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Post by silentcryptarc on Mar 11, 2016 14:27:07 GMT -5
This experience was my entrance into the fascinating society. I enjoy it but dindnt find the bread crumbs that seem to permiate all the others. Can anyone point me in the right direction or mention an item i should take a millionth closer look at.
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Post by thegenii on Mar 14, 2016 16:32:18 GMT -5
Did you note the date from which the mailing on clear acetate was sent?
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jr
Adjunct
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Post by jr on May 4, 2016 18:03:21 GMT -5
I am wondering the same thing as Silentcryptarc, has anyone done this experience? My dad and I received the crate yesterday and the (BIG SPOILER) star chart and clear sheet with the experiment results inside, as well as a hidden note from Angela to Bruce about jumping into to the vortex and trying to find him.
The star chart contains a piece of sky we are all probably familiar with although I didn't know the names of all the constellations I have figured most of them out now, except for a few of the smaller ones. It is supposed to be a map. Can anyone see how we move further than that? I am hoping to figure out how to attach pictures of the triptych to this query, or that someone knows what I am talking about. Cn you help? Just one picture seems to be too big.
There is a song, We three kings, typed on one of the letters, but in reference to constellations that seems to be Orions Belt, which from what I can tell isn't depicted on the chart. Not sure where that was leading anyway. I was looking for a clue in the poem because it was an odd thing to see on the letters, it looks to be typed by Angela with the rest of her message and the very last word is typed over by three R's and a letter I can't read. The only other reference to Kings I see is that one of the Constellations appears to be King Cephus of Greek Mythology and possibly Leo? I could be going in the wrong direction with this.
The constellations I have found are Draco, Little Dipper, Ursa Major, Bootes, Hercules, Cephus, Cassiopeia, Cygnus, Pegasus?, Leo, Lacerta, Canes Venatici?, and possibly a reference to Saturn. Also we seem to be looking from the northern hemisphere, but my Astronomy is pretty bad.
None of the other letters or languages on the back seem to tell us much, we translated all but the Chinese, could there be a clue there?
My time to figure this out is going to be shrinking quickly for I'm sure the reveal letter comes soon. If anyone has any insight please jump in here.
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jr
Adjunct
Posts: 10
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Post by jr on May 6, 2016 22:11:37 GMT -5
Did you note the date from which the mailing on clear acetate was sent? thegenii,
My clear acetate says "two years ago". I'm not sure what that means. It talks about finding an artifact in a vault beneath the Smithsonian. Since Bruce found this artifact it must be the meteorite? the radio carbon dating paper is from 2001, so is the clear acetate from 2003?
or are you saying the date of the actual mailing we received? Which was April 27th. I am a little lost as to how that all connects. Did you ever solve the map of the contestations? Is it solvable?
i thought maybe it was braille, some of the stars are dented in, some out, but I think that's a bust.
Not sure where to go from here... |
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Post by Todd on May 7, 2016 5:55:26 GMT -5
As a general rule, MPC experiences are sold as tactile storytelling, and not as puzzles. While the Weeping Book, and apparently the Century Beast, incorporate a puzzle or two into the story, it's not the main point of the experience.
While it's certainly possible that the design elements of the artifact contain secrets, I'm not aware of anyone who has said "it's a puzzle, and I know how to solve it".
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jr
Adjunct
Posts: 10
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Post by jr on May 9, 2016 1:09:32 GMT -5
As a general rule, MPC experiences are sold as tactile storytelling, and not as puzzles. While the Weeping Book, and apparently the Century Beast, incorporate a puzzle or two into the story, it's not the main point of the experience. While it's certainly possible that the design elements of the artifact contain secrets, I'm not aware of anyone who has said "it's a puzzle, and I know how to solve it". Thank you for the insight Todd. I wasn't sure if there was a puzzle, but I would have been remiss if I didn't give it a go. Now to look forward to the next issue of Curios and Conundrums! |
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Post by Serburas on May 15, 2016 0:09:39 GMT -5
This experience was my entrance into the fascinating society. I enjoy it but dindnt find the bread crumbs that seem to permiate all the others. Can anyone point me in the right direction or mention an item i should take a millionth closer look at. As I am about to start this experience myself, I cannot comment for certain the elements contained within. But it is my understanding that certain parts of this experience are similar to an anagram if you get my meaning. |
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Post by kite on Jul 18, 2016 19:29:40 GMT -5
Regarding the crate contents, has anyone else reached any conclusions about their significance? (Major spoilers, obviously; don't look if you haven't received it and pondered it already!)
We were able to recognize all the constellations and find a quite accurate map of how they were laid out in relation to one another. We were left with a few stray dots that didn't make sense: the large disk representing (probably?) sun or moon, another one next to it, and a few stray ones along the bottom (including one near Cassiopeia, which can't represent a star or planet -- there's just nothing there, and it's too far from the ecliptic for a planet. Unless the scale goes really wonky in that area and it's meant to be Capella or something?).
Our best guess was that the large disk might represent a solar eclipse (thereby giving Angela a date to home in on). The sun does indeed pass through that position in late summer. We found a likely eclipse candidate or two using planetarium software and the NASA website, but that still doesn't explain the other stray dots (unless I'm overthinking them, but very few dots aren't connected in constellation lines, so it seems like they're significant somehow).
In any case, it seems like there's nothing to do with that information. There's no way to confirm it, nowhere to go from here. I'd love to know if we're right, but...? I've enjoyed the experience, and the artifact is really lovely, but the pacing and resolution (or lack thereof) have had me confused at times, wondering "Am I supposed to do something/know something at this point? Is more information coming?" |
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Post by thegenii on Jul 18, 2016 20:24:46 GMT -5
There is no more information coming. The star chart means one of two things: 1. Nothing: it's just a decorative object, which leaves the end of the experience kind of flat.
It doesn't have the kick of either "The King in Yellow" or "Risen."
2. The position of the stars gives Angela a date to jump to with the last bit of the meteorite. That would make a lot of sense, but I'm a dumbbell at trying to work something like this out.
The key would be if you could make the star chart match an actual date either in the past or future so she would know where Bruce is and could join him. As for the sheet of acetate, in The Sitting Room someone proposed that it was printed at some specific date in the future. That would make sense since we generally print on paper now, and the acetate printout looks futuristic. |
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Austruck
Assistant
Always remember you're unique ... just like everyone else.
Posts: 56
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Post by Austruck on Aug 19, 2016 17:26:44 GMT -5
I got this for my husband with a family name used that they've just recently discovered. (His grandfather mysteriously changed his name in 1918 and the family has JUST discovered their real name last year, so Tempus Fugit was perfect.)
The first envelope came, and my husband totally fell for it. He called his cousin (who is also into family genealogy, but who I had already solicited to be "in" on the experience), and they talked for an hour. He was genuinely excited that something from his family history had shown up.
I lucked out for about a day, that he never thought to Google the law firm. He was Googling the family name and Angela's name, etc. We had a great time that day... until he finally did Google the law firm and found the Reddit thread.
He wasn't sure what to think then but was convinced he was just being scammed. So when the second package/envelope came, he barely even looked at it. I showed interest as much as I could without being pushy, but I had to go out of town for a week. Came back and he still hadn't touched it. I kept talking about it and showing him the pieces and kept wondering aloud what could be going on. He'd just scowl a little and say he didn't have time to sit down with it just yet (which was mostly true).
Then the BOX came and I was SURE he'd perk up, but he hasn't opened the box yet at all, and I don't really want to open THAT for him. So, the box has been sitting on our dining room table for a MONTH now, untouched. (The second mailings are sitting on top of the box, waiting for him to show interest.)
The reveal envelope showed up this week, and for now I've hidden it in my office. He doesn't know it even arrived. I had hoped to simply slip it into the pile of mail once he opened the box... but I can't get him to find the time to look at any of this anymore at all since he's sure it isn't real.
I'm trying not to be sad and frustrated. I really wish that Reddit thread could be taken down. It completely changed the experience and now I regret spending the money on that one. If anyone has any suggestions on how I might nudge hubby to look at the second mailing and open the crate, let me know. I'm HOPING this weekend (when he finally has a few moments to himself) I can get him to take a gander.
Having looked through the second mailing myself, though, what I think would make it more compelling (for those who are drawn in by the family connection) would be to find a way to incorporate that family name into more than simply that first mailing. That makes this experience seem light on the personalization to me.
My two cents on that.
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Post by Beckett on Aug 19, 2016 18:30:13 GMT -5
The crate did not get his attention? Your husband seems to be a particularly tough nut to crack. Well, at least he did not have it in him to throw it out.
Does his cousin ("officially") know about the other mailings? Maybe he can provide a bit of a fresh perspective on things. Or if your husband did not tell him about it, he could inquiry if anything ever came of that first letter.
With my recipient - a dear friend of mine whom I see rarely these days - I had the opposite issue. She suspected an ARG from the start, but could not for the life of her figure out what to actually do with the items.
If nothing else works, suggesting that the mailings are part of a game could be a last resort. It would cost you some of the mystery, but maybe he would at least consider looking at it...
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Austruck
Assistant
Always remember you're unique ... just like everyone else.
Posts: 56
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Post by Austruck on Aug 19, 2016 18:48:09 GMT -5
Well, the crate is still in the cardboard box it was shipped in, so it just looks like a generic package. I joked when it got here that it probably wasn't a bomb since I couldn't hear it ticking.
And yes, he's a tough one to get engaged in this sort of thing. That's why I was SO pleased that first day that he completely fell for it (because the family name is currently in turmoil anyway). If he hadn't seen that Reddit thread, I fully suspect he'd still be engaged in the mystery.
His cousin, Debbie (a woman), is in on the secret with me. In fact, she keeps the whole family tree up to date on Ancestry, and -- amazingly enough -- that day when we got the first newspaper article with Professor Julius Morlock named in it, she did some sleuthing on Ancestry and actually found a gravestone with Julian Morlock on it. Hubby was completely hooked by that point, and Debbie and I had a great chuckle (on Facebook, privately) that there had coincidentally been a Morlock with a name so similar. It was beautiful.
I think hubby partly feels duped that he fell for this so hard that day and is acting a bit pouty about it by not finding time to look at everything. He's off this whole weekend, though (a rare thing), so maybe I'll just make sure to look again at the second mailing myself and express more curiosity in opening the box.
And yes, I think it's time to get Debbie involved again and have her ask if he received anything else after that first mailing. That might be the way to go. If SHE acted all enthusiastic and urged him to open the other stuff, he'd probably do it.
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Post by Beckett on Aug 19, 2016 19:09:58 GMT -5
Ah, dreadful - when the recipient thinks the Experience is a prank rather than a gift.
Do not fret though. All in all it sounds like you had a good start might might get some more enjoyment out of the Experience yet.
It seems this is the nature of this sort of narrative mystery experience - the people who would most enjoy receiving Mystery Mail are the ones who find out about the Company on their own and order Experiences for other people.
But your husband has not burned the crate or called the police, which according to some members of our Company is not as much of a given as one would think.
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Austruck
Assistant
Always remember you're unique ... just like everyone else.
Posts: 56
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Post by Austruck on Aug 19, 2016 19:16:47 GMT -5
Ha! I know! I found MPC because my son got Tempus Fugit for his wife. I got to see all their mailings and knew immediately that I loved this group. I jumped on the bandwagon a lot more than they did -- the subscriptions, now the membership kit, etc. The sad thing about the MPC is that, if you're counting on the illusion, you can only do this with any given friend or relative once and then they're onto you. Ha!  |
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Post by Beckett on Aug 19, 2016 19:27:53 GMT -5
The sad thing about the MPC is that, if you're counting on the illusion, you can only do this with any given friend or relative once and then they're onto you. Ha! I made a resolution when I found the Company through the kickstarter campaign: That I would use Experiences to introduce friends and family to the Company and purchase the Curios and Subscription for myself. It is perfect! You receive a mysterious artifact and before you know it, you are invited to join a mysterious organisation that does at times remind me of The Legacy from that old Poltergeist TV show. It is like the first chapter of every urban fantasy story out there! Or like the first episode of Torchwood. |
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