What actually is the difference between rogaining and what we called orienteering...?

Bingley and other would-be rogainers,

Rogaining is to orienteering as chess is to draughts. No, that's a bit unfair and likely to start an intersports war.

Let's start with the similarities... Both sports involve navigation on foot, usually through unfamiliar terrain, using map and compass to find checkpoints ("controls") marked on the map.

Now for the differences...

The typical orienteering course involves competitors running on their own - at say 2-minute start intervals -around a course of say 10 to 12 checkpoints which must be taken in order. Fastest finishing time wins, usually around an hour.

A rogaine involves teams of 2, 3, 4 or 5 people (for company and safety) navigating around a large area getting as many of the marked checkpoints as they can in the TIME allotted, IN ANY ORDER. Highest score wins, and to complicate matters, checkpoint values vary, from say 10 points for a close easy one to 80 points for one that is far away, on a high hill, or navigationally difficult. This type of event is usually referred to as a "score" event, in contrast to orienteering's normal "line" event. The "classic" (and usual "championship" rogaine) is 24 hours (eg midday Saturday to midday Sunday), with winners covering more than 100km in that time. Organizers have responded to recent market pressure by holding 12-hour, 8-hour and 6-hour events.

Orienteering appeals to me because it combines the physical exertion of running with the mental challenge of choosing the optimal route between each checkpoint and the next. Rogaining has all of that too, but adds another layer - the need to optimize the ENTIRE route strategy and also take into account fatigue, darkness etc. Should we head north towards the flat farmland or south into hilly forest with higher checkpoint values? Where will we be when night falls? Which checkpoints should we skip? Should we sleep at all? Should we plan one big loop, or several smaller ones with returns to the "hash house" for hot meals provided by happy catering volunteers (that one's usually an easy choice!).

That's what they call a long answer to a short question. Congratulations to anyone who read this far.

The AWAD spell checker wants to call all rogainers Roger. Was it a Monty Python sketch where all soccer players called each other Bruce?