The basic schedule is the same for every con:
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Wednesday: Host's picnic in late afternoon/early evening, a social gathering with light food for early arrivals.
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Thursday evening, 8-11: Introductions for first-time attendees,
followed by interactive word games and puzzles;
two or three official cryptic crossword puzzles are handed for over-the weekend solving;
if there is a hidden contest, it may be announced as well.
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Friday evening, 8-11: Interactive word games and puzzles.
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Saturday morning: Business meeting, at which the location of the NPL convention
two years hence is decided, along with discussion of other matters that may come up.
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Saturday afternoon: Pencil-and-paper puzzles for competitive solving,
including a flat-solving contest composed of puzzles created especially for the convention.
Convention photos of all attendees are taken before or after the competitions.
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Saturday evening: Presentation of the annual Golden Sphinx awards during dinner,
followed by a Puzzle Extravaganza, a themed team-solving event, with multiple puzzles
and at least one meta-challenge incorporating answers from other puzzles in the set.
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Sunday morning: Prize ceremony and tearful good-byes.
For information on how you can contribute to the official con program,
please visit this page.
In addition to the official program, there are always a multitude of Unofficial games and paper-and-pencil puzzles,
walk-around puzzles, and the opportunity to solve and play games with many krewemembers in
practically every public place in the hotel.