DASH3

I'm one of the staff members for the upcoming DASH3. For those who don't know, it's a puzzling event that takes place simultaneously across a number of cities.

This past weekend, we ran through a test of DASH3 with 4 teams. We essentially ran the full event with a skeleton crew, taking notes of solve times, routing information, and general puzzle feedback. I can't say much in the way of specifics -- I don't want to give anything away for those who will be participating in the main event on April 30th.

What I didn't know was that this was also a test of how I'd hold up in running a DASH. I've helped run other puzzle events before (like the Microsoft Intern Game) but this was a slightly different beast.

In short, here's what I've learned:

• Bring a hat. It will probably be cold, and you will want a hat.
• Be ready to get wet. It was dry for most of the day, but it was definitely pretty constantly raining outside.
• Theo Chocolate is delicious. But I knew that already.

Thankfully, I think I survived the weekend without getting sick. Fingers crossed.