A Q M E Y F F D I E O E R I C'S E I D D L S Q Z A I E H F T L D P U Z Z L E X D L D A W M S G X I D K J R S A E E E I P L D T K X D C F V E O I Y Q A Z D R Y C L D M F R K C J S L P E W S F P M M I V |
At 1:00 (sooner if everything gets organized quickly) the booklets will be opened to reveal many puzzles ripe for solving. The contest will last four hours. The teams will attempt to complete as many of the puzzles as possible (each puzzle will be worth a number of points depending upon its difficulty, format, et cetera).
At 5:00 all of the Puzzle Booklets will be handed in to me and I will score them. The team with the highest total points will be declared the winners, get cool prizes, and gain the admiration of all the runners-up.
After the Team Contest there will also be a few puzzles that everyone can try individually (more simple prizes awarded here, too).
By around 6:00 pizza will arrive for everyone who is still hanging around.
After all that, everyone is welcome to hang out longer. With a little coaxing there could easily be Poker, Scrabble, or board games played late into the night. And, of course, I always have a few LEGO bricks lying about that people can play with.
Well, I don't want to say what they are exactly, but I have created a variety of conundrums; I hope everyone will find several that are interesting, thought provoking, and, of course, fun to solve. Don't worry, there will not be any straightforward 'math problems' or such (I'm saving my 'Calculus Party' for 2005). Without a doubt many of the puzzles will be themed around things that have always interested me. Such things include:
Date: 2 October 2004 (Saturday)
Time: 12:00, arrivals and set up (please try to be prompt)
1:00, begin the Team Contest
5:00, end Team Contest, Individual contests begin
6:00 or so, Pizza for everyone (woohoo!).
Place: My House. I have some room in my driveway, but you may want to park on Dumas Drive next to the park across the street.
While I will provide basic snacks (chips, dips, et cetera) and (non-alcoholic) beverages for all (plus the pizza in the evening), you are encouraged to bring your own lunch and any other drinks or snacks you may want.
If you can participate, please do your best to stay for the entire duration of the Team Challenge (a team will be at a serious disadvantage if some of its members have to depart early). Everyone is also encouraged to stay later for the other festivities as the gathering will slowly devolve into a more traditional party.
If you are reading this page then you either received an invitation email from me directly or were pointed here by a friend who got an invitation. If you will attend the Puzzle Party, please let me know by email or other means as soon as possible. I'm hoping between 20 and 30 people show up, and my preparations for some of the puzzles require a fairly accurate head count, so the sooner I know, the better. If you have a friend or two (or significant other) you think would enjoy coming to the Puzzle Party, have them contact me; I'll gladly invite them as long as the number of attendees does not get ridiculous.
Furthermore, if you received an invitation email from me but know that you cannot attend, please RSVP with regrets as well.
If you have any questions, you know how to reach me.
Hope to see you on the first Saturday in October!
(And if no one shows up, it'll be another five and a half years before I invite anyone over [grin].)
- Eric Harshbarger