X Phil's
X Phil's is an orienteering adventure in the form of a story, based on the popular TV series The X Files, written by Phil Lowles - hence the terrible pun!
The boys take on the role of FBI Agents and at each Checkpoint along the route will find the next part of the story inside an envelope marked with an X (right). By the end of the investigation they will have to either make a decision about what to do, or try to work out what was happening, or who committed the crime. It is not just an exercise in map reading, it is fun, exciting and always the most popular event of our Summer Programme!
There have been 6 X Phil's adventures to date, each one has a different setting, story and resolution for the boys to solve. The map below shows the starting location of all six X Phil's adventures, please use the links to the right to read a short description of each one.
X Phil's 1
The first X Phil's adventure begins at Cliddesden School with the boys investigating a bizarre murder which hints at the possible involvement of Extra Terrestrial beings. By the end of the route the boys need to work out what happened and who, or what, was responsible.
X Phil's 2
The longest X Phil's adventure starts with another grisly murder in the ruins of King John's Castle by the Basingstoke Canal in Odiham. The route mostly follows the Canal to Greywell as the boys try to discover who or what was responsible.
X Phil's 3
A deeper story connecting all the adventures began here with a back story for the main character of the FBI agent involving a brother who is abducted by aliens. This adventure begins with a mysterious phone call from an informant who identifies himself as "Patriarch" and tells you to travel to Litchfield on the A34 between Newbury and Whitchurch because there is something you need to see. By the end of the route the boys need to reach a conclusion about what they are meant to see and why.
X Phil's 4
On the trail of kidnapper and serial killer Billy Draven our FBI agent character is shocked to receive a phone call from his abducted brother and is forced to make an agonising choice about what to do next and which path to take. The route begins in Brown Candover, ending near Dummer and the decision the boys make here will decide the future of the X Files investigations.
X Phil's 5
A ghost story set in the ruins of the Roman Town of Silchester. With the X Files now closed because of the events at the end of the previous adventure two year ago, our FBI agent character receives a call from the informant known as "Patriarch" and he wants to meet face to face for the first time. This sets in motion a series of events which could lead to the X Files being reopened - provided the boys find something that was once lost...
- X Phil's 5: Prologue - pdf 14kb
X Phil's 6
The most recent X Phil's adventure was the most technologically challenging to produce. Set in the woods near Weston Patrick, the story sees our FBI agent trying to track down a military recording of an encounter with a UFO, only when they find the recording they will discover an actual recording stored on an MP3 player and the boys will need to listen to this audio clip and also the shocking Epilogue of the adventure where a dark truth is revealed!
Audio Production
The audio recordings for X Phil's 6 were made with the help of some volunteers that Phil contacted via a web forum that he regularly visits. These volunteers include a New York school teacher, a US Rocket Scientist, a Canadian, an Australian and a real life actress based in California. Phil played one of the parts himself, putting on a terrible American accent! Recordings were sent by email from all over the world and Phil then edited and compiled the recording using Nero Wave Editor. You can listen to the completed recording by clicking the link below. Also provided is the unedited recording before Phil cleaned it up and shows how much work he put into this project. Warning the unedited recording suffers from variable sound levels.
- X Phil's 6 audio: Complete - mp3 2.6mb
- Unedited version - mp3 2.7mb
Future X Phil's Adventures
There will be a new X Phil's adventure in the near future, provided an interesting new location close to Basingstoke can be found which matches the story ideas Phil has in mind. Given that Phil is also the creator of this website it is possible that a future X Phil's adventure may involve this website somehow....
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