Geo challenge contest results

[[Syntax]]

We had an amazing response to the Defcon Geo Challenge, far more than I had ever anticipated.
I had prepared badges, lanyards and rfid scanners for up to 7 teams.
We had 13 teams register all together with over 30 people participating.

Our booth was swamped with people almost constantly, many unaware there was going to be a Geo Caching event,
many who did not have their equipment with them, many who were interested in RFID and what type of gear we were using.
The contest staff, which was only 2 of us were driven into the ground over the course of the weekend.

But after the kind of response we received, we are already planning for next years event.

First off let me thank all the people who participated and showed me that this idea definitely has potential to grow.
Also congrats to the teams who placed..

1st Place: Turbo Turtles (all 32 puzzles)
2nd Place: Tri Landas (all 32 puzzles)
3rd Place: Arrogant Bastards (28 puzzles)
4th Place: DefG (26 puzzles)

[[Syntax]]

Re: Geo challenge contest results

Next let me give away some of the details of the contest.

Teams received RFID enabled badges at the contest start, but did not receive RFID readers until puzzle 24 was solved.

Once logged into the site, teams received 20 trivia questions,
1st category "Hacker Movies"
2nd category "Vegas Trivia"

Then a few puzzles which comprised of a crossword puzzle, made completely
of "Phone Phreaking" questions, a formula for X,Y coordinates to use on the crossword
grid that spelled a keyword unlocking the next puzzle.

The next few puzzles included a playfair cipher and a letter swap cipher.

Many probably found the trivia section "trivial" Why did I include this??

1. To gap teams from racing to the first Geo Cache.
2. Some teams actually got stuck solving some of the trivia.
3. As a way to weed out those just registering to get an RFID reader.
(1 teams registered, got lanyards and then disappeared, never to be heard from again)
exactly what we wanted to avoid with the RFID readers.

Geo Caches to Follow Puzzle 23 included.

A hollowed out sprinkler located in the back parking lot of the Riviera, (inside a note to come to the booth to receive your RFID reader)

A grass looking plant, embeded with RFID across the street from Riviera.
A blank metal wall plate affixed to the wall of a bus stop a block behind the Riviera.
An escort card embeded with an RFID disc attached to a news paper bin 1 block south of Riviera.

[[Syntax]]

Re: Geo challenge contest results

I will have a complete list of sponsors, prizes awarded, pictures of teams, prizes and caches, ect all on DefconGeoChallenge.com as soon as I get a chance to put it all together..

I just arrived home tonight.. (2900 miles round trip to Defcon for me)

[codefodder]

Re: Geo challenge contest results

Great job putting everything together, Syntax! It was a bunch of fun trying to get through all the caches without looking like complete 'tards out on the Vegas streets. It is amazing how few weird looks I got while crouched next to a clump of grass scanning for the cache with a reader in one hand and a laptop balanced on my knee, but the moment I go pulling a fake electrical plate off a bus stop wall, the twenty drivers in the nearby turn lane all do a double-take (a couple didn't move when the light turned for them, almost causing a collision).

I hope you got a bunch of great ideas for next year's fun. I know TurboTurtles will be there again to see if we can still hold our own when the word is out to the smarter folks that only found out about the contest during DC.

BTW, I was bouncing off the walls trying to finish the BAWLS before I had to get through TSA the next day. A note to anyone else: never try to solder surface-mount components after two bottles of BAWLS, although that could make one kick-ass HHV challenge next year.