Q: What the heck is/are "intercoastal altercations"?
A: The original Intercoastal
Altercations was an extravaganza (by Hudu and Trazom) held simultaneously in New
York and Berkeley, sometime in the late 1980s. In 2002, at the urging of Hot, several puzzlers revived the concept
.
Q: When exactly does the game
happen?
A: It will take place on Saturday, May 10, from 7-10 PM Eastern
Daylight Time (4-7 PM Pacific).
Q: So how does the game work?
A: The game is similar in structure to a Saturday night
extravaganza at a typical NPL convention. Teams of 3-6 players (no larger,
please!) will get a series of puzzles to solve which will ultimately fit
together in a satisfying (we
hope!) conclusion. The puzzles will be primarily of the pencil-and-paper
variety, but be prepared for some surprises.
Q: Cool. How do I join in
the fun?
A: If there's a gathering planned in your area, you can just
show up there on May 10 and your host will take it from there. Otherwise, you'll
have to host a gathering yourself; even if you can't get a team together in one
place, you can join forces with others online.
Q: Is there a gathering
currently planned in my area?
A: Check the list of sites to find
out.
Q: I want to host a gathering. What do I need?
A: First
of all, please register with Foggy (see below) if you wish to host a gathering of
any size (even a "gathering of one"). Then read the notes for hosts so that you
can have the necessary equipment on hand at game time.
Q: There's no
gathering anywhere near me. Am I stuck?
A: Thanks to the miracle of
technology, you can play too! In particular, if you install AOL Instant
Messenger as directed above, you can communicate with other sites and so form a
"virtual" team. In that case, each physical site should register (see below).
Q: How do I register?
A: Send email to Foggy (using foggy@puzzlers.org
alias) with the following information:
how many people you expect to host
a description of
your computer and Internet setup
a team name, if you have a
preference
an
e-mail address, to allow us to contact you with last-minute information
Q:
I'm busy on the 10th. Will I be able to play later?
A: We'll make all of
the puzzles available after the game ends, so you can play at your
leisure.
Q: Who are you, anyway?
A: Foggy, Ucaoimhu, Vebrile, and
Fuldu.
(This FAQ was shamelessly copied from Kray's excellent FAQ for last year's Intercoastal Altercations, still on-line at www.altercations.net!)