Chester

Your friendly familiar companion.

During the Volume 2 pre-weekend information meeting each team was given a small cardboard animal carrier. Opening it up, they were introduced to their very own magical familar, Chester!

Blue Chester the Rabbit

They were told that Chester was going to be very important to them during the weekend and that it was their responsibilty to make sure that Chester was with them throughout the entire weekend. Beyond that, teams were given the opportunity to customize Chester how they pleased.

Amazingly enough, only a single team managed to forget to bring Chester to the opening of the event and they informed GC of this shortly after. Thankfully the early portion of the route brought them close enough to there homes that they were able to retreive them.

Throughout the day teams slowly gathered accessories for Chester at the various locations. Many of them also took the opportunity to augment his look with additional prizes using leftover tickets from Zoltar. It wasn't until late into the afternoon of the second day of the event that teams learned of Chester's true purpose. After completing the first part of the Honey I Shrunk... (a puzzle that took place in a giant cage with a bunch of foam carrots) and figuring out that CHESTER was the key for a Vigenère Cipher, teams discovered the message INSIDELEFTLEG.

Many were aghast that we would possibly require that they ruthlessly dismember their loyal companion, some going down as many alternative rabbit holes as possible to avoid reaching that conclusion. Gentle nudging from GC got all of teams moving down that path eventually, and after a few cuts (precision surgery in a few cases) they were able to discover the final answer on a strip of paper hidden inside. Once again, every team but one managed to pick the correct leg on the first try, and that team was awarded the You Monster achievement for their work.

Chester's expertly sewn stiches

Chester had hidden message in each one of his limbs:

Right ear: HOW COULD YOU
Left ear: YOU MONSTER
Right arm: WHYYYYYYY
Left arm: I HAD A FAMILY
Right leg: OUCH OUCH OUCH
Left leg: WONDERLAND (The puzzle solution)

In an attempt to make up for what they'd done, GC made sure that each team was provided with a replacement leg, along with instructions, yarn, and tools, to fully repair Chester after the event was over.

A pile of Chester's

Construction

Chester was conceived of and constructed by a single person - Christine Caruana. In total:

37 hand-chrocheted stuffed bunnies, uniquely colored to match the team colors
~150 hours total fab time
95,000 crochet stiches
3.8 MILES of yarn (20.2 lbs, not including eyes or stuffing)

Over the course of the event, chester gathered two complete outfits:

Illudo set: Tophat, Vest, Cards
Marcana set: Cone hat, Cape, Potion Bottle

All of the outfits were hand-made by Caroyln Beranek after she played in the Intern Game test event (find out how you can get in touch with us to take part) and fell in love with Chester.

Chrochet Pattern

You can make your own Chester using the pattern here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/floppy-bunny-5

He was built using Bernat Blanket yarn. The pattern was modified by Christine to reduce the number of stitches with a super bulky yarn to end up with something about the same size and appearance as the original.

A pile of Chester's

Challenge

Chester was present for a few different game day challenges, but the Skills of an Artist challenge brought out his best side: