Hey, go over and check out the List of Stuff to Bring. This is what the Fine Folks at Game Control think your team needs to bring on the day of the game.
That's great. Your Team Captain will likely read and analyze that list and be sure everything's well taken care of. (i.e. he or she will call you the night before to rattle off a list of eight things you yourself need to find and acquire in the next six hours and bring with you, because he/she forgot all about it.)
But that list only covers what the team needs to have access to. A few of you might be wondering what you *personally* should be bringing with you aside from your good looks and sparkling personality. Well, in this article I will attempt to list some things that in the past I have found handy to have when I was playing Get-a-Clue.
There are three very essential items I would recommend that everyone bring:
I would bring a lot of pens and pencils. Odds are good at least one person on your team forgot all about the clue-solving aspect of the game in their mad dash to acquire the largest super-soaker currently manufactured, so they will want to borrow your pen. I would also recommend bringing a pad or notebook to write on, because you only get the one copy of each clue, and it's easier for multiple people to work on it if you can make some quick copies or notes for yourself.
Next, for your personal use, I would bring some first aid supplies. Hopefully someone on your team will bring along a kit, and while that is good for large gaping wounds, it may not have what you need. If you know you get car-sick, pack some Dramamine. You might also want to bring some stuff for allergies or stomach problems that you know you might be susceptible to. Bring along your favorite flavor of headache medicine. And you never know if or when you might need an air-sickness bag...
I would pack some snacks. Heck, *I* would pack a whole lunch. Once again duplicates will come in handy, because in the close confines of your Get-a-Clue vehicle there is no way to hide the fact that you brought along Little Debbie Snack Cakes. So either bring enough to share, or pick something weird enough that no one else will want any. Your team might want to get a cooler and go in together on a whole bunch of sodas and snacks, but I leave that up to individual teams. Even if you do get a bunch of food as a group, it wouldn't hurt to squirrel away a few extra snacks of your own.
In the past, Get-a-Clue has taken some teams quite a long time to finish. I would recommend bringing a tooth brush, or at a bare minimum some breath mints or sugarless gum. In this case (except for the tooth brush) you will likely be more than glad to share. Similarly, you might want to pack some deodorant and a clean t-shirt. The weather has been quite warm recently, and who knows how much running around you will be doing...
There is probably going to be some point in the game when you, as a team, run out of things to talk about. That, or half your team will be asleep and you need something quiet to do until you all get to the next clue site. It might be a good idea to bring along something for this eventuality, like a book or Game Boy.
I would also take along a milk crate and a few plastic grocery bags. These are items not on the list of stuff to bring, but every team should have them. The crate is good for holding the phone books, text books, map books, and various other crap you schlepped along to help you solve the clues. The grocery bags make good catch-alls: for trash, for keeping all of the clue envelopes and help clues together, for groceries, or whatever. (Do not get the clue bag and trash bag mixed up!)
Now, let's go back and look over the List of Stuff to bring. It has things *you* need, and things your *team* needs, so we might as well pick out what you should be responsible for off of this list. Some of this stuff is covered above, but among the stuff not covered yet is:
Copyright 2000
Matthew Blind and
Team Blues: Get-a-Clue 2000 Game Control