Deployment Bid: Nautical Nights, Hunt for the Lost Cache

Nautical Nights – The Hunt for the Lost Cache

Event: NN: The Hunt for the Lost Cache (Overnight Immersive Scavenger Hunt) 
Time: Saturday, Sept. 19th | Check-In: 7:30 PM | Location: CPO Mess Hall, 2nd Deck BB59
Organizer: Anthony S. 

Why We Need Your RSVP: Nautical Nights is the crown jewel of New England Mech Con 2026. After the museum closes, you and a select team will be granted exclusive after-hours access to the historic USS Massachusetts. Your mission: uncover the truth behind the [Redacted] Project, a classified joint operation that ended in catastrophe and silence.

Faction Selection (Read Carefully):

Upon check-in, you will be assigned to one of four factions. Each faction has its own agenda, its own methods, and its own secrets. Please select your preferred faction below. We will do our best to honor your choice, but you must understand the following:

• Balance Is Critical. The cache hunt requires roughly even team sizes across all four factions to function properly as a narrative experience.
• Mega Battle Impact. Your faction assignment carries directly into The Final Extraction mega battle on Sunday morning. The teams you hunt with on Saturday night are the same teams you fight alongside on Sunday.
• Reassignment Possible. If your chosen faction is oversubscribed, you may be reassigned to balance the roster. If you are willing to be flexible, please indicate that in the special instructions box. If you absolutely cannot play a certain faction, note that as well and we will do our best to accommodate.

The Four Factions:

House Marik Flavor: Military tradition, political oversight, concealed failures. You hold the high ground. Your orders are to secure the cache and prevent extraction by rival factions. Use discipline, coordination, and brute force to dominate the decks.

The Crimson Blades Flavor: Mercenary pragmatism, violence-for-hire, disdain for bureaucracy, but not without honor. Hired by Marik for your proven success in flooded and decayed industrial zones. You know this type of ship. You know how to clear it. Hold the Massachusetts and deny the enemy the prize.

Clan Sea Fox Flavor: Calculating, mercantile, tech-savvy, obsessed with value and precision. You believe the Massachusetts holds an intact star league relic, possibly a rare piece of neural interface technology. Its value on the open market is incalculable. Secure it before anyone else realizes what it is truly worth.

Echo Mirage Solutions Flavor: Surgical strikes, data integrity, black ops, plausible deniability. Contracted by Clan Sea Fox. Your role is infiltration: slip past the guards, extract the relic intact, and neutralize any cyber-relevant enemy assets. You do not hold ground. You accomplish the objective and disappear.

Critical Safety & Conduct Rules:

By signing up for this event, you agree to the following:

• NO PHYSICAL CONFRONTATION: This is a narrative puzzle hunt, not a brawl. All interactions are verbal or via game mechanics.
• NO RUNNING: The ship has narrow corridors, steep ladders, and low ceilings. Running is strictly prohibited.
• RESPECT THE ARTIFACTS: Do not touch, move, or interfere with museum displays, other groups' materials, or locked doors not part of your mission.
• STAY WITH YOUR GROUP: You are responsible for your team members. Do not wander off alone in the dark.
• QUIET HOURS: Respect the ship and other guests. Keep voices low in berthing areas after 10:00 PM.

Overnight Logistics:

• Check-In: Mandatory at 7:30 PM at the CPO Mess Hall. Late arrivals may forfeit their slot.
• Berthing: After the hunt concludes, you will sleep in the historic Crew Berthing Quarters near the CPO Mess Hall. Bunks are provided. Bring your own sleeping bag and pillow.
• Meals: Dinner served Saturday evening; Breakfast served Sunday morning.
• What to Bring: Ear plugs, flashlight, comfortable shoes for ladders, sleeping bag, pillow, layered clothing (the berthing gets cold at night).

RSVP Fields:

1. Preferred Faction: (House Marik / Crimson Blades / Clan Sea Fox / Echo Mirage)
2. Willing to be reassigned for balance?: (Yes / No)
3. Cannot play: (Leave blank if no restriction, or list any faction you absolutely cannot play)

The ship is waiting. The cache is hidden. The truth is dangerous. Sign up now before the slots disappear.