Hide + Seek for Jet Lag: Near

Play real-world hide and seek with friends.

HOW TO PLAY REAL-WORLD HIDE AND SEEK

Split into hiders and seekers inside a border you all agree on. Seekers aren't shown the hiders' live coordinates. They ask questions and use deduction and Near's map shading to rule out hiding spots.

These are Near's rules: my take on the game, not a copy of the official rulebook.

BEFORE YOU START

Bring friends and choose a public area. The host creates a private room, picks a small, medium or large game, and draws a border or chooses one from Public Borders. Join with a six-letter code or invite link.

Agree on transport and hiding time. Defaults are 45 minutes for small games, 60 for medium and 75 for large; you can agree on something shorter or longer. A good border contains at least a few dozen stops.

HOW A ROUND GOES

1. Set the border. Agree on where to play, allowed transport and hiding time.
2. The hiders go. Stay together, travel by transit or on foot, and pick an outdoor spot within a quarter mile of a station. Stay in public places you're allowed to be, never a private home, ticketed indoor venue or moving vehicle.
3. Ask questions. Each answer narrows the search. Apply supported answers to shade the areas ruled out on the seekers' map.
4. The find. Use walking and transit directions to close in. Reach the hiders and tag them to end the round. Swap roles; whoever stays hidden longest wins.

THE QUESTIONS

Near works out most answers from the map. Hiders confirm them before sending. A few, like Photo, are up to the hiders.

• Radar: are the hiders inside a chosen circle? • Thermometer: travel between two points and ask whether you got hotter or colder. Near shades the half ruled out. • Matching: is the hiders' nearest park, station or museum the same as the seekers'? • Measuring: who is closer to a chosen place or boundary? • Tentacles: which nearby place are the hiders closest to? Places and distances depend on game size; small games don't have Tentacles. • Photo: hiders receive a prompt and send a picture in the room's private messages.

CARDS, REPEATS AND FAIR PLAY

Hiders can hold six cards unless a card says otherwise. Repeating questions costs more to draw and keep; multiple curses can be active. Use the in-app card reference and settle house rules before the round.

NEAR DECISIONS

In the standard train-only setting, hiders can take buses but must finish at a stop on an active rail line. Seekers can use buses, trains and walking.

If a kind of place doesn't exist inside the border, the answer is Cannot Answer. Under standard rules that counts as answered, and hiders still draw cards. More decisions are in the app's Rules section.

WHAT YOU NEED

An account to create a room or play, internet and location access. Shared spectator links work without an account; spectators cannot share location.

OPTIONAL COSMETICS

Optional tips and rewarded Google AdMob videos grant cosmetic Scout Points, with no gameplay advantage. There are no banner or interstitial ads.

PRIVACY

Near stores your latest position, not a continuous trail. Limited question geometry stays with the game; rooms expire after seven days. Room photos are private to members and deleted with the room or within eight days. See the Privacy Policy for details and retention periods.

PLAY SAFELY

Stay in public, permitted areas, follow transit rules and never use Near while driving. GPS is approximate; Near is a game, not a safety or emergency service.

Near is an independent fan companion, not affiliated with Jet Lag: The Game, Wendover Productions, or Nebula.