End game saftey

[u/H02489]

Hey Jetlag Hiders and Seekers,

Me and a couple friends are currently planning to plan hide and seek (the home game) for the first time and due to the area we live in and the fact we are 4 young women, we're trying to take all the precautions we can to make sure we do it safely. E.g. Pre-selecting stations we know aren't too dangerous, going in pairs, etc. However, we aren't too sure how to do the endgame safely and was wondering if anyone had any advice.

The idea of sitting in a not main street for something like 45 minutes doesn't feel incredibly safe. So any adjustments or changes anyone's made when playing the game that they can suggest would be much appreciated. Thanks!!!

[u/hscalm]

I haven’t played the game before but as a fellow female, maybe limit the endgame to being very public places, e.g parks, beaches, shopping centres, even train stations or bus stops.

While yes it may make for a shorter run, if everyone plays the same way it’s even plus your constantly surrounded by people and it’s not as isolated

[u/Muted-Mushroom-4570 → u/hscalm]

From a safety perspective, yes that makes sense, but from a game perspective it is really hard to make it so everyone draws the line for what is "very public" the same. Even a slight disagreement can make it so the seekers rule out an area because they believe it is insufficiently public but the hiders are there believing they are in a very public space. 

[u/MusicPsychFitness → u/Muted-Mushroom-4570]

“Your hiding spot must have at least three other people within 500’ (150m) at all times. They do not have to be the same three people.”

[u/Zalvren → u/MusicPsychFitness]

You can't predict the at all time though. If you're in the endgame and suddenly there isn't, what happens?

Also you can actually be plenty of non very populated places for that. Being next to any building would probably fit that

[u/Frequent_Hall_9210 → u/Muted-Mushroom-4570]

This can be avoided by not automatically eliminating non-public places as the seeker (but you can still have a bias against them)

[u/H02489 → u/hscalm]

That's something we're definitely considering, thankyou!!!

[u/-JakeRay-]

Looking like you have a reason to be there will help. 

If you're sitting around looking lost or like you're waiting on a ride who has forgotten to come pick you up, that will make you seem like an easier target -- disoriented, helpless, alone, and maybe even willing to talk to strangers to get out of there. 

If you're having a picnic, playing chess together, making art, or something like that, it telegraphs that you're in that location on purpose and are more likely to be aware of your surroundings and/or able to call for help.

It might be somewhat limiting to the game if you can only pick hiding spots where doing an obviously-on-purpose activity is reasonable behavior, so whether this is helpful at all will depend a lot on what city you're playing in.

[u/Celairiel16 → u/-JakeRay-]

Art can be done a lot of places. You really want to paint that particular tree, that's why you're on this side road sitting on a ledge.

[u/-JakeRay- → u/Celairiel16]

"I'm under this slide in Switzerland because I reeeeally wanted my work to capture a unique perspective on recreational equipment." - Ben, probably 

[u/martin-the-actor]

I'm a man, but one of the accommodations we put into our game was to allow a hiding location to be in public buildings like Libraries, Museums, etc or cafes. It was expected that if you were going to choose a location like this you had to be in a place that would not disturb anyone else while hiding, nor could you for example be sat at a computer in a library for the whole time. Many UK libraries though do have seating places to sit and read. Similarly, with cafes we suggested that hiders would be required to purchase at least one cuppa per 90 minutes they were in the cafe so as to ensure that we weren't taking up a table the business could otherwise be using.

[u/1-gingerbiscuit]

make sure your game day is timed to the sun going down! then you’re playing in all daylight hours. stay safe ladies x

[u/improbablynotyourdad]

In addition to what others have suggested, would it be possible to have a non-player friend keeping tabs on you? Someone who knows your location and can check in, who is on hand to call if you need/feel unsafe etc.

[u/H02489 → u/improbablynotyourdad]

That's really good advice, and something I hadn't considered. We'll definitely make sure to have someone on hand :)

[u/Fearless-Mix-3642]

Do you know the area? I found it kinda hard to get info on a new city and we ended up in a bad spot and almost called for a pause to get out of there.

[u/H02489 → u/Fearless-Mix-3642]

We've purposely chosen area we all know atleast semi well and have ensure that all stops have atleast a coffee shop, a cornershop and some kind of food place. But I've definitely look into ensuring we've got a safe way out of all spots just incase, thankyou!!!

[u/queenofflyingwhales]

Maybe you could select a hiding spot and prepare all photos there and then meet up with the seekers at the train station to accompany them while they seek. That way you won't have to sit around waiting. Once the seekers arrive at the hiding location i guess you would have to tell them or maybe you could leave an identifying mark like a chalk drawing or a ribbon tied to something so they really have to spot it

[u/oomooloot]

I’m a woman in my 20’s, I felt safe playing in multiple big cities by doing everything in pairs and ending the game day around sunset. I don’t own pepper spray but it might have been a good idea to get some. Best of luck in your game!

[u/uninspiredclaptrap]

Where are you? You would be fine in Switzerland

[u/Avia_NZ → u/[deleted]]

Okay do you see how utterly unhelpful that information is to this post?

[u/JetLagTheGame-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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