Month: October 2008 (Page 3 of 4)

Save Muggle Quidditch 2.0

October 10, 2008 / Michelle Senderhauf

Save Ludo logo A few weeks ago, Harry Potter fans started receiving riddle-ridden emails from a man named Ludo Bagman. Ludo, a former professional Quidditch player and current leader of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, has been forced into hiding and his new game, Muggle Quidditch 2.0 is in danger. It seems that goblins, possibly those behind Gringotts Wizarding Bank, are after Ludo for a “small financial miscommunication” and the Ministry has shut down Muggle Quidditch 2.0. Ludo thinks the two are connected and that wizards are influencing the goblins. To make things more complicated, controversy has recently surrounded Gringotts Wizarding Bank and the Ministry, as it seems the effects of the current U.S. economic crisis have reached the wizard world.

So what is Ludo’s Muggle Quidditch 2.0 and why is it so important? In the Harry Potter world, Quidditch is a sport played by witches and wizards at Hogwarts and other schools. Players ride broomsticks while trying to get several different types of balls into goals. Muggle Quidditch is a variation of the game played by Muggles (or humans) sans the magical balls and broomsticks. According to Ludo Bagman, Muggle Quidditch 2.0 is set to launch on October 15th. This new type of Quidditch is going to be an online version where wizards, witches, and Muggles can all play together. Someone (possibly goblins, wizards, or a mixture of the two) doesn’t want that to happen. So Ludo Bagman has gone into hiding and called upon supporters of the game to investigate what is happening. S.P.E.L.L. (or the Society for the Promotion of the Expeditious Liberation of Ludo) has formed and created a website to organize efforts on Ludo’s behalf.

Join in the discussion at Unfiction

NEWSFLASH: “Major” Charlie Higson and James Bond are Not Dead

October 10, 2008 / Michael Andersen

The Shadow War logo For followers of The Shadow War alternate reality game, the success and excitement generated by the experience might convince them that The Shadow War was the game with the golden gun. Charlie Higson, the author of the Young Bond series, kicked off the alternate reality game with a little help from Six to Start at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, launching the main game website YoungBond.com. The first mission went live on August 27, and players were taken on a worldly, online adventure that spanned seven missions.

On Wednesday, October 6, players faced their final mission. Players supporting the OGPU and SIS raced through the Alpine castle, Schloss Donnerspitze, desperate to save captured British soldier “Major” Charlie Higson, James Bond, and themselves from a bomb. Higson regularly appeared within the game to offer hints and encourage the players in their race to the finish. Prior to the final mission, Higson stated that “it’s the final stage of the game this week, and a chance for all those kids to come together in a race against time and finish the story. I’m really looking forward to playing a part in it and appearing live in the game as a British agent. I just hope the kids solve the problems in time or I risk being liquidated by a fiendish foreign power!”

Upon the successful completion of the final mission, you can see the obviously grateful Charlie Higson thanking his rescuers in this video.

You can still replay the first six missions online, and according to the Danger Society News, there is still more content to discover: 20 copies of By Royal Command include a special variant codeword that unlocks additional content for the third mission. To my knowledge, none of the variant books have been located yet.

You can also view a portion of the live event with Charlie Higson, sans sound, on ustream.tv. It gets quite interesting at 5:42.

UPDATE: Prototype161 vs. Mare Vitreum, Live in NYC

October 9, 2008 / Michelle Senderhauf

Attention New Yorkers! You’re going to have to tell the kiddies trick-or-treating is canceled this year. Something much more interesting is happening this Halloween in New York City. Prototype161 is planning a live scavenger hunt game on October 31st called Mare Vitreum.

Mare Vitreum is a dangerous doomsday cult that has been recruiting its members by sending out etched pieces of glass in the mail. In response, prototype161 wants agents to infiltrate the cult and foil its Hallow’s Eve plans in New York City.

If past events are any indication, this is something that is not to be missed. Last summer’s event had participants scouring the city looking for clues, solving puzzles and interacting with in-game characters. Some of the live interaction included being kidnapped by a van full of masked men and saving a tied-up damsel from inside a locked theatre.

The event starts at 7pm at a yet undisclosed location. Many of the previous events have run late into the night or even the next morning, so bring along some caffeinated gum and money for snacks. The registration fee is $40, although a 50% off coupon is available for the first two people to call the ARGNet voicemail (leave us your email address). So get yourself registered, bribe the kids to skip trick-or-treating (who needs all that cavity-causing candy anyway?) and get ready for a very ARGish Halloween!

Game Launch: Mare Vitreum (Sea of Glass)

October 6, 2008 / Jonathan Waite

Sea of Glass swag On a very busy day for us here at the ARGNet offices, the last of our day’s articles deals with a beautiful piece of etched glass sent to us through the post. With the words “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire” written into the glass block, and with nondescript symbols etched along the bottom, we had a feeling that there was a mystery to be solved here. Even as we talked about it during tonight’s ARG Netcast recording, I didn’t have a hot clue as to what to do with this puzzling transparent square slab. And then, thanks comments from Geoff May and redct in the ARG Netcast Ustream channel, we had a destination — marevitreum.com.

You see, those symbols along the bottom which resemble the Klingon alphabet were only part of the message. Luckily for us, there were a few other recipients of the same gift, except at least one (thatsplenty at Flickr) had different etchings at the bottom. Simply line up the two and the web site URL magically appears.

The web site includes a mystery of its own, with blurry paragraphs that clear up as you mouse over them. The thing is, the blurry paragraphs have red letters strewn within the text, and the clear version do not. Sean C. Stacey and I actually went through and solved the puzzle during the netcast recording, getting the message “Oct thirty first new york city” which points, quite obviously, to Halloween in NYC. Besides that, other mouse overs reveal text which seems rather religious in tone — appropriate as the ‘sea of glass’ quote comes from Revelations 15:2.

So, anyone up for a bit of fun on All Hallow’s Eve in the Big Apple? If you’re in the area, stay tuned for developments of this new mystery.

DIY Days Boston: Catching up with Lance Weiler and hanging out with filmmakers

October 6, 2008 / Marie Lamb

DIY Days logo When I heard DIY Days was coming to Boston, mostly I was looking forward to reconnecting with filmmaker, Alternate Reality Game enthusiast and ARGFest Boston speaker, Lance Weiler, (Hope is Missing and Beyond the Rave) and maybe getting a scoop on his next project. While I did get to do all that, I also got to meet some incredibly talented independent filmmakers, culture researchers, and writers, and participate in a great discussion not only about independent filmmaking, but also about the future of media and technology.

DIY Days is an offshoot of Weiler’s The Workbook Project, and is paired with the From Here to Awesome Film Festival. All are grounded in his commitment to open-source filmmaking, mentoring and encouraging creativity and helping independent filmmakers to finance, distribute and promote their projects inside and outside of traditional media channels (but mostly outside). Weiler’s partner in DIY Days is Arin Crumley, co-creator of indie film/YouTube phenomenon, Four Eyed Monsters.

DIY Days Boston, a free, all-day event, was the fourth and final conference in this series. (A new series will resume next year.) Speakers for the day included, among others, Weiler, a venture capitalist, MIT researchers, and, of course, many filmmakers, all bringing their knowledge and expertise to share with others. You can watch the conference proceedings online at the DIY Days site, so instead of giving a blow-by-blow of each talk, I’ll highlight my favorites.

ARGNet Editor Wears his Grin on Irish TV

October 6, 2008 / Marie Lamb

ARGNet on TV Programming alert! Today on RTÃ‰ News, reporter Laura Fletcher talks to ARGNet Editor Jonathan Waite about the new British Red Cross ARG, Traces of Hope. Catch the interview at the News on Two’s broadcast page:

http://www.rte.ie/news/6news/

Please note that rte.ie uses RealPlayer, so you must have Real Player installed on your computer in order to watch. RTÃ‰ provides a link for the free download on their page if you need it.

Editor’s Note: No, I will not be changing my last name to Wilke. Was that even 15 seconds of fame? Yikes. – JW