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Hopefully you had a fabulous weekend of ingredient shopping.  Don’t worry if you haven’t found everything on your list.  You’ve got plenty of time.  I’m going to move ahead, but don’t worry about keeping pace.  I’m just trying to get you as much info as possible before October 1st.

Step 9: Set Up Your Teams & Choose Your Captains
Most of you will probably be sending out your invitations in the next few weeks.  Once you get your RSVPs back, it’s time to set up your teams.  It’s more fun for your teams if they can travel together on their hunt, so I usually group 6 people to a team.  I choose one couple to be captains and two other couples to be team members.  If your numbers don’t work out that way, just aim to make as many teams of six possible.  For example, if I’ve got 16 couples (32 people) on my RSVP list, I’d create 5 teams of 6 and one team of 8.  If you’ve only got 13 couples (26 people) on your list, I’d make 3 teams of 6 and one team of 8.  Don’t forget to add yourself to a team.

Your team captains will be responsible for explaining the rules to the team (more on this later), arranging transportation, and keeping track of the ingredients and clues.  They also set the pace for the rest of the team, so I like to choose the most enthusiastic and adventurous couples to be captains.  Once you’ve selected your captains and placed all your guests on a team write the complete list down on the Team and Clue Breakdown (you can find the file download below).

Step 10:  Confirm Your Clue Locations, Challenges & Ingredients
Hopefully you’ve had a little time to plan out your clue locations.  Now it’s time to jot them down and choose which ingredient you will hide at each location.  You’ll also want to arrange any challenges that will be associated with the clues (like the pumpkin patch challenge I mentioned previously).  Remember, challenges are a great way to spice up your hunt so try to incorporate at least a few into your game.  Here are a few I’ve done in the past:

Snake in the Sand:  The clue lead the teams to a old fallen log on a dark beach in Erie.  The clue informed them that their ingredient was buried somewhere within a 5 foot radius of the log.  The teams had to dig with their hands in all directions, in the dark, to find the deeply buried snake.

Scary Movie Search:  This clue lead the team to a local Blockbuster rental store.  The clue instructed the teams to search through the store to find the movie that the American Film Institute listed as their top pick for the scariest movie of all time (it was Psycho).  They had to guess at the movie and then take the case up to the checkout.  If they picked the right one, the clerk would hand over their eyeball ingredient.  If not, they were sent back to choose another.

Tunnel Puzzle:  This clue in Olathe, KS lead the teams to a dark walking path tunnel.  Along the floor of the tunnel we used chalk to write the scrambled details of the clue location.  The teams had to find all the letters and then unscramble the message to figure out that their bats were hidden in the light fixtures above. 

Whether you dump your ingredients in the bottom of a pool, tie them to the rafters of an old barn, or use a padlock and bury the combination, challenges are an excellent way force your teams to get creative and work together.  You’ll be amazed at the clever solutions they come up with.  Once you’ve figured out a few good ones for your game, make a note of them down on your Team and Clue Breakdown and then purchase the necessary supplies.  Good luck!  Just thought I’d pass it on.