Nigel was 2nd Overall in the Winter Championship 2018/2019

I first picked up on these Internet-based Table-Top Rallies about ten years ago and was immediately hooked. It took not just two but three of my interests and brought them all together. I've always enjoyed using OS maps - they give an extra insight into the world around you and allow you to see beyond the confines of line-of-sight.

I work with computers and really appreciate when someone like Crow turns their software development skills to harnessing some of the latest online mapping technology to create such a  comprehensive application/simulation.

Last, but not least - puzzle solving, especially when Crow has dreamt up some new format. I particularly like technical challenges, where solving the puzzle can be done with a speadsheet, or even a computer program. It may be a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but to my mind, that's a neat solution.

So, what's not to like! Well, there are certainly times when I've hit a brick wall and felt increasingly frustrated and annoyed with it all, but that just heightens the buzz that eventually comes from  finally getting the solution. It's a great help not now having to tackle each leg sequentially. Also I haven't (yet?) got comfortable with the plot-and-bash real-time legs, I generally over-think them and see problems that aren't really there. Of course, everything seems obvious after you've finished (or failed, or crashed, or gone OTL - I've done them all!).

The clever Goldilocks bit is to get the problem-solving level just right. The plotting challenges have got to be hard enough to maintain interest, yet not so daunting that anyone gets disheartened and put off. Providing effective hints is essential to this. The real-time aspect intentionally tries to mimic the urgency of a real timed motoring event, and this is another area where Crow has taken the Table-Top Rally concept to a whole new level. It's been fascinating to learn how the timing for regularities and road rallies works.

Hmmm - not sure what to say about driving tests. Best move on.

I've really enjoyed the many championships that Crow (and others on the Crowless Rallies) have put together. And it's great that is evolving with each iteration; we get to ride the innovation wave. I don't know what Crow will throw at us next, but I am sure it will be inventive and fun. To do all this and also raise money for good causes is a testimony to all his hard work.

Nigel Parish
June 6, 2019