the Time has come

[Neo]

Hello everyone,

You're probably wondering why it is I've been running around the forums lately acting like a crazy person. What does "IT" stand for? What is 08/07/06 all about?

All of us have our own separate lives but the one thing that brings us together is gaming. At GameTavern we not only discuss games, we play them to. Besides the arcade we have had our own unique contests including scavenger hunts, trivia challenges, and of course Survivor. This summer we take what was old and make it new again, all with the power of "IT".

Simply put, IT stands for Internet Treasure. Somewhere on Treasure Island there exists a GameTavern Golden Key which can be used to unlock a chest containing a valuable treasure. This summer sixteen people will begin the adventure of a lifetime. They will compete in challenges not only for immunity but also for clues to the location of the Golden Key. They will have to read the story, solve the clues and find the treasure. As before they must learn to adapt to their surroundings or they will be voted off the island. In the end only one will remain to claim the title of Sole Survivor.

Unlike previous Survivor contests this contest will consist of two parts, the Survivor portion and the Treasure Hunt portion. While only Survivor contestants will participate in Survivor, EVERYONE can participate in the Treasure Hunt. Survivor contestants will only have an advantage in that they will be the first to obtain new clues to the location of the GameTavern Golden Key. You do not need any special skills in order to participate in either contest. In fact anyone who can read can find the treasure. Simply go to the place described in the story and you will find your key.

The question on everyone's mind at this point is what are the prizes? The winner of Survivor will win a brand new game for the Nintendo DS! The person who finds the GameTavern Golden Key will be able to unlock a chest which contains....something bigger.

Join us this summer on Treasure Island for Survivor V: Hunt for the Golden Key. See you there.

[BreakABone]

Now what if someone stumbles across the Golden Key before the contest or before its over?

[Dylflon]

If we don't have a DS...can we win a DS instead?

[Neo]

Originally Posted by BreakABone

Now what if someone stumbles across the Golden Key before the contest or before its over?

The first part is impossible, the 2nd part is entirely possible. It may be that someone will find the key before Survivor is over. If that's the case then Survivor will continue as normal until it is finished. There are two separate prizes, a DS game for Survivor and an as yet unnamed prize for the hunt.

There are 50 clues to aid you in your search for they key, however Survivor participants will probably only have access to the first 25, if that. And to be honest I have no idea how long it will take someone to find the key. I've tried to make it difficult enough that it will take more than 5 min to find, but not so difficult that no one can figure it out. It's a delicate balancing act. Like most puzzles it may seem very difficult at first but then child's play when you know the answer.

[GameMaster]

This is going to be awesome. I'm so excited! I'm determined to be the ultimate winner of both contests. Now who's with me!

[Neo]

So, hardly anyone cares? That's awesome!

[Teuthida]

I never participated in one of these Survivor dealies so not really sure how they work.

[Jonbo298]

I just got home. So I didnt know til now. Sounds cool

[Neo]

In that case allow me to explain the rules of Survivor. It's really quite simple:

The game consists of 16 people divided into two "tribes" of 8 people each. These two tribes compete in a series of immunity challenges (i.e. puzzles, scavenger hunt, king of the night, etc). The tribe which wins the current challenge gains immunity from the vote. The losing tribe must go to tribal council and vote off one of it's members. The process continues until there are 10 people left, then the two tribes merge and it becomes every man/woman/child for themselves. The challenges then become challenges for individual immunity. This continues until there are only 2 people left, at which point the last 7 people to be voted out come back and vote on which of the 2 remaining survivors wins the prize. That's the basic template anyway. The tribes don't always merge at 10, and there are other twists they like to throw in on occasion (referring to the TV show).

It's an interesting game because initially you want to vote off your weakest members, and then when it becomes every man for themselves it's in your best interest to vote off the strongest since they pose the biggest threat to you. Then if you make it to the end you have to convince 7 people that you helped vote out that they should vote for you to win the prize.

Now in this particular Survivor the survivors will be competing for clues to the treasure in addition to immunity. You don't have to be in Survivor to part of the treasure hunt but it would be to your advantage. Make sense?

[RagedHybrid]

well i this sounds cool. i'll go for it.

[Neo]

Originally Posted by RagedHybrid

well i this sounds cool. i'll go for it.

Awesome. I think if everyone gives it a try they'll end up liking it. And if not then that's fine too, I'll think of something better next time.

Anyway progress on developing the hunt has proceeded much faster than I anticipated so we might not wait until August. I may go ahead and start the Survivor portion and then have 08/07/06 as the "official" start of the forum-wide hunt.

[ZebraRampage]

I wouldn't mind being a part of this as well. I feel that I haven't been around as much this past year. I have never been much of a poster at forums though..but maybe this will get me back into the swing of things. At the same time though, I almost only want to do the hunt, but just let me know when you're deciding to start this, and I'll decide if I want to participate.

[Acebot44]

I'm down...like a clown.....charlie brown....etc.

[Neo]

I hope to do the sign-ups soon, like this week soon.

[Blacklotus21]

I'm in