Pterodactyl Hunt 2004
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This article is related to the Pterodactyl Hunt. |
Note: This page is a historical record of the decisions and events involved in the 2004 Pterodactyl Hunt. It was not and should not be used in the planning of any Pterodactyl Hunt, except as a reference.
The appropriate venue for those running the Pterodactyl Hunt to plan is the hunt list, hunt (at) swil.org.
The 2004 Hunt took place on October nth. It was run by Jackie Werner, Andrew Brown, and Sarah Hartman as the Hunt Wizards, with considerable assistance from the presidents, Jillian Waldman, Mai Pucik, and Mark Handler, as well as the Hunt Committee and the Hunt List.
| Table of contents |
Monster list
The following previously existent monsters were used in the 2006 hunt:
| Monster | Played by |
|---|---|
| The Black Knight | Dave Stifler |
| The Cat | Lisa Spitalewitz |
| The Fishmonger | Jessica Billings |
| Hobgoblin-King | Chris Segal, with Catherine Barret as Captain |
| Hydra | Ben Newman and Nora Nussbaum |
| Oracle | Jillian Waldman |
| Orc-King | Tom Winner with Greg Robinson as Captain |
| Phoenix | Arthur Chu |
| Pterodactyl(s) | Mark Handler, Nick Ward, Jawaad Hussain |
| Vampire and Shadow | Blairiam |
| Spondees | Michael Noda, Chris White, Megan Nelson |
| The Werewolf | Adam Oleksa |
| The Sphinx | Mai Pucik |
| The Jabberwock | Chris Jager |
| Turtles | Alex Pshenichkin, Eliza Blair, Chris White, Jonathan Schneider |
| Kobolds | Sarah Kelsall, Unknown Mawrtyr, Michael Karcher, Lauren Smith |
Changes to Monsters
Side Quests
Rule Set
Even as I'm posting this, I realize that these rules are wrong - they're the ones we compiled after the 2003 hunt, and have different errors from the set of rules compiled for the 2004 hunt, both of which are different from the rules actually used in the 2004 hunt, and from the changes we wanted to make after the 2004 hunt ~~ JillianWaldman (to MoinMoin)
No intoxicants or people under the influence of intoxicants are allowed on the play area.
All participants are issued a trashbag. Monsters are given black trashbags and hunters are given white ones. The trashbag is worn over the (entire) torso. Any participant struck by an enemy's weapon on the trashbag is dead. A dead hunter loses his sword and all extra equipment (which is collected by the monster, who is not allowed to use it) but not money. A dead monster gives a reward to the hunter and then holds his weapon above his head to signal that he is dead as he walks directly to monster respawn. A blow to the head means instant death to the one striking the blow. The monster is the arbiter of any dispute. If things cannot be decided easily, as a last resort the monster and hunter may together appeal to a wizard.
No more than six hunters may attack a single monster at a time. If a monster is already engaged with a group of six hunters, you must wait until the current battle is finished before approaching. Please note you are still in play and may be attacked and killed during this time. Hunters are encouraged to create formal groups of six, because they can all share a bank account at hunt central, but it is by no means required.
Typically, the reward for killing a monster is money. Money may be used to buy all manner things (the exact items vary from hunt to hunt), including a 'dactyl hunting licence. A group of up to six, all with licences visibly displayed, may attack a pterodactyl (and his entourage). To kill the pterodactyl, both targets must be knocked out of the wings, and then the pterodactyl must be hit on the trashbag. A hit to the trashbag does not count if either of the targets are still in place. A shot from the watergun on the trashbag will kill any hunter. There is no 'dactyl hunting queue (only one group may engage the pterodactyl at a time, and if another group is waiting it is not safe from attack from monsters).
(At the Wizards' discretion: A hunter may request single combat with a monster. In the case of single combat, no one else may attack either of the participants. If single combat is enabled, no one in a 'dactyl hunting party may engage a guard in single combat. Accepting is always up to the monsters' discretion. Guards are encouraged to refuse but may accept if their 'dactyls are currently not under attack; special monsters are likewise encouraged to refuse, for the sake of fairness.)
At the beginning of the hunt, a hunter is given a sword. When the hunter dies and loses his sword he must return to Hunt Central to get a new one. Also at Hunt Central is the bank and the store, and snacks provided by SAC. Hunters are not allowed to fight without a sword because a swordless hunter is, by definition, dead. A hunter may only have one sword; if a hunter buys a new sword upgrade he must relinquish his old sword.
When the dactyl is killed it relinquishes its heart to the player who killed it. The player must then make his way back to Hunt Central with the heart. If the player dies on the way the heart goes back to the dactyl (this has always been in the rules but has never come up). At Hunt Central, the player shows the heart to the banker, gives his name and the names of the other members of his party. They should be told to return after the Hunt to receive their prize (pizza certificate). The death of the dactyls does not end the hunt.
Anecdotes and Gameplay
Orientation
We used the same basic model for Hunter Orientation that we'd been using for the past few years -- essentially, breaking hunters up into small groups, each with an experienced orienter.
- Players gather at the designated meeting time in Kohlberg courtyard.
- Groups of 10 are taken by a monster to one of the upstairs classrooms where they are oriented. A few monsters in the hallways will keep hunters from sneaking in. The dactyl will be waiting in the hallway to demonstrate how it is killed.
- Following orientation, the hunters were taken to Kohlberg coffee bar where they are equipped. Again, just a few monsters are necessary for crowd control. Informative and/or flavorful signs were hung around the coffee bar.
- Once all the hunters were oriented, the players were herded into the archway, where they were held until the hunt starts. We tried to use Mark's trumpet to signal the start of the Hunt, although it wasn't loud enough for monsters to hear it. Then the hunters let out a yell and charged into the North Quad to the waiting monsters.
Layout
- Campus map (http://www.swarthmore.edu/visitordash/map_campus.html)
- Playing field: primarily the field between Kohlberg and the Science Center, although Trotter field was technically fair game as well (but didn't really get used)
- Hunt Central: Kohlberg arch
- Orientation: Kohlberg Coffee Bar
- Monster Central: Martin/Cornell nook (I think there were two other points - Trotter front door and the far end of the Rose Garden, but I don't know that they got used)
- Spondee nest: in the depression by the Science Center sign (they started there; didn't end up using the nest for much else)
- Oracle and Black Knight: Oracle and Black Knight in the Piazza Matematica at the north end of the field
Economy
At this point it's not really clear why we did this, but in 2004, we changed the Hunt economy dramatically, possibly in part because we still hadn't gotten around to / couldn't find in stores more poker chips. This was known as the "New Economic Plan", and failed dramatically.
We renamed the poker chips to sound cooler: white=argent, blue=azure, red=gules. We also implemented a very strange exchange policy - higher chips could be exchanged at Hunt Central for lower chips (change), but you couldn't put together a bunch of lower chips to make higher chips. I don't know if the squires actually used this policy, or if it quickly turned out not to work.
Prices (struckout prices were reduced during the Hunt):
| * | Argent | Gules | Azure |
| Longsword | | - | - |
| Silver Dagger | 10 | 8 | - |
| Hunt license | 10 | 10 | 5 |
| Shield | 10 | 2 | - |
| Spondee Bait (one use) | 5 | | - |
We also did weird things with the amount of gold each monster handed out. We divided monsters into basic, medium, and hard. Basic monsters (Orcs, Hobgoblins) handed out one Argent. Medium monsters (Jabberwock, Race Kings, who else?) gave out one Gules. Tricky monsters (Werewolf, Spondees, who else?) gave out one Azure. (The Hydra got to pick whether it gave out 2 Gules or 1 Azure). This meant we eliminated the "honor mechanic", where monsters get to hand out different amounts of money for a coward's blow to the back, a face-to-face kill, and a really awesome face-to-face kill. At debriefing, we decided we needed to reinstate the honor mechanic.
External Links
- Gazette article about Hunt preparations (http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/daily/archive/fall_2004/20041001.html)
- Notes from post-hunt debriefing session (http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/06/jgoldie/swil/debrief2004.txt)
History of the Pterodactyl Hunt
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Topics | Equipment | Economy | Victors | Characters | Quests | Organizing | |
| Years | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 2006 | 2007 |
