framed pictures (pre-prepared will have embedded clues and answers) - perhaps 8 of these using the old images examples around here
- We have 4 treasure chests to hide around the grounds. They can contain pages or props for the cleansing
- In the sculpture garden we could plant clues next to specific statues (so a photo in the virtual world points them at the one in the garden)
- others to come
Virtual Marylands Progress
A quick first build (couple of hours) of the New Wing (where LAMP will be hosted). I am building it at 150m or so and the natural cloud base in SL will make the 'Mystic Viewer' seem more ghostly.
The build is accurate and being built on top of the scale plan
The interior below will be much more detailed with specific items such as ornaments and precise seating.
The textures are from images taken at the location
Additional Story Sources
Following a trip I made to Marysville there is a lot more to consider - more than the Grammar School at least. First excerpts from a book I bought called 'The High Way to Heaven' (a lot of OCR work here!)
Chapter 1 Once Upon A Time and all that Gold
A little comer of heaven really does exist on earth. Here in our village we are surrounded by incredible beauty and nature's gifts in abundance. This "heavenly piece" of the ranges brings "heavenly peace" to all who come here. As all stories used to begin "Once upon a time" so too this story will begin the same way. "Once upon a time" - in our story - the mid 1800s, the lure of gold was very strong in Victoria. Men, women and children left their homes, their ships, their mean dwellings to travel vast distances and undergo great hardships, ever hopeful of making their fortunes which would enable them to buy land and make a fresh start. My own forebears were amongst those who left the problems of Ireland and made the epic journey across the oceans and on up to "The Blue Jacket" on the Jordan goldfields.
The full story of gold discoveries in Australia is a most exciting and interesting one and in Victoria particularly there remains many remnants of this special, adventurous time in our history. Dotted around our state we find cit- ies, towns and small villages which owe their existence to gold.’’
Sometimes that gold was found, not by digging in the hard, rocky ground or by panning in icy streams but many enterprising persons made their fortunes by supplying the miners and their families with dry goods, meat, cloth- ing and also by catering to the need for warm beds, a good ale or whisky and jovial company. Fodder supplies for horses and a competent blacksmith were necessities, not luxuries, for those early fossickers.
Such was the story of Marysville!
As the gold tinds increased at the Woods Point, Gaffneys Creek and Jordan goldtields, it was quickly realized that the routes being taken to those spots were too long and difficult to be sustained. Miners either alone or with families used to set out from Melbourne, travel along "the Sydney Road" to Broadford or Seymour, then veer east to follow the Goulbum River towards Manstield. Mansfield was already well established as a sheep farming area. Here they could restock supplies and then head off through the mountains to Jamieson where another thriving settlement had sprung up. From Jamieson the journey became steeper and more dangerous with numerous river and creek crossings. It was an even longer and more arduous journey to return with a cart or wagon laden with gold and so the state government of the time (1860) offered a reward for a short cut and easier route to be found. Explorers, fortune hunters and adventurers scurried off in all directions across the mountain range. Some came across from Gippsland, via Seaton, others found a way from Warburton, through Reefton. One mother sent her two sons to try to tind a way from Beaconstield/Berwick area.
The Yarra Track
The route which interests us is the one which came to be known as "The Yarra Track". This went from Melbourne out to Heidelberg and on to Eltham, Kangaroo Ground, Christmas Hills and thence to Yaffa Glen where a stop could be made at Gulf Station. From there the track went to an area at the back of where Healesville now stands. This camp was called "New Chum" - a phrase used for a person who had come from England, Ireland or Scotland. Chum Creek village still exists today and is closely linked to Healesville. The next stage passed through the valley where Maroondah Dam is today. Imagine traversing those steep slopes. The next stops were in the area known as Glen Watts and two more little stopover villages were bom - Maytown and Fernshaw. Neither of these exists anymore as they were in the catchment area of the Maroondah Dam. Fern- shaw was a pretty little village. It was nestled amongst the tall trees and graceful ferns from which the name was derived. The Watts River provided fresh sparkling water and good fishing. Small hotels offered accommodation but not of a very high standard. Straw palliases laid side by side on the floor were the order of the day. Early foot travellers left Fernshaw via Morley Track but as heavier traffic began to come through, a wider, drier road was surveyed and so the next part of the climb followed the spur or ridge to a spot near where Narbethong is now. In those days this spot was called Fishers Creek as a gentleman by the name of Fred Fisher established a shanty there and ran a pub.
Sometimes that gold was found, not by digging in the hard, rocky ground or by panning in icy streams but many enterprising persons made their fortunes by supplying the miners and their families with dry goods, meat, cloth- ing and also by catering to the need for warm beds, a good ale or whisky and jovial company. Fodder supplies for horses and a competent blacksmith were necessities, not luxuries, for those early fossickers.
One of the first groups to go through had a very experienced bushman with them. His name was Robley and his expertise helped them make their way further up the mountains.
As time passed and more travellers came through, more settlements and shanties sprang up in spots which were about a day's ride apart. Belle Elle Creek was the site for a shanty run by the Petty Family. Mount Arnold was yet another wayside stop where a small hotel was built.
However, we must remember that such resting places only came along later. Those first explorers had to cut their way through virgin bush land, previously unexplored either by aborigines or white settlers. It was a long, steep and laborious trek but they were climbing to reach "The Promised Land" - hence the names Jordan and Jericho at the end of the line.
The old grammatical from with the apostrophe after the "s" meant belonging to the Blacks - a term which would certainly not be used nowadays. However, early maps refer only to Black Spur - perhaps a reference to the darkness of the area with its giant trees and ferns.
Yet the story persisted. Many old postcards, tourist books and articles featured the name Blacks'Spur. However, in time, in typically Aussie fashion, this was shortened to The Black Spur. We'll never know for sure which name is correct.
Nor does it matter much, whatever the spelling. It is still a picturesque roadway and nowadays is considered one of the most scenic drives in Victoria. Increased traffic in modern times has led to many problems with landslips. On going maintenance is required. However our current day difficulties are nothing compared to the hazards and problems experienced by those early intrepid travellers. Many of their stories are recorded in local archival mate- rial and make fascinating reading.
Imagine being bogged with a cart, then having to unload, carry supplies across the mud stretch or creek by hand,
return, unhitch the horses, take them through, tie them up, trudge back through the mud again, drag or push or pull
the cart or wagon through the mire, repack, rehitch, move forward only to repeat the exercise further along.
One story is told of a traveller who became bogged and was unable to move as it became darker. He held himself up by tying his belt to a tree so that he wouldn't slip and stayed like that all night. Help arrived at daylight. How terrifying!
At one time the land at Paradise Plains was mooted as a site for a settlement but without water that was totally impractical. A new spot with good fresh water needed to be found.
Down into the valley they explored, possibly out beyond where Granton now stands and along to the low hills where the cemetery is situated. The land and valley beckoned. Two permanent courses of crystal clear water fed this idyllic spot. Paradise Found!
Early travellers came around on a track to the steep pinch where Kings Road is today and then down a path which became known as Pack Road. We'll never know how many early travellers carried their packs along that route but because of their courage and determination the site for a new village had been discovered.
More about the war years
As in towns all over Australia the men of Marysville heeded the call to arms in both world wars. Our RSL display at the Local History Centre remembers these people and there are many photographs and much memorabilia from those trying times.
The effect of the Second World War was felt here in Marysville in a much more unusual way than elsewhere. Dur- ing the early war years 1941-1942 soldiers took over many large premises and sites around Melbourne. Schools and Racecourses were acquired to house the soldiers. Amongst those taken over were the School for the Deaf in St Kilda Road and Merton Hall (Melbourne Church of England Girls' Grammar) School in South Yarra.
The children of these schools were evacuated to Marysville and were billeted at Marylands, Mary-Lyn, Kooringa, Roseleigh and Mountain Lodge. They had a couple of years there and many staff members and children, now adults, have returned to recall their stay and tell their stories. Being removed from home created traumatic experiences for parents and children. Some were quite tiny three year olds when they arrived here but older students took great care of them.
The Fire Tragedy
An account of the Narbethong fires when lives were lost was written by Mrs Olive Oxlee who was the local post- mistress. Her story is a valuable part of our society archives. Newspaper reports from 1939 are also in our files and make frightening reading. A copy of 1983 "Ash Wednesday" is also a sad read and can be viewed at the Local History Centre.
These extracts from newspaper articles may give a little more insight into the horrific 1939 fires.
"January 12 1939 - Victoria's Black Week - the worst series of bush fires on record. As well as the tragic loss of life, a tremendous amount of damage has been done in the destruction ofproperty and to the valuable timber resources of Victoria. Intensely dry conditions have prevailed during the last season. It may be said that over half of Victoria is on fire. One of the finest examples of Australian timber is to befound at the worldfamous Cumberland Valley near Marysville ... Although the bushfires are threatening this beautiful valley it is hoped it may yet escape as thefire has to burn a considerable distance before it is reached.... On reliable authority the writer has heard of a party of men lying on a timber inill cricket pitch with flames encircling them, and a near by tin box which contained bread and butter became so hot that the bread was burnt black, yet all the party lived through the intense heat.." Mr Don Lovett was one of these men. He told how they ran to the centre of the cricket field, each dug a hole for his face and then lay face down in the dirt as the fire raced over them. Don carried the scars of that day till he died. He actually spent six weeks in hospital after the ordeal.
Another who remembered with terror and horror those terrible days was Claire Keppel. She was visited by a local lady Mrs Pam Ellis as she lay dying. Pam asked her what her most vivid memory was from her long life and Claire told how her brothers went off fire fighting in 1939 and were not seen again for over a week. The family at home in Buxton did not know if they were alive or dead. The anxiety and fear were deeply etched in her memory.
Heavenly Location
The upper falls, only reached after a difficult climb, are called Everard Falls, named for a Victorian politician who supported the district. Everard Park at Healesville is also named for him. He promoted the opening up of Mount Donna Buang. The tirst tourist group travelled to the falls in 1866. We are told in reports that the members of the team wrote their names on a piece of paper which was put in a bottle and sealed. This was then tied to the upper branches of a tree. A photograph of the occasion records the historic moment, however, we don't know which tree or if it even survived!
Marion Miller Knowles wrote of the falls and the Steavenson River in her book Fronds Froin the Black Spur.
Steavenson River Marysville
Singing, ever singing in the rhythm of a hundred rills
I hear a river calling from out the purple hills
The fairies formed its music of laughter and of tears
And my ear keeps time beside it through the marches of the years
The fern and wattle follow in the tracks of its shining thread
And the silver fish leap upward like light from a starry bed
There as whirr of wings in the silence and a sigh from the wind-swept trees
The deep drawn breath of the joy of life that holds God's mysteries
Dipping, ever dipping, their leaves in its cooling waves
The branches answer tenderly in the only words it craves
And the sunlight flecks its shadowed breast with many a tender smile
Pursuing with its golden shafts for many a joyous mile
Now in the darkened hollows, now o'er the mossy stones
Ever the eltin laughter, ever the sadder tones
Telling of love and longing, of mortal weal and woe
But most of the rose-hued days of youth and the kiss of long ago
Changing, ever changing, are the ways of the world and men
But the hill tops keep their purple romance as now as then
When to a lover's whisper, caressing, low and sweet
The heart of the river answered to the throb of our own heartbeat.
And never a wildflower blossoms, never a leaf is stiffed
But the dear and olden story once more in our ears is heard
And never the ripple of water laughs back to the smile of morn
But a thrill of the sweetest day of love again is newly born
They haunt our path forever the echoes from the range
Where our feet stood in a country divinely fair and strange
Where our spirit woke within us and panted for the goal
That cloud on cloud in glorious hues, love painted for the soul
The Mystical Sculpture Garden by Gary
On my visit to Marysville discovered the amazing Bruno's Sculpture Garden. I took 123 pictures which we can use as a core part of the game. Thoughts include matching the cards (symbols) to many of the statues. So the card with a real person on is now manifest in this frozen otherworldly state. View the images here
I think should now be a central part of the game. The broad area we are in is called The Mystic Mountains' and there are some cool spiritual theme'd locations and one is actually 3 minutes walk (tested!) from the venue. Some of the most amazing, carved out-of-nature, life size sculptures I have seen - 130 of them (12 years of work). Amazing detail in every face/body, a story in each one, at times like being in a game
Lots of ideas spring to mind - but next Sunday he will give us exclusive access for the teams, and I told him a little about the game theme. So hasn't given them names or labelled them. The garden is pretty big but a statue at every turn (I can see scenes from Good Bad and Ugly - or something more serene!).
So the Old Forest, combined with witchcraft, freezing time and people - its all coming together ;-)
LAMP Residential VII Couran Cove, Queensland Nov 07 - THE COURAN COVE ENIGMA
Created by Gary Hayes & Jackie Turnure © 2007
Introduction
A Mixed-Media, Cross-Reality Game "Couran Cove Enigma" at the start of LAMP VII: Story of the Future Game on South Stradbroke Island Nov 6-12 2007. "Welcome to the Hall of Revelations. It's exactly 1000 years in the future. Couran Cove lies completely under water and there isn't a single sign of life. An ancient stone tablet in the shape of a pyramid lies on the sea bed, engraved with 21 cryptic symbols. What do the symbols reveal about what happened here? And how were the people who lived here responsible for this devastating situation?"
Purpose
To demonstrate by doing the following (slightly different goals to the last one):
- Freeform vs structured play design (eg: how teams may dissolve as tasks become more 'wisdom of the crowds'
- Game navigation and triggers as in or out of story
- Team bonding
- New form of mixed reality and locative play
- Collaboration play
- To introduce the story of a place through forensic game play
- Creative writing, ie constructing a story from fragments and game play itself
- Role play
Simple Step-through
Over arching story - a message from the future warning of our impending doom, floods, warming. Message from a girl originally kidnapped and taken forward in time by aliens.
(t) together (s) separate
- RW (t): The year 3000, the eco-catastrophe
- RW (s): Bike to location - redeem
- VW (s): Graveyard ancestor - redeem
- RW (s): Descendent actor - redeem
- VW (t): Specific team character, artefacts and other characters - redeem
- VW (t): Major flood (countdown to flood) - get into canoes, all head towards the 'large rune thing'
- VW (t): A large monolith - reveals something portentious and a cipher for the pyramid matrix
- RW (t): Back to matrix, use cipher to reveal a message from future leads them to time capsule
- RW (t): Time capsule contains photo and letter of "The One", instructions to show card to the barperson
- RW (t): Go to real barman for drinks and receive final instruction
- RW (s): Trade cards, create story and pres at dinner
Instructions
STEP 1: INTRODUCTION/TEAMS
Music plays as Jackie sets the scene:
"Welcome to the Hall of Revelations. It's exactly 1000 years in the future. Couran Cove lies completely under water and there isn't a single sign of life. An ancient stone tablet in the shape of a pyramid lies on the sea bed, engraved with 21 cryptic symbols. What do the symbols reveal about what happened here? And how were the people who lived here responsible for this devastating situation?"
Black screen fades up to pyramid on screen, with a countdown that starts from 60:00.
"We have been able to obtain this photograph of the tablet and have shown it to a leading archeologist. She has suggested to us that these symbols conceal a cryptic message about the people who lived here in the past. They hold the key to what happened here.
Luckily for us, today is a very special day. A wrinkle in time will allow us to explore Couran Cove during different times to talk to the inhabitants and uncover all 21 symbols. But we have to be quick, the time portal is only open for the next 60 minutes!
You will need to work together in teams to find the 21 symbols and their associated stories to solve the mystery of what happened here. To begin, please take a number and assemble outside"
Participants take a ticket that reads:
"Bike Number #"
STEP 2: ENVIRONMENT CARDS
Participants go outside to the bike area and find four numbered groups of six bikes. Attached to one of the bikes is the inventory bag with the following instructions:
"You are the XXX team. Each of you needs to choose one of the following roles, and wear the rrelevant role sticker: The Navigator - you are in charge of navigation, use the map and lead the way The Notary - you are responsible for logging all that you find, use the notepad and pen The Communciator - you are the voice of the team, you are responsible for any interactions The Collector - you are the keeper of the cards, a very important role The Archeologist - you are in charge of digging up treasures, use your torch if it gets dark The Treasurer - you are in charge of any gold coins you find, consider wisely how you spend them
Your first task is to make your way to the XXX area and look for an environment card. X marks the spot and remember - cryptic clue here ???
The teams make their way to the relevant area and find their environment card. On the back is a post it that reads:
"The time travel machine is ready to transport you. Return to the Hall of Revelations and look for the time travel machine marked XXX. And hurry! The portal is only open for a moment."
Alternative if can't be at the cliff in SL because of barriers:
"The time travel machine is ready to transport you. Return to the Hall of Revelations and look for the time travel machine marked XXX. There you will find a foggy cemetery. Find the name of the person on the back of your environment card and click on it. They have something for you. But hurry! The portal is only open for a moment."
STEP 3: SL ANCESTORS
Participants find their designated computers (time machines) where they are already logged in as one of GH's avatars. They start off on the cliff and clicking on a sentinel gives them the following notecard:
"Make your way along the cliff path to the cemetery where you will find the grave of the person mentioned on your environment card. He/she has something to tell you. But make haste. The ancient ones don't like to be kept waiting!"
The participants find the grave and once they click on the right one, receive the following notecard:
"I feel very connected to this place but my time here was difficult. But my efforts weren't in vain. I have a long lineage and one of my descendents works in the resort. His/her name is XXXX and you will find her/him in the XXX. Go now and ask him/her "relevant question TBD."
STEP 4: DESCENDENT ACTORS
Participants find the descendent and ask them a question about their ancestor. The actor gives them some information, a character card, and some gold coins.
For example: For Jess Noonuckle
“I come from a long line of Goenpul people. My grandmother tells the story that she was the first girl in our family to have all her fingers. My ancestors had the custom of removing two joints of the little fingers of the girls. But it was only the girls. I don’t know why.”
He/she instructs them to return to their time machines and look for XXX - he/she lives in the XXX hut, a post it note on the back of the card also reads:
"Return to your time machines and use the canoe to find XXX at the lagoon. His/her real name is XXX and you will find her/him in the XXX hut. Ask him/her about the "relevent question" TBD. But hurry, a storm is fast approaching"
STEP 5: SL AVATARS
Canoe sign reads:
"Right click and select ride"
Participants get into a canoe and paddle over to the huts where they find the relevant character. They chat with the character who tells something strange is happening, strange objects seem to be stripping the land of the stories. He/she tells them to find the nine symbols before all the stories are disappear! They will act as their "spirit guide" and accompany them. (Need to write this as bullet points for each mentor avatar) The real card is "manifested" and handed to the Collector by the mentor. NB Need to put character names in stories***
STEP 6: SL ARTEFACTS
Participants walk around looking for nine artefacts that produce notecards (character card text). In addition they might click on gold coins which the team mentors must take note of and redeem for real ones. Once all the artefacts have been found the land floods to knee level and the avatar guides tell the team to go to the lodge.
STEP 7: FLOOD/MONOLITH
Participants make their way to the Lodge guided by their mentor avatars. There they encounter a chatbot barman, who makes the following chitchat, referring to the monolith:
"Who put that bloody great thing there, that's what I want to know" "First it didn't rain for 20 years, not it hasn't stopped for 20" "A horse, an irish man and a duck walked into a bar and the barman said, what is this, some kind of joke?" "Someone tried to climb it once. Didn't get very far. Broke an arm and both legs in the process" "Lovely weather, innit" "Psst. You know what rain plus hot temps equals, don't ya? Yep, malaria" "Dunno what those lights are. Seems to be sucking stuff in. Maybe it's one of those black hole things."
Flood rises to the level of the canoe and the mentor avatars suggest they take the canoe (if they haven't thought of it themselves). They padde over to the monolith on which is revealed:
"She is The One. b:d is the key to finding her"
The countdown for the pyramid now is at 0 and the team must assemble in front of the pyramid.
STEP 8: PYRAMID UNLOCKING
Participants stand in front of the pyramid which now has an unlocking ritual written next to it which reads something along the lines of:
"In a circle 4 must stand
Men and women holding hands
Around them 8, on the ground
Chant this note RA!, in a round,
Of the remaining 4 place each card
On the reader, and concentrate hard
To see where the archeologists will go
All four to find what she did know
About the disaster that befell us here
Now begin at once, her message is near!
Participants chant etc and bring their cards up to the "card reader" and as they do each symbol unlocks to reveal a letter underneath. Music builds until all the letters are revealed, with an additional note:
"The monolith is the key. My message awaits you. Decipher this and send your four to find the time capsule and bring it back here!" Or is this better as a note inside the time capsule? Bring me back to the group etc - it is clear from the chant that the archeologists are supposed to go, not everyone, but we need them to come back. TBD
Here is the code for underneath the pyramid. The phrase is "find me inside the chapel" which skewed from b:d will read as "hkpf og kpukfg vjg ejcrgn".
The layout of the letter on the pyramid will be:
h kp fog kpuk fgvjg ejcrgn
The teams then crack the code and the archeologists go and look for the time capsule. They bring it back and, hand out the cards and then read out the following:
"Greetings, my fair friends. It has been many thousands of moons since I walked amongst you, but I have been watching. Please take heed - the storms are coming, and the blued eyed one are waiting for the right moment. There is one amongst you who can help. Take my card to the barperson and he/she has something for you. But hurry, time is running out!"
STEP 9: BARPERSON
Participants show their "one" cards to the barman and get a round of drinks that includes a kinder surprise instruction that reads:
"Congratulations, you have made it this far! Now you have one more task to do. Sit down with your team and write your story of the Couran Cove Enigma. It must be no more than 3 minutes long and should be in the form of a first person monologue. Use your character cards to help you, and use your gold coins to purchase cards from other teams or to buy props from the props vendor. The only rule - you must use "The One" somewhere in your story. Be creative - the best team wins a prize! You have until dessert to come up with your story and may the best story win!"
COURAN COVE ENIGMA GAME CARDS
ENVIRONMENT CARDS (4) (with name of ancestor for next step italicised)
Card #1 - Indigenous Team sent to Rainforest
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Gold
Name: Rainforest
Ancient
“I am rich and plentiful, being home to the Cabbage Palm, Lillipilli, Tree Fern and the Golden Wallaby. My aboriginal friend, Oodgeroo Noonuckle told me that the local people ground fern root into a flour to make a type of damper. Bandicoots, lizards, and echidnas were also eaten by my indigenous friends who lived here in harmony with me.
Card #2 - Pioneer Team sent to Museum
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Red
Name: Dunes
Ancient
“I am fragile and ever changing, a victim of the salt-laden winds and the ocean. But the biggest impact has been the arrival of the white man. In 1892 the Cambus Wallace, piloted by Captain James Turner, shipwrecked and its load of dynamite exploded. It weakened my narrow spit and led to the devastating breakthrough which occurred four years later”.
Card #3 - Couran Team sent to Eco Lodges
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Green
Name: Bush
Ancient
“Life has been hard for those who try to live amongst me. Some say I am inhospitable but I like to think of myself as resilient. In 1948 after his crops failed for the fifth year in a row Bob Latter gave up 30 years of toil and left. You can see his crumbling house foundations and old Mango trees in the Couran Cove Chapel”.
Card #4 - Tomorrow Team sent to Helipad
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Blue
Name: Broadwater
Ancient
“My waters were once abundant in sea life. Eric Bone told us that dugongs, dolphins, loggerhead turtles and humpback whales were plentiful and the inhabitants fished for food. But those days are long gone. Ever since 2070 when They came and stripped us bare”.
ACTOR CARDS (4)
Card #5 - Indigenous Team sent to Female Worker
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Gold
Name: Jess Noonuckle
1981 -
“I come from a long line of Goenpul people. My grandmother tells the story that she was the first girl in our family to have all her fingers. My ancestors had the custom of removing two joints of the little fingers of the girls. But it was only the girls. I don’t know why.”
Card #6 - Pioneer Team sent to Male Worker
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Red
Name: David Turner
1977 -
“My Great Great Grandpa was one of four Roman Catholic missionaries who came in 1831 to convert the local aboriginees. He loved it here and stayed on after the others left but by 1847 he wrote to the police, desperate to get out. I don’t know what changed but he had to get out, he was terrified and in fear for his life.”
Card #7- Couran Team sent to Female Worker
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Green
Name: Sam Latter
1975 -
“I haven’t been working here that long but I do know there was a bit of a cover up. It was trapped in the lagoon, a big bloody brute of a thing, and they had to get it out by chasing it on jet skis. Of course no-one talks about it. We don’t want any JAWS type publicity, do we?”
Card #8 - Tomorrow Team sent to Male Worker
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Blue
Name: TJ Bone
1978 -
“It was only a simple procedure – day surgery and it really doesn’t bother me. The People communicate to me directly through the chip. I can't say too much other than we need to prepare. And soon, they’re going to be here in 2011.”
SL AVATAR CHARACTER CARDS (4)
Card #9 - Indigenous Team sent to The Mangrove Hut on the Lagoon Edge
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Gold
Name: Mannoo
40,000BC -
“I am Mannoo, the ancient protector of all the plants and animals of the Goombumerri tribe. Look for my face in the night sky. I am there watching over all living creatures. Let this be a warning to anyone who doesn’t respect the ways of the ancestors.”
Card #10 - Pioneer Team sent to Circle of Rocks Hut on the Lagoon Edge
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Red
Name: William Edwardson
1809 - 1872
“My name is William Edwardson. Oysters are so plentiful here we gather them by the schooner loads. We burn them for lime to make cement and mighty fine lime it is too. Some of our builders prefer live oysters as they claim to give the lime more body, but I’m not sure I agree. In any case there are enough oysters here for one man to make a small fortune".
Card #11 - Couran Team sent to Tropical Forest Hut on the Lagoon
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Green
Name: Athena Tolhurst
1895 - 1977
“My name is Athena Tollhurst and I purchased a small farm block here in Couran in 1924. People around here may know me by my stage name, Athena Palace. That's the name I use when I tour as a magician and healer. I’m famous now for curing people’s ills but the question is whether or not I can cure my own.”
Card #12 - Tomorrow Team sent to Coastal Hut on the Wild Sea
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Blue
Name: Miranda Spry
2020 - 2082
“Miranda Spry here. It's 2082 and the Avian Flu has now almost completely decimated the world. Couran Cove is one of the few places where people can live. Being an island helps and with the immense security system we have in place, it means we’ve been able to keep it at bay. But it’s only a matter of time before a carrier sneaks in.”
ADDITIONAL SL CHARACTER CARDS (9)
Card #13 - Located on a Tree in the Rainforest
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Gold
Name: Graham Dillon
1910 - 1983
“I am Graham Dillon, a local elder and I can tell you lots about this place. Many of the trees still show the marks of our people. There’s a forest red gum near Couran that bears the scar where a huge slab of wood was cut out to make one of our canoes”.
Card #14 - Located on Rocks at the Surf Beach
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Red
Name: Robert Longhurst
1857 - 1935
“My name is Robert Longhurst. The Mystery - now there was a tragedy. She was shipwrecked in 1897 right off the beach here. They had a lifeboat on board but it was locked and no-one had the key. Many lives were lost that night, there were tens of bodies washed up on the sand.”
Card #15 - Located on a Gondola Under the Lagoon
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Green
Name: Bruce Shaw
1951 -
“Bruce Shaw here. In 1980 I asked council for permission to run a funeral business here on Couran. I was proposing to build a vault under the sea and carry mourners across to the island by Gondola. For some reason council denied me permission. They don't appreciate big ideas, our council”.
Card #16 - Located on the Rocks at the Base of the Cliff
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Blue
Name: Janie Longhurst
2933 - 3005
“My name is Janie Longhurst. I’ve always been fascinated by rocks, and I guess it was the summer of 2963 when I found the remains. It certainly gave me my fifteen minutes of fame but in some ways I wished I’d never found them. They were obviously trying to protect themselves from some kind of attack. But from who, or what?”
Card #17 - Located somewhere on the beach
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Red
Name: Medou Tiki
1847 - 1929
"One day a group of black men arrived on the beach. They were Kanakas, Pacific Islanders kidnapped to work as slaves in the cane fields. They'd escaped and made their way here by canoe. A “nigger hunt” was launched and they put ‘em all in the Nerang Lock-Up. But one of 'em, Medou Tiki managed to get away. I dunno what happened to him”.
Card #18 - Located in one of the Huts
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Blue
Name: Madeline Martin
2058 - 3007
“My name is Madeline Martin and I'm Eloise's mother. We always knew Eloise was special. When she went missing we thought it must have been someone we knew. How else would they be able to break through our security system? But when I saw the NASA pictures I knew it was something entirely different. I wish they’d bring her back. We miss her so much.”
Card #19 - Located on the Water’s Edge Near the Crocodile
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Green
Name: Rodney Eaton
1925 - 2004
“My name's Rodney Eaton. It was 1963 and the place was over run with feral cattle. The local crocs loved it, they would feed on the calves and they were becoming a real problem as well, especially after they took the Hage boy. So I hunted down all the cattle and the crocs and made a killing selling them for pet food.”
Card #20 - Located On a Dolphin Swimming About
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Red
Name: Harold Hage
1889 - 1901
“I'm Harold Hage. Dad said there used to be heaps of fish. The old black fella says it’s cause we fish outside the bay. He says his people would wait until the fish were inside the bay so the young fish would learn the way. He also said they also used dolphins to herd the fish into shore. I would have liked to see that!”
Card #21 - Located Somewhere cool!
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Blue
Name: Jennifer Shaw
2080 - 3007
“My name is Jennifer Shaw. Last night I saw the lights again. They were flashing in a circle, about 30 metres above the trees. Dad thinks I’m seeing things, he reckons it’s the sickness making me see weird stuff. But I know it wasn’t a hallucination. I reckon it’s someone come to help.”
THE ONE CHARACTER CARD (1 x 4 copies)
Card #22 - Located in the Time Capsule in the Chapel
Symbol: TBD
Colour: Blue
Name: Eloise Martin
2088 -
“My name is Eloise Martin but they call me The One. I was taken from my family by the People in 2094. Though I have been treated well I find eternal life tiresome. But the things I have seen - planets born and die, species rise and fall. I have seen the devastating destruction of the human race and I beg you to do something before it is too late. Don’t trust those with Eyes of Blue!”
LAMP Residential VI Freycinet, Tasmania May 07 - THE ZANCHETTA BROTHERS
Created by Gary Hayes & Jackie Turnure © 2007
"A multi part Italian mystery (similar to the previous on 6 months earlier), quest, mixed reality game which saw participants working together for the first time in an inextricably linked, parallel Second Life plus real life in surrounds around Freycinet Lodge. This included a virtual replica of the lodge itself built by Gary on site. After the usual random puzzle to create the teams we went into a quest for clues and credits (gold coins, codes etc) in both Second Life and a nearby forest so they could continue to part three. The teams talked on walkie talkies as they found locations in Second Life which mirrored hidden clues around the lodge, in the walkways along the coast and the long pier. This finished with an exercise to buy props for a presentation and work together to create a story incorporating as many elements as they could. As many people had been awake since 4am to get flights from other parts of Australia, the game functioned to revitalise people and set the mood for the next five days of the lab. (Catherine Gleeson did film a great edgy, infrared video of this game that lasted about two hours, into the darkness but sadly it was deleted by John Buchanan of Carnegie Mellon during the week!"
USER JOURNEY:
Level 1 – Introduction
Jackie oulined the call to action.
“The Freycinet area has a rich history. Today I’m going to tell you about two Italian brothers who tried to make their fortune here. Their names were Mario and Biagio Zanchetta and in 1933 they applied for a permit to quarry pink granite. For a while their business was successful and the Zanchetta pink granite was highly sought after. If you tour the famous landmarks of Italy you can see examples of the beautiful stone. However October dark night a strange electrical disturbance was recorded in this area and the next day the Zanchettas abruptly closed down their granite business. No-one knows why. Your job today is to work together in teams to explore the Italian Connection to the Freycinet Peninsula and complete the Zanchetta’s mysterious story. To begin, please assemble In Breakout Room #2 where you will be assigned your teams”.
KEY RW=Real World VW=Virtual World
Level 1 – Puzzles
RW: Teams are allocated by puzzle pieces and solve the anagram of the Italian city to find which computer to go to.
Back of the puzzle is text: “We come from a distant city, well known to all. It’s a mixed up kind of place but once you know it, it’s easy to love. Go to the computer with the name of the city“
And one of four city anagrams:
- Ram Icy Foot (City of Roma)
- Foamy Tin Coil (City of Milano)
- Finality Coop (City of Napoli)
- Yurt Fiction (City of Turin)
Level 2 – Second Life/Gold Coins
The teams find the relevant computer and discover they have one avatar in Second Life in a coastal area.
VW: An introduction sentinal directs them on their way through an arch and along a coastal walk across bridges etc:
Once they get to the fourth sentinel they read the following message:
RW: “From here you need to split up. Some of you go to the wooded clearing to find gold coins hidden amongst the trees. Turn left outside this room and walk through the petanque area and along the path to where the Zanchetta grave marker is. Collect as many gold coins as you can in 20 minutes, then come back and join your team. The rest of the group needs to find the resting place of Maria Zanchetta. Be quick – you only have 20 minutes.”
VW: "The Zanchetta Graveyard”
On a 'paper' label on each of the four computer screens is the City Name and the Ancestor Name RIP:
- Manuela Zanchetta
- Michelangelo Zanchetta
- Massimo Zanchetta
- Maria Zanchetta
They navigate around a foggy, confused virtual graveyard that they have arrived at in Second Life, looking for their ancestor name and getting another directional clue. This leads them on a long walk around the island to lead them underwater. They open a treasure chest next to a circling shark in Second Life, the directions read:
“CAPO is the nickname I gave Mario – it means Chief. Some of you take this nickname and three of the gold coins to the bar where the bartender has something for you. The rest of you wait underwater for your next instruction”.
Gatekeeper: Kit from Bartender
RW: Once they have given the code and gold coins to bartender, he/she gives them a GAME KIT that contains:
Name of the Team in COLOUR code
Torch (1), Set of walkie talkies, Glo necklaces (6), Museli Bars (6)
Instructions that read:
VW: “You are the COLOUR team. Walk up the ramp (In Second Life) into the glass dome and click on the Pink Granite Monolith."
Level 3 – SL/RL Treasure Hunt for Story Fragments
Clicking on the monolith teleports them to a canyon with another treasure chest in it. Clicking on it reveals the following message
"“Go to the lodge and add up the four pieces of the story to find the three digit number that opens this treasure chest. After you have all four story cards return to the treasure chest. Press chat and type in the numerical code. Start now, you have 30 minutes to complete this task!”
Hidden around the lodge in Second Life are COLOURED markers that indicate where four COLOURED story cards are hidden in real life. They use the walkie talkies to guide members of your team to the card locations.
They don’t yet have the code so make their way to a re-creation of the pier/deck area outside the Lodge. The team on the computer locate the coloured markers in SL and using the walkie talkies direct the team outside to the same spots where a story card is hidden.
RW: The story fragments are parts of a paragraph of four very different stories, in subject and styles. Each one has a number on it and all four stories add up to 739 (treasure chest code). The stories are as follows, each in four line/fragments:
1 – Tragic love Biagio had shared everything with his brother but he couldn’t share her. For the first time in their lives they refused to speak to each other. Manuela couldn’t stand the guilt of being the cause of this terrible rift. Mario found her body, her long blonde hair gently waving in the icy current.
2 – Murder At 22:14 on the night of October 23rd we received a call from one Mario Zanchetta. When we arrived on the scene, we discovered the body of a 47 year old man, identified as Michelangelo Zanchetta, a granite buyer from France and the Zanchetta’s second cousin. Michelangelo was doing business in the area with another granite supplier but his body was found in the Zanchetta mine. His death is classified as suspicious and Mario and Biagio Zanchetta are now helping us with our investigation.
3 – Aliens Dearest Mama, I have terrible news. Biagio has been taken to a psychiatric hospital, suffering from grand delusions. He claims to have been visited by tiny red aliens from a distant planet who have been sent by Uncle Massimo. His electric treatment starts tomorrow and I will write as soon as I know more, your loving son, Mario.
4 – Accident The rocks are pink at my house, Mama and Papa dig the rocks out of the ground and sell them. I like it here but I wish there were other boys to play with, sometimes I get lonely I used to play with my cousin, Maria but she died in the accident. My Uncle and Aunty want to go back to Italy now but Mama says there’s nothing for any of us there.
VW: Once they have entered (by typing in chat to the treasure chest) the right code a notecard pops up:
“Bravo! You’ve done it. Don’t show or tell the other teams! Now take the “code”, to the bartender who will give you your final instruction. Well done, you are very close now!”
Number combinations that add up to 739:
- 158 301 150 130
- 76 176 237 250
- 13 100 222 404
- 5 123 125 486
Gatekeeper: Treasure Chest from Bartender
RW: Once they have given the password to bartender, he/she gives them a treasure chest that contains:
Three gold coins, Bar chit for a round of drinks, A note – “congratulations, you all deserve a drink!”
Instructions that read:
“Sit down with your team and create the story of what happened to the Zanchetta Brothers. Use your coins to purchase story elements from the props vendor, and if you need more coins, look back out in the clearing. Then, using all the elements of the game - puzzle image, city name, ancestor name, NAME, card story fragments, and props, create the end of the Zanchetta story. Your 3 – 5 minute story will be presented tomorrow morning at 9:00am sharp. Be creative – the best story wins a prize!”
Level 4 – Story Creation
Teams look for gold coins, purchase props (from a table set up with many interesting items, a mentor acts as difficult bartering sales person, each prop has a gold coin value marked on it) and spend half an hour over a drink, and over dinner later, coming up with a 3 minute presentation.
Level 5 – Presentation
Team presents stories which are judged by three of the mentors and the best team receives a prize.
LAMP Residential V Freycinet, Tasmania Oct 06 - THE ITALIAN CONNECTION
Created by Jackie Turnure & Gary Hayes © 2006
User Journey:
Level 1 – Puzzles Teams are allocated by puzzle pieces and solve the anagram to find which computer to go to.
Level 2 – Code Cracking/Coins Teams read letter then enter second life where they are split in two, half are directed to hunt for gold coins in area with other teams. Others must find the secret code “1892” to get to next level.
Level 3 – Treasure Hunt Teams are given “kit” and directed to one of four rooms that houses a map. Teams split in two and using walkie talkies find a series of cards that give them story fragments and treasure chests that contain the final direction to return to bar.
Level 4 – Story Creation The barman gives each team a drink with directions to create a story utilising all the elements of the game. Teams can purchase story props with gold coins.
Level 5 – Presentation Team presents stories which are voted on and the best one receives a prize.
Intro:
“The Freycinet area has a rich history. Today I’m going to tell you about two Italian brothers who tried to make their fortune here. Their names were Mario and Biagio Zanchetta and in 1933 they applied for a permit to quarry pink granite. For a while their business was successful and their granite was used throughout Tasmania and exported to Italy. A photograph of the M. V. Naracoopa (250 tons) used to transport granite is shown in the foyer of this hotel. The Zanchetta pink granite was highly sought after and if you tour the famous landmarks of Italy you can see examples of the beautiful stone. However one night a strange electrical disturbance was recorded in this area and the next day the Zanchettas abruptly closed down their granite business. No-one knows why. Your job today is to work together in teams to explore the Italian Connection to the Freycinet Peninsula and complete the Zanchetta’s mysterious story.”
“To begin, please assemble outside on the deck where you will be assigned your teams”.
Direction #1: Back of puzzle
Once they complete and turn over puzzle – The Zanchettas hail from a famous Italian city. It’s a mixed up kind of place.
Anagrams (computer names): City of…
- Ram Icy Foot - Roma
- Foamy Tin Coil - Milano
- Finality Coop - Napoli
- Yurt Fiction - Turin
Take this message to the breakout rooms to discover more about the famiglia Zanchetta.
Direction #2: Computer/Second Life
An envelope message on the computer -
Here you will find the virtual resting place of the
- Zanchetta’s Great Aunt, Maria Zanchetta. You must traverse this world to find the key to her demise. But be quick – you only have 20 minutes and the first team to finish this task will be rewarded for their effort.
- Zanchetta’s Grandmother, Manuela Zanchetta. You must traverse this world to find the key to her demise. But be quick – you only have 20 minutes and the first team to finish this task will be rewarded for their effort.
- Zanchetta’s Great Uncle, Michelangelo Zanchetta. You must traverse this world to find the key to his demise. But be quick – you only have 20 minutes and the first team to finish this task will be rewarded for their effort.
- Zanchetta’s Grandfather, Massimo Zanchetta. You must traverse this world to find the key to his demise. But be quick – you only have 20 minutes and the first team to finish this task will be rewarded for their effort.
Directions #3 – In Second Life
- Benvenuti to the final resting place of the famiglia Zanchetta. To find who you are looking for, make your way to the archway. But please walk lightly on this land. The spirits are weary and do not like to be disturbed.
- Bravo. Now you must pass through the portal under the divine arch. Follow the path around to the right of the mountain of fire. Make haste, the ancestors are waiting.
- Fantastico, you have made it this far. Now you must cross the bridge of death. Take care but remember time is of the essence. The ancestors are watching your every move.
- Auguri, you did it. Now you have reached the point in the quest where the team must break in two. Send two of you to find gold coins in X area. Find as many as you can in 15 minutes and meet back with the team by 6:00pm. The rest of you continue on your ancestral journey. Follow the coastal path to the right around to the Forgotten Forest and the Mists of Time.
- Attensione. The Mists of Time are here to protect those that rest within. Find the grave of the ancestor you are looking for and click on it. But take care not to click on the wrong grave. The spirits do not take lightly to being awoken before their time.
- Buongiorno. You have discovered the holy site of my remains. But the key to my death is not found here but in the watery grave where I lost my life. Walk to the sea and turn left. Follow the coastline towards the sun. Tis a long walk so make haste.
- Bravo. You have done well. Now you must cross the Bridge of Life to where the Lamp Post stands. There you will find a diving board over the water, my secret lies in the treasure chest below. Jump in if you dare, but look out for the cause of my demise.
- “1892” Auguri, you did it! Take this clue and meet up with your team mates. Give the clue and three of the gold coins to the bar person. She has something for you to help you in the next part of your quest.
Direction #4: Kit from Bartender
Once they have given clue and gold coins to bartender - "Here is your game inventory. It contains Health, Communication and Orientation Tools, and a Torch. Take the inventory to room to find the map and next instructions."
Direction #5: Map
Once they have gone to the appropriate room – written above map.
Bravo, you have done well to get this far. Now to your next challenge - hidden on the property are five playing cards each with a fragment of the Zanchetta story. Use this map and the directions to find them and you will be close to completing the quest. Split the team into two - half of the team stay here and direct the other half using the walkie talkies. Collect the cards and report back your findings. But do not remove the map or directions from this location. Start now, you must have completed this task by 6:30!
Walkie talkies:
- Hold down the function key until the light goes on
- Only one of you press call button to initiate connection.
- Press black button on side to speak, leave one second at head and tail for clarity.
Compass:
- Hold level and wait until it “settles” for accurate reading
Directions x four separate sheets:
- 10 Card – walk three paces etc etc, first half of story fragment, fill in second part
- Jack Card – walk three paces etc etc, first half of story fragment, fill in second part
- Queen Card – walk three paces etc etc, first half of story fragment, fill in second part
- King Card - walk three paces etc etc, first half of story fragment, fill in second part
- Ace card – record the temperature and look under/dig etc for treasure chest holding the last clue
16 Story Fragments: - 12 english, 4 italian
- Strands of hair gushed like bubbles // as they grew back on her shaved head.
- He swallowed thirstily, his mouth caked dry, // his tongue swollen and tender.
- The beautiful glittering name fell // out of the sky like a blue steel feather.
- It is not that the girl is unfit, // she is not of this world.
- Pale grew the lighthouse flame // as I watched the shadows draw away and morning break.
- One night my father tried to steal me // and sell me to a man with one leg.
- Tired after a bad night, // Chantal left the hotel.
- He was gripped by an enormous compassion and decided // to write her one last letter.
- The rise and fall of wind // made the land seem to move in small shudders.
- When the tired wings // fold, he mumbled.
- He called me Jess because that is the name // of the hood which restrains the falcon.
- She is dressed in // the skin of her people.
- Il bambino // morto (the dead baby)
- Una promessa // rotta (a broken promise)
- La lettera // persa (the lost letter)
- La tempesta // enorme (the huge storm)
Direction #6: Ace Card
Once they have collected all five cards – "Check in with team for instructions"
Direction #7: Treasure Chest
Once they have opened treasure chest – "Auguri, you did it! Take the Ace card and these coins to the bartender for your final instruction. You are getting very close now!'
Direction #8: Drink Bubble
Once they have given the coins and last card to the bartender –
The Zanchettas were famous for their pink granite but no-one knows why they suddenly abandoned their highly successful business. Did it have something to do with the strange electrical disturbance that descended upon the peninsula? Was there a horrific family scandal? Or was it something else entirely? Using all the elements of the quest; puzzle image, city name, ancestor, date and card story fragments, create the end of the Zanchetta story. You can use any leftover coins to purchase additional story elements from the props vendor. Your 3 – 5 minute story will be presented tomorrow morning at 9:00am sharp. You have until 7:00pm, be creative – the best story wins a very special prize!
LAMP Residential IV Milson Island Jul 06 - VOICES FROM THE PAST
Created by Jackie Turnure & Gary Hayes © 2006 other title - "The Ghosts of Milson's Island"
Summary:
This 1.5 hour exercise is both an ice breaker and an introduction to the Island's history. The game is designed to immediately get the group thinking about the user journey, stories in games, pitching dramatically, and how to collaborate. Building on historical events, the game is made up of a combination of puzzles, riddles, physical tasks, online research and theatrical presentation. Four teams of 6 will solve, research and create a five minute story that they will perform to the group.
User Journey:
Step 1 - Intro and Teams
After the initial introduction and presentations, Jackie introduces the exercise, explaining that this Island has a rich history and today's exercise will allow the Island to introduce itself. Each participant will then be given a random envelope that contains four jigsaw puzzle pieces. The puzzle pieces make up part of one of four puzzles, each with a different image (Polar Bear, Zebra, Koala and Lion).The teams are also told that they must incorporate this animal in their final story (just before they present).
The participant must find the other puzzle piece holders and join up with them. They are then directed to the outside tables (marked with the corresponding puzzle icon) where they assemble their puzzles.
Step 2 - Location Riddle
Each of the four teams will work together to put their puzzle together and then must work out how to turn it over so they can read the riddle on the back. Once they do they read a cryptic poem/riddle that reveals there is a map under the table, a clue that once solved corresponds to one of four locations on the map (wharf, mental asylum, oval, campground) The teams are then directed to split into pairs and each pair must find one of three story "seeds" hidden in their location at one of the three icons.
For example, the ferry wharf team: Well done, a difficult test Now on to the next stage of this quest. A map you will find beneath this table On it, four places and only one you must travel. Where to go? What to do? Heres the clue HER WRY RAFF Once there in a box coloured red Will be three challenges for body and head Break into twos, find fragments of story Come back, browse the web, tell us all your journey
The four location anagrams are: GO RUMP DANCING - camping ground PORK LAVA - oval park HER WRY RAFF - Ferry Wharf MY LLAMA TUNES - Mental Asylum
Step 3 - Story Seed
Each pair goes to one of four locations where they find a red box with instructions inside it. They must accomplish a physical task to get the story seed and at the bottom of each story seed is part of a url that once put together reveals a web address. Following are the 12 locations, physical challenges and story seeds.
WHARF
1. "Message in a Bottle" The captain of the HMAS Parramatta has written a note and stuck it in a bottle. It's bobbing offshore. The pair is given a Captain's bag that has fishing wire, a stick, hooks etc etc to use to get the bottle.
Red Box Direction: Floating in the water is a message in a bottle. Two of you use this fishing bag to retrieve the message.
Story Fragment: “June 9, 1934. Thick fog. At 21:38 the HMAS Parramatta struck the mudflat opposite Milson’s Island and now she’s sinking. The radio is dead and the flares won’t be seen in this weather. After a proud history serving in the Dardanelles and PNG now it comes to this. Please send help. Captain Robert Squires.”
Additional: url fragment
Props Needed: Note, jar, fishing wire, fishing net, bag, stick, etc.
2. "Buried Treasure" A pirate's diary entry is buried under the sand. The pair is given a pirate's map that tells them 4 steps north turn etc etc to reveal the location where to dig.
Red Box Direction: Here is a pirate’s map. Two of you follow the steps to retrieve a buried message.
Story Fragment: “I ain’t seen none of the gold that was sposed to be buried in this god forsaken place but I have seen a lot of bones. I thinks this was a burial ground for the original inhabitants and their spirits still walk the island. They are not happy to be disturbed so let this be a warning to ye.”
Additional: url fragment
Props Needed: Pirate map, box, diary entry
3. "Out of the Frying Pan…" A prisoner tried to escape by leaping off the barge as he was being transported to the island. Hidden on the wharf is an eyewitness account of what happened to the prisoner (a gruesome shark attack). The pair must locate the note hidden under the wharf railing (tbc).
Red Box Direction: A tragedy occurred here. Two of you search the wharf for an eyewitness account.
Story Fragment: “I, John McIntyre, do solemnly swear that I witnessed Albert Sneed jump off the arrivals barge into the water off Milsons Island. He was a strong swimmer but before he had swum ten yards a massive shark rose up and bit him in two. The water all around turned red, and I lost my stomach. The guards looked mighty queasy too and warned all us other prisoners to watch our step. Feb 14, 1973. ”
Additional: url fragment
Props Needed: Note, drawing pins
MENTAL ASYLUM
1. "A Crazed Poet" A nurse has been murdered by a crazed inmate who declared his undying love to her in a poem that he wrote on a piece of wood and threw out the window. The pair must locate the piece of wood/poem on the outskirts of the asylum.
Red Box Direction: A spurned lover murdered the object of his desires. Two of you search the perimeter of the building for a message he wrote to her on a piece of wood.
Story Fragment: “I hate this place – only you make it bearable, my love. The way you look at me, touch me, I know you feel it too. My desire for you burns never brighter than now. I will have you, sweet Nurse Lorraine, for our destinies are forged in a holy smelter and if I cannot have you then no-one will!”
Additional: url fragment
Props Needed: Piece of wood
2. "Home Sweet Home" A prisoner has left a note to his brother hidden in the caves where he used to sleep near the prison. The pair must find it wedged between two rocks in the cave.
Red Box Direction: Prisoners used to sleep in the nearby caves. Two of you search the caves for a hidden letter.
Story Fragment: “Dear Gary, If you get this then Stevo has done his job and I’m on the other side. I paid him the last of the hash money and he’s promised me a ticket out. He’s a good guy – we’ve been hanging out, sleeping in the caves. The dorms are just too bloody noisy. You know how I am with my sleep. Anyhoo, I’ll be at our spot at 8:00pm on Sunday night. Don’t be late! Tell Mum I’ll see her soon, BH”
Additional: url fragment
Props Needed: Note
3. "Lonely at the Top" A doctor working at the rehabilitation hospital stuck a message into a tree before he hung himself. The pair must work out how to get it down using some rope and branches.
Red Box Direction: The rehab hospital housed many sad people. Two of you search the tree for why a body was found hanging.
Story Fragment: “Mum, I’m so sorry. I just can’t do it anymore. The soldiers are suffering and there’s nothing I can do for them. They look at me with hope in their eyes but I can’t perform miracles. I wish I still had my faith, but I don’t. I’m sorry if this pains you. Your loving son, Jack. Dec 21, 1914.”
Additional: url fragment
Props Needed: Note, branch/pole.
OVAL PARK
1. "Road to Ruin" A prisoner grafitti’d a message on a rock to his sweetheart whilst building the road of rubbish. The pair must locate the rock which is facing the other way, through a clue on the map (near a large tree etc).
Red Box Direction: Two of you look for a large rock on the rubbish road and you will find a prisoner’s message to his sweetheart.
Story Fragment: “Janine – Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, if I get ever get out, I will come and find you. Bitch. How could you do that to me?”
Additional: url fragment
Props Needed: Rock carved with message
2. "BBQ Mary" A mental asylum patient rumoured to be a witch used to dance around the rubbish fires on the oval. She burned to death when she “accidentally” fell in, but not before burying a chant she used to sing. The pair must locate the chant under one of the three rubbish piles. It is black.
Red Box Direction: Two of you look for a small box under the rubbish piles. It holds the chant of a mental asylum patient accused of being a witch. She dies when she “accidentally” burned to death. Story Fragment: “Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack all dressed in black black black with silver buttons buttons buttons all down her back back back She asked her mother mother mother for fifty cents cents cents to see an elephant elephant elephant jump over the fence fence fence He jumped so high high high he reached the sky sky sky and didn't come back back back til the fourth of July ly ly” Additional: url fragment Props Needed: Small box, chant
3. "Breathless" A juvenile delinquent wrote a plea for his release and floated it up high in a balloon which got caught in what is now the flying fox. One of the pair must scale the pole, untangle the balloon and zoom down the flying fox.
Red Box Direction: A juvenile delinquent desperate to get away used a balloon to get his message out. It never made it as it got caught in the flying fox. Two of you retrieve the letter.
Story Fragment: “Uncle J, you have to get me out of here. I’m going mad. Mum and Dad won’t talk to me no more. You gotta tell them I won’t do anything bad again. I’ll go straight, I’ll get a job. I’d even go back to school. I can’t stay here, that’s all I know. I’ll die if I stay here! You gotta help me! Matt.
Additional: url fragment
Props Needed: Note, balloon.
CAMPING GROUND
1. "Mixy the rabbit" A scientist wrote a report on the myxomatosis testing they were doing on the island but the wind scattered the pages across the campground. The pair must find the pieces and put them together.
Red Box Direction: The island was once a test ground for animal disease. Two of you find the scientists report and discover what the disease was. Story Fragment: “It is a dreadful disease that causes immense suffering: affected rabbits can take a fortnight to die and treatment is usually futile, which is why euthanasia is usually recommended. Classic myxomatosis starts with runny eyes and in the very early stages can be confused with other causes of conjunctivitis but in addition, the genitals are also swollen. It rapidly progresses to a severe conjunctivitis which causes blindness and is accompanied by swelling of the head and genital region, plus lumps on the body. Thick pus discharges from the nose and swollen eyes.” Additional: url fragment Props Needed: Scattered notes.
2. "Footy Fever"
The prisoner footy team that got to the finals used to train at the camp ground. One of the footy players wrote the final score on an old training shirt. The pair must find the shirt and fill in the missing letters so that it makes sense.
Red Box Direction: A football team made up of prisoners played in the Central Coast Group 12 competition. Two of you find one of the teams’ discarded shirts to see what they won.
Story Fragment: “Milson’s Island Prisoners vs Gosford Eagles. Score: 35 – 28. Second Place Overall. Best and Fairest Award!”
Additional: url fragment
Props Needed: Shirt.
3. "Pet Cemetary" A nurse from the mental asylum buried her pet dog in the campground with a small cross and a letter to her dog hidden behind it. The pair must find the grave and recover the letter, using clues on the map.
Red Box Direction: A nurse from the asylum buried her dog in the here. Two of you look for the blue cross to find her message to her pet.
Story Fragment: “Jethro, you were the best friend I ever had. I will treasure our time together and come here every day to see you. I don’t know how I’m going to survive here without you. You were the only sane one here. But don’t worry, I will never love another. Never! Jess.”
Additional: url fragment
Props Needed: Cross, letter, drawing pins.
Step 4 - Story Research
Once the pairs have their story seed they can go to the computer where they combine the url and type it in. They are sent to one of four web pages that contains an obscure image. On the image is a direction to use the image and then combine it with the rest of the six person group to present a five minute story performance. Part of the challenge will be creating the story bridges between their different story seeds.
Step 5 - Story Performance
Each of the four teams creates and presents a five minute story performance (story, scene, poem, song, etc etc), with all members of the group playing some part. Group critiques and discusses.
LAMP Residential III Perth May 06 - HUNG LONG
Created by Christy Dena and Jackie Turnure © 2006
Backstory
The local wineries in the Swan Valley area are battling claims that they use a controversial technique called ‘hung-long’. They’re losing customers and are struggling to keep their wineries. They’ve formed a coalition, RAC (Residents Action Coalition), to team together and battle the spin, which they feel is a conspiracy to close them down.
Local Real Estate company, Vino Resorts Pty Ltd, are offering good prices for the wineries who are facing bankruptcy, claiming that they will keep the staff on once taken-over. Vino Resorts have bought a number of wineries in the region, destroying most of the grapes and turning the wineries into resort/conference centres. Swan Valley was the first winery to be “acquired”.
A local journalist, Bob Richards, has been following the story and employs the assistance of the players to go undercover to research RAC and Vino, and supply information to him. He has organised a secret meeting with the teams in one week, at the Swan Valley Oasis centre where he will be filing a story, live to air. During the course of the week, our teams communicate with Bob but they are also contacted by members of RAC and Vino Resorts, both anxious to tell their side of the story.
Over this week a scientist investigating the supposed hung-long vines is killed, and is revealed to have been working for Vino Resorts. Vino Resorts is also discovered to be connected to a foreign winery, Chateau Blagé. The local wineries are actually hanging their vines long, but the technique is debatable. What is really going on here?
ROLLOUT
1. Wednesday, May 3: email sent to all participants & mentors from Gary Hayes (Director of LAMP) CTA to join game. To join, they need to sign the attached petition from RAC and join the fight against the wineries being closed down.
Dear LAMP participants,
As part of your immersion in the latest uses of new media, we’ve designed a game that will commence today. The game, set in the region you’ll be staying at next week, requires you to look at some websites to follow a story that will unfold on Sunday.
To join in, you need to sign-up to the petition that will be sent to you shortly from a group with the following email (fight@resactionco.org). Some spam filters may block this email so make sure you check your junk mail filters if you haven’t received an email today.. We strongly encourage you participate in this experience, which won’t take up much time, as it illustrates some of the design techniques we will be discussing next week.
So please participate and enjoy the game!
Regards, Gary Hayes
2. Thursday May 5: email CTA from journalist to supply information Journalist, Bob Richards, emails the teams and tells them he has got hold of the petition. He says he’s doing a story on Sunday from Swan Valley and would like to meet with them beforehand. URL to Australia News Online, article on Hung Long debate.
3. Thursday May 5: Australian National News newsletter email Email newsletter announcing that a scientist that was commissioned to investigate claims of hung-long vines at a winery was found murdered last night… URL to media website & article.
4. Friday May 6: SMS to participants A murder has been committed in Swan Valley.
5. Sunday 7th May:
A. Our teams arrive and in each room is a gift pack including a bottle of sample wine from Chateau Blagé and a welcome note from Vino Resorts. There are seven different kinds of wine (merlot, pinot etc). Depending on the type of wine received, these are our seven groups. Also in the gift package is a map of the resort with one of seven locations marked, and a note from Bob with a code on it.
B. 5:00 The teams convene in the meeting room where Gary does his intro and then they are put into groups. They are then sent on their mission.
C. At 6:00 the secret meeting is convened in the bar, and TV crew arrives. The teams offer up what they know and debate whether RAC is at fault or Vino/Chateau Blagé, and the rights/wrongs with hung long.
USER JOURNEY
Level One - Welcome
1. They are given one of seven types of wine (welcome pack)
2. There is a note from a journalist called Bob asking them to do some sleuthing on one of seven tasks, using the map. (welcome pack)
3. There is a map that has been marked with one of seven locations (welcome pack)
4. There is a meeting at 6:00 with the journalist.
5. A murder has been committed with much controversy around it. Find out what’s happened and reconvene in the bar.
Level Two – Treasure Hunt
Merlot Group: CHATEAU BLAGE This group Merlot Team discovers information about Chateau Blage, a foreign owned conglomerate winery through the Chateau Blage website, POV of courtcases.
Pinot Group: COURIER
This group intercepts a courier carrying documents that include a file on RAC, implicating them as violent professional protesters. CTA to Professional Protester site.
Chardonnay Group: FAXES This group finds shredded faxes in the recycling paper bins at reception. The faxes are from Vino Properties to key media companies tipping them off about ‘false’ Hung-Long accusations.
Shiraz Group: PIERRE MOULIN
This group interviews Pierre Moulin, a visting Winemaker and determine what he knows about Chateau Blage and the mysterious death of the scientist.
Cab Sav Group: SCIENTIST This group searches the Scientists room and finds contract & other documents hidden that reveal she was in danger.
Sauvignon Blanc Group: GARDENER
This group must track down the gardener who is an undercover RAC member. Team will need to SMS Bob to find out how to prove they are RAC members to the gardener and team needs to record their conversation.
Sparkling Group: PAVILION This group reads the Scientists blog that sends them to the pavilion where a letter by outlines her fear of life from C.B. and the person she thinks is involved.
Level Three: Meeting with Bob
Groups meet in bar to discuss what they will present to Bob but he calls in and explains he's had a car accident. He charges the group to write the news story based on their findings and present it to the TV crew. It is determined that Chateau Blage created smear campaign then used Vino to buy up ruined wineries, thereby destroying the competition.
They used a corrupt scientist to falsify reports and then RAC found out and killed the scientist. When the TV crew arrives, they present their version of the story to camera.
LAMP Residential II Dec 05 - TIME SLICER
INTRODUCTION
Created by Gary Hayes and Christy Dena © 2005 for an ABC TV LAMP residential
BACK STORY
The story talks about an experiment that took place at the University to 'relatively' speed time up for the observer, by ‘time-slicing’ – cutting time into segments and getting rid of the ‘boring bits!’ . The story hidden on the itvformats.com site is written in very measured tones, but has an air of paranoia. Johnnie was sworn to secrecy but got caught up in industrial espionage and under the banner of an entertainment, interactive formats site, he was the webmaster passing information about the time slicer to competitors ‘WalMax’ – a company involved in drug trafficking amoungst other things. The WalMax heavies banished Johnnie to Time Sliced hell, he is locked for a lifetime in the AGSM building, a whole life passes in 40 minutes – 6.20 – 7.00pm – he has to be found.
WALK THROUGH
All 25 participants (ABC TV professionals) got an sms 2 days before - "You receive a text message – from another dimension, someone is lost in a another time frame, they want you to save them"
“I’m lost in time, there is a window on Sunday when you can save me. You will need this code – REDITV”
others get REDFORM, REDATS and RED.COM (and various other colour combinations). At the appropriate call to action time (Sunday afternooon at 5.30pm) the participants work out what group they are in by colour and that they need to go to [http://www.itvformats.com]. Each team is provided with a dedicated computer.
On the website there is a tiny hidden roll over link 'help me'. This links to a tick on screen help text...
- Great you found the link, you figured it out! Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou! I am stuck in a pocket of time, living life at 1000 times your speed, I am sending this message one letter for every day of my time - and I will die at EST 19.00 on 04/12/2005. You’ve made it here so you definitely are the one(s) that can free me from this time dimension I’m caught in. I don’t have the time (ha!) to tell you all the details, but what I can say is that my name is Johnnie and I used to be the webmaster of this website. I found out about a time-slicer device one day when I was searching through the archives (read the pdf hidden on this page) and…well…ended up lost in time. I’ll tell you how that happened if you save me! To be freed I need the time-slicer device to reverse the process. You need to enter a special code to do this. I cannot trust anyone on the web with this code so I’ve hidden them around a venue in NSW Australia: The Australian Graduate School of Management. I've also created Bob the Bot to issue you with the code. But that comes later. Right now I need you to go to the venue (I hope you’re already there!) and find the paper clues I’ve left in some of the rooms. Since time is running out I need you to go in your teams and find the next clue. I’ve indicated the rooms on a map that is also hidden on this page. Find it now! I’m aging fast!”
3 - After the message there was both a back story PDF and a map "the map is here link".
4 - The map showed each team where to get a clue. This clue had a code that opened the 'time slicer
5 - Returning to the site they clicked again on the hidden 'time slicer' link - top left. The red team were given BSG for their entry code. This revealed the final panel - which we then put on the screen in the main room
6 - Teams then looked for a hidden telephone number in a picture we printed - the phone number was down the side of a building in a night shot of sydney, very hidden (but all teams got it)
7 - On the other end of the phone was a bot (Christy!) who gave each team (dependent on their colour) a letter. 8 - Each team returned to the main room and began entering their letters in the console...all teams needed to get their final letter before the console would reveal the final whereabouts of Johnnie caught in time. You can enter in the word ' alive' into the panel
9 - This revealed a location - the toilet next to the bar. All teams then ran off to look for the protagonist. 10 - End...
Although the backbone of this was the website - it provided some control, puzzle game play and continuity. As the key elements of hidden links, codewords, hidden locations etc: became a simple methodology for the teams to follow...
LAMP RESIDENTIAL I Oct 05 - "THE LEGEND OF THE AMELIA ROSE"
Created by Christy Dena and Jackie Turnure © 2005
Opening Description
October 9, 1905, Encounter Bay – exactly 100 years ago today! The Whaling Ship, the Amelia Rose, was heading across Encounter Bay towards the point where the Whalers Inn is located. Just off the beach in apparently calm conditions, the ship went down. All 14 members of the crew and Captain William Ackroyd were lost. Shipwrecks were not an uncommon event except for one thing. Not one of the bodies were ever recovered. What happened?
Tonight you will be solving the mystery of the Amelia Rose. But you won’t be doing it alone. Take one of these cards and the game begins…
Step One – Team Up
Each participant randomly takes a piece of playing card from a large bowl. Each piece is a quarter of a playing card. The participant has to work out and find the other three playing cards and this is their team (6 teams of 4). On the back of the card (now put together) is one of six icons. This icon leads them to one of six locations. Each of the six teams of four goes to one of the six locations. Nb These icons will be handwritten on stickers and stuck on the cards/scrolls once we see the location. Locations will be simple icons such as bbq = sausage, tennis court = tennis racket etc etc.
Step Two – Image Scrolls
At each location is a container holding six scrolls with a sign that says “take one only”. In each location the images are exactly the same. (Nb. There are five images and one line of dialogue to work with). On the bottom of each scroll are five icons, indicating the five other locations where they must look. There is also a stapled or tear off “bar ticket” to be redeemed at the bar. The teams must now go to each of the other locations to find all six scrolls. The images will be provocative and obscure. Images to choose from include a portrait of a young girl, a violin, a large rhinoceros in a museum glass case, a group of men and women in 19th century dress with two women circled, a panel of celtic text (gaelic), a map of portugese shipping routes, a portrait of the Captain and a line of dialogue.
Step Three – The Bar Gatekeeper
When they have found all the scrolls they go to the bar and redeem their bar tickets. Nb. If they try to go to the bar with less than six bar tickets they will be told they don’t have enough, prompting them to keep looking. Once they hand over all six tickets, the barman will reward them all with a drink and bobbing in one of the drinks is a plastic sphere (a la kinder surprise) with simple instructions inside it.
Step Four – Create a Narrative
The instructions explain that the team must put together the images and text in the order they found them and create a five minute account of what happened to the Amelia Rose and present it to the group the next morning. The most compelling story will win a prize (incentive). Nb. Having the teams tell the story according to the order of the scrolls collected helps illustrate the issue of POE, point-of-entry with cross-works. Mentors/AI can help recall the order the scrolls were found.
Step Five – Storytelling
The next morning each team presents their five minute story to the group. A panel of three mentors judges the stories on a criteria of story strength, innovation, delivery, team work etc. The prizes (Hamlet on the Holodeck) are awarded to the winning team and the other mentors could also give out smaller goofball prizes, eg most bizarre use of the location etc etc. That way everyone is a winner!
We discuss on what they took away from this exercise and how we will build on it over the week. Points to mention:
- How the pathway through a cross-media work affects the experience and perspective of the story
- How stories are co-created by audiences
- How game-play affects immersion
- How motivations & rewards were used
- How non-linear narrative can operate