As announced in my little teaser from last week, the game celebrating the launch of maRATP (a service designed to make city travel easier for Parisians) and the release of the film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, starts today!
RATP is therefore inviting Parisians to participate in “An Unexpected Adventure with maRATP” from November 23rd to 30th, through a major digital quest following in the footsteps of the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins.
For the non-Tolkieneans, let’s remember that Bilbo Baggins is one of the secondary characters in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the main character of the book The Hobbit, which I personally read long before starting the epic trilogy.
In this new installment, dedicated this time to his own adventures, Bilbo will be drawn into a quest within a group of 13 companions to reclaim the lost Kingdom of the Dwarves of Erebor, conquered long ago by the dragon Smaug.
The concept of the quest organized by RATP is simple: find the 13 companions who will each reveal a leg of the itinerary leading to the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins. Hidden on the websites of RATP, its partners, and on certain blogs (including mine, as you will have gathered) and media, the companions can be tracked down using clues distilled throughout the game.
To participate in “An Unexpected Adventure with maRATP“, simply sign up at www.ratp.fr/maratp.
At stake in this Hobbit hunt is a major prize draw, where you can win a trip to New Zealand, among many other gifts! And of course, the more companions participants find, the more they increase their chances of winning.
For the fastest adventurers to gather all 13 companions, an extra surprise is planned…
Another surprise planned by RATP: from November 26th to 30th, 2012, the interchange hall of the Auber station in Paris will feature sets inspired by Bag End, the famous village of Bilbo Baggins.
A construction built to the real size of Hobbits over a 150m² space and supervised by Dan Hennah, head decorator of Peter Jackson’s trilogy, will feature three houses allowing visitors to discover the picturesque world of the Hobbits, as well as photos and presentations of the characters from the adventure.
A giant map of Middle-earth will also be available on the floor, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in Bilbo’s world and locate the various lands the Hobbit travels through during his journey.
Additionally, the video game “LEGO® The Lord of the RingsTM” published by Warner Bros. Interactive will be available on interactive kiosks.
And to extend the experience of the “An Unexpected Adventure with maRATP” quest, RATP invites adventurers to get their photo taken alongside Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins integrated into a “photo-booth“, while the boldest can even get caricatured in a Hobbit style.
In short, great initiatives and a wonderful partnership between RATP and Warner for these two events.
Good luck to everyone on this quest and don’t hesitate to come back to the blog during the game, you might just find one of Bilbo’s companions here…
