Geoholic's Hot Potato

Please do not take this bug unless you are participating.
Object of the Game:

The object of the game is to keep the Hot Potato in the opposing team's territory for as long as possible. When time is up, the team who has had the Hot Potato in their territory for the shortest time wins.

Scoring:

Teams receive one point for each day the bug spends in the other team's territory. To make it easy, each DATE the bug spends in the other teams territory will count as one point. So, on the day of a transfer, both teams will get a point.

Rules:

1. Pick a team to play for, either North or South. You can pick either team, regardless of where you live, but you should only play on one team (Please note which team you are playing on when you first log the bug.). You can move the bug as many times as you have the opportunity to during the game. Or you can choose to just move it once.
   
   All people interested in playing should put this bug on their watch list.
   
   
2. If someone on the North team finds the bug in a cache in the North Territory, they should try to move the bug to a cache in the South Territory and Vice Versa. Any days the bug is in your hands after having been taken from your territory will count as being in your territory, so it is in your team's best interest to move it quickly as possible to the opposing teams territory (thus "hot potato"). You may also move it within your own territory if it helps get it closer to the goal.
   
   
3. The bug should always be in the Playing Area. See the map for the game boundaries. Please do not take it out of these boundaries.
   
   
4. The bug can be placed into a new or existing cache. Placing the bug in or removing the bug from a cache you have previously found is allowed, by marking a note, not a find, to the cache page. Putting the bug in a cache that has a high level of difficulty is fair. Moving or modifying the cache containing the bug to make it harder to find is not.
   
   
5. If you happen to be caching in the opposing team's territory, you may pick up this bug and move it to another cache that day, but you may not hold it overnight.
   
   
6. An individual cacher or caching group, MAY NOT move the bug from their territory twice in a row. Additionally, If more than one person was responsible for grabbing the bug, handing it off to another player who might have handed it off further, all players involved in getting the bug moved into the opposing team's territory must sit on their hands next round. (example: North Cacher *A* and *B* move the bug from North Territory to a cache in South Territory. South Cacher *Z* moves the bug back to North Territory. Both North Cacher *A* and *B* MAY NOT physically help in any way as the bug from the North territory this time.
   
   
7. The bug gets credit for being in a certain territory on the date you LOG the bug. (So, you cannot put the bug into the opposing teams territory, not log it until several days later and backdate your log) You CAN enter it on a later date, but you will not get the points for the dates not logged, even if the bug was physically in the cache.
   
   
8. Over the course of the game (which might last 4 to 8 weeks), the bug cannot be place in the same cache twice.
   
   
9. Be sure to abide by cache page posted hours of operation/admittance, or signs posted near-by caches stating hours of operation/admittance. Violation of this rule will result in that team's anticipated point not counting. Play will resume when the spud is placed in the next cache.
   
   
10. In the interest of fair play, the bug should not be placed in caches marked "Member's Only".

Tips:

If the bug is in your territory in a cache with a high degree of difficulty, then moving the bug to a more accessible cache would be a significant contribution, even if the bug didn't move any closer to the opposing team's territory.

If you can't make some sort of contribution to moving the bug to the opposing territory, leave the bug for someone who can.

Playing Area:

The boundaries for the playing field for the game is as follows (Note: These coordinates are meant as guidelines. It is possible to hide the bug outside of the given playing area by a few miles if necessary. However, I-20 is the absolute dividing line between North and South.):

• Team North Territory:
  
  Northern Boundary: N 34.174
  Southern Boundary: I-20
  Eastern Boundary: W 80.82
  Western Boundary: W 81.33
  
  
• Team South Territory:
  
  Northern Boundary: I-20
  Southern Boundary: N 33.86
  Eastern Boundary: W 80.82
  Western Boundary: W 81.33