Sierra 2000 O-Fest


Vampire-O

Thursday, August 3

Contact: John "The Impaler" Bartholomew, chief vampire

I'm sure some of you are just dying (!) to know what the Vampire-O event at the convention is all about, so here's the scoop. (I've distilled down ideas from four different Vampire-O event directors and participants from around the U.S. Please note these rules are subject to change up until the time of the event.)

The event will have a one-hour Score-O format, 25+ controls in a fairly small area at night with a mass start. (Ideally, we want participants crossing each others' paths fairly often.) You MUST bring your own flashlight or headlamp for this event.

Being a Vampire-O vampire is a "tag, you're it" job - it passes from person to person during the event. At the starting line, roughly one in ten participants is selected as a starting vampire (either by volunteering, random selection, or personal choice of the event director...). These vampires surrender their regular control cards for the event, and are given a specially marked "vampire card", worth zero points, and a small second flashlight with a red light bulb or lens cover. Even if the vampire card is punched at controls during the event, it is still worth zero points at the finish. Vampires start three minutes after the mass start of everyone else.

When a vampire comes within 10 meters of another orienteer and can shine their red flashlight on them, they've "bitten" their victim. The vampire gets to take the victim's control card and gives them the zero-point "vampire" card they're carrying along with the red flashlight. The victim now becomes the vampire. The former vampire gets to run off, restored to life with a new control card.

No immediate "tag backs" are allowed (i.e., the former vampire gets to run away and cannot be followed by or bitten by the new vampire for two minutes), and the vampire must hand over the vampire card and flashlight after attacking a victim (i.e., no running around scaring people without "biting" them!). To simplify matters, the attacking vampire has the final say in any conflicts about whether or not an attack was "valid," "legal," etc. A bit of screaming, wailing and cackling during vampire attacks is generally encouraged.

No vampire attacks are allowed within an area designated as "vampire free" surrounding the start/finish areas. All participants, including vampires, may turn their flashlights off during the event (to avoid detection if a victim, or to allow potential victims to approach if a vampire).

Fun features: These will be a surprise, to be announced at the start of the event, so come and find out! Expect creepy crawlies, special controls, vampire protection devices (which protect you from vampire attacks, but may only be carried for two controls' travel), and maybe even a corpse or two by the end of the evening!

In the end, the scores don't matter. Your score is whatever is on the card you wind up with at the finish, perhaps even a zero-point vampire card. The best reward is being able to swap a few good blood-curdling tales of your adventures in the woods with your friends afterwards!