Jet Lag The Game: Hide and Seek

If you don't have the printed version of the game, we recommend each player use the following web tools:

• This rules page for resolving disputes
• Online map (seekers: to ask questions; hider: to answer them)
• Online hider deck (for the hider only)
• Any service that lets you share your live location—for example, Apple Find My, Google Maps, or Telegram group location sharing.

Also bring 4 dice (2 for the hider, 2 for the seekers). Optionally, you can print a map of your chosen game area.

We recommend playing with no more than 4 people. If you have more, group them into teams that act as a single player.

Teams are also recommended for younger players or if a hider would feel unsafe being alone for a long time.

By default, the number of rounds equals the number of players: each player should be the hider once. If you want to play longer, you can add extra rounds—in that case, each player's best round counts, not the sum.

Some rules depend on the chosen game size—for example, card values and available questions. Game size options:

• Small (S) — a single town or part of a large city.
  Duration: 4-8 hours.
  Examples: Lower Manhattan, a small city
• Medium (M) — a major city or metro area.
  Duration: about a day.
  Examples: Hong Kong, New York City, Greater London
• Large (L) — a region, country, or several countries.
  Duration: 2-4 days.
  Examples: Switzerland, Japan, New England

The local transit system is the backbone of the game. While experimental formats allow for cars or walking, we strongly recommend using public transit. Any type is fine—metro, trains, trams, buses, ferries, etc.—just agree on which are in play.

The center of the hider's zone must always be a station in the chosen transit system, so make sure there are enough stations for a balanced game. If your city only has a few dozen metro stations, consider including bus stops.

Recommended number of stations for each game size:

• Small (S) — 30–100 stations, 10–100 sq. miles
• Medium (M) — 100–500 stations, 100–1,000 sq. miles
• Large (L) — 500+ stations, 1,000+ sq. miles

Set clear, agreed-upon boundaries for the game area. You decide if your game covers a neighborhood or a continent—just make sure all players use the same borders.

Also, make sure all players feel safe in all parts of the map. Discuss safety in advance, and exclude any areas where someone would feel uncomfortable.

If your game will last multiple days, set rest periods at the end of each day. We recommend at least 10 hours so everyone can rest properly. All players should return to the same locations they were at when the rest period began.

Choosing the right hiding zone is the most important decision of your round. There's rarely a single right answer. Out-of-the-way locations can be harder to identify, but once seekers narrow it down, few nearby stations make it easier for them. Dense areas offer complexity but make it easier for seekers to move around.

While in your zone, you can do anything—shop, eat, walk in the park—but don't get too distracted. Many Photo questions require you to reach a spot in the zone quickly. You can take these photos in advance to save time. Also, spend some time finding your final hiding spot.

The hider must make a reasonable effort to answer within the time limit. If they fail, their hiding timer pauses until they answer, and they do not draw cards for that question.

Once a question is asked, it cannot be asked again—unless seekers are willing to pay its cost twice. For example, if a question normally lets the hider draw 3 cards and keep 1, asking it again means the hider draws 3 and keeps 1, then draws 3 and keeps 1 again (not 6 and keep 2). Third time: pay the cost three times, and so on.

You'll need a maps app on your phone or device. The game was designed with Google Maps in mind. Note: the online map for this game uses OpenStreetMap data, so some places may differ from Google Maps. Apple Maps is better for rail visualization and sometimes has more accurate train schedules.

Many questions reference categories like parks, zoos, hospitals, museums, etc. These were chosen because they have special icons in Google Maps and Apple Maps. Amusement parks have a ferris wheel, libraries a book, etc. You can usually find all places in a category by searching and looking for these icons. Sometimes, though, there are categorization errors—a parking lot might be listed as an amusement park. Here's our rule:

• Google Maps: Any place with 5+ reviews is legitimate unless all players agree otherwise. Fewer than 5 reviews: illegitimate unless all agree otherwise.
• Other map apps: Any place is legitimate unless all players agree otherwise.

It's very important that the hider and seekers use the same maps app when searching categories. Otherwise, you'll get different results and confusion.

Time bonus cards have different values and count toward the hider's final hiding time. They cannot be "played"—only discarded. Time bonuses are added to the hider's time only if they are in hand at the end of the round; discarding one means you lose that bonus. Try to keep as many as possible at the end of the round. Time bonuses scale by game size—make sure you use the right value!

There are several types of powerups. They can be played at any time for a one-time advantage. Once played, discard them. Only inform seekers if the powerup directly affects them. Types include:

• Veto: Play in response to a question instead of answering. Seekers get no answer and are told you used a veto. The question is still considered asked (can only be asked again for extra cost), but you do not draw cards. Play any time during the response window.
• Randomize: Play in response to a question instead of answering. Seekers must randomly choose a different unasked question from the same category (e.g., a 10 mile radar might become a 50 mile radar). That question is then asked instead, and you answer as normal. The original question is not considered asked. If the randomize causes a null answer, that's allowed. Play any time during the response window.
• Discard 1, draw 2 and Discard 2, draw 3: Play any time. Discard unwanted cards to draw new ones. If you don't have enough cards to discard, you can't play these.
• Draw 1, expand hand size by 1: Play any time. Draw 1 card and increase your hand size by 1 for the rest of the round (up to 7, or 8 if played twice).
• Duplicate: Play as a copy of any other card in your hand. The original remains. If a duplicate is in hand at the end of the round, it can copy any time bonus, doubling that bonus.
• Move: Play to get time (by game size) to establish a new hiding zone. You must center on a new transit station, using only valid transit. While moving, your hiding timer pauses, and seekers must stay put and not ask questions. When time is up, resume play and your timer. After playing, immediately discard your entire hand and tell seekers your original station. Move cannot be played during the end game. Use wisely!

Curse cards are played against seekers to slow them down, prevent questions, or just annoy them. Each curse is unique and has a one-time effect. Once played, discard it.

Curses can't always be played at any time; each has a casting cost. Sometimes this is a resource (discarding cards), sometimes a game condition (e.g., seekers must be at least 10 miles away). Some costs vary by game size.

You can play multiple curses at once, but never more than one curse that blocks questions or transit at a time. Wait for a blocking curse to expire before playing another. Seekers must inform you when a curse is cleared.

For details on each curse, see the curses page.

Your hiding spot can be anywhere in your zone, but must be publicly accessible at all game times (except rest periods). You can't hide in a bathroom stall or someone's home. The spot doesn't have to be public property—just accessible. Make sure you won't be kicked out or draw suspicion. We recommend avoiding stores or businesses, even if open during the game.

Your spot must be within 10 feet of a marked path or road on your map app—no wandering into the wilderness or swimming out to sea. Seekers should be able to follow a route to within 10 feet of you.

Your spot is fixed the moment the end game begins. If you're not where you planned, wherever you are becomes your spot. If not publicly accessible, move to the nearest accessible spot immediately.

Spend time scouting your zone for the best spot. A good choice can buy you an extra hour or more, even after seekers find your station.

• Always pack enough food and water for at least one full day of gameplay. As the hider, you may find yourself without access to food or water for hours. Use rest periods to restock.
• Consider weather in all parts of the game map for all days you'll be playing. Pay special attention to mountains or areas prone to storms—you don't want to play soaking wet.
• We highly recommend all players carry a portable battery to charge phones. You'll use your phone often for research and communication, and it may not last a full day.
• When choosing a hiding zone, make sure there's a bathroom you can access somewhere in the zone. Small stations and bus stops may not have bathrooms, so look for restaurants or stores that do.
• If your game lasts more than a day (and you're far from home), check for hotels in your zone. You can leave your zone during rest periods to find a place to stay, but it's not recommended—rest is important!
• You can pause the game if needed. Don't abuse this or use it for strategic advantage, but safety and comfort come first. When paused, all timers stop. When resumed, all players must be in the same spot as when paused.
• As mentioned earlier, make sure your map only includes areas where all players feel safe. Discuss safety before playing and exclude any uncomfortable areas.
• For safety, it's a good idea for the hider and seekers to share their locations with a third party not playing the game. If something unexpected happens—weather or health emergency—it's good for someone else to know where you are.

If your town doesn't have enough public transit for even a small game, you can adapt the rules for cars or walking. In this case, you'll need to make a few changes:

• Preparation: Without a transit system, just set map borders. Draw them carefully, as it's easier to get confused about valid hiding spots.
• Hiding Zones: Still circles of varying radius. Instead of a transit station, use a street terminus (where a street ends at an intersection or dead end) as the center. This replaces the station for all purposes—photos, questions, etc.
• Questions: Most work as usual. Ignore any that reference transit frequency. Questions about the hider's station now refer to the street name.
• Curses: Any curse that can't be played while seekers are on transit also can't be played while they're in a moving car. Curses that block "transportation" or "transit" also block cars.

The authors liked the idea of two teams of seekers racing to find the same hider. For the show, this was too complex, but you might be able to make it work.

In this version, winners are determined by seeking time, not hiding time. This can be done by points or by lowest seeking time.

• Points: Each round is worth one point. The team with the fastest seeking time gets the point. The hider is neutral—one team gets the point no matter what. The hider does not control the hider deck, but administers card draws for both teams. Teams can track and cast curses on each other, and time bonuses subtract from seeking time. Veto and randomize are removed from the deck. After each round, roles rotate, and one team becomes the hider for the next round.
• Lowest seeking time: The fastest time to find the hider in any round. Here, the hider does want to choose a hard spot and slow both teams, as they compete against their own hiding run. They control the hider deck and can cast curses on either team. Teams don't interact—no trackers, no way to slow each other. It's just a race.

Most mechanics remain unchanged. Map setup and hiding zone rules are the same. If seekers control the hider deck, some curses must be removed or modified—especially those with costs based on distance to the hider. If you try this, we recommend writing some custom curses or powerups for seekers.

Should you do this? No. Will it work? Probably not. Will someone try anyway? Almost certainly! Here are some thoughts on how Hide and Seek could work globally.

You probably can't list all included transit networks, so set general criteria for valid stations (e.g., "commercial airports with 100,000+ passengers/year" and "non-metro train stations").

The time scale for large games won't work here. Use a new global scale: hiding rounds last 24 hours. Time bonuses, penalties, and limits are 5x large game values.

Most curses would need to be removed or replaced. Curses that slow seekers by distracting them (like the Cairn) are useless at this scale. You'll want new curses for the time and money involved—maybe a curse that sends seekers scuba diving for a shell, or forces them to climb a mountain or camp on an island.

You'll also need more questions in every category: add hemisphere, continent, and country to matching; equator and national capital to measuring; much larger radars; more thermometers; maybe a whole new tentacle category. All sorts of things.

There's almost no way this game could be properly balanced. Don't do it. Spend your money on something sensible. Put it in a mutual fund or something. Please don't do this. (But if you do, let us know. We're a little curious what happens.)