Build with Us
The Data Crypt. Neo
2022
The Data Crypt
42 Data Crypts in field · Capture-the-flag · Fully analog
An analog pack with no firmware: find your bounty, pull the key, bring the Data Crypt back to the booth for a Laser Jail photo, or report the capture and let staff score it. Hunters did not get issued gear yet. All 42 units went to Bounties. We built the lot in about eight weeks with almost no prior hardware experience on the team.
Tech: Laser-cut acrylic, removable key, staff paperwork
By the Numbers
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Data Crypts deployed | 42 |
| Bounty devices | 42 |
| Hunter devices | 0 |
| Build window | ~8 weeks to first Neo |
What We Built
Data Crypt. Acrylic pack, physical key, capture-the-flag loop. Role split came from who got a device at intake, not from electronics.
Booth ops. Polaroid wall, bounty contracts, bounty board, training module. Every capture and signup touched paper. Staff tracked rankings with dry-erase tallies on acrylic knives magnetized to Top Hunter and Top Bounty boards.
Laser Jail. Separate interactable: 2×4 frame attached to the ceiling, laser diodes, fog, fans. Not part of the hunt loop; set dressing and photo energy. Still in the Alleycat kit today.
What We Learned
Paperwork sucks. Staff spent the weekend pushing forms instead of playing with players. Automatic scoring and embedded rules became non-negotiable for 2023.
Everyone wants a cool prop. Bounties loved carrying a Data Crypt. Hunters showed up empty-handed and wanted in. That feedback drove Proto-PDN nodes for both roles the next year.
Watch how people actually play. Touch vs no-touch keys, hand capture vs key pulls, house rules in the margins. The LARP community taught us more in one Neo than any design doc could.
Start simple, ship anyway. Eight weeks, analog hardware, no MCU, still enough to prove Alleycat belongs at Neotropolis.
Data Crypt (2022 generation)
| Part | Detail |
|---|---|
| Body | Laser-cut acrylic pack |
| Mechanic | Removable physical key (capture-the-flag) |
| Firmware | None |
| Hunter gear | None issued; chase and social capture only |
| Opt-out | "ACCESS DENIED" key for no-contact Bounties |
Goals for 2023
Issue devices to both Hunters and Bounties. Move rules into electronics. Start toward a universal platform instead of a one-year analog prop: Proto-PDN and Quickdraw duels at Neo 2023.