How To Hunt for TC Treasure

TCTreasure

How To Hunt for TC Treasure

This is a series of brief posts called How to Hunt for TC Treasure, designed to elucidate and demystify TC Treasure hunts for Seekers and to some extent standardize the way folks understand, engage with, and hunt for TC Treasure.

Early entries will be designed as a primer: getting clues, reading rules, registering for hunts, etc... Later entries will focus on details, tips, and strategies: how to noodle clues, do deep research, and what to do once you go BOTG ("boots on the ground").

Seekers are encouraged to share their own "How To Hunt for TC Treasure" submissions, while of course keeping specific current noodles to themselves; examples should be based in generality and/or hypotheticals, and should reference specifics only from past hunts.

TCTreasure

Part 1: Getting the Clues

With few exceptions, there is always one reliable way to ensure you get the clues to a TC Treasure hunt at the time of publication, and that is to go to the hunt website at (or just before) the posted clue time, if any.

For the Great Twin Cities Treasure Hunt, and wider-scale national and regional hunts, clues are emailed to mailing list subscribers (whether as a courtesy or as a condition of registration). Though sporadic hunt updates and registration reminders may be sent for other hunts, only on rare occasion will all clues for those hunts be emailed directly to subscribers.

While no TC Treasure hunt requires registration to get the clues, for certain hunts registration may be required to maximize winnings and/or receive bonus content. This is why it is a great idea to always familiarize yourself with a hunt's rules before beginning your search in earnest.

TCTreasure

Part 2: Reading the Rules

Again with few exceptions, a hunt's rules can be accessed from the hunt homepage with a button reading Official Rules & More Information ».

Rules consist of a set of basic hunt guidelines and a paragraph of general conditions (i.e. "fine print"). Wider-scale national and regional hunts often include both guidelines and a more detailed set of official rules.

Though we try to keep the rules more or less standardized for every hunt, each has its own nuances, so it is important to familiarize yourself with the rules before you engage with the hunt—not after, or during… (We know you've done it, don't lie). We'd hate for you to waste your time barking up the wrong tree because you neglected to inspect the rules, so do yourself a favor and take the two minutes it takes to read them.

TCTreasure

Part 3: Registering for Hunts

Nearly all TC Treasure searches fall into one of three categories: Treasure Hunts, Mini-Hunts, and Bonuses—with the latter existing most frequently as a component of the former two (as opposed to as a standalone hunt).

Mini-Hunts are usually free, occasionally including the option of registering for a small donation to a charitable cause. Registration may increase the prize by a small amount.
Treasure Hunts (or Jewel Hunts) usually require registration to be eligible to win the complete prize.

Clues for TC Treasure hunts are nearly always made publicly available to all. On occasion, certain hunters will be given a "head start" and receive clues earlier than the general public online (whether as a function of being a registered hunter or, say, attending an event in person) — another reason it's a smart idea to read all rules before hunting.

TCTreasure

Part 4: Social Media

For social media, TC Treasure still uses Facebook pretty much exclusively… 🤷 It is what it is.

If our Facebook presence were a mullet, the TC Treasure page would be the "business in front," while the Seekers group would be the "party in back" (though being a group dedicated to treasure hunting, the party is admittedly fairly tame).

On the Facebook Page, you'll see occasional posts promoting our hunts and congratulating finders; join the Seekers group for more frequent updates and detailed content. There, posts are primarily made by either TC Treasure or our head Cluewriter and Facebook group administrator, "Johannes"—the "man behind the curtain" (so to speak).