STATION CHALLENGES & OFFICIAL RULES

Heads Up! is a fast-paced mobile party game inspired by the classic “guess the word” format. It’s designed for a team of 5 players: one player acts as the guesser and holds the phone to their forehead so they can’t see the card, while the other 4 players give clues. Players choose a deck such as places, food, tech, animals, or a mixed deck, and then try to complete 15 cards as quickly as possible.

• Team Setup: Exactly 1 player acts as the guesser; the remaining 4 squad members give verbal clues.
• Screen Position: The guesser must hold the phone firmly against their forehead facing outward without peeking at the screen.
• Clue Giving: Clue-givers may describe, act, or rhyme, but may NOT say the forbidden words shown on the card.
• Deck Selection: Choose a deck (Places, Food, Tech, Animals, or Mixed Deck).
• Card Target: Complete 15 cards as quickly as possible within the 3-minute round.
• Correct vs. Skip: Each correct answer earns 1 point. Skipped cards award 0 points.
• Time Limit: The round lasts up to 3 minutes. The goal is to solve as many cards as possible before time runs out.

Config Map is a technical challenge in which participants identify missing components in AWS architecture diagrams. Each round presents two similar architecture diagrams: one complete architecture and one incomplete architecture with exactly three components missing. Participants must compare the diagrams, identify the three missing AWS components, and submit their answers within the given time limit. The game tests observation skills, logical thinking, and basic understanding of cloud architecture. No prior AWS experience is required.

• 10 Total Rounds: The challenge consists of 10 rounds, each featuring a pair of AWS architecture diagrams.
• Diagram Comparison: Each pair contains one complete architecture and one incomplete architecture with exactly three components missing.
• Identify 3 Components: Participants must identify all three missing components by systematically comparing the diagrams.
• Round Timer: Each round has a strict time limit of 60–90 seconds. Answers must be submitted before the countdown expires.
• No External Help: Internet searches, external assistance, and collaboration with other teams are strictly prohibited.
• Format: Participants may compete individually or in teams, depending on the event format.
• Standard Abbreviations: Answers must clearly identify the missing AWS services/components. Common abbreviations (such as S3 for Amazon S3, EC2 for Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud) are acceptable.
• Final Decision: The organizers' decision regarding scoring and tie-breakers will be final.

CloudGrep is a fast-paced AWS-themed word-search puzzle game. The board is a 15x15 grid filled with random letters, and 14 AWS cloud services are hidden inside it. Your goal is to find and select every hidden service name before the timer runs too long—or just to finish as quickly as possible.

• 14 Hidden Services: Find all 14 AWS services embedded in the 15x15 letter matrix.
• Multi-Directional: Words can appear in any direction: horizontal, vertical, diagonal, forwards, or backwards.
• Selection Method: To select a word, drag across the letters or tap the first and last letter of the word.
• Categories: Each word belongs to an AWS category: Compute, Storage, Database, AI/ML, Networking, or Security.
• 3 Tactical Hints: You get 3 hints total. Each hint highlights the general area where an unfound service is hidden and reveals its length and category.
• Live Progress: The game tracks your elapsed time and updates progress in real time as services are unlocked.
• Victory: When all 14 services are found, you win and receive a completion rank based on your speed.

Memory Wall is a fast-paced memory matching game themed around AWS and tech. Players choose a topic (AWS Services, Dev & Tech, or Databases & Cloud) and a grid size (3x3, 4x4, or 5x5), then all cards are revealed for 5 seconds so they can memorize their positions. After that, the cards flip face-down and the player must match identical pairs by tapping two cards at a time. If the cards match, they stay revealed; if not, they flip back over. The goal is to match every pair as quickly as possible and with as few attempts as possible. On larger odd-sized grids, a special AWS SBG tile acts as a power-up and can automatically match a pair. The game tracks your time, attempts, and best record.

• Setup: Select topic (AWS Services, Dev & Tech, or Databases & Cloud) and grid size (3x3, 4x4, or 5x5).
• 5-Second Preview: All cards are revealed face-up for exactly 5 seconds. Squads must memorize card locations together.
• Pair Matching: Cards flip face-down. Tap two cards at a time to uncover and test matching pairs.
• Reveal Mechanics: Matched cards remain permanently revealed; mismatched pairs flip face-down after 0.5s.
• AWS SBG Power-Up: On larger odd-sized grids, the special AWS SBG tile acts as an automatic wildcard pair-matcher.
• Goal: Match every single pair in minimum attempts and shortest elapsed time to secure station clearance.