I've been watching the unfolding of a new Alternate Reality Game, Perplex City, on Boing Boing. We've covered ARGs in the past, but most often these are retrospective reports, rather than in-the-action experiences. Well, the news is good, Perplex City is happening NOW and there's a London event this Saturday (paired with the New York event that happened last week), from 12pm to 6pm at City Temple in Holborn. While registration is already closed, you can still go along and see what's happening as an observer. More information on this event is here.
This ain't just fun and games, though. There's a chance to win £100,000 if you can find the mysterious cube, lost somewhere in the world. As with most ARGs, and treasure hunts to boot, the bedrock of the action is in solving puzzles, present on playing cards, websites, emails, texts and the aforementioned live events.
From BB:
the gist of Perplex City is that you buy packs of six cards for $5 a pack and enter a world of puzzle solving, interactive fiction, and real-world/fantasy crossover. (The makers of the game are happy to admit the inspiration came from Kit Williams' 1979 treasure hunt book, Masquerade, which provided clues to help readers locate a valuable "golden hare" hidden in the real world...)
Unlike treasure-hunt type things of old, modern technology adds a very cool twist. BB reports that some of the cards have UV inks or are heat-sensitive. You'll also need to follow clues to places as obscure as classified ads in China.
If anyone's interested in getting a group together for this game, gamesblog is up for it. More hands make lighter work etc. etc. Here's a quick-start guide from Mostly Charmless .
More on ARGs can be found on gamesblog here, in an interview with UK ARG company Blast Theory.
