Saturday was Innovasion day. The Biennial had organised an alternative reality game. We were told that the game started online, and I started my research late! I found many online entities, forums, You Tube videos and websites. They already had many friends and followers and I started to worry that I should have started a long time ago! A very subtle, almost subliminal trail of bread crumbs led to a site called Creative Control. A company determined to profit from creativity, with “No borders, not even moral onesâ€. They were asking me to get in touch…but it was already too late at night to get in touch! I wished I had started sooner in the week! This company already had over a hundred followers on Facebook and twitter. I sent some clues to Tessa, who was supposed be on my team, then, just a few minutes later. I got an email telling me I had changed teams. Tessa is an actress…and I started to become very suspicious of her and Julie who had been talking to me about the game on Facebook! I stopped sending the clues out of sheer paranoia!!! I left a few messages here and there fishing for information. I didn’t sleep well…And neither did the Puppet Master based upon his/her nocturnal activity on the web!
I met my team at the phone box Saturday Morning. Our wolf pack was Me, Amy, Alex and Ben. The internet research turned out to be just setting the atmosphere for the day and wasn’t essential to success or much of a spolier! A series of clues led us to the Chinese Arch where we had to recover an abandoned takeaway container from a lion’s mouth from under the eyes of suspicious looking characters in Black and Scarlet Suits. The fortune cookies within revealed a hidden message to escape to the Fact cinema and an anagram. We wandered all around the Fact, and only found a poster telling us to be at the Creative Control Rally 2:30. We sat down and had something to eat and drink. Soon the mysterious men in black soon arrived and started to watch us while we posed as tourists. A little later a hoodie beckoned us to follow him into a darkened room, where we received a box with combination lock and a wad of papers. The clue led us into an exhibit of over 8,700 photographs and we had to find the right numbered one to crack the lock. Which then led us into the Visitors Centre armed with an ISBN number in a room with hundreds of books… The men in black followed us there too, hindering our search for the right book, we found it eventually but our suspicions were confirmed that we had to visit their rally that afternoon. The Men in Scarlet and Black were Creative Control…Now we were following them!
The Rally was very strange, and I couldn’t help but wonder what innocent passers by thought was going on! Creative Control wanted us to sell them our creativity. George, David and Daniel then joined the pack. After the rally we were handed a rebus clue that led us straight to the Tate where an Untitled Performance Group gave a a performance referring to an Island in the shape of a man and a man made boat with an Isle of Mann flag on it. We were very confused…and wondered if it was even part of the game! After a team discussion where we decided we had no idea we interrogated one of the performers who told us to look at our map… Mann Island appeared to be our next destination!
The Open Eye Gallery was deserted… nothing happening there and no clues! So we went on a wild goose chase to the Legs of Mann ferry, mithering and worrying complete strangers. Eventually we went back to the Open Eye where a lone hoodie in scarlet and black was not looking at me. Everybody looks at me! This was very suspicious! I stood next to him and took photos of George. He walked away. I watched. He looked back. Twice. And walked away. We had been spotted. We waited… The hoodie ran up to us and shoved a dictaphone into our hands and told us to listen. And ran away.
The message led us up to the Victoria Monument, where there were hundreds of hoodies looking at us! Concealed within the monument was a carrier bag with our next instruction. Including a blankety blank puzzle. I misinterpreted the clue to mean we were looking for someone with a WARM COAT and had to exchange security passes with them. I looked around, saw someone with a warm scarlet and black coat, got suspicious and asked her to take a photograph of us, and offered to hold her things while she did it. She was very cooperative taking photos while I rifled through her possessions. I didn’t find her security pass. I reluctantly gave her belongings back. She looked confused… I hope I never meet her again!
We finally decided the clue was BLUE COAT and headed to the Ribbon room. Where a grumpy artist called Tyler exchanged security passes, complained that we were late and led us to to Creative Control’s launch party. They were keen to get us drunk with free drinks, but we didn’t sell our creative souls. The game ended when the artists inserted their fake passes into a Large Jade Bi. The Wolf Crew hacked into their satellite link up and a green laser beam scared some aliens away. The fourth wall fell down and we were thanked for playing the game! And we thanked the performers and organisers! What an amazing day!
UPDATE: My photographs from this day were published in LarpZeit Magazine!
