Games Spotlight: Pathfinder
Saturday, November 15
Here at TPiR Blog, we strive to find something that keeps readers coming back. A lot of questions we receive via e-mail involve pricing games, their rules, and the different scenarios in which they can be won or lost. Therefore, we've decided to run a "Games Spotlight" series. Every few days, we'll post a TPiR pricing game and an in-depth description of how to play, along with any relevant history, strategy, or fun facts. Check back often and look for YOUR favorite game!
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Name: Pathfinder
Debut: April 7th, 1987
Pathfinder is typically played for a car and uses three small prizes that are involved in the gameplay. A contestant stands on the center square on a five by five grid with a digit in each square (25 digits). This digit is the first number in the price of the vehicle, and is lit up on a board at the rear of the game's set. The contestant is to attempt to move to the next number of the car. The next number is either the number in front of the contestant, the number in back, the number to the left, or the number to the right. The contestant keeps moving the same way (without using the same number twice) until he/she gets a number wrong. In the event the contestant picks an incorrect number, he/she returns to the previous space and must try to win another chance to move by guessing the price of 1 of 3 different small (2-digit) prizes such as a boom box, kitchen mop, or cookie jar (et cetera). If the contestant manages to step on all 5 of the numbers in the price of the car, then he/she wins the car. The game is lost if the contestant makes an incorrect step with no small prizes left or guesses the final small prize incorrectly after having already made an incorrect step.
Historical Fact: When Pathfinder debuted in 1987, the price of some cars was less than $10,000. In this case, the center space where the contestant began was an asterisk, the first window in the overhead display was a dollar sign, and the contestant needed to light up all four digits in the car's price.
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Name: Pathfinder
Debut: April 7th, 1987
Pathfinder is typically played for a car and uses three small prizes that are involved in the gameplay. A contestant stands on the center square on a five by five grid with a digit in each square (25 digits). This digit is the first number in the price of the vehicle, and is lit up on a board at the rear of the game's set. The contestant is to attempt to move to the next number of the car. The next number is either the number in front of the contestant, the number in back, the number to the left, or the number to the right. The contestant keeps moving the same way (without using the same number twice) until he/she gets a number wrong. In the event the contestant picks an incorrect number, he/she returns to the previous space and must try to win another chance to move by guessing the price of 1 of 3 different small (2-digit) prizes such as a boom box, kitchen mop, or cookie jar (et cetera). If the contestant manages to step on all 5 of the numbers in the price of the car, then he/she wins the car. The game is lost if the contestant makes an incorrect step with no small prizes left or guesses the final small prize incorrectly after having already made an incorrect step.
Historical Fact: When Pathfinder debuted in 1987, the price of some cars was less than $10,000. In this case, the center space where the contestant began was an asterisk, the first window in the overhead display was a dollar sign, and the contestant needed to light up all four digits in the car's price.
Labels: games spotlight, pathfinder