Weapons In A Cache

July 28, 2010

I am currently working on a "Clue" themed cache puzzle series which requires finders to find several containers (named as the rooms in "Clue") which contain the weapons from the game thereby eliminating them as the murder weapon. Most of the weapons in "Clue" are fairly innocent and could be put in a cache (rope, pipe, wrench, candlestick) but two (gun, knife) are big cache NO NO's.

So my question is this, I can eliminate the need for one of them in the caches by making it the murder weapon but I will need to put one of them in a cache; is there a way to do this that is within the guidelines and safe? Im sure the "Clue" theme has been used before, so does anyone know how it was handled in other cases?

Thanks for any input and rest assured, I WILL NOT just throw a knife in a cache if I cant think of anything clever, so please no "weapons in a cache are against the guidelines" or "just dont do it" posts. This thread is for ideas, not criticism.

1.1k · July 28, 2010

Maybe you could throw in a laminated photo or a wooden model.

July 28, 2010

Maybe you could throw in a laminated photo or a wooden model.

I like the laminated photo idea - quick, easy to replace, and no chance that someone's going to freak out about a model gun or knife in a cache.

July 28, 2010

I would have no issue with a squirt gun considering the theme. Rubber knife should be okay.

3.4k · July 28, 2010

I would definitely go with the laminated card, and be certain the card indicates that it is a game piece and attach it to the logbook so it isn't taken as a trade item.

Physical representations of some weapons, even a rubber knife could cause concern, in the event someone gets the wrong message and believes there's an actual knife in a box.

July 28, 2010

Put the gun in one cache, bullets in another and make sure they are both securely padlocked.

I guess that isn't such a good idea.

The laminated photos can be glued to the lid or the bottom of the cache container.

Cool idea for a cache.

July 28, 2010

I would definitely go with the laminated card, and be certain the card indicates that it is a game piece and attach it to the logbook so it isn't taken as a trade item.

Physical representations of some weapons, even a rubber knife could cause concern, in the event someone gets the wrong message and believes there's an actual knife in a box.

Plus it would be a lot easier both time-wise and money-wise if you have to replace any of the items.

2.3k · July 28, 2010

I would have no issue with a squirt gun considering the theme. Rubber knife should be okay.

This one gets my vote.

July 28, 2010

Why not take actual clue cards and contact paper them to the sides/bottom?

July 28, 2010

My problem with a laminated card is the same as people who use laminated cards in place of geocoins or travel bugs. I want people to be excited about what they find, not let down.

July 28, 2010

I'd suggest using laminated cards with pictures of the weapons, attatch them to the front of the logbook maybe.

A rubber knife or toy squirtgun runs the risk of being taken as swag by someone who didn't read the cache page! I could see a wrench or a candlestick going misisng as well. If it were my cache I'd have all the clues as laminated cards.

3.4k · July 28, 2010

I've been contemplating a Clue-type series for a mystery cache, but I won't be using any of the actual Clue pieces. I'm going to swap out the weapons for tools, locations will be (park, woods, field, beach, town square, etc.) and personalities will be ruthless parodies of forumites (just kidding) I'll have icons printed on laminated cards in each cache, which add or take away possibilities, making certain most, if not all game pieces are found so the final can't be derived from a few pieces.

1.4k · July 28, 2010

its YOUR game of clue - why not just substitiute "Knife" with "a really sharp pencil" and "gun" with "a large book of impossible sodukus"?

July 28, 2010

My problem with a laminated card is the same as people who use laminated cards in place of geocoins or travel bugs. I want people to be excited about what they find, not let down.

If you do choose cards I found this flickr site that has some good ones you can print out.

Clue Cards

6.7k · July 28, 2010

Even in today's hyper-sensitive world the retail stores still sell toy guns and knives.

I can't see any problem using them, the folks at Frog HQ know the difference between a toy an a weapon.

July 28, 2010

Even in today's hyper-sensitive world the retail stores still sell toy guns and knives.

I can't see any problem using them, the folks at Frog HQ know the difference between a toy an a weapon.

Okay, but another poster made the point that toy items may bet traded out by people who aren't paying attention to the reason that they are there. Even if you made it very clear, some people will just not get it.

3.4k · July 28, 2010

Even in today's hyper-sensitive world the retail stores still sell toy guns and knives.

I can't see any problem using them, the folks at Frog HQ know the difference between a toy an a weapon.

Not them I worry about, it's the LEOs and the Worrywart Club who have the LEOs or bomb squads render caches "safe"

Haven't seen them render a Wal*Mart safe, yet, but they may still be perfecting the technology.

1.4k · July 28, 2010

Here's an idea that may or may not work with your theme. Find somebody that's handy with carving tools and carve a gun into a log/stump that you hide the gun cache near? Or find a big gun brand and brand an already dead log near the cache site?

2.2k · July 28, 2010

Here's an idea that may or may not work with your theme. Find somebody that's handy with carving tools and carve a gun into a log/stump that you hide the gun cache near? Or find a big gun brand and brand an already dead log near the cache site?

Wouldn't that go against the guidelines though? Even though it does seem like a cool idea...

1.4k · July 28, 2010

Here's an idea that may or may not work with your theme. Find somebody that's handy with carving tools and carve a gun into a log/stump that you hide the gun cache near? Or find a big gun brand and brand an already dead log near the cache site?

Wouldn't that go against the guidelines though? Even though it does seem like a cool idea...

Would it? The brand might, but carving up a dead log? I don't know, maybe.

7.7k · July 28, 2010

My problem with a laminated card is the same as people who use laminated cards in place of geocoins or travel bugs. I want people to be excited about what they find, not let down.

An alternative to a laminated card that people won't mistake it as the real thing is a scale model. Might get expensive though.

Another alternative is to substitute the gun with a plastic water pistol (transparent plastic type) and knife with, say, a butter knife.

5.7k · July 28, 2010

I think that you can still purchase toy guns and knives.

July 28, 2010

i suggest useing small guns and knives like the ones that you get on keychains and you could allways glue the game peices to the lid of the cache with a tag explaning that it is part of a multi/pluzzel also if ou use lager toy gun knives i would go to a second and store or the dollar store and break off the trigger or do a little damage as it would be less likely taken(traded out.

4.2k · July 28, 2010

If you are thinking of using Clue in the title, a cacher in our area had to change the names of her Monopoly series to a Copyrighted Board Game series. But I would think any of the ideas for laminated cards or toys would work just fine.

July 28, 2010

Laminated picture of weapons?

July 28, 2010

what about getting some shrinky dink paper and draw it.

July 28, 2010

Maybe you could make a rubber knife or put in a Nerf gun.

July 28, 2010

you could also buy the actual game pieces on EBay and use them attached to a card explaining the stage in the game they cost about 3 bucks for te whol set f pieces

10.1k · July 28, 2010

My Clue based cache has a laminated card in each waypoint with one or more weapons/rooms/suspects. It's one of our favorite caches, but it doesn't get a lot of visitors. Because: A ) It's a mystery cache. B ) It's a two-mile hike with four hundred feet of climb in each direction. C ) It requires a hiking permit. D ) There is at least one bear in the area.

Other than that, it's a great cache! Those who have found it have loved it!!

6.7k · July 28, 2010

If you are thinking of using Clue in the title, a cacher in our area had to change the names of her Monopoly series to a Copyrighted Board Game series. But I would think any of the ideas for laminated cards or toys would work just fine.

So he should name it Clue-less.

5.7k · July 28, 2010

Maybe you could make a rubber knife or put in a Nerf gun.

If your personal time is worth more than $0.10/hr, that right there will be a gigantic money loser. Are you particularly adept at fashioning rubber knives.

July 29, 2010

Someone around here did a Clue style series. They made up their own weapons/suspects/locations and made laminated game pieces. http://coord.info/GC1JPYG

Personally, I think a rubber knife would be OK, but will likely get taken as a trade item.

19k · July 29, 2010

All of these "weapons" will have to be anchored down in some way, or they will surely "walk". That's going to be a bigger challenge than how to get around the weapons guideline, I suspect.

I did Google FAKE KNIFE and variations earlier today, and was surprised to see how realistic most of them were. Not the cutsie little "Made in Japan" rubber knives of my youth at all, but more like this:

14k · July 29, 2010

I'd suggest using laminated cards with pictures of the weapons, attatch them to the front of the logbook maybe.

In fact, you could probably buy a version, maybe even find a used one a a thrift store, of the actual clue game and use the real cards from the game. Attaching them to the container in some manner or on the back cover of a log book is a good idea. Although it would mean visiting quite a few caches it could provide an interesting challenge for those that like to be FTF on a cache. Everyone would start on equal footing with a list of caches containing the clues, but depending on which caches you looked for first, someone is probably going to find the required clues necessary to solve the mystery without finding all of the clue holding caches. Of course, you're going to need some sort of app to enter in the clues and reveal the final coordinates.

14k · July 29, 2010

Someone around here did a Clue style series. They made up their own weapons/suspects/locations and made laminated game pieces. http://coord.info/GC1JPYG

I think Captain Crunch did it. Never trust a pirate that doesn't have an eye patch.

1.1k · July 29, 2010

All of these "weapons" will have to be anchored down in some way, or they will surely "walk". That's going to be a bigger challenge than how to get around the weapons guideline, I suspect.

I did Google FAKE KNIFE and variations earlier today, and was surprised to see how realistic most of them were. Not the cutsie little "Made in Japan" rubber knives of my youth at all, but more like this:

Looks like a training copy of the Applegate/Fairbairn combat knife.

4.2k · July 29, 2010

Use the squirt gun/rubber knife as already recommended- secure them to the container with epoxy and/or silicone. Attach a small tag (ie plastic key chain tag) and epoxy/gunk that to the toy with the words "do not remove from cache" written on it.

Accept that it may get taken anyway.

3.3k · July 29, 2010

You could carve a knife out of wood, and leave it un-painted. That would make it quite obvious that it is not a weapon.

Or, a wooden toy gun. I was thinking like those elastic band shooter guns. Or one of those 1.5" keychain toy cap guns, no one would mistake that for a real gun.

As for being mistaken for swag, just securly attache it to the cache

July 29, 2010

You can get a clear plastic squirt gun and a very unrealistic looking knife. As long as someone is not pointing it at a cop I see no issues.

Then again we did just get a briefing item on this

July 29, 2010

How were you planning on keeping any of these items from getting traded out by someone who doesn't know what's going on?

If you were going to have to attach it somehow to the cache, it looks like a card glued to the lid would work fine.

I like the idea though, it sounds like fun. We did one of those mystery murder games at a corporate function I attended a few years ago. It's about the only team building thing I've endured that wasn't completly painful.

July 29, 2010

i would think you could use a toy knife or small nerf gun or squirt if you are careful to get one that is brightly colored and obviously fake. as for running the risk of having someone take it as swag, you could tie or tape laminated tags to ALL of the weapons saying "PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE" in big bright letters, with an explanation on the flip side. as a matter of fact, at a 5 below near my house i have actually seen a nerf musket pistol. it's actually pretty cool and would fit perfect with the theme if you could get a cache box it would fit in.

you could even try finding a way to actually TIE the items to the inside of the box.

but then again i'm just throwing ideas out there. if you are having trouble finding any nerf musket, and you are interested, let me know and i'll see what i can do about it.

Weapons In A Cache

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