Frequently asked questions

Do I need to pay to answer?

No, when you purchase the PDF booklet, it gives you the right to play the game and submit up to five (5) answers.  There is absolutely no other fee, charge or cost.

How many times can I answer?

Five (5) times per each person/order number. We set a limit to prevent shots in the dark and random answers.  We want this game to be a game of skills not chance.

Do I need to be in Montreal to join the hunt?

No, books, newspapers, maps and internet can provide you with all the information you need to solve the clues from outside Montreal.

Is there a real treasure buried at the final location?

No, this is for safety concerns, also to make sure anybody can play the game from remote locations.

Is this a game of chance?

Absolutely not. The winner has to use skills, logic and imagination to figure out the meaning of the clues and deduct the hidden location of treasures.  When submitting an answer the player has to clearly explain his or her reasoning.  A lucky shot in the dark will not result in winning.  So, if you actually find out the right answer, and submit it before anybody else nothing stops you from being the winner.

What happens if two people send the correct answer on the same day?

Since answers are submitted by email, and we check emails frequently every day the timestamp of emails (received time and date) will clearly identify which email was sent earlier.  The FIRST correct answers wins.

Does it make any difference if I am a French or English speaker?

No, you can purchase the booklet in either French or English and play equally well.  You are equally welcome to join the hunt and have equal opportunity to understand the content of the PDF booklet and the site.   We have gone through extensive additional work and expenses to ensure this.

What is the prize?

For this hunt it is a gemstone worth approximately $100 and a certificate of achievement.

How is the winner determined?

The winner is the first person who successfully solve the clues, and discover the location of hidden treasure.

Submit your answer (meaning of 7 clues which guided you to the final location and clear description of this final location and your chain of reasoning) with your name and registration number (your order number when you purchase the booklet) by emailing support@n49treasurehunt.com with an attached photo of the secret hiding place.  For details please see the How to play page.

How can we be sure it is an honest game?

To ensure the players of the honesty and integrity of the game, we keep a copy of the answers in a sealed envelope, which is register-mailed by us to us, but never opened.  When the hunt is solved, (or in case it is not solved at the end of 12-month period), in a live online broadcast the envelope is opened, and the answer is revealed along with the name of the winner.  We want to make this as transparent and honest as possible because without it the business venture will obviously fail.

How do you prevent one person registering and giving copies to others?

We have done the best possible with available technology, but doing that is not very useful to the cheaters since answer must include name and registration number.  So if anybody does this he/she will eliminate his own chance of winning.  Copying and sharing the game material will disqualify and eliminate the offending people from the game.

How difficult is the hunt?

The clues are solvable and not impossible to figure out.  On the other hand a hunt that is too easy will not be challenging and enjoyable.  We understand that if players can not solve the hunt, nobody is going to join the next hunt. 

Let's say we tried to make sure it can be solved by an average player who puts in the effort before the deadline.   If nobody can solve the hunt our business will fail.  Obviously we do not want that.

Are there any more hunts on the way?

Yes, we are working on them.

What happens if nobody answers correctly?

We really doubt that.  These hunts are designed to be solvable.  If nobody wins we can not run a business!  Non-the-less a set of answered are prepared and handed to a reputable notary firm in Montreal.  If by October 1st, 2027 nobody has correctly answered the hunt, we will reveal the answer in a live video broadcast in presence of the notary staff, to make sure everybody sees that there was a solvable answer, and there is no trickery.  We want the hunts to be solved.  Nobody would buy registration and want to play if they see nobody wins because they are too difficult.  

Can I make copies of the PDF file for my friends or others?

Absolutely not.  This would disqualify all of you from the hunt and also is no use for others to win, because when thy submit the answer they need to be verified that they have actually registered.  The fee is so small and the cost of running this project are so high that by doing such acts you are putting the people who entertain you out of business.

What do you expect from the winner?

In the end we will announce the name of the winner (but not their address, email, phone or location), and want them to write us one or two paragraph about their experience, which we will post on the site.  If they wish to do so he or she could send us a photo also, but that is optional.   This is to encourage future players.