Journey to the End of the Night is a race through city streets.

You will try to make it to six checkpoints as fast as you can, while avoiding being caught by chasers. Those who are caught will become chasers themselves, rising to pursue their former friends and allies.

This is a footrace–only your own two feet and public transit are permitted. No bicycles, no skates, no cars, no taxis.

When you sign in, you will be given a map (indicating the checkpoints) and two ribbons. The player ribbon you tie on your arm at the beginning – it identifies that you are a player, and it must be clearly visible. Hiding your ribbon is considered cheating. The chaser ribbon you hope to never use.

When the organizers start the event, they will tell you who to look for at the first checkpoint and give the signal to begin. You should immediately start moving to the first checkpoint. Once you reach it, you must find the agent waiting to sign your map. When you do, have them sign; they will then tell you who to look for at the next checkpoint; and so on until you reach the end, where there will be drinks and merriment. Whoever reaches the end first wins.

However, there will also be people who are trying to stop you. These are the chasers. Each chaser wears a chaser ribbon on their arm. If a chaser tags you, you must give them your player ribbon as a trophy; you now put on your chaser ribbon and become a chaser yourself. Your job is to find and tag the other players, preventing them from safely reaching the finish.

There are some areas where you will be safe from chasers. An area around each checkpoint will be safe, an area for you to rest and recover; these areas will be marked on your map. In addition, all transit stations, trains and buses are safe. While in these safe zones, you cannot tag or be tagged.

You must go to the checkpoints in order. If you arrive at a checkpoint after the Agent has left, you may ask a stranger to sign your manifest.

Prizes will be awarded for top finishers, best chaser, and other categories determined by the organizers.

SURVIVAL HINTS

  • Travel light. The less you have weighing you down, the faster you’ll be escaping chasers. Wear comfortable shoes, dress for the weather, bring some water and possibly a camera.
  • Arrive a little early. Organizers will be at the start early, so you can collect a map and plot out your route without time pressure. If you don’t have a plan, you could find yourself running in the wrong direction.
  • When you see a chaser, run. Get around a corner and hide, or try to make it to the nearest safe zone. Always know where the nearest safe zone is.
  • Bring a friend or two. Preferably ones you can outrun.
  • Parts of the journey may be faster on public transit; fill up your transit card before the race begins, and pick up a transit map beforehand.
  • The most direct route between two checkpoints is likely to be the way most patrolled by chasers. Take a longer route to reach the safe zone from another angle.
  • Keep your eyes open. Anyone could be a chaser.
  • Move quickly, but try not to draw suspicion. They’ll be looking for your ribbon (you can’t hide it), but it’s dark and details are often hard to see at a distance. If they start moving towards you, be ready to run.

Where will the route go?

This is classified information and varies from place to place. That said, Journey to the End of the Night aims to give players a fuller appreciation for a city. Organizers create a route to send the pursuit through a variety of neighborhoods with a variety of atmospheres, and volunteers create checkpoints that are strange, fun, and welcoming.

Am I too old and tired to play?

This is an intense game, capable of changing your perspective on an entire city. But while it will test your mettle, Journey is not an exclusive sport by any means – players range from spunky 18-year-old athletes to computer geeks to 50 and 60 year old common citizens. Journey is not a competition of youth and strength, but a game to test yourself against the city. This is liberty through genuinely free, self-conscious, authentic play.