About

What exactly is going on here?

This is the Game.

More specifically, the Famine Game is a city-wide, weekend-long puzzle hunt where teams travel to various locations in the metropolitan DC area, solving clues and completing challenges along the way.

When is it?

The 75th Famine Game will run during the weekend of September 27-29. There will be a Friday night event, after which tributes will get a chance to sleep. The main game kicks off Saturday morning and will run non-stop until some time on Sunday afternoon.

All night long? So do we get to sleep on Saturday night/Sunday morning?

As you may know from watching past Famine Games, it's hard to sleep in the arena (and often dangerous... remember the year Bollox slept and was eaten by a kangaroo muttation?). Thus, many tributes in the past have opted to forgo resting their eyes. However, more resourceful tributes have managed to take naps atop a tree or inside a mud hole and lived to tell about it.

Where is it?

The event will take place in The Capitol (which was quite a long time ago called Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland).

How much will it cost?

The cost to participate in the Famine Game is $200 per person.  Payments will be handled after the teams have been selected. 

Will the cost include hotels?

Currently we don’t intend to provide hotel accommodations. We do plan, however, on reserving a block of rooms for all our tributes.

What size team should I form?

Tribute teams to the Famine Game should consist of 4-6 players. We strongly want to discourage teams from applying with fewer than 4 tributes. If you absolutely must have more than 6, we can discuss the possibilities. In general, though, we’d prefer to limit teams to 6 tributes.

What will I need to bring?

For transportation, teams will need to provide their own vehicle. For comfort, we suggest something at least the size of a minivan. As far as equipment, we suggest solving aids such as clipboards, pencils, paper, tape, scissors, etc. We will provide more specific info on what to bring closer to the actual Game.

How do I apply?

Applications for The Famine Game are now closed.

How many teams will be participating?

As is tradition with every Famine Game, we hope to have 24 teams in this year’s event.

Will there be food?

There will be a glorious feast on Friday night. After that, tributes are expected to fend for themselves.

Is there a prize?

Tributes compete simply for the glory and honor that it will bring them and their District. Surviving the Famine Game is enough of a prize, don’t you think?

Will this game be different than other recent Games?

While the actual specifications and construction of this year’s arena are top secret, we can let you know that for veterans of the Game, there will be many familiar elements and structures. However, arenas are also known to be full of surprises, so expect a twist or two, as well.  And of course, there will be plenty of puzzles.

What exactly do you mean by “puzzles”?

In the Famine Game, tributes will attempt to solve puzzles that don’t offer explicit instructions on what to do. Part of the fun and challenge is to try to figure out exactly how to proceed. Many often use codes such as Braille, Morse, semaphore, etc. In general, “solving a puzzle” means figuring out the hidden answer or phrase buried in the data. Doing so will direct you to the next location, and so on.

So, I’m aware of how the Famine Game works, will teams be eliminated from the event?

Not at all. While the prospect of a “Survivor-style event” seems intriguing, that’d be a pretty crappy experience to be eliminated just because you thought an acrostic was a sudoku. Rest assured, every team will have the opportunity to finish the event.

Is this Game competitive?

Have you watched any of the previous Famine Games!? :)

While we do plan on scoring teams and having a winner, we want to make it clear that the primary goal of the Famine Game is for all tributes to have a great time. We feel that can be accomplished regardless of how one performs relative to their peers.

What if I’m not available on the weekend of the event? Or what if I’m not chosen to play?

By law of the nation of Pangram, all citizens are required to be available during the Famine Game. If however, you wish to defy the President and not attend, then there are still ways that you can possibly help. We will be running a beta run-through of the Game sometime in late August or early September. If you’d like to participate in that, please contact us.

ERMAHGERD! I’ve memorized the entire lore and history of the Famine Game! Will that help me win?!?

Ah, you must be talking about the recent historical trilogy as well as the cinematic documentary! While specific knowledge of the Famine Game’s history is not a requirement, we strongly recommend that you and fellow tributes familiarize yourselves with these documents, as it will greatly enhance your enjoyment of this year’s Game.

How can I get updates?

Sign up for our mailing list. You can also follow us on our Twitter or Facebook accounts.

Is anything on this website a puzzle?

The Application includes two puzzles hidden somewhere on this website.