Jet Lag The Game: Dallas Edition - Standard Ruleset


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Game Day: starts at 9:45 AM - ends at 5:30 PM 
(or an agreed-upon time) [Meet at 9 AM]
Hiding Time & Zone: 45 minutes, ¼ mile
Starting Location: Commissary (Akard Station)


Rules
General Rules
One team (the Hider) uses public transportation to get to a hiding spot. The Seekers must, in good faith, not watch the Hider leave the station.
Exceptions to this rule only apply when the Hider is at a terminating station with only one rail line that terminates/starts service at that respective station. 
North Carrollton
Buckner
DFW Airport Terminal A
DFW Airport Terminal B (technically possible with TXR but included)
Shiloh Road
Westmoreland
UNT Dallas
Downtown Rowlett
Bishop Arts Station
The other teams (the Seekers) work together to find them by asking questions about their location from 6 question categories.
Questions must be answered within 5 minutes by the Hider (photos can be answered in 10 minutes); otherwise, a one-minute penalty will be given for each minute that an answer is not provided, and the hider will not get to draw cards.
See Appendix B for more information and the list of questions.
Exception: If the Hider is seeking guidance from the referee, then a penalty will not be assessed should the referee determine that the answer is invalid, and the answer timer will be reset to allow the Hider to collect a new image
Seekers may not use Google Street View or any equivalent street-level navigation tool to deduce the Hider’s location. Allowed: Satellite, Base, Hybrid, or Transit map layers. 
Allowed: Viewing static image thumbnails from sources like Google or Yelp. 
Not allowed: Clicking into 360° Photospheres, Google Street View, Apple using reverse image search tools like Google Lens.
The Hider may move around their hiding zone but must remain within that zone until found, unless the endgame is occurring. In the endgame, the Hider must remain frozen in place until the endgame ends.
At the end, whoever hid the longest in a single run wins.
Once the Hider is found, another player hides from the found location. The hiding timer starts 15 minutes after the seekers are found to allow the new Hider to plan; if decided by the Hider, they may end the planning time early and start their hiding timer. Hiders may not move during the planning time.
Endgame
Endgame starts when the Seekers enter the Hider’s hiding zone. The Hider does not need to notify the Seekers unless they ask questions that require the Hider to violate movement restrictions, in which case the Hider may answer, “I cannot answer the question.” The question is treated as answered, and the Hider can draw cards. The endgame ends when Seekers leave the hiding zone or the Hider is found.
During Endgame, teams may temporarily split for safety (e.g., bathroom, food) if at least one member remains at the hiding spot and the location is shared with the other hiders; this may not be abused for misdirection.
The Hiders shall have the location of a Seeker at all times, and for all players, this location should also be shared with one neutral third party for safety; this can be the referee, family member, or friend. (Apps like Find My Friends and Google Maps Location Sharing are recommended, but teams may choose what’s most convenient.)

Hider Cards
Each time the hider answers a question, they draw cards from the hider deck, which give them an advantage in the game. Hiders start with a max hand size of 6 cards, but this can be expanded through the use of cards that expand your hand size.
Time bonuses give hiders extra minutes when calculating their final hiding time.
Powerups give hiders additional abilities to change up the game.
See Appendix C for more information and the list of all power ups.
Curses allow hiders to hinder the seekers’ progress for a casting cost. Multiple curses can be active at the same time, though there can only be one active curse that prevents seekers from asking questions or taking transit. 
See Appendix D for more information and the list of all curses.
Custom Rules for Dallas
The hider must hide within 0.25 miles of a DART Light Rail or Dallas Streetcar station.
Convention Center Station is closed and is not a valid station.
Using other DART transit (excluding GoLink), like buses, M-Line Trolley, Silver Line, or TRE (through Centreport), may be used to reach hiding spots, but the final location must abide by the specifications mentioned in rule 1. This means participants can use these transit options to reach their hiding location.
This game shall be considered as size Medium for all other purposes not mentioned here (e.g., for time bonuses, curses, possible questions, etc.).
Custom definitions for question POIs - make sure to check out Appendix A.
If more than 12 people are participating, there shall be at least 2 games, given at least half are experienced with the game. If 18, then 3.
New questions:
(Matching) Is your closest tollway the same as mine?
(Measuring) Compared to my current ZIP code, is your current ZIP code higher or lower?
Removed questions:
(Photo) Tallest Building Visible from Transit Station
(Photo) Train Platform
Additional Gameplay Notes
Heat Safety: Players are encouraged to bring water, sunscreen, hats, snacks, and portable chargers.
Cityplace/Uptown Station & Tunnel: There is no cell service underground; teams should plan accordingly. Because of this, hiders must minimize their time in the underground portion of CityPlace/Uptown station, as they do not have service to answer questions.
Hiding Spots: Must be public, accessible, and free; indoor spots are allowed if within 15 feet of Google Maps path/road (including sidewalks) and visible from that path/road. Outdoor spots must be within just 10 feet of a Google Maps path/road.
If the game participants wish to take a break, they must unanimously agree to a set time to start a Rest Period. Rest Periods will last 30-45 minutes, and will be agreed upon by all parties. During the Rest Period, participants must not be on transit, and the hiding timer pauses. It’s highly recommended to grab food and get water during this period. When the Rest Period concludes, the participants must resume from where they were at when the Rest Period started.
Convention Center Station is not a valid hiding station due to being inaccessible and under construction.
Photo Rules
Photos may be taken anytime during the hiding timer, but must be answered within the 10-minute timeframe when asked.
Overexposed or unrecognizable photos are prohibited; street signs, number addresses, and business names/logos may be obscured or redacted.
In general, photos cannot be cropped, though unless specified otherwise, photos can be taken zoomed.
Tallest Structure/Building Question: Must include two actual sides of the building (left & right) in the photo, not cropped or with misleading angles (zoom is okay as long as the result fits the requirements). The top of building must be within the top ⅓ of the photo. If a picture of both sides is impossible, take an unzoomed picture of the building, making sure to include one side of the building and the top.

Tallest Structure question: Any man-made structure will qualify
Under consideration: Delay before the tallest building question can be asked, or alternate question types.
Special Rules for Split Seekers Game
2 teams would be the seekers, and 1 team would be the hiders. The system can be awarded in points or a timed format - for this game, whoever wins the game is based on the best or lowest seeking time.
Time - The team with the lowest seeking time out of all rounds wins.
Hiders control the deck.
Time bonuses accrued by the hiders will instead add to the seeking time.
Curses and Time Traps will only apply to one seeker team of the hiders’ choosing.
Hiders shall have the locations of both seeker teams; seekers do not have anyone else’s locations.
Rounds end when any seeker team finds the hiders.
Points - 1 point is awarded based on who finds the hider first, the one with the most points at the end of the day is the winner. The hider acts as a neutral party in this game.
Hiders administer the deck—after each question the hiders shall draw card(s) for the other seeker team.
Seekers cast curses on the other seeker team.
Seekers shall have the location of the other team.
Special Rules for a Referee Role
Core Responsibilities
The referee shall have the live location of both the Hiders and Seekers.
Be available to resolve disputes, monitor communication, and issue limited strategy hints when necessary.
Reactive Duties
Actively monitor general gameplay, including:
Seeker questions
Hider answers
Identify and address any suspected violations or ambiguous rule interpretations in real-time.
Preemptive Duties
A Hider may request the referee to review whether a question was answered:
Within the written rules
Within the spirit of the rules
If a Referee determines that the answer is considered valid, then the Seekers may not challenge the answer provided by the Hiders
Challenge
All teams shall have XX number of challenges
Teams may issue a challenge if they believe that a question was not asked or answered in the rules or with the spirit of the rules.
During a challenge
The hiding timer will stop on both sides while the referee makes their decision.
If the referee rules against the Hider
The Hider will be penalized with a 10-minute penalty
If the referee rules in favor of the Hider
The Hider will be awarded a 10 minute time-bonus 
There may be an additional time bonus issued for the time taken for a decision
General Notes
Challenges are intended to resolve genuine disputes, not for gamesmanship or stalling
Abuse of the challenge may result in penalties or the loss of additional challenges
The referee’s decision is final for that question and answer



Appendix A. Category Definitions
Administrative boundaries:
County - matching (same county), measuring (distance from any county border)
City - matching (same city), measuring (distance from any city border)
ZIP code - matching (same ZIP code), measuring (ZIP higher or lower numerical value than mine)
POI definitions:
All POIs must be located in the game area
Airports: Must have an ICAO code (starts with K in the contiguous U.S.)
Bodies of water: Lakes and reservoirs with an area greater than 0.33 km2
Parks: Must have an area greater than 0.33 km2
Museums: Must have a gift shop
Cinemas: Must sell cooked popcorn
Golf courses: Must have at least 9 professional holes (mini golf and driving ranges do not count)
Hospitals: Must be a designated trauma facility by Texas DSHS (list) or a VA Medical Center (not a clinic)
Tollway: An NTTA toll road or International Parkway (Between toll booths)

Appendix B. Question List
Matching (Reward: Draw 3, Pick 1)
These questions are in the form “Is my closest ___ the same as your closest ___?”
Transit
Airport
Transit Line
Station Name Length
Street/Path
Tollway  
Administrative Division
County
City
ZIP Code
Natural
Landmass*
Park (greater than 0.33 km2)
Place of Interest
Amusement Park
Zoo
Aquarium
Golf Course (at least 9 professional holes)
Museum
Cinema
Utilities
Hospital
Library
Foreign Consulate
Measuring (Reward: Draw 3, Pick 1)
These questions are in the form “I am __ miles from a ___. Are you closer or farther than me to the nearest ___?”
Transit
Airport
High Speed Rail Line
Rail Station
Tollway
Borders
International
County
City
ZIP code (higher or lower)
Natural
Sea Level
Body of Water (greater than 0.33 km2)
Coastline
Park (greater than 0.33 km2)
Place of Interest
Amusement Park
Zoo
Aquarium
Golf Course
Museum
Cinema
Utilities
Hospital
Library
Foreign Consulate
Thermometer (Reward: Draw 2, Pick 1)
These questions have a start and an end location and are in the form “I just traveled ___ miles. Am I hotter or colder?”
½, 3, 10
Radar/Radius (Reward: Draw 2, Pick 1)
These questions are in the form “Are you within ___ miles of my location?”
¼, ½, 1, 3, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, Choose
Tentacles (Reward: Draw 4, Pick 2)
These questions are used in the endgame and are in the form “Out of all the ___s within 1 mile of me, which one are you closest to?” The Hider must be within the tentacle range for the question to be valid, or else the Hiders can say they are simply not in range.
Museums 
Libraries
Cinemas
Hospitals
Photo (Reward: Draw 1, Pick 1)
Building Visible from Transit Station
Widest Street
Tree
Tallest Structure
You
The Sky
Trace Nearest Street/Path
2 Buildings
Restaurant Interior
Park
Place of Worship
Grocery Store Aisle
Appendix C. Powerup List
Discard/expand cards allow hiders to discard cards and draw new cards to replace them, according to the numbers on the card. An expand card also increases your hand size.
Duplicate cards allow you to “copy” the ability of another card in your hand when used. (Essentially, it is a free use of a card in your hand.)
Randomize cards let you re-roll a question that seekers ask within the same category of questions. (Out of that category’s question list, seekers choose a random question to change the question to.)
Veto cards allow hiders to avoid answering a question that seekers ask. The question is still treated as asked (so asking it again would mean hiders can draw cards for the question twice), but hiders do not draw cards for the vetoed question.
Move cards allow hiders to change which station they are hiding at, with a custom hide duration. The hiding timer pauses while the move occurs but resumes as soon as the move timer is finished.


Appendix D. Curse List
Curses highlighted in green are included in the next game. Strikethroughed curses are excluded from the next game. Make note of the yellow highlights, as those are custom rulings on curses.
Base Game Curses
Curse of the Unguided Tourist
Seekers must find the location of an unzoomed Google Street View image from a street within 500 feet of where they are now, without using the internet for research, before they can use transportation or ask another question. The image will be sent by the hiders.
Casting cost: Seekers must be outside.
Curse of the Drained Brain
Eliminate three questions in different categories from ever being asked for the rest of your run.
Casting cost: Discard your hand.
Curse of the Cairn
Build a rock tower. Seekers must build a rock tower of equal height before asking another question.
Casting cost: Build a rock tower.
Curse of the Gambler’s Feet
For the next 20/40/60 minutes, seekers must roll a die before they take any steps in any direction. They may take that many steps before rolling again.
Casting cost: Roll a die. If it’s an even number, this curse has no effect.
Curse of the Luxury Car
Take a photo of a car. The seekers must take a photo of a more expensive car before asking another question.
Casting cost: A photo of a car.
Curse of the Jammed Door
For the next FORTY MINUTES, whenever seekers want to pass through a doorway into a building, business, train, or other vehicle, they must first roll 2 dice. If they do not roll a 7 or higher, they cannot enter that space (including through other doorways). Any given doorway can be re-attempted after 10 minutes.
Casting cost: Discard 2 cards.
Curse of the Impressionable Consumer
Seekers must find an advertisement out in the wild and purchase the product the advertisement is for (if it is for a location, seekers must enter and/or gain admission to it). The ad must be found at least 100 feet from the product or location itself.
Casting cost: The seekers’ next question is free.
Curse of Spotty Memory
For the rest of your run, one random category of questions will be disabled at all times. After this curse is played (or after a question is asked), a die is rolled to determine the disabled category until the next question is asked.
Casting cost: Discard a time bonus.
Curse of Water Weight
Seekers must acquire at least 2 liters of liquid per seeker for the rest of your run. They cannot ask another question until they have acquired the liquid. If the liquid is lost or abandoned at any point after obtaining it, the hider is awarded a 30 minute bonus.
Casting cost: The seekers must be within 1000 feet of a body of water.
Curse of the U-Turn
Seekers must disembark their current mode of transportation at the next station (as long as that station is serviced by another form of transit in the next 30 minutes).
Casting cost: Seekers must be heading the wrong way. (Their next station is further from you than they are.)
Curse of the Lemon Phylactery
Seekers must each find a lemon and attach it to the outermost layer of their clothes or skin before asking another question. If, at any point, one of these lemons is no longer touching a seeker, you are awarded an extra 45 minutes. This curse cannot be played during the endgame.
Casting cost: Discard a powerup.
Curse of the Egg Partner
Seekers must acquire an egg before asking another question. This egg is now treated as an official team member of the seekers. If any team members are abandoned or killed (for the egg, defined as any crack) before the end of your run, you are awarded an extra 45 minutes. This curse cannot be played during the endgame.
Casting cost: Discard two cards.
Curse of the Endless Tumble
Seekers must roll a die at least 100 feet and have it land on a 5 or a 6 before asking another question. The die must roll the full distance, unaided, using only the momentum from the initial throw and gravity to travel the 100 feet. If the seekers accidentally hit someone with a die, you are awarded a 20 minute bonus.
Casting cost: Roll a die. If it’s a 5 or a 6, this card has no effect.
Curse of the Overflowing Chalice
For the next three questions, you may draw (not keep) an additional card when drawing from the hider deck.
Casting cost: Discard a card.
Curse of the Right Turn
For the next 20/40/60 minutes, the seekers can only turn right at any street intersection. If they find they cannot continue forward or turn right for another 1000 feet, they may do a full 180.
Casting cost: Discard a card.
Curse of the Bridge Troll
Seekers must ask their next question from under a bridge.
Casting cost: Seekers must be at least 5 miles from you.
Curse of the Mediocre Travel Agent
Choose any publicly-accessible place within ¼ mile of the seekers. They cannot currently be on transit. They must go there and spend at least 5 minutes there before asking another question. They must send you three photos of them enjoying their vacation and obtain an object to bring you as a souvenir. If this souvenir is lost before they can give it to you, you are awarded an extra 45 minutes.
Casting cost: Their vacation destination must be further from you than their current location.
Curse of the Distant Cuisine
Find a restaurant within your zone that explicitly serves food from a specific foreign country. Seekers must visit a restaurant serving food from a country that is an equal or greater distance away before asking another question.
Casting cost: You must be at the restaurant.
Curse of the Hidden Hangman
Before asking another question or boarding another form of transportation, seekers must beat the hider in a game of 5-letter hangman. The seekers get 7 wrong letter guesses before the game ends; after a loss, the seekers cannot challenge the hider for 10 minutes. After 2 total losses, the seekers must wait 10 more minutes before the curse is cleared automatically.
Casting cost: Discard 2 cards.
Curse of the Zoologist
Take a photo of a wild fish, bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian, or bug. The seekers must take a picture of a wild animal in the same category before asking another question.
Casting cost: A photo of an animal.
Curse of the Labyrinth
Spend up to 20 minutes drawing a solvable maze and send a photo of it to the seekers - you may not use the internet to research maze designs. Seekers must solve the maze before asking another question.
Casting cost: Draw a maze.
Curse of the Ransom Note
The next question that the seekers ask must be composed of words and letters cut out of any printed material. The question must be coherent and include at least 5 words.
Casting cost: Spell out “ransom note” as a ransom note (without using this card).
Curse of the Bird Guide
You have one attempt to film a bird for as long as possible in one take, up to 10 minutes. If, at any point, the bird leaves the frame, your timer is stopped. The seekers must then film a bird for at least that amount of time before asking another question.
Casting cost: Film a bird.
Curse of the Urban Explorer
For the rest of your run, seekers cannot ask questions when they are on transit or in a transit station.
Casting cost: Discard 2 cards.
Expansion Curses (incomplete)
Curse of the Post Office
Seekers must successfully mail a letter with their next question in it to your home address before asking another question.
Casting cost: Seekers must be within ½ mi of a USPS post office or drop box that is open for the next hour. Find one near you
Curse of the Clone
Find a stranger in public and note if they have (1) long or short sleeves, (2) long or short pants/skirt, (3) glasses or not, (4) a hat or not, and (5) a bag or not. Seekers must find a stranger with the same qualities before asking another question.
Casting cost: Find a stranger.
Curse of the Freewheeler
The next three questions must be asked while on a moving form of transit.
Casting cost: Seeking must be at least 2/5/50 miles from you.
Curse of the Divine Blessing
For the rest of the round, keep all cards drawn. Hand size limit still applies.
Casting cost: Discard 3 curses
Curse of the Bargain Hunter
Curse of the Pong Champion
Curse of the Seabird
Curse of the Impenetrable Fog
Curse of the Express Route
Curse of the Data Leak
Curse of the Seventh Seal
Curse of the Blind Wanderer
Curse of the Grass-Toucher
Curse of the Rewind
Curse of the Planespotter
Curse of the Oracle
Curse of the Pomologist
Curse of the 5-Minute King
Curse of the Hide-and-seek-ception
Curse of the Quill
Curse of the Chasm
Curse of the Curious Explorer
Curse of the Queue
Gilded Inquiry
Prophet
Untethered Spirit
Mind Meld
Sniper
Shrewd Critic
Tiny Home
Soothsayer
Featherless Flight
Archaeologist
Okaihau Express