ATH FAQ
Q. What the heck is an Armchair Treasure Hunt?
A. Every year, just before Christmas, a setter buries a small box somewhere in England and issues a cryptic puzzle as to its whereabouts. The first finder wins a cash prize, and there are various other prizes according to the whim of the setter. More details about what a Hunt involves can be found in the User Guide.
Q. What do Logica have to do with it?
A. The Logica Sports and Social Club provide the prize fund.
Q. Do I have to be a Logica employee to enter?
A. No, the hunt is open to all. However, only Logica employees, whether they are based in the UK or worldwide, may be awarded prizes. So in order to win some money, you must have a Logica employee as your team captain. The rest of the team need not be employees - try getting your project or client staff involved as well as family and friends. And if you are not worried about winning a prize then none of your team need to be in the company. We have received entries from people who have never heard of Logica, but who just enjoy a challenging puzzle.
Q. I look at the Armchair Treasure Hunt every year, but can't answer any of the questions. Am I missing something?
A. The Armchair Treasure Hunt is not designed to be easy. If you don't enjoy crosswords, quizzes or puzzles then the event is probably not for you. See the User Guide for some staring tactics.
Q. Does it help to be a member of Logica in order to solve the puzzle?
A. It is traditional for one element of the puzzle to be Logica-related. This is not a restriction on non-company teams because the element is never a significant part of the overall Hunt.
Q. Is the team size restricted?
A. No - a team can be from 1 to 100+ people, though history shows that a large team-size does not always guarantee a successful solution to the puzzle.
Q. How long does it all take?
A. The puzzle is designed to last around a month (i.e. to finish in mid-January). However, the degree of difficulty is not easy for the setter to assess. Sometimes the box is found within a matter of days, and sometimes the setter is forced to issue additional clues in order to ensure a timely finish. These are posted on the Current Hunt pages of this site.
Q. How does the setter know whether or when to issue any extra clues?
A. In the past, this event has just been triggered by the fact that no-one has found the box by a certain date (the first finder is asked to contact the setter). Because some teams are widely dispersed, they sometimes choose to keep a central copy of their current answers on a website, protected by a password. In such cases, the setter may also be permitted to look at one or more solutions as they evolve, and so ascertain if some extra hints are needed. These are made available to all teams, of course.
Q. What happens if the setter finds a mistake after the Hunt has been issued?
News, including any errata, is posted on the Current Hunt pages of this site, so you should take a look from time to time while the Hunt is in progress.
Q. I don't live anywhere near London. Do I actually have to dig up the box in order to win?
A. If you know the exact whereabouts of the treasure but are unable to reach it for geographical or practical reasons, then contact the setter. If you are right then you will be credited with a 'virtual find'. This facility should not be abused - teams based in London or near enough to the treasure-site must actually locate the box. Also, anyone who continually bothers the setter with a series of speculative guesses is likely to be penalised.
Q. What are the prizes?
A. The prize fund is determined each year. The setter decides how the fund should be split, but traditionally the largest prizes go to the first finder of the box and to the best overall solution to the puzzle. These are of the order of £100. Other prizes may be awarded to the best ATH Virgin, witty entries, and even for finishing last!
Q. What on earth is an ATH Virgin?
A. A team that have never entered the Armchair Treasure Hunt before.
Q. How can you tell who got to the box first?
A. The box contains a book of raffle tickets. Finders take the next ticket, so validating the order in which they arrived.
Q. What happens if the box is discovered or removed by someone not connected with the Hunt?
A. The instructions in the box ask people to leave it where it is. It contains nothing of value. If you are sure that you are in the right spot, but the box is missing, then you should contact the setter. Usually, you will find that you are in fact not in the correct place. So far, we have not had any problems with the box going missing.
Q. What should I do if I find the box?
Take a ticket then replace the box, leaving the site ready for the next finder. Disguise the spot with earth, leaves etc. as you found it, minimising the possibility of someone finding the box by accident. If there are people around, try to be discreet when unearthing the box. If you are the first finder you are asked to contact the setter so they know that no extra clues need to be issued.
Q. How is the "best overall solution" determined?
A. The Hunt usually consists of a mixture of pictures, questions, codes and other puzzles. Any of these may or may not assist with locating the treasure. However, points will be awarded for solutions or interpretations of every significant element, so you should include as much information as you can in your answers.
Q. Does every correct answer score the same number of points?
A. No. The scoring system gives each question a value equal to the number of incorrect or omitted answers submitted. For example if 30 people enter the Hunt then a question answered correctly by 5 of them will score 25 points. This ensures that the questions found to be the most difficult score the most points. A "question" in this context means anything that the setter deems worthy of merit - identifying the significance of a picture, for example. For the convenience of setters, a scoresheet that does all this can be found here.
Q. Can I get together with the other entrants?
A. Shortly after the results have been issued, the setter organises a social evening for all teams, where the prizes are presented and stories exchanged.
Q. Are our exploits while finding the treasure of any interest?
A. Yes, they should be supplied with your answer. Many such adventures are amusingly described in the History section of this site.
Q. How are the setters chosen?
A. An informal committee of previous setters determines who should set the next puzzle. This is always someone with a good track record as an entrant in previous hunts. The setter is chosen around two years in advance because it takes around a year to set a puzzle of a suitably high standard.
Q. How do I enter the Hunt?
A. There is no application form to complete, just submit your team's solution before the stated deadline. Details of where to send it can be found on the Current Hunt pages of this site
Q. What are the dates for this year's Hunt?
A. The Hunt is issued sometime in mid-December. Watch the news section on the home page and the Current Hunt pages on this site for further information.
Q. I really like these puzzles. Is there anything similar I can do in between the Logica competitions?
A. The Armchair Treasure Hunt Club runs Hunts of varying degrees of difficulty throughout the year.
Q. There's some cool graphics on this site. Did you create them yourself?
A. Of course not. A talented artist allows free access to her work in exchange for an acknowledgement and a link, so here they are:
