[Palindrome] Our Mystery Hunt team philosophy

[Eric Albert <Eric Albert alumni brown edu>]

Our team has a philosophy.  To remind oldcomers and inform newcomers, 
here it is.  Please feel free to send me any questions and comments.

TEAM PHILOSOPHY

In four words:  We Play For Fun.

In many more words:  The MIT Mystery Hunt is a rare opportunity for a 
group of people to work cooperatively while solving problems that are 
intellectually challenging and (once sleep deprivation kicks in) 
physically taxing.  It is exhilarating to work flat out, with few 
rules and few road maps, in a friendly, supportive environment.  This 
team is dedicated to that pleasure.

This team is not dedicated to winning.

For one thing, this is a completely open team.  This means that 
*everyone* who wants to join us is welcome, even encouraged, to do 
so, with the only condition being that they abide by the team 
philosophy outlined in this message.  "Everyone" means just that: 
spouses, paramours, children, pets, weak solvers, nonsolvers, 
complete strangers, even members of other teams (if their team dissolves).

Team members are strongly encouraged to cooperate and share 
information extensively with each other, Even If This Slows Down 
Solving.  Team members are encouraged to eat well and sleep well, 
Even If This Slows Down Solving.  If there's some particularly fun 
part of the hunt (a walk through a steam tunnel, say), team members 
are expected to let everyone know about it and to WAIT until everyone 
who wants to come along is ready, Even If This Slows Down Solving.  And so on.

Because there are no requirements for joining our team, there is 
always a wide range of solving abilities among members.  Since we 
focus on having a good time, not on winning the hunt, *all* members 
are equally important and valuable to our team, and all are to be 
treated with equal respect.  Team members are expected to be 
friendly, or at least polite, to *everybody* on the team.  Rudeness 
or condescension is completely inappropriate.  If a team member wants 
to know how you're doing on a puzzle, tell them.  If they have 
trouble even understanding what kind of puzzle it is, enlighten 
them.  If they then want to help you solve it, let them.

Now, there are a few exceptions.  If you've spent three hours getting 
your head around a tortuous logic puzzle, you're welcome to say, 
"It's too complicated to easily explain."  If a problem requires 
fiendishly single-minded concentration, you can think it through on 
your own (though you'll probably want to go away to some quiet place 
for this, anyway).  But realistically, if the thought of some 
clueless newbie walking up and horning in on your solving makes your 
skin crawl -- This Is Not The Team For You!

Team members are expected to be friendly to everybody *off* the team, 
too.  Under no circumstances should you do anything that would harm 
another team's enjoyment of the hunt.  In particular, you may not 
hack puzzles so they become unsolvable, and you may not mislead (much 
less lie to) others about anything.  You are allowed (though 
certainly not required) to swap answers with other teams if you think 
it makes sense, but if you do, you must keep your side of the bargain 
in good faith and not cheat.  You are even allowed to give away 
answers if you think it makes sense (for example, to a small team that is stuck and not having fun).

You don't have to be a goody-goody, or a pussycat, or perfect, to 
solve with us.  By its very nature, our team always has a hodgepodge 
of personalities, some mild, some strong, some awkward, some 
smooth.  These differences are often made even more prominent by 
fatigue and stress.  There are bound to be some teammates that you're 
more comfortable with than others.  You are not required to like every person on the team.

But you do have to tolerate everybody.  If someone (or something) is 
bugging you, do not lash out.  Bring Your Complaint To Me.  My 
primary job as captain is to keep morale up, and I take this 
responsibility very seriously.  If you are not having fun -- SEE 
ME.  I will do everything in my power to make things better.

I should make it clear that many members of our team enjoy 
winning.  In fact, the teams I have captained have won far more 
Mystery Hunts than any other team.  On the other hand, we've probably 
lost a few hunts we could have won with a more gung-ho philosophy.

If you've read this far, you can probably guess that I don't 
care.  I've talked with people on (other) winning teams over the 
years.  Most didn't have half the fun that our team did.  One winning 
team a bunch of years ago didn't seem to have had any fun at all.  Imagine if they'd lost!

Our team's approach is not for everybody, of course.  Those who feel 
differently are in luck: many other Mystery Hunt teams are focused on 
winning, and you should be able to find one that can use an 
ultracompetitive solver.  In fact, this would be an excellent time 
for such a solver to unsubscribe from this mailing list and find a more appropriate team.

But this team is a home for people who prefer to focus on the 
friendly, cooperative aspects of group solving.  I hope you'll make 
this team *your* home, both this year and in the years to come.

Happy Hunting!

-- Eric