Six Questions with Robert Brewer: Creator of The Lost Skull Armchair Treasure Hunt

What a pleasure it was to be able to chat with Robert Brewer; the creator of The Lost Skull armchair treasure hunt! As a talented artist, game designer, and writer, he combined all his skills into one amazing project: The Lost Skull!  The prize is a spectacular skull crafted from marble and $1,000 cash!  There are additional prizes as well for all those who participate in the hunt. 

What an exciting adventure!  Let’s learn more about how we can get involved and join in on the fun!  Enjoy! (and be sure to join the MW Forum for discussions on the treasure hunt and puzzles)

Six Questions with Robert:

• 1Q) The Lost Skull armchair treasure hunt looks like quite the exceptional project and exciting!  What inspired you to create such a treasure hunt? How long have you been working on it?  It is wonderful artwork!

When I was about 10 my parents had a copy of the Masquerade that I thought was magical. I was convinced I was going to find the treasure, not understanding that it was in a different country etc. Later I discovered the Secret and again was captivated with the idea that I could solve puzzles and find treasure. I would stare at the artwork for hours. Within the last year or so I have been following online communities that discuss hunts and I’m really amazed by all of the theories and amount of time people put into the hunts. What a great hobby.

Since there aren’t too many active hunts, I thought I would enjoy making one that would hopefully bring that thrill, adventure and magic feeling, that I get with the anticipation of finding buried treasure, to someone else.

It took about six months to fully design The Lost Skull. The tricky part was I wanted The Lost Skull to be accessible to new hunters as well as experienced ones. I included what I consider several levels of difficulty. There are a few that are fairly easy for those familiar with puzzles. But as you know, solving one is a thrill and then you want to do more. There are others that I believe will be challenging.

• 2Q) Your project is currently on Kickstarter. Can you share some about the incentives offered there?  And will the project move forth regardless of whether it receives full funding on Kickstarter or not?

Kickstarter has been a bit challenging. I’ve found that compared to graphic novels, artwork or prose books, advertising an armchair treasure hunt has been difficult. I want to show people what they will be getting, but at the same time I can’t display much of the puzzles or clues.

But the good thing with Kickstarter is the reward levels add a little more engagement with the audience. First, backers will receive an extra clue that will not be included in the wide release of the book. That is a big advantage. In addition, certain levels will gain the backer help in the form of hints to certain puzzles or I will respond to a certain amount of Yes or No questions via email.

The plan is to launch a wider release of the book as soon as the backers have their books shipped. I’m hoping the campaign is successful and exceeds goals so I can add additional surprises.  However, I do plan to launch wide release even if the Kickstarter fails to be funded.

• 3Q) The Skull is such a beautiful and unique grand prize. Are we looking for 10 different sets of coordinates to claim this prize?  Or can you describe more of what searchers need to do in the treasure hunt?

Thanks. I think the Skull will be a conversation starter for the winner for years to come!

The game mechanism is that for each of the 10 puzzles the answer will be a number or a letter. On the “answer” page, after doing some math, you will place the numbers and letters into their corresponding places which will give you the latitude and longitude coordinates to the treasure. I designed it this way as I don’t like the idea of people just randomly digging in public places.

For the main prize, the majority of the puzzles can be solved with critical thinking and potentially some research will be needed. However, there are three puzzles which I believe might require boots on the ground.

Additionally, another challenge that a hunter can try is taking photos at each of the ten locations.

• 4Q) Are the ten locations to visit for the ‘runner up’ prizes all in the United States?

I can confirm that all of the locations are in the United States. I understand that traveling to 10 locations sounds daunting but I designed it to be reasonably accessible.  

• 5Q) I see after the cash prizes of $500 dollars, players can receive a ‘numbered skull collectible’.  What exactly is this? It is such a neat idea that no matter ‘when’ you finish the hunt, you can be rewarded with some type of ‘treasure’.  Great plan!

 I wanted the book to have some value even after the Lost skull treasure has been found. A little token for everyone that puts in the time and effort to complete the hunt. It should be noted, unlike the grand prize, the numbered skull does not have value (except pride). Currently the “Champion” skulls are molded skulls made out of resign. If the Kickstarter exceeds goals, I will look to design more intricate skulls.

• 6Q) I love the fact you have combined your many talents to create The Lost Skull Treasure Hunt.  Are you working on any other projects?  Where can we see more of your work- in both writing and art?

My next project coming out early next year is a horror anthology graphic novel titled “Branches”. It consists of 12 stories that explore scary things in the woods. I wrote all of the stories and did artwork for 5 of them. I teamed up with other artists, from around the world, for the remaining stories. People can follow my projects at TheLostSkull.com

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