The Dull Men's Game

Four errands, one bench, exactly eight minutes.

Walk round Wimborne and go into each place on today's list. Be nice to whoever you meet. Then sit on the bench in the Square, by the bank, at exactly 8:00.

Which round Today's roundEveryone playing today gets the same errands and meets the same people. A random roundFour errands picked at random.

Today's list

Choose a mode EasyPick up one freebie in each place. Don't get chatting: starting a conversation costs points. MediumTalk to the person in each place, then make a polite exit. HardAs Medium, but a passer-by stops you on the way to each place.

Scoring

Score points three ways. Timing: up to , plus more if you sit while the plaque reads 8:00. Errands: for each one finished. Manners: count double. Answering properly, picking up on what people say and adding something of your own score best; stock compliments and repeating yourself earn little. Just nodding along won't do: agree with everything and they'll get meddlesome. Rudeness, ignoring people and walking off without a goodbye lose points. Bonuses for charming people and a clean sweep, then Medium scores ×1.5 and Hard ×2.

Walk: WASD or arrow keys. H toggles hurry (one minute's worth per round)
Look: Click the view to lock the mouse, or drag
Act: E, or tap the blue button: talk, pick up, sit
Phone: Left thumb to walk, drag anywhere else to look
Map: M, or the button under the map

The noticeboard

Checking whether Claude can play the characters…

Laying the paving…