Don't get me wrong - we here at HOOKED are avid backers of everything school-initiated parties stand for.
Not only are we constantly on the prowl for any excuse for free booze, these shindigs provide a refreshing change from everyday means of socializing, without varying radically from comforts of routine - think the central podium instead of the Central Forum, only everyone has eschewed their backpacks and worn-in clothes for over-the-top clubbing gear.
That is, if everyone's not already crashing those organized by SMU or NTU instead.
According to some of the more seasoned party-goers, NUS bashes have seen their heyday four to five years ago and have since been on a gradual downward slump.
Without having to name names (because we'd really like to keep those free-flows a-coming), there have been recurrent instances which demonstrated heavy publicity masking poor responses or a drab - or worse, aimless - programme.
An evening of loud trance on loop and a concluding raffle draw do not a rousing party make. Pageants, in particular, are a dime a dozen these days; it seems that everyone is finally catching on to the capitalist scam of forking out twenty bucks for a glimpse of people you already see in school everyday (albeit in various states of undress).
Save the Q+A prowess for this deserving charmer instead.
In short, we hard-partying guys and ghouls have had it up to here with generically-themed, faculty-specific soirées. Our fizzed-out party cred needs a new lease on life, and with Halloween just around the corner, the last thing we need is another tween-thronged costumed bash working the "No (fake) guts, no glory" maxim to death (pun not intended).
A refreshing change from the usual litany of sexpots and night spots, OPS Black's Halloween bash is one good example of a party we wouldn't mind gate-crashing. Like any decent horror reel, the success of its inaugural bash last year naturally spawned a sequel.
A quirky cross between the traditional 'Whodunit' mystery and a carnivalesque spook house, participants are tasked with solving the mysterious murder of a secret agent by completing various challenges - while revelling in their prerequisite Halloween get-ups at the same time. HOOKED sidles up to OPS' enigmatic spy-at-large for a cozy chat about viruses, mommies, and other things that go bump in the night.
1) Give us the low-down on OPS Black. What ails this shady lot?
A famous spy - by the codename of BLACK decides to hold a Halloween party for the spies to gather. Of course, BLACK has a hook for the spies to attend his special party - he plans to unravel the murder mystery behind a compromised operation that happened 7 years ago, which involved 7 agents and a deadly virus 51N5.
The spies belong to a secret world, divided into 5 factions, namely, $GMA, X-Calibre, PRIME, B and VISION. $GMA's in the business for money, X-Calibre is a self-righteous agency, PRIME just wants to control and dominate knowledge, B's objective is to police all these spies and make sure that the world's still safe. The details of these agencies can be found in the player's manual and on the website.
2) What inspired you guys to come up with this 'Whodunit' concept and what are some of the difficulties you have encountered while doing so?
OPS Black started out last year as a bunch of friends wanting to do something for Halloween. We like board gaming and thought it'd be fun to organise a Murder Mystery that would allow more people to participate in, rather than the small 8-player configurations we had played at Settlers before.
It's tough. We have to juggle our studies or jobs and other commitments while devoting almost all our free time to planning the event.
Difficulties encountered include the fear of the unknown - it was an unprecedented event in its scale and execution. We did not know how much to price the event nor did we anticipate the amount of work that would require of us. We stubbornly stuck to the idea of creating unique clues for each player's manual - that meant generating and printing unique content for 60 guests.
Budget was also another major concern. Each time a ticket was sold, we'd heave a sigh of relief. We needed to sell out so as to cover most of the costs. We tried to DIY a lot of the stuff, including filming our own video and the Halloween costumes.
The poor staff had to put up with tonnes of icky face paint that took forever to dry, tissue paper instead of bandages for the constantly-revealing-some-body-part Mummy and a Pirate who made do with a rat while her parrot was on leave.
3) What can your plucky participants expect from this year's grisly festivities?
If I told you, I'd have to kill you. Either way, someone's going to die. At OPS Black'07, expect special game challenges that certain colourful individuals at the party will issue to the participating guests. The best Murder Mystery Solvers will win board games. Also, there will be a lucky draw and a best dressed award! That's all I can say.
4) Alright, consider us sold. How do we sign up?
Tickets can be bought at Settlers Central (Clarke Quay MRT, Exit A) and are priced at S$23 for Tuesday 30th October 2007 (fast selling out) and S$29 for Wednesday 31st October 2007.
Participants will be provided with a Player's Kit each (includes an invitation card and player's manual). The event will last from 1900hrs to 2300hrs, during which light refreshments will be served. HOOKED
For enquiries, email them at
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or visit their blog at http://opsblack.wordpress.com/
Images courtesy of www.santacruzlive.com and OPS Black.
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