The required equipment at each site is as follows (but see below for a "lower-tech" modus operandi):
We also recommend having AOL Instant Messenger, the same program that is now used for NPL Chat.
There are essentially two ways to operate the game. The
"online" method is for teams to obtain the puzzles as PDF (Acrobat) files, print
them out on the fly, and solve. This is probably the easiest method for sites
hosting a single team, or distributed teams. If you are hosting several teams at
a single site, you might prefer the "offline" method: get all the PDF files
before the game, print them out, and hand them out as needed. For obvious
reasons, this is best done by a nonplayer, if you can find one. If you want to
use the offline method, you'll have to notify Foggy (foggy@puzzlers.org ) before the game, so he can provide you the PDF files. (We'd still ask you to have the printer handy in case any last-minute changes necessitate a reprinting.)
Using Acrobat Reader is straightforward; simply open the program, open the PDF file and print.
To use AOL Instant Messenger, you must first "log in" under a valid screen name. (If you don't have one, it's easy to create one: go to the AOLIM home page and follow the directions there.) We request that everyone give Foggy a username that will be logged in during the entire event; that will enable us to create a chat room of all hosts, for general announcements. It will also enable you to reach Foggy (username "foggyb42") if you need assistance (or hints, if it comes to that). If you need to send a message to another user, you may need to first add that user to your Buddy List (enter the username without spaces or punctuation).
The game starts at 7 PM Eastern (4
PM Pacific). We request that each site log in an AIM session at least one hour
before the start time for last minute announcements.