The Black Watchmen is a Massively Multiplayer Online Permanent Alternate Reality Game (MMOPARG) that can be played at any time. You are one of the Black Watchmen, a team tasked with investigating crimes both normal, and paranormal, within a Lovecraftian universe. It uses the real world as its game world, blurring the lines between fiction and reality, turning everyday interactions into game mechanics. The game is played on websites, newspaper ads, phone calls, text messages, and in real world locations. Embedded on as many media outlets, in as many parts of the world as possible, players will be challenged to uncover solutions to a wide variety of puzzles. The successful completion of live missions will require the community to collaborate on difficult puzzles and time-sensitive assignments. Good luck!
The Black Watchmen Key Features
Mission Hub - An interface to receive briefings and complete single-player missions, such as cracking codes, hacking websites, or investigating bizarre occurrences and secret societies. You are in control over how far you wish this digital story to occupy your real life.
Live Missions - You always need to be ready, a live mission could start at any time: a flashing TV screen, a bizarre phone call, or a radio jingle could signal the start of a massive, international collaboration of agents--all rushing to solve the same problem before it's too late. The narrative of the game is fluid; it changes based on the actions of the community. So remember, every decision has its consequences.
Transmedia Gameplay - Beyond the client itself, the game is played using websites, newspaper ads, phone calls, text messages and interactions with living NPCs. The narrative intertwines with historical facts and current events, constantly asking the player to question whether or not something confronted in the game (a website, a company, or even a person) is ‘real.’
Collaboration - Some missions can be completed alone, while others require the cooperation and orchestration of agents around the world.
Companion App - The game can be played exclusively on your computer; but if you want a deeper level of immersion, you can opt in to receive SMS, phone calls, packages, or even meet with in-game characters in the real world, expanding the magic circle and the game's playfield, bringing the game to levels of Augmented Reality.