The Sari Diaries- Wednesday 7/24/19

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

Tonight’s edition of The Sari Diaries was written by Katie Liguori- it is amazing and you will love it. A huge thank you to Katie L for taking the time to describe the details of our day at #TheRanch2019!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari

_ From Katie _

What a day at CRC! As some of you may have heard through the teaser videos, promotional photos, flyers, last night’s podcast, or through the general hype that’s been buzzing around, today was the highly anticipated, fourth and final rendition of Realm— a game everyone loves to play but hates to explain.

In my opinion, the best way to describe it would be as an all-day Tan and White game during which each team tries to occupy all houses and castles on camp, make the most money, and earn the most points per person. Realm is a game of strategy, defensive control, offensive power and sneaky, thoughtful engagement. One of my favorite things about it is that it truly is a game where every person plays a crucial role: every individual cannon shot, every energy stone collected, every target broken by a long bow is meticulously recorded under each person, which gets added to the team’s total points. If what I’ve just described sounds like I’m talking about an alternate reality, then I’ve done a good job.

Realm 4.0 kicked off with a 4th annual Cornucopia, in which each sachem and advisor had 10 seconds to scramble to get special supplies for their teams. Both teams walked away with a hefty spread, and headed to their respective castles to await the wolf horn that signifies the official start of the game.

Both teams dove right into things, implementing carefully planned strategies to defend, attack, and develop the houses. Braves performed an array of tasks, with some scattered in Fish Hatcheries, Poultry Houses, Lumber Houses, and Apothecaries. Other Braves worked to collect energy stones, and helped defend the central castles. While hard at work generating new medicines in the Apothecary House, Jessie H. and Julia B., despite being two years apart in age, formed a friendship as they bonded towards a common goal for their team. Herein lies another hidden gem about the structure of Realm: as campers of all ages are placed in various positions around camp, spontaneous friendships, not limited by age or cabin, tend to emerge.

Elsewhere during the day, Hunters mined iron ore with the aim to convert them into lightning rod tube modules, eventually to be used by the Knights in a lightning cannon strike. While they did this, Warriors and Chiefs were divided into different colored armies, and were sent out on attacks in attempts to take control over the opposing team’s houses. There were plenty of both successful and unsuccessful attacks, as both the Tans and the Whites boasted a formidable lineup of armies. I think a special shoutout is owed to Talia C. and Molly P., who were a part of the Tan Purple Army and shot 11 targets and hit 20 cannons respectively! Among many other things, Realm is definitely a game where campers’ niche skill sets are tested and proved.

The game hit pause in time to enjoy a delicious barbecue, then resumed afterwards. Sadly, the sun went down and we eventually had to call the game to another pause to be resumed tomorrow morning. Both teams ended the day neck and neck: it’s still anyone’s game at this point, and will be a nail biter to see who comes out ahead!

The sun has set on this day of Realm 4.0: Storm, and it has been a sweeping success. As Ava R. said when she came to Chippendel during the game to purchase some items, “Realm is the best day of the summer!” Here’s to another amazing year of the most interactive and intense game of the season. Stay tuned for Sophie’s update tomorrow to see which team’s strategy pulls ahead on this stormy edition of Realm…