“Echoes of the Past” Game on 15 Aug.

As I described earlier in the week, the Bostonian Society is helping to commemorate the sestercentennial of Boston’s Stamp Act protests with a reenactment on Saturday, 15 August.

Before that event, from noon to 4:00 P.M., the society is also inviting the public to participate in a live-action game designed to provide extra illumination of that historical event and the people involved.

“Echoes of the Past” is a free “single-day gaming event” that blends live historical characters, puzzle-solving, and mystery to unspool the story of what happened in Boston’s streets 250 years ago. The society explains:

Players of all ages are invited to begin their adventure by picking up a guide booklet at the Old State House admission desk, or at the information cart in Downtown Crossing. With the guidebook in hand (or using a web version on their mobile device) players will hunt for ghosts, or “Echoes of the Past.”

These live costumed interpreters will quickly draw players into the political intrigues of 1765. With riddles, ciphers, secret societies, grudges, and plots, every interaction will entertain and enlighten, and every player’s choices will make their experience unique.

After collecting a stamp for their book from each character in the game, players will discover the game’s thrilling climax at 4:00 P.M. when they join together with an 18th-century mob to participate in a protest march from the site of the Liberty Tree to the hub of colonial power, the Old State House.

This special event grows out of the Bostonian Society’s established “Revolutionary Characters” program, which includes a lot of familiar folks. The person I’d like to discuss the Stamp Act riots with? William Story, one of the Crown officials targeted by the mob on 26 Aug 1765 and a very busy Patriot legislator ten years later.