Bruce

I have referred in the past to the "Brandr factor." This is the theory that, no matter how thoroughly you predict and prepare for the ways a Quest team can react to an element in your quest design, someone will do something totally unexpected. When we think we have nearly completed a quest design, Seamas and I will sit back and ask ourselves, "What Would Brandyr Do?"

This year, however, I found myself thinking, "What Would Bruce Do...and How Can I Trip Them Up?"

"Bruce" is a perinneal Quest team, captained by Kat the Strange, that usually does very well in our quests. They don't always win, but they certainly know how to play. (Note to self: perhaps they could be persuaded to guest-design a quest one year and give Seamas and me a much needed rest?) Kat herself has collected more bits of screwball knowledge than I would know what to do with, and the rest of the team is just as bright and just as eclectic. This year, Bruce did not leave the Quest village with the most gold. Bruce did not get the most correct answers on the Librarian's Occupations list. They did OK in those areas, but they excelled because Bruce knew heraldry, knew history and geography, knew kindness and charity to the less fortunate. As Bridget told Seamas, they not only knew the answers to all the Peddler's questions, they knew a song about each one!

Gentle Reader, I had to look up the answers to most of those questions!

So should other teams lose heart from the successes of Bruce? NO! In fact, knowledge of previous quests may be a liability to the team who thinks that because they remember something from a previous quest, they know what is going on in this one. Each Quest is different, and arrogance in a pilgrim is never kindly rewarded. Each of our quests is designed to be winnable by any team that gets into the spirit of Quest and really tries. We are, at heart, a group of people who believe in chivalry, learning, and fun. As the song goes, "...that's what it's all about!"