Hiding
As the hider, it is your job to stay hidden for as long as possible; stay hidden for longer than anyone else, and the game is yours. At the start of each run, you’ll be given a certain amount of time to choose—and travel to—a hiding zone somewhere on your map. While the seekers close in, you’ll have to juggle the tasks of answering questions, scoping out a perfect final hiding spot, and assembling the perfect hand using cards from the hider deck.
Hiding Zones
Your hiding zone is a circle located somewhere within the game map—once the seekers start seeking, this zone is your new home.
Depending on game size, you’ll have a certain amount of time—the hiding period—to get from wherever the round starts to your hiding zone. Much like any other part of the game, you’ll only be able to use your pre-established transit system to get to your hiding zone during this time, so make sure you plan on going somewhere you know you can get to. If the hiding period ends and you’re somewhere else, then that’s where your hiding zone is.
Choosing the right hiding zone is the single most impactful decision you’ll make during your run, but there’s rarely a “right” answer for where to hide. Out-of-the-way locations on the edges of your transit network can be harder to identify and travel to during the long game, but that sparseness is a double-edged sword; once the seekers have narrowed down the map, the relative lack of possible transit stations near your location can make it much easier to identify your exact hiding zone. Likewise, the densest parts of your map offer the protection of complexity, but offer the seekers easier transit opportunities and leave you exposed to a potentially devastating tentacle question.
Every hiding zone must be centered on a transit station; there may be other transit stations within your zone, but you’ll have to choose a particular transit station to be “your” transit station. Many of the seekers’ questions will reference this station or force you to take pictures around it, so it’s important that you know which station this is. The rest of your zone extends a certain distance outwards from this station—in small and medium games, this zone is drawn as a 500 m radius from the icon for that station on your map; in large games, it is a 1 km radius. You must stay in this circle for your entire round.
When in your hiding zone, you’re free to do whatever you like—go shopping, have a meal, see the sights—but don’t get too distracted! Many photo questions will involve going somewhere else in your zone to take a photo of something in a fairly short window of time. If you’d like, you can take these photos ahead of time to give you more flexibility to freely wander your zone. We would also recommend spending some time scoping out a final hiding spot, which we detail below.
Hiding Spots
Once the seekers have entered your hiding zone and the end game has begun, you must stay put in a single spot until they’ve found you—this is your final hiding spot.
Hiding spots can be anywhere within your hiding zone, but they must be somewhere that is publicly accessible during all game hours (all hours you will be playing, excluding rest periods). You cannot, for example, hide in a bathroom stall or someone’s house. This does not mean that your hiding spot has to be on literal public property, but rather that the seekers must be able to access it at any point during the game. You should also make sure that staying in your spot for an extended period of time will not raise any suspicions or create the potential for you to get kicked out—for this reason we’d suggest avoiding stores or other businesses, even if they are open during all game hours.
Your hiding spot must also be within 3 meters of a marked path or road on the map app(s) that you are using for your game—no wandering off into the wilderness or swimming out to sea. Viable paths and roads should be easy to discern on any map, but if there’s any question as to whether one counts, the test is whether or not your map app will use them for walking directions. In other words, the seekers should be able to theoretically follow a route generated by the app to within 3 meters of your hiding spot.
Your hiding spot is considered final the moment that the end game starts. If you aren’t where you want to be when the seekers enter your hiding zone, too bad—wherever you’re standing at that moment is your hiding spot. (If, for whatever reason, you aren’t somewhere publicly accessible when the end game starts, you must immediately go to the nearest possible publicly accessible spot and stay there instead.)
We recommend spending some time scoping out your zone and looking for the perfect hiding spot—a clever enough spot can buy you an hour or more even after the seekers have found your station.
The Hider Deck
The hider deck is your one and only weapon to use against the seekers, so you’ll have to use it wisely.
Every time the seekers ask a question, you will get to draw and keep a certain number of cards from the hider deck (e.g. measuring questions allow you to draw 3 and keep 1—this means that you look at the top 3 cards of the deck, put 1 in your hand, and discard the other 2.) You can keep up to 6 cards in your hand at one time (or more, if you draw the right powerup); if, at any point, your hand is full and you must draw another card, you must immediately play or discard cards until only 6 remain.
Cards drawn from the hider deck can provide you with all sorts of advantages—some in response to questions, some at the end of your round, and some whenever you think they make the most sense. In total, there are three different types of cards you can draw from the hider deck: Time Bonuses, Powerups, and Curses.
Time Bonuses
Time bonus cards come in varying values and count towards the hider’s final hiding time. These cards cannot be “played,” and the only way that they leave the hider’s hand is if they are discarded. Time bonuses are added to the hider’s final hiding time only if they are in the hider’s hand at the end of the round; discarding a time bonus means that it will no longer count towards your final hiding time. You should aim to hold as many time bonuses at the end of a round as possible. Time bonuses automatically scale based on your game size, so three values are listed on each card. Make sure you’re using the right one for your game size!
Powerups
There are several different types of powerup cards you can draw from the hider deck. These cards can be played at any time and allow you to take a particular type of advantageous action a single time; once powerup cards have been used, they are discarded and leave your hand. You only need to inform the seekers that you are using a powerup if that powerup has some kind of direct effect on them that they need to know about. These are the powerups in the hider deck:
Veto
The veto powerup can be played in response to any question instead of answering. The seekers are given no answer to their question, and are instead informed that you have used a veto. The question is still considered to have been asked, and therefore can only be asked again for its additional cost. Since you have not answered their question, however, you are given no reward and do not draw any cards from the hider deck. You may play a veto at any time during the response window after a question has been asked.
Randomize
The randomize powerup can be played in response to any question instead of answering. After the seekers have been informed that you have used a randomize powerup, they must choose—at random, using either a random number generator or dice—a different unasked question from the same category (e.g. a 15 km radar might become a 80 km radar.) This question is then automatically asked instead, and you provide an answer as normal. The original question is not considered to have been asked, and can therefore be asked again for its original cost. If the randomize causes a question to be asked that returns a null answer, this is permitted (tough luck, though). You may only play a randomize at any time during the response window after a question has been asked.
Discard 1, draw 2 and Discard 2, draw 3
These powerups can be played at any time and allow you to dispose of some undesirable cards in your hand in exchange for new random draws. For example, if you play ‘Discard 1, draw 2’ you will discard one undesirable card from your hand, and then draw and keep two new ones. Because the ‘Discard 1, draw 2’ card will also leave your hand when you play it, you will end up with the same number of cards you started with. If you do not have enough extra cards to discard, these powerups cannot be played.
Draw 1, expand maximum hand size by 1
This powerup can be played at any time and immediately does two things: firstly, it allows you to draw and keep 1 card from the top of the deck. Secondly, it expands your hand to hold one extra card for the rest of the round, meaning you can keep up to 7 cards at once (or 8 if two of these powerups have been played.)
Duplicate
The duplicate powerup can be played as an exact copy of any other card—curse, powerup, or time bonus—currently in your hand. Once played, the original card will remain in your hand and can still be played later. If a duplicate remains in your hand at the end of the round, it can be used as a copy of any time bonus in your hand, effectively doubling that bonus.
Move
The move powerup, if played at the right moment, can be one of the most powerful cards in the game. When played, you are granted a certain amount of time based on game size to establish a new hiding zone. The rules for finding a new hiding zone apply as usual; you must center yourself on a new transit station, and you can only use valid transit to reach your new location. While you move, your hiding time is paused, and the seekers must stay where they are and refrain from asking questions until the move timer is up. At this point, the game resumes, and your hiding timer continues from where it was at the moment you played the move powerup. It is crucial to do this at the perfect moment, as playing the move comes at a severe cost—you must immediately discard your entire hand and inform the seekers of your original transit station after playing it. Given that the move cannot be played during the end game, this means that you must be confident that the seekers are close to finding you, and that you are better off starting from scratch instead of using the cards you’ve already accumulated over the course of your round. Play it wisely!
Curses
Curse cards are played against the seekers as a means to slow them down, prevent them from asking questions, or just to annoy them. Every curse is unique, and has some kind of one-time effect on the seekers that lasts for a certain duration; much like powerups, once a curse has been used, it is then discarded and removed from your hand.
Curses cannot necessarily be played at any time; each curse has a casting cost that must be met before it can be played. In some cases, these casting costs are resources that must be paid by the hider, such as discarding other cards in your hand. In other cases, these casting costs reference certain conditions of the game, such as requiring that the seekers are at least 15 km away. (You may notice that, on the cards, these casting costs are sometimes different for different game sizes, which will be indicated by game size icons next to each cost.)
You may play multiple curses at once, but there cannot be more than one active curse preventing the seekers from asking questions or taking transit. If a curse is actively preventing the seekers from asking questions or taking transit, you must wait for the curse to be cleared before you can play another curse. In these cases, the seekers must inform you once they have cleared a curse.
For any rules disputes, here are additional notes for each curse in the hider deck:
Curse of the Luxury Car
You must be able to identify the car in question when sending the photo, and the seekers must agree that it is, in fact, the car that you claim that it is. Use the MSRP of the car, factoring in its year of production, and disregarding any add-ons or modifications that may have been paid for. (For example: upgrades to the car’s interior, special tires, custom colors, etc.) The photo sent to the seekers must include enough of the car for it to be identifiable. All of these rules also apply to the car found by the seekers. If you cannot confirm a car’s exact production year or exact model, both sides must come to a consensus on which model and year to use for determining price.
Curse of the Bridge Troll
“Bridge” is defined as any elevated structure, acting as a path, road, or railway, intended to be crossed by pedestrians, cars, or other vehicles. All seekers must have some part of their body under some part of the bridge when the next question is asked. If there are no bridges on the game map, this curse should be removed from the deck.
Curse of the Drained Brain
This curse may be used (and its price paid) during the time interval between a question and its answer, allowing a player to discard their hand before receiving the reward from a given question. You may not, however, ban the question that has just been asked, even if you have not yet answered it. Questions removed from the game using this curse cannot be asked, even for increased cost.
Curse of the Water Weight
Any liquid already traveling with the seekers at the time that this curse is played (e.g. water bottles) does not count. The liquid can be in any number of containers, and can be passed back and forth between seekers at any time. The liquid can be set down when the seekers are stationary or on transit, but it is considered “abandoned” once it is no longer within 3 meters of any seeker. The hider must be informed of their bonus immediately. “Body of water” in this context does not necessarily mean natural, but it cannot be a pool and must be large enough to be marked on the map.
Curse of the Zoologist
“Bug” in this context refers to any insect, arachnid, diplopoda, chilopoda, or anything else that would be colloquially and commonly referred to as a “bug.” “Wild” in this context means undomesticated and not kept in human captivity, including large-scale outdoor instances of captivity, such as farms or sanctuaries. The photo must include enough of the animal that it is recognizable within its category. If there is any dispute as to an animal’s classification, defer to Wikipedia. Animals outside of any of these categories (such as crustaceans) cannot be used for this curse.
Curse of the Egg Partner
The egg can be from any type of animal, but it must be a real egg (a chocolate egg or a plastic egg, for example, would not count.) Any visible fracture, however small, counts as killing the egg. If you do not want to buy items during the course of your game, or object to this curse on ethical grounds, this curse should be removed from the deck. For any other curse that requires all seekers to do something, the egg counts as a seeker. For example, using the Curse of the Lemon Phylactery after this curse has been played would require the egg to have a lemon attached to it.
Curse of the Jammed Door
Seekers must roll two d6 dice. Dice can only be rolled to enter a doorway once the doorway is visible to the seekers. For example, if you are attempting to roll to enter a train, you cannot roll the dice before the train arrives; you must be able to see the train door first. Doorways within a building that lead to other parts of the same building, such as a store within a train station, do not need to pass a dice check. If there is any reasonable dispute as to whether something counts as a separate building, err on the side of doing a dice check. If the curse expires while a doorway is on cooldown, that cooldown also immediately expires.
Curse of the Spotty Memory
The seekers should assign die numbers to each category before their first roll. For small-sized games, which only include five categories of questions, a six would result in a reroll.
Curse of the Bird Guide
The bird must be in frame from the moment the video starts. It is considered “in frame” so long as there is any recognizable portion of the bird on camera. The seekers have unlimited attempts to accomplish this.
Curse of the Unguided Tourist
The human-built structure in question cannot be any part of a road, including curbs or sidewalks. If you are playing in a country or area with highly limited Google Street View coverage (such as Germany), this curse should be removed from the deck.
Curse of the Ransom Note
You cannot begin fulfilling the casting cost of this curse if you would be otherwise unable to play a curse; once the cost is fulfilled, this curse must be cast immediately. The printed material cannot be printed by the seekers; the letters should be gathered from magazines, newspapers, or any other material that the seekers encounter in the wild. “Coherence” in this context does not necessarily mean complete sentences, but the hider should be able to discern the meaning of the question without further clarification. You may use easy-to-understand abbreviations for certain words (such as a “2” instead of “to.”) If the question requires additional context outside of the basic sentence itself, this context does NOT need to be provided in the form of a ransom note. For example, if you are asking a thermometer question, you can simply ask something along the lines of, “Went 10 km. Hotter/colder?” Any information about where you started and ended the thermometer can be provided as normal, in the form of a location pin or text.
Curse of the Mediocre Travel Agent
“Publicly accessible” in this context follows the same rules as “publicly accessible” in the context of hiding spots. The destination does not need to be a single point; it can be a small general area like a park or store. The souvenir can be literally any physical object. It does not need to be with the seekers at all times, but it must be with them at the moment that the hider is caught.
Curse of the Impressionable Consumer
Any object or display whose primary purpose is to raise awareness of a product, service, or business counts as an advertisement. If the advertisement is for a specific service, such as a massage, the seekers must pay for and receive the service advertised. If the advertisement is for a location but not a specific service, such as an amusement park, the seekers must enter that location. Locations that are not private businesses, such as a public park, do not count. If you do not want to be forced to potentially spend money to fulfill this curse, it should be removed from the deck.
Curse of the U-Turn
“Next station,” in this context, refers to the next station that the seekers’ current mode of transit will stop at; if there are stops along the line that their current route will skip, those should be disregarded. If you are not sure whether the seekers are on transit, or whether their route will stop at a particular station, you may ask them for that information. If there is any ambiguity, you should tell them what you believe their next station is when this curse is cast to confirm that you didn’t misread your tracker. Even if the seekers’ current mode of transit would eventually bring them closer to you, this curse may still be played so long as their next station is further; a line that heads in your direction but temporarily curves away is a particularly advantageous situation for this curse.
Curse of the Cairn
You cannot begin fulfilling the casting cost of this curse if you would be otherwise unable to play a curse; once the cost is fulfilled, this curse must be cast immediately. “Found in nature,” in this context, does not necessarily mean found in a natural space or untouched by humans; it simply means that you must find the rocks yourself, and cannot buy them.
Curse of the Distant Cuisine
The restaurants used for this curse must explicitly reference a single country or region within a single country in either their name or some other public-facing material such as a menu. If a restaurant associates itself with multiple countries or a region larger than a single country (such as an “Asian” restaurant), it cannot be used for this curse. Distance from a given country is measured from your exact location to the nearest point in that country.
Curse of the Lemon Phylactery
The lemon must be a real lemon. It can be affixed using any means, but must be constantly touching the seeker’s skin or clothes. Once the lemon falls, the hider should be informed of their bonus immediately. “Cemetery,” in this context, refers to any land specifically designated as a burial ground.
Curse of the Gambler’s Feet
The die rolled for this curse must be a d6. If there are multiple seekers, seekers may choose to roll independently or have one die dictate steps for all seekers at once; either is acceptable. If seekers accidentally take extra steps, they should stop and re-roll the die retroactively until they have made up for the unaccounted steps. Seekers cannot take unaccounted steps on purpose, except in situations where it would be unsafe to not take extra steps (such as crossing a busy road.)
Curse of the Hidden Hangman
The chosen five-letter word must be a real word, found in a dictionary, in the language that the game is being played in. You cannot, for example, use a French word if all players only speak English. If the hider ever fails to respond to a query in 30 seconds, this curse is instantly cleared.
Curse of the Endless Tumble
30 meters is measured parallel to the ground. The die can, and likely should, be rolled on an inclined surface. If the die is lost or does not land cleanly on one side, it cannot be counted. Any bonuses awarded to the hider should be delivered immediately.
Curse of the Right Turn
This curse only applies to street intersections, meaning the intersection between two roads intended for cars (or the pedestrian sidewalks along those roads.) This curse would not have any effect indoors, or in an area where there are no streets.
Curse of the Urban Explorer
Any pending questions that were asked on transit before this curse was played must still be answered. Questions can still be asked outside of transit stations, but seekers cannot be on a platform or in any building associated with the transit station when asking questions.
Curse of the Overflowing Chalice
Matching questions become draw 4, keep 1. Measuring questions become draw 4, keep 1. Thermometer questions become draw 3, keep 1. Photo questions become draw 3, keep 1. Radar questions become draw 2, keep 1. Tentacle questions become draw 5, keep 2.
Curse of the Labyrinth
“Solvable,” in this context, refers to a conventional solution to the maze—you must be able to draw an unbroken line from the start of the maze to the end of the maze. Your time limit begins from the moment you draw your first line; time spent gathering materials does not count. You may discard your maze and start drawing a new maze at any point, but you cannot restart your timer. You may not consult the internet or any other materials when drawing your maze; it must come entirely from your own head.
Customizing Your Deck
We’ve provided you with a default hider deck that should most likely work out of the box without any adjustments. We do, however, encourage you to tinker with the deck and have provided some blank cards to help you customize it if you wish.
The default hider deck includes a set of curse cards that we believe are well-balanced and should be doable in most conditions, but it is entirely possible that there are curses that are not possible or at least not feasible given the scope or area of your game. There are also curses that may require spending small amounts of money—or are otherwise undesirable for the vibe that you are trying to cultivate—that you may want to take out of the deck. If you decide to remove any curses, we’d encourage you to use the blank cards to write some custom curses of your own to replace them. Generally, we recommend that your deck be about 50% time bonus cards, 25% powerup cards, and 25% curses, but these ratios can be adjusted up or down depending on how much agency you want to give the hider.