Journey to the End of the Night

Summary

Journey to the End of the Night is a race across the city in [x] parts. Players begin together at a starting point, armed with map ("manifest") of about a half-dozen checkpoints scattered across a city. The first player to reach each checkpoint (where volunteers wait to sign manifests), in order, without being caught by a "chaser" is the winner. Players may only travel by foot or by public transportation; site-specific alterations to this rule have been successful (e.g. buses, but no trains). The game begins with a small number of hand-picked "chasers". Players begin the game with two ribbons: a "runner" ribbon, which they wear, and a "chaser" ribbon, which they must keep on their person. The initial chasers wear the chaser ribbon. When a player is caught by a chaser, he must remove his runner ribbon and become a chaser.

Journey to the End of the Night has been run by the game's creators in San Francisco, Manhattan, and Brooklyn, and by a variety of others in London, Minneapolis, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles.

Setup instructions

By far the most important aspect of running Journey to the End of the Night is selecting checkpoints. The game was designed to produce the following in the player: FEAR, LUST, PAIN, SPEED, ALIENATION, LONELINESS, HATE, DESIRE. Checkpoints should aim to take players to strange, wonderful, safe, and unsafe places. So try to select locations in unusual or overlooked areas, particularly magical areas, particularly warm and friendly areas, or particularly unsettling areas. Several iterations of the game have tried to enhance the uniqueness of each checkpoint by staging special experiences at each checkpoints - but remember that these should always enhance or play with the "feeling" of the checkpoint's location, rather than attempt to overshadow it. Players will be eternally grateful if a checkpoint or two provides a drink or snack.

You'll also need a starting point and an endpoint. The game is generally started around 7-8pm, so the endpoint is much trickier: a bar is a lukewarm ending to a heartpounding night in the city, but most public grounds will be (officially) closed by the time most players finish (around 10-midnight). Fires, food, and drinks are especially welcome at the end, as is some official recognition of those players who make it all the way to the end! There will be at least a couple of hours between the fastest player's finish, and the arrival of the last stragglers, so make sure your checkpoint is a great place for players to hang out, catch their breath, and swap near-death experiences.

The routes have tended to be around 10 miles long. Factor in things like hills and availability of public transportation, of course. The fastest player should take somewhere around 90 minutes to run the route; most players will take around 3 hours. Testing your route is a must. Preferably at the same time the game will be run - will that bus be running, will that building be open?

You'll need to define "demilitarized zones" - safe areas - that surround each checkpoint (to try to prevent "babysitting" by chasers). Other DMZs should be specified as appropriate; consider bus shelters, trains, etc. Keep these rules clear and simple: a player's instinct upon seeing a chaser should be running, not appealing to the authorities.