Moosehead Challenge

OBJECTIVE:
To be the team with the greatest number of Moose Points at the end of the Moosehead Challenge, thus earning the title of Supreme Moosenik. This will be accomplished by consuming Moosehead Lagers in unique and interesting locations throughout the duration of the Challenge.

DURATION:
The Moosehead Challenge will commence at 12:00 am PST on February 1 and will durate until such time as it concludes at 12:00 am PST on March 1.

PARTICIPANTS:
Anyone may participate in the Moosehead Challenge, regardless of race, gender, religion, hair color, vocal cadence, or sex appeal (though sexier people will probably have an advantage as they have an advantage at life in general). Players must, however, be of legal drinking age for their area of residence in order to participate.

TEAMS:
A Moosehead Challenge “team” may be either a stag (individual player) or a herd of two or more players. Both are eligible to win the Supreme Moosenik award and a dedicated stag could easily beat an underperforming herd. However, although meese are generally solitary in the wild, in the MHC team play is strongly encouraged. The larger the herd, the greater the total possible number of points for which that team is eligible.

SCORING:
There are three types of Moose Points that players may earn:

Basic Points

• Each day of the Challenge, one Basic Point will be awarded to each participant who consumes a Moosehead Lager in a unique location and posts photographic proof of such to the Moosehead Challenge Website in a timely fashion.

Style Points

• Players earn Style Points based upon how much Moose Juice their pictures exhibit. Interesting, unique, or dangerous locations generally earn more Style Points. Although the proprietors of the MHC do not themselves condone illegal or dangerous behavior, it is well known that The Moose Favors the Bold.

Bonus Points

• There are  a variety of ways to earn Bonus Points throughout the Challenge. Learn them. Use them. These points can often mean the difference between drinking from the sweet chalice of victory or suckling on the bitter teat of defeat.

Points will be assessed on a weekly basis. For the purposes of the MHC, each day shall be considered to begin and end at 12:00 am Pacific Standard Time (thus, days will begin and end at 3:00 am on the U.S. East coast). New point totals will be posted to the MHC Website 72 hours after the end of each play week.

BASIC POINTS

Each day of the Challenge, one point will be awarded to each participant who consumes a Moosehead Lager in a unique location and posts photographic proof to the Moosehead Challenge Website in a timely fashion. To receive a point, a player must take a picture of themselves in their chosen location after their Moosehead Lager has been opened, but before it has been entirely consumed. Players must post their pictures to the MHC Website within 48 hours from the start of each day in order to receive a point for that day (i.e. pictures for Monday must be submitted by 12:00 am PST Wednesday to count).

Herd Scoring

• A herd that plays perfectly will always defeat a smaller-sized herd. However, a herd sinks or swims together. All members of a herd must score each day in order for the team to receive points for that day. If each member earns a point, it will benefit the entire herd. However, if even one herd member does not score, the entire herd’s score for that day will be zero. For example, In a herd of four, if every member qualifies for a point, then the team will receive 4 total Basic Points for that day. However, if only three members score, then the team will receive 0 points. A herd of three, on the other hand, can only earn a maximum of 3 points per day, but might be able score more consistently.

• Herd members do not necessarily need to be in the same physical location in order to score. As long as valid pictures are posted featuring each member each day, the herd will be able to score. However, there are penalties for herds that don’t drink together often enough (see “Taking a Muntjac” below).

“Taking a Muntjac”

• Any time a member of a herd does not drink with at least one other member, he or she is considered to be “taking a muntjac”. Muntjacs are known for their exceptionally small antlers and are non-transferable between teammates. Up to four muntjacs per player are allowed before that player becomes ineligible for the Knighting Bonus. There are also point penalties for herds that accrue too many overall muntjacs (see Bonus Points section).

• Since herds of two would always automatically receive two muntjacs any time they receive one, members of these herds will take their muntjacs in half-doses, first a “munt,” then a “jac.” For example, after eight days of not drinking together, each herd member would have taken 4 total muntjacs. After nine days, they would have each taken 4 muntjacs and a munt. After ten days, they would have each taken 5 muntjacs and the team would have a total of 10.

“Wild Stag”

• To counteract some of the point advantage that herds have, stags have the option to go “wild” and consume up to two Moosehead Lagers in two different unique locations for up to two points per day.

“MOOSTITUTE”

• Teams that are physically or mentally unable to drink Moosehead for the duration of the challenge may pick their own substitute brand (their “Moostitute”) for use instead, however there is a 20 point penalty for doing so. If the team is a herd, all members of the herd must commit to the same Moostitute and must stick to that Moostitute exclusively for the duration of the Challenge. No switching brews mid-game.

ADDITIONAL RULES:

1. A “unique location” shall be defined as any location that is not obviously the same as one posted on a previous day by a current participant of the Moosehead Challenge. Once a player or team has used a location for the Moosehead Challenge, it cannot be used again by any player or team for the remainder of the Challenge. If two players or teams inadvertently post pictures of themselves in the same location on the same day, they will both still score.
2. Photographs of different parts of the same general location shall be considered unique if someone who had never visited the location wouldn’t immediately suspect that they were the same place. This means that different rooms in the same building could be considered unique if they look different enough, or even different views from the same intersection. However, keep in mind that the Challenge is a month long. You may want to save such gimmies for a rainy day.
3. Players are not necessarily required to post their pictures themselves.
4. In order to score, a location must contain at least one distinguishing feature of some kind. Standing in front of a blank wall would not be considered valid.
5. To be considered to be “drinking together,” players must appear together in the same photograph. This picture then needs only to be submitted once for all players.
6. Any digital picture taken with any medium is acceptable, as long as the quality is such that the participant(s) and location are both clearly distinguishable. Blurry, out of focus, or otherwise distorted pictures will be considered invalid only if the scene is not clearly distinguishable.

STYLE POINTS

Style Points are an optional part of the Moosehead Challenge; however no team has much chance to win the title of Supreme Moosenik without showing some considerable Moose Juice. In order to receive Style Points, teams must rate the moosiness of the pictures submitted by other teams. The ratings will be compiled on a weekly basis and the teams with the top 10 ranked pictures each week will be awarded Style Points. The number of points awarded will depend upon the number of teams participating in the Challenge. Every team that completes the rating process each week will also receive one Bonus Point.

Rating Process

• At the end of each play week, all participating players will be e‐mailed a list of the eligible pictures from that week. Players will then be asked to submit their top 10 favorite pictures ranked in order. Players will not be allowed to vote for their own team’s pictures. Players shall have 72 hours to submit their rankings. Teams that do not submit their rankings within 72 hours will not be eligible to receive Style Points.

Scoring Process

• It is not necessary to know this to participate; however in the interest of full disclosure, Style Points shall be awarded as follows: If there are 1-19 total teams playing, the highest ranked picture will be worth 10 pts, the #2 picture will be worth 9 pts, and so on with the 10th place picture worth 1 pt. If there are 20-29 teams playing, these point totals will be doubled. If there are 30-39 teams playing, the points will be tripled, etc.

ADDITIONAL RULES:

1. The exact makeup and consistency of Moose Juice shall be left to each player’s imagination.
2. In order to be eligible for Style Points, a picture must have a name associated with it (ie. “Mooselight Sonata”). This is the only requirement.
3. Only teams who submit rankings will be eligible to receive Style Points. If a team has a top rated picture but doesn’t fulfill its rating obligation for that week, it will NOT receive those Style Points and the next highest ranked picture will receive that ranking instead.
4. Only teams that have participated in a given week of play will be eligible to rate pictures that week. Teams that did not play won’t be able to vote that week, but are more than welcome to return for future weeks.
5. Herd members submit their rankings individually. Each member of a herd gets their own vote. However, as with Basic Points, ALL members of a herd must individually fulfill their ranking obligation each week in order for the team to be eligible for points.
6. If a player accidentally includes a ranking for a picture by their own team, that picture will be eliminated from their rankings and the next one will take its place. If there is time, that player will be notified and asked to submit a new vote to replace the lost one.

BONUS POINTS

In addition to the regular scoring system, there are a number of ways to obtain Bonus Points. These can very easily determine the true champion of the Moosehead Challenge:

AWARDED WEEKLY

+1 pt
For each team that successfully fulfills their ranking obligation each week.

+1 pt
If your picture includes the randomly selected “Moose Challenge of the Day” which will be posted daily on the MHC website.

+1 pt
For submitting video of yourself chugging the Moosehead rather than a still photograph. May be used a maximum of 5 times per participant. Players are responsible for hosting their own videos via sites like YouTube, Vimeo, etc, and either linking to the video or (preferably) embedding it directly in the Moosehead Gallery.

+1 pt
If there is a moose depicted anywhere in your photograph. The moose depiction must already be at the location, you may NOT add it.

+1 pt
“Field Research” – If members of two or more teams drink together on a given day, each team will receive one bonus point. Not all team members must be present for the team to receive this bonus, but all muntjac rules still apply.

+2 pts
If a stag “goes wild” all week long by submitting two valid pictures every day for an entire weekly scoring period, they will receive an additional 2 pt bonus at the end of the week.

+2 pts
If all members of a herd drink together every day for an entire weekly scoring period, they will receive a 2 pt bonus at the end of the week.

+5 pts
If your picture features a live moose.

-2 pts – Muntjac Penalty
Any herd that has accrued more than 4 total muntjacs during a weekly scoring period shall have 2 pts deducted from their score.

AWARDED AT THE END OF THE CHALLENGE

+3 pts - “Flagon of Last Resort”
During the first week of the challenge, each team may choose to designate a single bottle of Moosehead as the Flagon of Last Resort. This bottle must be cosmetically altered so as to be uniquely identifiable (sharpied, bedazzled, etc) & included (unopened!) in a Week One picture. If the team is able to keep this bottle safe and unopened until the last day of the Challenge, and succeeds in drinking this bottle during league play on 2/28, they will receive a 3 pt “Flagon of Last Resort” bonus.

+3 pts – “Moose Shot”
At the end of the Challenge, the team or teams with the overall highest ranked picture will receive a 3 pt bonus to their score. The picture(s) will also be featured as the “Moose Shot of the Month” on the MHC Website.

+5 pts – “Moose Juice Bonus”
The team with the greatest number of Style Points at the end of the Challenge will receive a 5 point bonus to their score.

+7 pts – “Wild Stag Bonus”
If a stag doubles up every day for which they submit a picture, then they will receive a 7 pt bonus to their score.

+7 pts – “Watering Hole Bonus”
If all members of a herd drink together every day for which they submit a picture, they will receive a 7 pt bonus to their score.

+10 pts – “Knighting Bonus”
If a player’s team completes the Challenge with a perfect score of Basic Points, each member having submitted a valid picture every day of the Challenge, and the player has not taken more than 4 total muntjacs, they will be dubbed a Knight Templar of the Moosen Order and will receive a 10 pt bonus to their team’s score (10 pts total per team), as well as pats on the back and high fives all around.

+3 pts – “Golden Antlers Bonus”
If a stag receives both the Wild Stag Bonus and the Knighting Bonus, they will receive the legendary Golden Antlers, one of the highest honors a stag can hope to achieve. But, maybe they should think also about cutting back a bit, eh?

+5 pts – “Brotherhood Bonus”
If a herd receives both the Watering Hole Bonus and the Knighting Bonus, they will be inducted into the Brotherhood of the Loyal Order of the Wildebeest, or B.L.O.W. This is a very high honor, reserved for only the worthiest and most virile of Moosen. (Note that, in spite of the name, girls are allowed in. They changed their policies back in the 50’s.)

-5 pts – Muntjac Penalty
If a herd has taken more than 15 total muntjacs, they shall have 5 points deducted from their score.

GREAT MOOSE CHALLENGES

These challenges are issued by the Great Moose himself. No one expects you to actually do them. And survive. If you do, you shall be forever immortalized in the Hall of Thick Antlers. And amply rewarded with points. More such Challenges may be issued by the Moose in the future, but only His Greatness can say when.

+20 pts
If a team can provide video or photographic proof of a live bull moose consuming a Moosehead Lager, they will receive a 20 pt bonus.

+20 pts
If a team can prove consumption of an entire Moosehead Lager while in free fall (near-earth orbit allowed), they will receive a 20 pt bonus. Either video or before-and-after pictures are required to prove consumption of the entire Moosehead.

+20 pts
If a team posts a picture of themselves and any A-list celebrity, with Mooseheads in hand, they will receive a 20 pt bonus. Both the team member(s) and the celebrity must be in the same picture and both must be holding open Moosehead Lagers in order to receive points. An A-list celebrity shall be defined as someone who is famous enough that any average person in the U.S. would likely know who they are: ie. Tom Cruise, Barack Obama, and Jared from the subway ads would all count. Michele Gondry, Elliot Smith, and your local mayor probably would not. Any disputes as to a person’s celebrity status shall be settled democratically within the MHC community.

+20 pts
If, within a single Moosehead Challenge, any team posts pictures of themselves drinking in four or more of the commonly recognized 7 continents (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica), they will receive a 20 pt bonus. This need not necessarily be the same person on each of the continents, but all players must have been on the same team from the beginning of the challenge in order to receive the bonus.

EXTENDED GRAZING

On years when the Moosehead Challenge falls on a leap year, the final day of the Challenge, Feb 29, is considered “Extended Grazing” and is subject to special rules:

• Extended Grazing is optional and submitting a picture is not required. Herds do not need to all score in order to receive points and there are no muntjac penalties. Not submitting a picture for Extended Grazing period will not disqualify a player from receiving the Knighting Bonus.

• Bonus Points that are evaluated on a daily basis (such as Field Research or having a live moose in your picture) will still be awarded for Extended Grazing. However, Bonus Points that are evaluated on a weekly basis (such as “Wild Stag”) will not.

• Style Points will be awarded separately for Extended Grazing pictures, and they will be double their ordinary value. One day, one shot, lots of points up for grabs. One last chance for glory. We’d like to see everyone cap out the Challenge with their Moosiest picture yet. 

• Players will have until 12:00 am March 2 to submit Extended Grazing pictures. There will then be a special voting period that will end at 12:00 am March 5. All final scores for the Challenge will be posted as soon as possible thereafter.

AWARDS

The truest reward you will receive from the Moosehead Challenge will be the indispensible memories made and the good times shared with your friends and co-players. And perhaps an incipient case of alcoholism. But for those of you who insist on materialism, the following prizes are up for grabs:

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR T-SHIRT & PIN

• The first time a Moosehead Challenger earns the title of Knight Templar, he or she will receive an official Moosehead Challenge T-shirt, featuring the MHC logo on front and the Knights Templar on back. Seriously, this is what Knights wear. The Challenger will also receive a Knights Templar Pin to wear proudly on their MHC T-shirt (or any other article of clothing!). Every year thereafter, each Knight Templar has the opportunity to earn a new pin to add to their shirt. Collect them all! There are infinite!

THE LEGENDARY GOLDEN ANTLERS

• Any Stag who earns both the Wild Stag Bonus and the Knighting Bonus by basically being a raging alcoholic all month will receive the legendary Golden Antlers. You wear them on your head and they’re totally sweet. In fact, they’re legendary.

INDUCTION INTO THE BROTHERHOOD

• If a herd receives both the Watering Hole Bonus and the Knighting Bonus, they will be inducted into the Brotherhood of the Loyal Order of the Wildebeest. This is a very high honor, reserved for only the worthiest and most virile of Moosen. You will receive an official B.L.O.W. membership certificate as well as a patch branding you irreversibly as a member of the Brotherhood. There might be other benefits of membership in the Brotherhood, but they’re so secret we can’t tell you what they are. IF they even exist at all!

ACTUAL MOOSE JUICE

• The player (or players) who earn the most Style Points for their team will receive an actual vial of Moose Juice. What’s in it, you ask? The answer is Moose Juice.

SUPREME MOOSENIK CHALICE

• This is the ultimate award of the Moosehead Challenge. The team with the highest overall score at the end of the Challenge will be dubbed that year’s “Supreme Moosenik”. They will receive the coveted Moosenik Chalice for an entire year from which to drink all their Moosehead Lagers. Also they will receive: mad props.