Several people have stated over the last few months that the only
rule in letterboxing is that there are no rules. This is a bit
of a misnomer. Michael Gladney, Trevor Dallas, Adrian and other
contacts from Dartmoor have stressed the need to observe certain
conventions in letterboxing for the sake of cohesion. In general,
the idea is to describe the means to locate a letterbox inside
which you find a stamp. Most everyone I talked to between March
and April of 1998 (when we began Letterboxing USA) suggested that
we be descript, and use compass bearings when possible. Abbreviations
are acceptable. Man-made objects are generally not a place to hide
a letterbox although I can see exceptions to that - for instance,
you have found an ideal location. You either have to plug the
letterbox (which entails digging a hole) or you can hide it behind
a lamp post. You don't have a shovel with you so you opt to hide
it behind the lamp post. But again, the rule is to use natural
objects as much as possible and to avoid man-made objects.
Here is a link to Trevor Dallas' rules/conventions which are by
agreement acceptable to he and his mates in Dartmoor.
http://www.pclink.com/elf/trevlet.htm
He sent this letter to me in April 1998. Its good for rules
about abbreviations and clues in particular.
We have also established some of our own rules because of the
nature of using a web site to publish information. Do not hide
a letterbox in a location where it may cause harm to a letterbox
hunter. If you hide it under a rock try to choose one that does
not have sharp edges, esp. if it is particularly heavy or hard
to remove. Do not put a letterbox next to a cliff, under a
waterfall, etc. Make note of the waiver that we use on the site.
http://www.pclink.com/elf/waiver.htm
Or write your own waiver and include it with your clues. That's
what Randy Hall and a few others have been doing.
Try to avoid ambiguity when using directions or compass bearings.
Sometimes several places can be described by one set of bearings.
Ambiguity will leave people standing in the area scratching their
heads because there is no way to understand what it is you are
trying to describe. You can have non-ambiguous clues that are
nonetheless difficult. Look at Randy's Ohio letterbox clues:
http://www.mapsurfer.com/boxes/box3.html
No doubt, once you are in the vacinity you will be able to clearly
resolve even these "mystical" sounding clues.
Here's another one that may be difficult but is not ambiguous:
http://www.pclink.com/elf/knobsecr.htm
Once you understand that you are following the couple in the story
to the letterbox it will beocme clear where to go.
But what I'm talking about with ambiguity is like this: "Stand where
the oak tree is at a bearing of 310 degrees." Even if there was
only one oak tree (which would be doubtful because where there is
one there are usually more), but even if there was just one there
would be many places where you could stand that would put it at a
bearing of 310 degrees. That's no fun for the hunter who gets to
a place that fits that description perfectly and finds that there is
no letterbox. The person would probably presume it is missing and
report it as such. So try to be clear whether your clues are
difficult/tricky or not.
Here are some other basic rules for the protection of your box:
Try to hide the letterbox well. If its easy for someone to find
it accidentally they may just walk away with it or toss it not
knowing what it is. I believe this happened with at least 3
of our letterboxes already.
Try not to use containers which may have
contained food. A while back there were several testimonials
about animals using their keen sense of smell to find or unearth
old food storage containers. Animals are very good at this.
If they get your letterbox, tear it apart and strew the contents
all over the countryside that's bad for us.
As for locating your box and writing clues I would say there are
definitely two rules: 1) Make it possible to find it. You may not
be around forever, and we don't want the countryside littered with
unfindable letterboxes. 2) Make it hard enough so there is at least
some challenge involved in finding it. Children and adults want
there to be a little gaming involved. That's the whole point of it.
Here's another rule:
The letterbox itself should have a stamp in it. We once talked
about a "cyberbox" - a letterbox without a stamp but rather a code
that you could use to go back to the web and get the stamp image.
But I've yet to find one person who believes that would be a
legitimate letterbox. There seems to be universal agreement that
a letterbox must either have a stamp in it or it must point to an
actual stamp elsewhere (as does a letterbook). We could always
change this I suppose if a particular area is rampant with
vandalism and we can find no other way to guard against that. But,
for now, the rule is there must be a stamp in the box.
Another rule is to respect nature and other people's property.
This one is very important because to not do so may jeopardize
the hobby, give us a bad name, etc.
Well, I just wanted to clarify things a bit. There are rules/things
to be observed without which the hobby may become (the way it
develops here in the U.S.) messy, not any fun, cause for lawsuits or
cause for letterboxes that are prone to loss and/or damage. Please
observe these rules and point out others if you think of any. We do
want the hobby to have a measure of predictability and cohesion. We
should do this so that other people can have as much fun as possible.
For the future:
I think we're going to have symbols on our maps which will tell
potential letterbox hunters what kind of letterbox it is, if it
is mapped or not and how accurate the mapping is. So the rule
will be if there is a question mark it means the map is either vague
or non-existent, and that you are only located in the general vicinity.
If there is a cross say, it will mean the lat./long. is pinpointed
exactly. This will help those who use GPS marks to orienteer.
If there is say, a red dot it means it is an accurate location to
the starting point but not to the letterbox itself. These are things
people will have to know in order to understand how the hobby works.
Etc., etc., etc. The point is there are some rules that are necessary.
Please observe them to help make the hobby be as much fun as possible.
Within these rules there is also a tremendous amount of latitude
as to how to make a letterbox, devise clues, etc. So this in no way
makes what we are doing rigid or overly structured. We're all in it
for the fun first and foremost. Even the maps are here to enjoy
and to help people get a feel for where they are and where letterboxes
are available. Whatever rules we have are necessary to preserve the
fun and to make it possible for people to enjoy the hobby, given the
unusually large area we are covering and the variety of abilities of
different letterbox hunters.
Dan
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Letterboxing Conventions
11 messages in this thread |
Started on 1999-04-05
[L-USA] Letterboxing Conventions
From: Daniel Servatius (elf@pclink.com) |
Date: 1999-04-05 18:39:11 UTC-05:00
[L-USA] Re: Letterboxing Conventions
From: Randy Hall (randy@mapsurfer.com) |
Date: 1999-04-05 20:39:51 UTC-04:00
I agree with much of what Dan said in terms of respecting the land,
hiding boxes, not placing a box in the area of unreasonable hazards
without warning, etc. Most of this, to me, would fall under the
category of courtesy, etiquette, and common sense.
I must cast a dissenting opinion with Dan on the matter of clue writing,
however. Writing clues is the part of the art that people see before
hunting for your box. Therefore, I feel you can be as vague, impossible,
obscure, cryptic, etc., as your heart desires. The reason is that people
read the clues before deciding if they want to chance looking for your
box. If the clues are not to their liking, or they find them too vague
or cannot figure them out, or find them too easy, they can choose to
ignore your box and find another set of clues more to their taste. Sort
of like music or any other art. If you don't like rap, you won't listen
to it and maybe look for jazz or something. Perhaps a better way to
conduct a discussion on clue writing conventions is to get comments from
hunters on what sorts of clues they like (although feedback from the
field should be sufficient for this), if one is concerned about the traffic
to one's box.
While people may make the artistic choice to adopt the Dartmoor clue
writing conventions (or any other conventions they or we may develop),
I think its OK to do your own thing on some or all clues you write.
That is what I do and will continue to do :-) I think it could get
boring if clues always boiled down to 'take a couple bearings from
oak tree X'. I think its fun to NOT find a box once in a while,
because it validates the thrill of successfully finding one (if you
know what I mean :-)). I did not find the first letterbox I hunted
for, but I knew what I was getting into before setting out because
I had the clue in front of me, and I was aware of the risk of not
finding it.
Finally, from the clues that I have already seen, I think they are
great, and do show alot of creative diversity, and target all skill
levels. We can all make choices of which ones to hunt for. I just
don't want to see that change, except for exploring new and diverse
areas in clue writing, which I, and hopefully others, will try to do
over the next few months.
--
Randy "the mapsurfer"
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hiding boxes, not placing a box in the area of unreasonable hazards
without warning, etc. Most of this, to me, would fall under the
category of courtesy, etiquette, and common sense.
I must cast a dissenting opinion with Dan on the matter of clue writing,
however. Writing clues is the part of the art that people see before
hunting for your box. Therefore, I feel you can be as vague, impossible,
obscure, cryptic, etc., as your heart desires. The reason is that people
read the clues before deciding if they want to chance looking for your
box. If the clues are not to their liking, or they find them too vague
or cannot figure them out, or find them too easy, they can choose to
ignore your box and find another set of clues more to their taste. Sort
of like music or any other art. If you don't like rap, you won't listen
to it and maybe look for jazz or something. Perhaps a better way to
conduct a discussion on clue writing conventions is to get comments from
hunters on what sorts of clues they like (although feedback from the
field should be sufficient for this), if one is concerned about the traffic
to one's box.
While people may make the artistic choice to adopt the Dartmoor clue
writing conventions (or any other conventions they or we may develop),
I think its OK to do your own thing on some or all clues you write.
That is what I do and will continue to do :-) I think it could get
boring if clues always boiled down to 'take a couple bearings from
oak tree X'. I think its fun to NOT find a box once in a while,
because it validates the thrill of successfully finding one (if you
know what I mean :-)). I did not find the first letterbox I hunted
for, but I knew what I was getting into before setting out because
I had the clue in front of me, and I was aware of the risk of not
finding it.
Finally, from the clues that I have already seen, I think they are
great, and do show alot of creative diversity, and target all skill
levels. We can all make choices of which ones to hunt for. I just
don't want to see that change, except for exploring new and diverse
areas in clue writing, which I, and hopefully others, will try to do
over the next few months.
--
Randy "the mapsurfer"
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[L-USA] Re: Letterboxing Conventions
From: Daniel Servatius (elf@pclink.com) |
Date: 1999-04-06 00:20:37 UTC-05:00
Randy Hall wrote:
> I agree with much of what Dan said in terms of respecting the land,
> hiding boxes, not placing a box in the area of unreasonable hazards
> without warning, etc. Most of this, to me, would fall under the
> category of courtesy, etiquette, and common sense.
He says po-tA-to, I say po-Tah-to. The point is there are rules,
conventions, etiquette or whatever you want to call it. Its not a fair
assessment to say we have no rules. We have to have some.
Its obviously also not fair to
suggest we are rules bound or overly structured. Anyone who's been
on board for any length of time can plainly see that we have a wide
variety of styles, colors, maps, clues, etc.
> I must cast a dissenting opinion with Dan on the matter of clue
> writing, however.
I believe Randy misunderstood my reference to Trevor Dallas'
letter on clues writing. This was to point out that there
are rules which go back to the roots of the hobby. I was
hoping it would come across that, in general, there has been
some emphasis on clarity, whether or not the clues are difficult.
This has been a recurring theme among most of the people I've
talked to from Dartmoor. With few exceptions, it is preferred
by most people to have solvable clues that have at least some
rationale or logic to them. Its not hard to produce clues
that are solvable to almost nobody but the author.
But,
Randy misunderstood me if he thought I was saying that it is a
rule that you have to make your clues just like those shown in
Trevor's letter. That's not at all what I meant by referencing
it. It was an example only.
But, as I told Randy privately, I appreciate hearing his opinion.
I value it. I also like his clues. I show them as examples
because I think its cool to have some clues that are very difficult.
Some people will seek out exactly that type of clue.
The gist of what I said in my earlier note is basically to admit
we have some rules, entirely unwritten mind you, without which
we would not have much of a game or hobby. The rules we have are
what keeps this from being Orienteering, Dungeons and Dragons,
Scavenger Hunting or something else. They also help to bear it
up under the unusual/varied conditions we have here in the U.S. Our
"rules" will be different than Dartmoor's and perhaps a lot more
varied even. That's why I said
immediately following my reference to Trevor's letter about
clues writing that "We have also established some of our own
rules..." and I went on to mention all the stuff Randy (and
probably most of you) agreed with.
Hope this makes it a little more clear. If you want evidence of
my distaste for having a lot of rules look back in the archives at
some of my prior discussions with Eric Mings last fall. Invariably,
he wanted to impose rules and I wanted it to remain free and open.
I like that we have evolved with multiple styles and I always will
support that at whatever level I can - as long as its tasteful
and demonstrates the same kind of decorum we've typically had among
our members. We've shyed away from political statements like,
"Manifest Destiny!", "Save the Whales!", "Free Warren Spanno!",
etc... I hope it stays that way.
Typically, we've been
celebrating artists, poets, the history of our locales and landmarks,
etc. - the kind of stuff that is generally on all our hearts and
evokes in us a sense of gratitude. Deborah's and Bonnie's clues
and quite a few others are dedications. I'm really happy that some
of you take the time to do that. It shows that you care about
the great people of our past. Anyway, let's try to keep it light,
fun, and fun for the kids too please. Once in a while
there should be a letterbox safe for a kid to find. In fact, I plan
to make my next one a kid's letterbox. It'll have an easy stamp
design too (because my carving skills are about equal to a kid's).
Take care all. Keep having lots of fun.
Dan
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> I agree with much of what Dan said in terms of respecting the land,
> hiding boxes, not placing a box in the area of unreasonable hazards
> without warning, etc. Most of this, to me, would fall under the
> category of courtesy, etiquette, and common sense.
He says po-tA-to, I say po-Tah-to. The point is there are rules,
conventions, etiquette or whatever you want to call it. Its not a fair
assessment to say we have no rules. We have to have some.
Its obviously also not fair to
suggest we are rules bound or overly structured. Anyone who's been
on board for any length of time can plainly see that we have a wide
variety of styles, colors, maps, clues, etc.
> I must cast a dissenting opinion with Dan on the matter of clue
> writing, however.
I believe Randy misunderstood my reference to Trevor Dallas'
letter on clues writing. This was to point out that there
are rules which go back to the roots of the hobby. I was
hoping it would come across that, in general, there has been
some emphasis on clarity, whether or not the clues are difficult.
This has been a recurring theme among most of the people I've
talked to from Dartmoor. With few exceptions, it is preferred
by most people to have solvable clues that have at least some
rationale or logic to them. Its not hard to produce clues
that are solvable to almost nobody but the author.
But,
Randy misunderstood me if he thought I was saying that it is a
rule that you have to make your clues just like those shown in
Trevor's letter. That's not at all what I meant by referencing
it. It was an example only.
But, as I told Randy privately, I appreciate hearing his opinion.
I value it. I also like his clues. I show them as examples
because I think its cool to have some clues that are very difficult.
Some people will seek out exactly that type of clue.
The gist of what I said in my earlier note is basically to admit
we have some rules, entirely unwritten mind you, without which
we would not have much of a game or hobby. The rules we have are
what keeps this from being Orienteering, Dungeons and Dragons,
Scavenger Hunting or something else. They also help to bear it
up under the unusual/varied conditions we have here in the U.S. Our
"rules" will be different than Dartmoor's and perhaps a lot more
varied even. That's why I said
immediately following my reference to Trevor's letter about
clues writing that "We have also established some of our own
rules..." and I went on to mention all the stuff Randy (and
probably most of you) agreed with.
Hope this makes it a little more clear. If you want evidence of
my distaste for having a lot of rules look back in the archives at
some of my prior discussions with Eric Mings last fall. Invariably,
he wanted to impose rules and I wanted it to remain free and open.
I like that we have evolved with multiple styles and I always will
support that at whatever level I can - as long as its tasteful
and demonstrates the same kind of decorum we've typically had among
our members. We've shyed away from political statements like,
"Manifest Destiny!", "Save the Whales!", "Free Warren Spanno!",
etc... I hope it stays that way.
Typically, we've been
celebrating artists, poets, the history of our locales and landmarks,
etc. - the kind of stuff that is generally on all our hearts and
evokes in us a sense of gratitude. Deborah's and Bonnie's clues
and quite a few others are dedications. I'm really happy that some
of you take the time to do that. It shows that you care about
the great people of our past. Anyway, let's try to keep it light,
fun, and fun for the kids too please. Once in a while
there should be a letterbox safe for a kid to find. In fact, I plan
to make my next one a kid's letterbox. It'll have an easy stamp
design too (because my carving skills are about equal to a kid's).
Take care all. Keep having lots of fun.
Dan
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[L-USA] Re: Letterboxing Conventions
From: Randy Hall (randy@mapsurfer.com) |
Date: 1999-04-06 08:47:18 UTC-04:00
> The gist of what I said in my earlier note is basically to admit
> we have some rules, entirely unwritten mind you, without which
> we would not have much of a game or hobby.
The gist of my post was to disagree. I still do, but that's ok :-)
The term "framework" works for me. We've inherited a wealth of
expericence, ideas, and the like from the folks on Dartmoor, for which
we are all grateful, but not a body of rules.
> Once in a while there should be a letterbox safe for a kid to find.
As I have said before, I found a note in one of my boxes from a kid
who said "make the next one harder please". As mine may not be some of
the easier boxes, I *really* don't believe there is a problem with
clues being too hard, hence my general disagreement with Dan in this
regard. Be bound only by your imagination in clue writing; I believe
it is ok to not find every box you hunt, and ok to write clues that not
everyone will decipher....
Randy "the rogue outlaw mapsurfer" :-)
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> we have some rules, entirely unwritten mind you, without which
> we would not have much of a game or hobby.
The gist of my post was to disagree. I still do, but that's ok :-)
The term "framework" works for me. We've inherited a wealth of
expericence, ideas, and the like from the folks on Dartmoor, for which
we are all grateful, but not a body of rules.
> Once in a while there should be a letterbox safe for a kid to find.
As I have said before, I found a note in one of my boxes from a kid
who said "make the next one harder please". As mine may not be some of
the easier boxes, I *really* don't believe there is a problem with
clues being too hard, hence my general disagreement with Dan in this
regard. Be bound only by your imagination in clue writing; I believe
it is ok to not find every box you hunt, and ok to write clues that not
everyone will decipher....
Randy "the rogue outlaw mapsurfer" :-)
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[L-USA] Re: Letterboxing Conventions
From: (bonitasusan@hotmail.com) |
Date: 1999-04-06 13:42:41 UTC
<370949c7.43019b6-@mapsurfer.com> wrote:
> I must cast a dissenting opinion with Dan on the matter of clue writing,
> however. Writing clues is the part of the art that people see before
> hunting for your box. Therefore, I feel you can be as vague, impossible,
> obscure, cryptic, etc., as your heart desires.
I'm with Randy on this one. I think there should be no rules about writing clues. I expect that when I follow a clue I may or may not find the box. That's part of the fun. There are no guarantees!
Also, I think that using maps and/or compass bearings should be entirely optional. There's room for all styles and preferences in this hobby.
Of course, if rules do develop on the Letterboxing USA web site, and you don't want to follow them, I guess you could always opt not to post your clues there. But it would be nicer if the Letterboxing USA site remains open to diversity and rule-free.
Bonnie
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> I must cast a dissenting opinion with Dan on the matter of clue writing,
> however. Writing clues is the part of the art that people see before
> hunting for your box. Therefore, I feel you can be as vague, impossible,
> obscure, cryptic, etc., as your heart desires.
I'm with Randy on this one. I think there should be no rules about writing clues. I expect that when I follow a clue I may or may not find the box. That's part of the fun. There are no guarantees!
Also, I think that using maps and/or compass bearings should be entirely optional. There's room for all styles and preferences in this hobby.
Of course, if rules do develop on the Letterboxing USA web site, and you don't want to follow them, I guess you could always opt not to post your clues there. But it would be nicer if the Letterboxing USA site remains open to diversity and rule-free.
Bonnie
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[L-USA] Re: Letterboxing Conventions
From: Kathy Trost (trostk@belnet.bellevue.k12.wa.us) |
Date: 1999-04-06 07:51:30 UTC-07:00
Well I have my funny letterboxing hat on and I am ready to travel.
or we all could just use (the not so common)common sense.
David
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or we all could just use (the not so common)common sense.
David
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[L-USA] Re: Letterboxing Conventions
From: Thom Cheney (tcgrafx@imagina.com) |
Date: 1999-04-06 08:02:53 UTC-07:00
Randy Hall wrote:
>
> it is ok to not find every box you hunt, and ok to write clues that not
> everyone will decipher....
I agree wholeheartedly with you on this Randy. The boxes I have hidden
thus far are pretty easy to find. I like the idea that there are some
boxes out there that are nigh unto impossible to find. If so warned,
the one who actually finds it can hop on the nearest fence and crow like
a rooster for his/her accomplishment. That which is found too easily is
not long appreciated.....
isn't that why we list difficulty, etc. with our clues?
"caveat sectator" (Let the hunter beware)
--
Thom Cheney
tcgrafx... among other things
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>
> it is ok to not find every box you hunt, and ok to write clues that not
> everyone will decipher....
I agree wholeheartedly with you on this Randy. The boxes I have hidden
thus far are pretty easy to find. I like the idea that there are some
boxes out there that are nigh unto impossible to find. If so warned,
the one who actually finds it can hop on the nearest fence and crow like
a rooster for his/her accomplishment. That which is found too easily is
not long appreciated.....
isn't that why we list difficulty, etc. with our clues?
"caveat sectator" (Let the hunter beware)
--
Thom Cheney
tcgrafx... among other things
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[L-USA] Re: Letterboxing Conventions
From: Daniel Servatius (elf@pclink.com) |
Date: 1999-04-06 10:28:55 UTC-05:00
Bonnie McLaughlin wrote:
> I'm with Randy on this one. I think there should be no rules
> about writing clues. I expect that when I follow a clue I may
> or may not find the box. That's part of the fun.
There are two different threads here. One is the rules of the
hobby, which do exist. Its important for newbies and other people
who would become interested to know this and to ask questions.
The other thread is the desire to have imaginative, creative and
sometimes difficult clues. Clues can be clear and not be easy
or unimaginative. Mostly, the clues have been
clear, the difficult ones as well. But the things I pointed out in
my post are important for newbies to know. Be clear and try
not to do things like I stated in my post where, for example,
you are telling the searcher to go to a certain spot (whether by
compass bearing or some other means) and it is the wrong place
entirely. So when they get there, there is no way to resolve
it. Its easier to do this than you might imagine. I'm simply
stating that clues should be clues to get to some place, and that
it is easy in an attempt to be vague/tricky to unwittingly make it
impossible. And I suppose there may be some weirdos who will
intentinally send you on a wild goose chase with no intention
of letting you find the letterbox.
Believe me, even with easy clues, some people will not find your
letterbox. But its easier than you might imagine to throw them
into a complete dead end. If many clues were like this, it
would not be any fun, esp. for the kids who expect some kind of
reward for there effort... well, most of us are in it for that.
> Also, I think that using maps and/or compass bearings should be
> entirely optional. There's room for all styles and preferences
> in this hobby.
Maps and compass bearings are optional. The question mark symbol
will be a "non locale" locale, perhaps no more specific than a
region. But the interface we have at Letterboxing USA beckons
location. The country is
3000 miles across. Somewhere there is a location for something
or there will be no place to start, even when driving your car.
But perhaps there should be an alphabetical index to clues that
simply have the location as part of the clue -- all you would
get is the state. I'm open to that, although, again, it would
be easy to provide, not just imaginative, but impossible to
resolve clues by doing this. Most everyone knows where Mount
Rushmore is, for instance. Almost nobody knows where Warren
Spanno's old car is, and perhaps it cannot even be found through
research. Its easy to think that what's common knowledge to you
should be understood by others but its not like that. So try
to appreciate your audience and the people who would potentially
be searching out your letterboxes.
But an indexed section, we would want to keep separate from the
maps I think. Needs some more thought...
Again, try to be on the light side and keep it fun. I don't want
to keep this thread going anymore if all we are discussing is
semantics. Its silly to suggest we have no rules (or insist on
calling them courtesies or something else.) All games/hobbies
have some rules. It will only throw off newbies and young people
to suggest or imply that we do not have any.
Dan
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> I'm with Randy on this one. I think there should be no rules
> about writing clues. I expect that when I follow a clue I may
> or may not find the box. That's part of the fun.
There are two different threads here. One is the rules of the
hobby, which do exist. Its important for newbies and other people
who would become interested to know this and to ask questions.
The other thread is the desire to have imaginative, creative and
sometimes difficult clues. Clues can be clear and not be easy
or unimaginative. Mostly, the clues have been
clear, the difficult ones as well. But the things I pointed out in
my post are important for newbies to know. Be clear and try
not to do things like I stated in my post where, for example,
you are telling the searcher to go to a certain spot (whether by
compass bearing or some other means) and it is the wrong place
entirely. So when they get there, there is no way to resolve
it. Its easier to do this than you might imagine. I'm simply
stating that clues should be clues to get to some place, and that
it is easy in an attempt to be vague/tricky to unwittingly make it
impossible. And I suppose there may be some weirdos who will
intentinally send you on a wild goose chase with no intention
of letting you find the letterbox.
Believe me, even with easy clues, some people will not find your
letterbox. But its easier than you might imagine to throw them
into a complete dead end. If many clues were like this, it
would not be any fun, esp. for the kids who expect some kind of
reward for there effort... well, most of us are in it for that.
> Also, I think that using maps and/or compass bearings should be
> entirely optional. There's room for all styles and preferences
> in this hobby.
Maps and compass bearings are optional. The question mark symbol
will be a "non locale" locale, perhaps no more specific than a
region. But the interface we have at Letterboxing USA beckons
location. The country is
3000 miles across. Somewhere there is a location for something
or there will be no place to start, even when driving your car.
But perhaps there should be an alphabetical index to clues that
simply have the location as part of the clue -- all you would
get is the state. I'm open to that, although, again, it would
be easy to provide, not just imaginative, but impossible to
resolve clues by doing this. Most everyone knows where Mount
Rushmore is, for instance. Almost nobody knows where Warren
Spanno's old car is, and perhaps it cannot even be found through
research. Its easy to think that what's common knowledge to you
should be understood by others but its not like that. So try
to appreciate your audience and the people who would potentially
be searching out your letterboxes.
But an indexed section, we would want to keep separate from the
maps I think. Needs some more thought...
Again, try to be on the light side and keep it fun. I don't want
to keep this thread going anymore if all we are discussing is
semantics. Its silly to suggest we have no rules (or insist on
calling them courtesies or something else.) All games/hobbies
have some rules. It will only throw off newbies and young people
to suggest or imply that we do not have any.
Dan
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[L-USA] Re: Letterboxing Conventions
From: Daniel Servatius (elf@pclink.com) |
Date: 1999-04-06 15:17:53 UTC-05:00
Kathy Trost wrote:
> Well I have my funny letterboxing hat on and I am ready to travel.
> or we all could just use (the not so common)common sense.
> David
Does that mean I can soon add Washington state to the map? Or are
you just a happy letterboxer with stamp pad and stamp in hand?
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> Well I have my funny letterboxing hat on and I am ready to travel.
> or we all could just use (the not so common)common sense.
> David
Does that mean I can soon add Washington state to the map? Or are
you just a happy letterboxer with stamp pad and stamp in hand?
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[L-USA] Re: Letterboxing Conventions
From: Graham Howard (ghh2@tutor.open.ac.uk) |
Date: 1999-04-07 17:16:19 UTC+01:00
David says he's wearing his "funny" Letterboxin hat...
What can he possibly mean ?
Well us wizards just wear long purple pointy "letterboxin" hats ...what
else ?..........
Graham The Moorland wizard
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What can he possibly mean ?
Well us wizards just wear long purple pointy "letterboxin" hats ...what
else ?..........
Graham The Moorland wizard
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[L-USA] Re: Letterboxing Conventions
From: Kathy Trost (trostk@belnet.bellevue.k12.wa.us) |
Date: 1999-04-07 12:52:55 UTC-07:00
Man you caught me ...... Might have to get to work a place a box soon.
I can always wear the funny hat as I place it....
David
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I can always wear the funny hat as I place it....
David
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