City Dash

Without wishing to sound too smarmy, we enjoy actively supporting and commenting on other playful companies’ events and creative output. For we all play a part in encouraging curiosity and fueling a more fun inner-city existence. More playfulness can only be a good thing, right? And innovative fun stuff makes for far more interesting conversation down the pub then the latest episode of Towie.

Fire Hazard are a playful company. They create, ‘dramatic, active, accessible games,’ that have the players solving, seeking and dashing around the city all in the name of fun. Experts in street games and hunts, Fire Hazard’s latest offering was City Dash, a Tower Hill based hunt that took place on Saturday 15th March and Elena popped down to experience firsthand.  

Nursing mild hangovers (naughty) but nonetheless embracing Saturday’s sunny haze, Elena and her lovely limby chum Emily strolled on down to the All Bar One meeting place where City Dash would commence. In equal parts nervous and excited about what they were letting themselves in for. Met by hordes of giggling players, a flurry of paper team ID plates and the Fire Hazard top dog, Gwyn Morfey, Elena and Em started to feel this was going to be a cracking afternoon.

As they scurried around for some time trying to locate the other two team members they’d been paired with, and on locating the super duo Clare and Ross, Elena and Emily were given a clipboard containing a map, the assigned team name ‘Darkhorse,’ and a list of ‘checkpoint locations.’ It was explained to the group that the map they were holding would be the area the dash would take place in and the different coloured sections on it donated different checkpoint zones.

The aim of the game was to attempt to ‘capture’ as many checkpoints as possible within an hour by dashing to their grid reference using the map and solving the cryptic clues to find out where the unique code was hidden in that area. On finding the code teams had to collectively text it in to a central number and in doing so would register their claim for the checkpoint and add to their point score. Guards lurked in each of the checkpoint zones and if they spotted your team ID plates they would text in the number on them and you’d be banned from that checkpoint zone. New checkpoints would open during the game and be texted to players as they cropped up.

As the beginning of City Dash was announced all the other teams pegged it in opposing directions with conviction and speed. Team Darkhorse all stood still looking around at each other thinking, ‘there’s no chance we’re going to bloody win this.’ After some quick negotiations it was decided they’d go for the furthest checkpoint first, working their way across the map back to the nearest checkpoints. As they approached the first checkpoint grid reference Darkhorse saw another team sniffing around ahead of them; some quick clue-solving gave them the answer they needed and they duly sprinted towards a pub where the code was written on an outside wall. Onto the next checkpoint where, narrowly avoiding being spotted by a guard, the code was found lurking on the bottom of a bollard and on texting it in Darkhorse were informed they were 6th on the leader board. Not too shabby considering their slow-start.

On their way to the third checkpoint the team members suddenly all got a text with new checkpoint coordinates that had now opened up, so sacking off their previous plan they decided to go for two that were closer to them. The next proving impossible to find and 4th proving extremely tricky to capture (they managed it) as a guard was on the prowl nearby. Highlights at this point of the game included Clare lying down on the pavement to cover her ID plates from a guard, Elena’s bra almost flying off and Emily sussing out a tricky two brothers clue to a street name.

Desperately Googling Tower Hill historical statues and thanking the Lord for Clare’s exceptional map-reading skills and adequate 3G, team Darkhorse managed to first claim one of the new checkpoints that had just come through, bagging themselves a juicy number of points and third place on the leader board. ‘BEEP BEEP,’ they were down to 4th again so onto another checkpoint with seconds to spare and gasping with tiredness and competitive spirit they secured their final code courtesy of a sneaky stone carving which Ross had ingeniously spotted. Back to 3rd place and the game ended.

It was then team Darkhorse victoriously – and somewhat sweatily – trailed back to the original City Dash meeting place where they celebrated their 3rd place and were rewarded with the Holy Grail of prizes, a chocolate orange.

Verdict.

If you’ve got a dicky ticker or your bunions are playing up this probably isn’t the game for you. When you’re equal-pegging with another team trying to reach a checkpoint, speed is what’s going to bag you it first. But those in reasonable fitness seeking an original, challenging and extremely fun way to spend an otherwise idle Saturday afternoon, this is for you. Fire Hazard games are cleverly thought out and realized, perfect to play with groups of friends and an ideal way to celebrate a birth, bar mitzvah, or even just a good excuse for a ruddy marvellous get-together. Antidote will be going to more Fire Hazard events FO SHO. Strangely enough, Elena and Emily bumped into another City Dash player on the bus home who remarked it would be a perfect hen party/stag do activity. Not a bad shout. – See more at: https://www.antidotelondon.com/blog/city-dash.html#sthash.7nizLmoD.dpuf