h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I must say that I'm glad to find out that someone else has been playing this game as well as just me. It's always a bonding experience when you find out that others share your private games!

I have been a daily player of Bus Stop Pontoon using the 297 bus route in London for some months. As I have to walk over Horsenden Hill before catching the bus, the walking aspect of the game does not frighten me, indeed I prefer to walk rather than wait gormlessly at the stop.

I must say that I've been playing with a somewhat more advanced set of rules in that I never wear a watch and I have never looked at the timetable once in all the time I have been using the bus route.

One tip for the player. If you bust, it is wise to stick at the next stop. After all buses like to hunt in packs and frequently this will be to your advantage as the second bus will often have more seats and will more than likely be populated by fellow Bus Stop Pontoon players.

This business about observing timepieces/tables doesn't really cut it as a way of handicapping more expert players (who would never consider looking at either). Indeed it may have the unfortunate outcome of a beginner being 'busted' due to observing the timetable instead of vehemently attempting to flag down an oncoming bus.

I propose that streches of route are classified in a similar way to ski-runs. For example a long straight road where the slope gives you added vantage will be considered a blue run, suitable for all competitors. A demanding twisting section where buses are known to travel at great speed with a great reluctance to stop will be a black run. Intermediate routes will be classified as red runs.

The classification of a route may have temporal fluctations - for instance Shaftesbury Avenue SW-bound, in London's West-end could be considered a red-run druing the day, but reduces to a blue run a Friday and Saturday nights when all but the most inept player can have a run of at least two twists at negligable risk.