unforum

[rose]

And now, a break for philosophy:

[the_velociraptor offline]

How?

*sigh* I thought there wasn't anything sent to the library at NYC (save the crazy woman). Should get a mod to deal with antimasque?

[rose]

I don't know what is going on with the library in New York. And, FYI, I'm one of the mods here at uf.

[antimasque]

This is my best (and it feels like 200th) attempt at explaining for you guys.

Someone from another team recovered the clue at the library in NY.

Someone from my team recovered the clue from SF, as well as got the text from the clue in Phoenix.

Not knowing what the game runners wanted us to do with this information, we posted it here in the spirit of sharing.

Then I sent it to Amanuensis, the email address for the cult leader's right-hand man, who told me:

[str1cken]

Since there seems to be a good deal of drama surrounding this, and interest from antimasque in blaming someone, I feel I should speak up.

I know who posted two of the three pieces of information to Brandon. She is a regular player of Midnight Madness, and played the last NYC Prototype game.

She doesn't read the board, but her team had solved the third trial. I told her not to bother running to the NYC library (something I had done, and while I was on my way was texted by a teammate saying that the NY dead drop had been retrieved). I forwarded her the posted information, and she shared it with Larkin.

So, antimasque, you can blame me for indirectly getting two of the three pieces posted to Brandon, and you can stop worrying that anyone on the board betrayed your trust and disobeyed your wishes. No one did.

I don't know who sent off the third bit.

For what it's worth, I was disappointed that I didn't make it to the library in time, and that the people I know in SF wouldn't have made a run to their library to help out with something like this. I wanted my team to be in possession of the originals, probably for the same reasons you did.

But I was thrilled that people decided to post the information they got from the drops. I love this game, I follow it pretty closely, and even though my team wouldn't be able to take credit for any of it, it was nice to have the opportunity to be included enough to see what was found.

Antimasque, I have no ill will against you, but I think you should relax. As I said, no one on the board disobeyed you or betrayed your trust. So, you know, you can take that worry off your plate.

Bring the originals you have. See what happens!

Finally, while I would never recommend against sharing game information with the community, because it's so exciting and interesting and fun to be a part of, it is important to remember that once you have posted something to the internet, it's out there for everyone forever.

I'm interested to see how game control chooses to progress the story under these circumstances. I'm sure it will be interesting.

[the_velociraptor]

Game over?

[antimasque]

They are chewing us out, dude, for sending everything we had to Brandon. Also apparently for working on this on a message board about ARGs, which frankly is kind of a major break in staying in character, but whatever. Thanks again, everybody!

[Trouthammer]

Night time is the right time

[wolfgirl86]

Geez. I have NEVER seen a thread blow up like this.

Anyway, a few random views from me:

1) Don't get all up and worried. You're telling me you don't think they would have planned for a team to go the good guy route and try to get the info to Brandon? They are a more seasoned group of PMs than that.

2) They would have had multiple back up plans for whichever way the players took it. Once again, they're more seasoned PMs than that.

Those being said...

3) Prototype 161 is not unaware of the fact that the UnFiction community discusses their ARGs. If they are, then I would be extremely surprised, since members were also discussing their last ARG on here while it was going on.


So no one worry. As Trout said, y'all paid for the event, so it's not like they can go "Well, crap, you didn't do what we wanted you to do, so it's all over. No more game."

[rose]

I got the same email which, frankly, sounds a bit mean to me. If I was on the fence about going to this paid event, there is nothing in that email that would encourage me to go.

I'm off for the weekend. I just want to quickly remind everyone that all posts on unforums are out of game. Out of game allows us to have a place to share information and collaborate. (Out of game means that unfiction doesn't exist in the game universe. I expect that the designers know that about this forum. The bottom line is that the designers read the forum to see what is happening, but they don't use that information to the detriment of the players. Perhaps they found out the information was public another way. I'm sure we'll find out when this is over, as the designers can't post here either, about their game, while the game is running.)

Nevermind, I'm off for the weekend, I was almost out the door but this email made me want to post a comment here. I'll wait to see what happens before I start a META rant.

[antimasque]

Re: Game over?

[str1cken]

So I'd like to point out that nearly every communication I've received from Addison since the announcement of the event has called out to his followers in "the interconnected web of the world".

So it hardly seems significant that he's saying that now.

Also, considering the continued fretting of antimasque and his top-tier frustration with the people of the board I would like to drop the level of discourse and post a follow-up to my statement yesterday:

boo hoo.

But also, I hacked game control's e-mail account and got a copy of the speech one of them prepared for delivery in Central Park tonight:

"Welcome! Welcome, ARG fans and puzzle enthusiasts! We had a fantastic evening planned for you! Six hours of puzzles, live actors, a plot, and all the crazy running around the city you can shake a stick at!

Regretfully, out of the hundred and fifty or so paid participants that were playing the pre-game, two of you shared in-game information with some of the good guy characters, an eventuality which we hadn't considered or planned for, and it has rendered everything we planned here tonight completely moot.

It would be paradoxical, in the game universe, for anything to continue! So, clearly, you can see how we can't allow game to go on tonight.

I hope you're pleased with yourselves.

Also, and this is especially sad for antimasque, I really feel bad about this, but to the team who delivered the most dead drop material to Addison Sayther tonight, his character had planned a great big ice cream cake party for that group. But thanks to you guys, and you know who you are, it's all ruined. Finito. We tore up the party hats and threw the ice cream cake in the garbage. It's over here, you can see we have proof, and we even sprinkled some roach poison on it, so don't get any funny ideas about rescuing it from the trash.

I hope you're all very pleased with yourselves. You've really ruined it for everyone. So, thanks for the money and have a good night.

Game is canceled."

Yeah, so thanks again everyone! Thanks a lot!

See you at the game tonight!

Which is, you know, not canceled. And won't be. No matter *how* we change the plot pre-game.

[antimasque]

Really classy, dude.

[str1cken]

LOL.

That's the most reasonable post you've made in days.

Seriously, man. Everything is going to be fine. I hope I meet you tonight, and I hope you're having a great time.

Seriously.

I'm 6'2" and a little overweight, short blondish hair. I'll be wearing black pants, a black leather jacket, and white sneakers.

Everyone! Say hi if you see me!

[DavFlamerock]

I'm just going to say this.

1. They never specifically mentioned Unfiction, and I HIGHLY doubt that they're referring to it now, considering it's OOG.

2. When was there ever a course of action that we're "supposed to take?" This is an ARG--by definition it's non-linear and the players determine where the story goes. Both big ARGs I've played have emphasized that point. (Besides, contact from P161 would break the TINAG wall terribly)

3. That said, when you got the email to bring the originals, it never said anything about taking them offline. I mean, yeah obviously MV doesn't want you to send it to Brandon, that much is obvious, because they work against each other.

4. Having said everything I've said, I'm proud of them for sending that email. I've always wondered what PMs would do if the players didn't succeed in what they were trying to do, and realistic stuff like this is always preferable to deus ex machinas. I'll even go so far as to say they expected this email to go out, because I mean let's be honest, there will always be a white hat who sends the information to Brandon, the good guy.

5. And in the end this won't bring about the end of the game. They expected us to get all five drops--that didn't happen. So the story changed. Either way they were going to ask the teams to bring the originals, and since I know they weren't expecting one team to get all the originals first, that in and of itself is another obstacle. Then the teams with the stuff would have to get together and figure out what to do. It would probably involve all the teams going to Addison together with the stuff, because I doubt anyone would want to give up what they had. They planned on that being an obstacle, and personally I believe that it could have been handled better.

Good luck everyone who's going tomorrow, and have fun! I want to hear all about it!