"The Weaver’s Manifesto” invites players to uncover secrets

Wandering around the streets and businesses of Bozeman, one is bound to come across dozens of flyers strewn about walls and boards. Generally, the bulletin boards hold advertisements for babysitters, local events and lost dogs, but recently something out of the ordinary appeared.

There were no fancy colors or borders — just a white sheet of paper adorned with a simple sketch of two trees and a magically levitating book — but beneath it all lay a cryptogram of jumbled letters and numbers.

Known as “The Weaver’s Manifesto,” (TWM) this project is part of an alternate reality game (ARG) put on by a Bozeman local who requested only to be referred to by the moniker “Cat.”  “An ARG is a multimedia storytelling game in which players solve puzzles to reach the end,” Cat explained. These games are generally found online, and aim to blend the lines between fiction and reality to create an engaging and interactive narrative.

In the digital age of pre-packaged entertainment,TWM proposes a real-world game with intricate puzzles and a mysterious storyline. On the original flyers, players have received clues in the form of an illustrated page that, when solved, unveils an email and two options where they can continue the story and receive more pages. Clues are usually encoded, requiring a combination of logic and creativity to be revealed. Cat mentioned that there is a prize in store for the first five people who have completed the game.

 “I thought it was a really fun thing to do in the afternoon, it makes you feel like you’re in a book or a movie,” local resident Owen Howard said.

Unlike most ARGs which can be found online, TWM aims to bring local, community impact. Cat, who claimed to be born and raised in Bozeman, explained that the motivation behind the game was to try to bring some joy to people. “I wanted to try to keep Bozeman interesting,” they said. “I wanted to bring some spooky spirit. [Halloween] is my favorite holiday” 

When asked about their inspirations for TWM, Cat explained that they have always had a liking for manuscript art and illustrations of fairy tales. They referenced Lewis Carrol’s “Alice's Adventures Underground” and many other classic fairy tales as a major influence. “I liked his handwriting and the illustrations that he did in the original versions and I hope that a part of my art emulates that,” Cat said.

TWM was not Cat’s first run with an ARG. During the pandemic, they ran a similar concept online, attempting to bring back that aspect of community when it was lost. After that, they were hooked.

“I absolutely loved it and I knew that I wanted to run another one sometime in the future,” Cat said. They shared that they plan to run another project next year. With this being their first public project, though, they emphasized that this was a learning experience for them too. 

“It's a little bit difficult going into it,” Cat said. “You never know how many people are going to participate, or how they're going to interact with the pages.” 

So far, 11 people have solved the first page with only one person making it as far as puzzle six. However, Cat explained that the game may have to end prematurely “with the first serious snowfall.” This means that with each puzzle, players will find themselves racing against not only each other, but the Montana elements. For those who have yet to start, the call is clear: join now, or risk missing out on the adventure before the season’s first snow.

To find the posters, search the bulletin boards on campus and around Bozeman. Some can be found near the Duck Pond or at the Co-op Downtown.