Notbatman, Dawn, and I got to the starting point at the east side of the Stone Arch Bridge for our first MN Zero event. There we met up with fellow players, Runners and Chasers. I was surprised but happy to see two familiar faces in the ranks of Chasers; Liz and Jane. We set about putting on the blue ribbons while BurnUnit went over the rules. There was a fun little moment when a local drunk stumbled into the fray to loudly question what the hell this was all about, and accuse us of doing the devils work.

Here's a Google map I made to reference the Checkpoints, Bonus sites, and the path we took.

The game began. The three of us had decided to hit the Bonus on Nicollet Island first instead of going right for the 1st checkpoint. I started jogging out casually to the north until I heard someone yell "Chaser!". I looked over my shoulder to see a guy with a red ribbon chasing down someone about 15 feet from me, and coming my way. I didn't realize there were active Chasers at the start point. Silly me. I hit the gas and sprinted about a block before ducking into a trainyard with Notbat and Dawn. We made our way through Saint Anthony Main/Riverplace, past an Octoberfest celebration (sad face), and across the bridge to Nicollet Island. Paranoia had set in. Notbat was convinced that Liz and Jane would jump out at us at any second. Our heads were on swivels from that point until the end of the night. On Nicollet Island we found the Bonus, stamped our maps, and headed to the 1st Checkpoint.

Near Nicollet Island we met and teamed up with a few other players; Gabrielle, David(?), a guy who had won the LA Journey game, and a few others. We casually yet cautiously made our way down University Ave to the U of M campus. We probably should have waited for a bus, but apparently I can't read the schedules correctly, so we walked. We made it to the 1st Checkpoint without seeing a single Chaser. The person manning the Checkpoint signed our manifests and we headed out to the second Bonus site the amphitheater-like bowl near the U of M Field House. We made it there without incident, and Notbat collected maps and ran down to stamp them while others stood lookout in a perimeter.

We headed for the 2nd Checkpoint, cutting through campus using some tunnels Dawn knew, bringing us to Washington Ave. We decided catching the bus across the bridge was the best way to go. The top deck of the bridge was a safe zone for Runners, but we figured there would be a gauntlet of Chasers on the far side. This didn't deter the guy from the LA Journey, and he and another Runner in our group struck out on his own on foot (I later found out they were chased, but made it safely off the bridge). We eventually got on the bus and rode across the river to Cedar Ave. After a short walk with no Chasers, we had our manifest signed at the 2nd checkpoint, at The Hard Times Cafe.

Here we met up with another group of Runners, bringing us to around 7 or 8 people. We all wanted to get to another Bonus point to get the yellow ribbon, but we weren't sure whether to go for the one in Gold Medal Park to the north, or for the other one to the west. I thought Gold Medal Park was the best option, but someone pointed out we could swing wide south and come in under the western Bonus. A long path that walked us though some interesting neighborhoods, but was almost certain to be free of Chasers. So south we went, and went, and went.

Eventually we arrived at the Bonus point outside of the Band Box Diner. The only problem was that the stamp had been taken. In its place was a piece of paper saying to call Journey Central. I called, only to get Voicemail. The rest of the group walked across the street to the Elliot Park Market to ask a stranger to sign their maps as proof we had been there. I walked in to look for a bathroom, saw none, saw a very confused looking guy behind the register trying to understand why a group of people wanted him to sign a piece of paper, and left. I called BurnUnit again, and this time got through. He gave me a verification number to write down in place of the stamp. I shared it with my teammates once they were out of the store, and we were good to go.

We headed out the 3rd Checkpoint, just north of the Hennepin County Govt Center. The trip there was again uneventful, though we were still as paranoid as ever. Once at the Checkpoint, we got our manifests signed and showed the proof we had visited three Bonus points. Now we had a shiny yellow ribbon to add to our blue ones.

The 4th Checkpoint was in Loring Park, so we decided to head to Nicollet Mall and take the bus south. We had just started walking west when a group of Runners ran past us. Being twitchy, I started running too. I pulled up along side one of them and asked if they spotted a Chaser or if there were just trying to make good time. He told me they were just trying to make good time. Like a chump, I believed him and slowed down. I was telling someone that there was no Chaser when I heard someone behind us yell "CHASER!" ... Son of a bitch. I sprinted to the end of the block and angled left across the street, hooking to the right into a plaza. There was a tall tiered planter/sitting area on the corner of the plaza, but other that that it was very open. The only exits were either where I'd run in, or through to the other side, which would've likely run me right into the Chaser. I scampered up the planter/seating area to hide behind some bushes and have a look from higher up. If I'd been spotted up there I would have been stuck and screwed. I peeked over the edge and there was nobody around. I looked back down into the plaza and saw Notbatman and Gabrielle coming my way cautiously. Soon after that, we were rejoined by Dawn and one other. Dawn had gotten caught, but luckily she was able to sacrifice her yellow ribbon and get away. We all got together and continued heading to Nicollet Mall to catch a bus.

We made it to Nicollet and got on the bus without further trouble. But about half way to the stop near Loring we spotted the red-haired chaser on the Mall. We tried to make the bus drive past him through sheer force of will, but no luck. The bus stopped and he got on. The five of us tried our best to hide our ribbons while the Chaser sat directly in front of Notbatman, facing sideways and surveying the crowd. Notbatman kept it together for a while, but he eventually cracked a smile and told him "That was my poker face". He looked us over, said something to the effect that a Chaser would be really happy to meet us when we got off. Notbat said "We're not getting off. We're going to stay on this bus to the end". Luckily it didn't come to that. The Chaser made a phone call and got off near the stop we were hoping to take. We rode a couple stops past, got off, and backtracked our way to Loring. We approached the Checkpoint quietly from the south, walking into the park a bit to possibly use the trees for cover. When we spotted the Checkpoint itself we all broke into a jog which quickly became a full on sprint when some Catchers made themselves apparent. The Catchers were between us and the 4th Checkpoint but somehow we all managed to evade them and get to the safe area. Woot!

We then headed back east on a greenway/path/plaza type thing, getting back to Nicollet Mall just in time to catch another bus south to the 5th Checkpoint. We weren't sure how to approach the Checkpoint, but at the last minute we decided to just get off the bus right in front of it and make a mad dash across the street for safety. We made it, but by the skin of our teeth. Once our manifests were signed, we started assessing the situation. The Checkpoint, Spyhouse coffee, had two exits, both of which were watched. Standing guard were our friends Jane and Liz. There were also a couple other Chasers in the area, but I didn't know where they hid. I asked the guy behind the counter if there was a back door, he said no. Crap. So I stood on the patio, figuring out how far it is to the alley and whether I could get there and disappear in time, when Dawn came up and asked if I had to use the bathroom. She knew I had stopped to water someones bushes not too long ago, so I figured she was just trying to get my attention without tipping off the Chasers. I followed her back inside where she lead me to the back door of the coffee shop... The one they supposedly didn't have. We snuck out and I made a call to let Notbatman know about it. The three of us crept down the alley and between a couple houses to a dark side street. We felt bad about ditching our two teammates, but Jane already seemed suspicious. So Notbat called Spyhouse and asked the guy there to please tell Gabrielle about the back door. "Alright..." He said, "But this is the last time I'm doing you guys a favor." Turned out Gabrielle and company had made a dash for the bus when it pulled up across the street. Jane and Liz(?) got to them before they got on and yanked their yellow ribbons.

Notbatman, Dawn and I continued north on 1st ave, intending to hop over to Nicollet to catch another bus to the 6th and final Checkpoint, Peavey Plaza. While waiting near a bus stop I thought it over. If I were a Chaser, I'd be riding that bus back and forth near Peavey, just waiting for Runners to fall into my lap. So we decided to walk the rest of the way up 1st ave. We stopped to get a fourth Bonus at Stevens Square Park on the way, just for shits and giggles, and because it was practically on our way. After searching for 10 minutes for a missing sign and stamp, I finally found them in a trash can. It wasn't worth any points or anything, but it got us some bragging rights.

We stayed on 1st until just past the Convention Center, where it turns into Marquette Ave. That brought us to within a couple blocks of the final Checkpoint, so we decided to try a little more stealth. Dawn jogged down a side street and found an alley going in the right direction. We walked down to find that after about 75 feet it turned right for another 50 feet or so and dead ended. The 50 foot stretch of the dead end was actually a tall fence. There was a parking lot on the other side that was only open on one end (to Marquette ave). We hopped the fence and were on our way out of the lot when Dawn yelled "Chaser!". I leapt back over the fence while Notbat hid in the shadow of the dumpster. Dawn ran to the back of the lot, looking for an exit that wasn't there. She slowed down and walked around a bit, trying to act casual I suppose. I stayed in the alley, watching Ddawn through the reflection of a glass building. I was expecting her to go to Notbatman for help over the fence, but she walked toward the lot exit. I saw her stop by a lady for about 5 seconds, then walk north, out of sight. Notbat hopped back over the fence into the alley and over to me. I called Dawn and asked "How you doin'?" She said that she'd been caught. I said that in that case, I had to go, and said goodbye.

Notbat and I cautiously retraced our steps back out of the alley. We made our way south across the street and into a parking ramp under the Marquette Place apartment complex. We found a door on the other end, came out and hid in the bushes while we tried to think of a plan. We decided to circle around east and come in from the north. We hit the sidewalk and headed east, toward the Convention Center. Notbatman was watching the flank, and as we crossed the street he said he spotted a likely chaser behind us. I looked over my shoulder to see someone start running in our direction. In a very casual voice, Notbat said "Yeah... Let's go".

I flew. Running at full speed I bolted down the sidewalk, slanting left onto a large open lawn. I noticed a long hedge in front of me, maybe 2 feet tall. I decided to jump over it. Only when I was almost on top of it did I realize it was also 5-6 feet wide. I managed to clear it without tripping or sliding on landing. I continued running another couple hundred feet or so then looked back to see if the Chaser was after me and whether she cleared the hedge. Nobody was there. I slowed and scanned the area. To my left I saw what looked like Notbatman sitting or kneeling near a building. I figured he'd been caught, and kept running. I ran over to another building and laid down in a small shadow to catch my breath. After a few seconds I got up and tried to see where Notbat was, but couldn't get perspective. I ran across the street, away from where I last saw him, and hid in shadowy bushes. After 15 seconds or so I spotted Notbatman jogging north through a parking ramp across the street and down a bit from me. I cut across and caught up with him a half block away. He got caught, but not by the Chaser I had seen. He had swung through a fence/railing to get away from her, and she let him go because of it... Only for him to turn and find another Chaser a few feet away. Luckily he had his yellow ribbon to give, and was still in the game.

We walked another couple blocks to the north, winding through a giant parking ramp and surface parking lot before cutting west toward Nicollet Mall. We hugged buildings for a block before going through another surface lot and into an alley. Passing a guy playing bad Van Morrison on a trumpet, we entered onto Nicollet Mall. Our timing was good, and we quickly blended in with a group of about 12 diners and bar-hoppers with 2 blocks to go to the final Checkpoint. After one block, we were left with only 4 people who were chatting amongst themselves. We followed them closely, still trying to blend. At the intersection just before Checkpoint 6, those four people turned and left us with no more cover. The ultimate goal was the fountains, on the far side of the block. I just decided to make a run for it. Running across the street I picked up speed until hooking suddenly to the left and leaping down the tiers and benches to the fountain beneath. I passed a lot of people on the way, but I didn't notice any Chasers until I reached the last 10 feet and heard footsteps right behind me. I hit the floor of the large, dry pool area and kept running, aiming for the corner where all the people were collected. The Chaser said "You're safe, you're safe..." and stopped running. I made it.

Damn that was fun. When can we do that again?