Seeking
As the seeker, it is your job to move and gather information as efficiently as possible. At your disposal are 80 questions, which you can ask the hider at any time. The hider must answer all of your questions truthfully, but in exchange for answers, they’ll be rewarded with cards from their hider deck. Choosing the right questions at the right time is the key to a quick round—ask too many and you’ll be bogged down with curses or blown out with hours of time bonuses.
To make sorting through these questions easier, we’ve divided them into six simple categories. All of the questions in the same category cost the same number of cards, and share the same sentence structure—it’s simply a matter of choosing a noun or value. Some categories are more useful during different stages of your search, so be sure to keep an open mind and change up your strategy as you close in on the hider.
You cannot ask multiple questions at once; if you are waiting on an answer from a previous question, you cannot ask your next question until the first has been answered.
You can use the internet for research, but you cannot use Google Street View. We have found Street View to be far too powerful when it comes to matching photos, and it makes the game generally less fun. This is our only strict rule about research, though you can choose to implement other rules if your group deems them necessary, such as an additional ban on searching for any images of train stations.
As you collect information, you should record it in your investigation book and on a printout of your game map. There are many types of information you can collect in a given round—photos, directions, and context clues—and you’ll want to stay on top of everything if you want any chance at finding your hider.
A Note About Mapping Apps (and Their Errors)
Easily playing this game is going to require using a maps app on your smartphone or other device. We’ll just say it right now: we recommend that you use Google Maps for playing this game. We designed the game, and our question categories, with Google Maps in mind, so you’ll likely get the best gameplay when using it. It’s also the only major mapping app where it is easy to measure distances, which will often be necessary for questions. In order to measure a distance, hold down anywhere on Google Maps that is not a formally listed location. A pin will pop up and if you scroll down you can select “measure distance,” then drag to measure from that point. We will mention that Apple Maps has superior rail visualization, and occasionally more accurate timetables, so it is useful for certain game aspects. When we play, we use Apple Maps to see rail options and game out hypothetical routes, but Google Maps for everything else.
You’ll notice that many of our questions reference various categories of businesses or locations: parks, zoos, hospitals, museums, etc. We chose these carefully—almost all of them have their own special categorization in Google Maps and Apple Maps, with their own special little icon to help you easily see them. Amusement parks have a ferris wheel icon, libraries have a book, and so on. You should be able to easily see all the places that fall under a given category by simply searching that category in your app and looking for those icons. Unfortunately, you’ll notice there are sometimes categorization errors. A random parking lot will be erroneously listed as an amusement park, for example. Determining what is an error and what is not is often subjective, but given the need for objective rules, here is our criteria:
If you are using Google Maps:
Anywhere with 5 or more Google Reviews is assumed to be legitimate, unless all players can agree otherwise. Anywhere with fewer than 5 Google Reviews is assumed to be illegitimate, unless all players can agree otherwise.
If you are using Apple Maps, or another mapping app:
Everywhere is assumed to be legitimate, unless all players can agree otherwise.
Whatever app you choose, it’s very important that the hider and seekers are using the same maps app when searching in these categories. If the seekers and hiders search on different apps, they will often get different results, leading to confusion.
In general, it is the responsibility of the seekers to clarify any ambiguity in what they are asking—for example, by sending a screenshot of everything they understand to qualify as an amusement park when asking if the hider is near one.
Matching Questions
Matching questions follow the format, “Is your nearest _____ the same as my nearest _____?” Valid answers are yes or no. Hiders have five minutes to answer. These questions can be useful at any point in the game, though they often require the seekers to move in order to optimize their efficacy. It is important to note that if locations are not within a map’s boundaries, players must operate as if they do not exist. For example, if the seekers asked if they shared the same nearest commercial airport as the hider, but the only commercial airports were outside the map’s boundaries, it would return a null answer (null answers count as answered questions, and hiders get to draw cards).
After a matching question has been answered, the hider may draw 3 cards and keep 1.
These are the matching questions available to the seekers:
Transit
Commercial Airport If there is any ambiguity, an airport is considered commercial if you can view flights to/from it via Google Flights (flights.google.com).
Transit Line Important: In order to ask this question, seekers must be on the form of transit, and it must be moving.
The answer is yes if the transit the seekers are currently riding would stop at the hider’s station. For clarity, best practice is for seekers to screenshot all the stations their transit will stop at and send them to the hider.
If the seekers are on a limited-stop/express train that passes through the hider’s station but does not stop at it, the hider should answer “no.” A “yes” answer is only given when the seekers’ train would stop at the hider’s station.
Station Name’s Length Number of characters (hyphens and spaces count) in the station, as defined by your mapping app. If the app includes the word “station” that counts.
Street or Path A street or path is considered to have ended when it acquires a different name. This includes changing from, say, “Jet Lag St. East” to “Jet Lag St. West.”
If the street or path is unnamed, it is considered to start or end wherever it has an intersection.
Administrative Divisions
1st Administrative Division This is the biggest formal category of division. For the US, it would be states. In Switzerland, cantons. In Japan, prefectures.
2nd Administrative Division A more detailed level of division. In the US, this is counties. In Switzerland, districts. In Japan, subprefectures.
3rd Administrative Division One more level down. In the US, Switzerland, and Japan, this would be municipality. Municipality borders can be occasionally difficult to define, so it’s up to the seekers to clarify any ambiguity.
4th Administrative Division Some places have no fourth administrative division, but many larger cities do. For example, New York City has boroughs, Zurich has districts, Tokyo has special wards.
Natural
Mountain Anything correctly classified as a mountain by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Landmass An area of land that is in one piece, not broken up by a waterway. If the hider is on a landmass that is entirely surrounded by the landmass the seekers are on, it counts as a match.
We urge players to be reasonable about this. There’s a lot of interesting geography discussion to be had about what’s its own landmass and what isn’t. Is Cape Cod its own landmass or part of a peninsula, merely cut off by an artificial waterway? Hard to say. If your geography has any weird edge cases, we encourage you to discuss them beforehand. In game, as always, it is up to the seekers to clarify any ambiguity when they are asking a question.
Park Anything correctly classified as a park by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
There’s a possibility that measuring to the map icon can lead to strange outcomes—for example, if you are in a very large park but far from the center, you may be several kilometers from that park’s map icon. You might be closer to the icon of a smaller, nearby park. This could mean that you are forced to say that your nearest park is the small one even though you are literally in the bigger park. Nonetheless, measuring to the map icon is the best, most objective way we’ve found to handle these questions, so we encourage sticking to that system even when it produces these edge case outcomes.
Places of Interest
Amusement Park Anything correctly categorized as an amusement park by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Zoo Anything correctly categorized as a zoo by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Aquarium Anything correctly categorized as an aquarium by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Golf Course An outdoor golf course. Miniature golf does not count. Driving ranges do not count. Measure distance from the map icon.
We urge seekers to clarify their understanding of what counts when sending this question.
Museum Anything correctly categorized as a museum by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Movie Theater Anything correctly categorized as a movie theater by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Public Utilities
Hospital Anything correctly categorized as a hospital by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Library Anything correctly categorized as a library by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Foreign Consulate Anything correctly categorized as a foreign consulate by your mapping app. Exclude honorary consulates. Measure distance from the map icon.
Measuring Questions
Measuring questions follow the format, “Compared to me, are you closer to or further from _____?” Valid answers are closer or further. Hiders have five minutes to answer. These questions are also universally useful, and good for slicing the map in unique and clever ways. It is important to note that if locations are not within a map’s boundaries, players must operate as if they do not exist. For example, if the seekers asked if they were closer to or further from an international border than the hider, but there were no international borders in the map’s boundaries, it would return a null answer (null answers count as answered questions, and hiders get to draw cards).
After a measuring question has been answered, the hider may draw 3 cards and keep 1.
These are the measuring questions available to the seekers:
Transit-Related
Commercial Airport If there is any ambiguity, an airport is considered commercial if you can view flights to/from it via Google Flights (flights.google.com).
High-Speed Train Line Different countries sometimes have different definitions of high-speed rail, so it is worth using whatever definition is locally applicable. Otherwise, we recommend following the EU definition: Minimum speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) on lines specially built for high speed and of about 200 km/h (124 mph) on existing lines which have been specially upgraded.
Rail Station Includes light and heavy rail; metros/subways count.
Borders
International Border Enclaves count!
1st Administrative Division Border This is a border between the biggest formal category of division. For the US, it would be states. In Switzerland, cantons. In Japan, prefectures.
2nd Administrative Division Border This is a border between the next level of division. In the US, this is counties. In Switzerland, districts. In Japan, subprefectures.
Natural
Sea Level This refers to a player’s altitude.
You can find this using your phone’s compass. Fair warning: sometimes the compass is wrong, so don’t rely too heavily on this being 100% accurate.
Body of Water Any named body of water on your maps app, excluding pools.
Coastline Okay, so: defining where a coastline begins is a famously difficult geographical question. Here is the definition we have developed—we’re not saying it’s perfect, but at least it is objective.
For our purposes, a coastline is defined as: any place where land meets either the ocean, a great lake, or a body of water that flows directly into the ocean or great lake via a waterway that is never less than 2 km across.
We recommend you don’t rely on this to be super precise, and that you consult each other if there’s any weirdness.
Mountain Anything correctly classified as a mountain by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Park Anything correctly classified as a park by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon. As noted in the park matching question, this could lead to strangeness. If you are in a large park, 2 km from the park icon, you might have to say you are 2 km away from any park despite the fact that you are in a park. Nonetheless, we believe measuring to the icon is the cleanest and most objective system.
Places of Interest
Amusement Park Anything correctly categorized as an amusement park by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Zoo Anything correctly categorized as a zoo by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Aquarium Anything correctly categorized as an aquarium by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Golf Course An outdoor golf course. Miniature golf does not count. Driving ranges do not count. Measure distance from the map icon.
We urge seekers to clarify their understanding of what counts when sending this question.
Museum Anything correctly categorized as a museum by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Movie Theater Anything correctly categorized as a movie theater by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Public Utilities
Hospital Anything correctly categorized as a hospital by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Library Anything correctly categorized as a library by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Foreign Consulate Anything correctly categorized as a foreign consulate by your mapping app. Measure distance from the map icon.
Radar Questions
Radar questions follow the format, “Are you within _____ of me?” Valid answers are yes or no. Hiders have five minutes to answer. These questions are a good way of verifying whether you are in the right general area, or crossing off a particularly dense part of the map. (It is easiest to measure these distances using a long press or right click in Google Maps, and using the “Measure” tool.) It’s important to note that radars are asking about your location, not your hiding zone. If the radar would encompass part of your hiding zone, but not your location at the time of answering, it would be a miss.
After a radar question has been answered, the hider may draw 2 cards and keep 1.
These are the radar questions available to the seekers:
- 500 m
- 1 km
- 2 km
- 5 km
- 10 km
- 15 km
- 40 km
- 80 km
- 160 km
- Choose (for this, you may use any distance you wish)
Thermometer Questions
Thermometer questions follow the format, “After traveling _____, am I hotter or colder?” Valid answers are hotter or colder. Hiders have five minutes to answer. When starting a thermometer question, you should inform the hider that you are starting a thermometer and send them your current location (we recommend sending a pin through Google or Apple Maps.) Then, after traveling a sufficient distance—measured as the crow flies—send them your new location. If the new location is closer to the hider’s current location, then you are hotter. Otherwise, you are colder. These questions are a good way of determining whether you are moving in the right direction.
After a thermometer question has been answered, the hider may draw 2 cards and keep 1.
These are the thermometer questions available to the seekers in small sized games:
- 1 km
- 5 km
For medium and large sized games, add the following:
- 15 km
For large sized games, add the following:
- 75 km
Photo Questions
Photo questions follow the format, “Send me a photo of _____.” Valid answers are a photo that meets the full specifications of the photo question, or “I cannot answer the question,” in situations where the subject of the photograph doesn’t exist in the hiding zone. Hiders have ten minutes to answer in small and medium games, and twenty minutes to answer in large games. All photos must be sent in your phone’s normal aspect ratio. Photos are a useful way of getting a general sense of where the hider is, or for verifying that you’ve arrived at the right location, but you cannot use Google Street View to assess photos or verify stations from afar.
These are the photo questions available to the seekers in small sized games:
Any Building Visible from Transit Station Must stand directly outside a station entrance. If there are multiple entrances, you may choose. Must include roof and both sides, with the top of the building in the top ⅓ of the frame.
Widest Street Must include both sides of the street; does not have to include background.
Tree Must include the entire tree.
Tallest Structure in Your Current Sightline This is the tallest building from your perspective, not the objectively tallest building. If you can see the Burj Khalifa a long way away, but a nearby apartment building is taller from your perspective/sightline, you would send the apartment building.
Must include top and both sides. The top must be in the top ⅓ of the frame.
You Selfie mode. Phone perpendicular to ground, arm fully extended, using your phone’s default lens with no zoom.
The Sky Place phone on ground, shoot directly up using your phone’s default lens with no zoom.
For medium and large sized games, add the following:
Tallest Building Visible from Transit Station This is the tallest building from your perspective, not the objectively tallest building. If you can see the Burj Khalifa a long way away, but a nearby apartment building is taller from your perspective/sightline, you would send the apartment building.
Must stand directly outside a station entrance. If there are multiple entrances, you may choose. Must include roof and both sides, with the top of the building in the top ⅓ of the frame.
In general, the transit station itself cannot count as the tallest building visible from the transit station. The exception would be if atop the transit station is a tall building whose purpose is unrelated to the transit station. For example, atop Grand Central Station is the MetLife building. This would count as the tallest building visible from the transit station.
Trace Nearest Street/Path Street/path must be visible on mapping app; trace intersection to intersection.
This can be a little tricky to do; we have a few methods. One is to screenshot this on your phone, then use the drawing tools on your phone’s photo editing app to black out everything but the street. Another is to put a piece of paper over your phone and trace with a pen/pencil/marker.
2 Buildings Must include bottom and up to four stories.
Restaurant Interior No zoom. Must take the picture through the window from outside the restaurant.
Park No zoom, phone perpendicular to ground. Must stand 2 meters from any obstruction.
Grocery Store Aisle No zoom. Stand at the end of the aisle, shoot directly down.
Place of Worship Must include a 2m × 2m section with three distinct elements. The litmus test for the distinct elements is: if someone went to that place and found what you took a picture of, they could confidently match it, and be sure it wasn’t taken somewhere else.
Train Platform Must include a 2m × 2m section with three distinct elements. The litmus test for the distinct elements is: if someone went to that place and found what you took a picture of, they could confidently match it, and be sure it wasn’t taken somewhere else.
For large sized games, add the following:
1 km of Streets Traced Must be continuous, include 5 turns, with no doubling back. Send north-south oriented. Streets must appear on mapping app.
As mentioned before, this can be a little tricky to do; we have a few methods. One is to screenshot this on your phone, then use the drawing tools on your phone’s photo editing app to black out everything but the street. Another is to put a piece of paper over your phone and trace with a pen/pencil/marker.
Tallest Mountain Visible from Transit Station Tallest from your perspective/sightline. If you could see Mount Everest, many many kilometers away, but another nearby mountain looks taller from your perspective, you would send the nearby mountain.
Max 3x zoom; top of mountain must be in top ⅓ of frame.
The Biggest Body of Water in Your Zone Max 3x zoom. Must include either both sides of body of water or the horizon. If a body of water is visible from the hider’s zone, but no part of it touches the zone, it does not count. However, if a large body of water partially touches the hider’s zone, but the part of it inside the zone is smaller than another body of water in the zone, the larger overall body of water would still be considered the largest in the zone.
5 Buildings Must include bottom and up to four stories.
After a photo question has been answered, the hider may draw 1 card and keep 1.
Tentacle Questions
Tentacle questions follow the format, “Within _____ km of me, which _____ are you nearest to? (You must also be within _____.)” If the hider is within the reach of the tentacle question, they must answer with the name of one of the locations requested. If the hider is not within reach of the tentacle question, they may simply answer that they are not within reach. Hiders have five minutes to answer. These questions are most useful near the end of the game, to quickly dispense of density at an extremely high cost. To help visualize this, think of each of these locations (say, all the zoos) becoming tentacles that shoot out from the seekers. They feel around, and one will hit the hider and ping back.
After a tentacle question has been answered, the hider may draw 4 cards and keep 2.
Tentacle questions cannot be used in small games. These are the tentacle questions available to the seekers in medium sized games:
Museums Within 2 km Anything correctly categorized as a museum by your mapping app.
Libraries Within 2 km Anything correctly categorized as a library by your mapping app.
Movie Theaters Within 2 km Anything correctly categorized as a movie theater by your mapping app.
Hospitals Within 2 km Anything correctly categorized as a hospital by your mapping app.
For large sized games, add the following:
Metro Lines Within 25 km These will be drawn as colored lines in Google Maps.
Zoos Within 25 km Anything correctly categorized as a zoo by your mapping app.
Aquariums Within 25 km Anything correctly categorized as an aquarium by your mapping app.
Amusement Parks Within 25 km Anything correctly categorized as an amusement park by your mapping app.