Methodological development on the topic: Creating a quest game (fairy tale quest for students). A universal quest for a party in a house or apartment with ready-made interesting tasks

Quest game is- interactive game with storyline, which consists of solving various logical tasks and puzzles. Since the 80s of the last century, online quests have been especially popular among young people, this moment So-called live quests in reality are attracting more and more interest.

The quest can be vehicular, pedestrian or bicycle. Quests are usually organized by large companies that specialize in conducting such emotional and entertaining events, as well as by enthusiasts for whom quests are a hobby that is quite capable of generating income.

A quest organized by one person is simpler, less expensive and spectacular, but therefore no less interesting for the participants. The main thing is an interesting, exciting script, seasoned with clever puzzles. The good thing about such a quest is that it does not require large expenses from the organizer, which means that it will be affordable for players - no more expensive than visiting other entertainment - a movie, for example.

Several (up to a dozen) teams participate in the quest, each of which consists of 5-6 people. A captain is selected who liaises with the game coordinator.

The quest script consists of a description of the route that the teams will take. There are several points along the route where you leave tasks in the form of puzzles. The answer to the puzzle informs players where to look for the next quest. And so on until the finish. The winning team receives inexpensive prizes, somehow related to the theme of the quest.

When writing a script, remember that it should not be tedious. It is advisable that the route is limited to an area within a radius of 5 km and does not last longer than 4 hours.

Be sure to carefully consider the places where the route will run. These could be park areas, areas of the city where many cultural sites are located, abandoned unfinished high-rise buildings, etc. Avoid areas that may be dangerous to the health and life of participants: busy highways, abandoned enterprises, active construction sites, criminal areas of the city.

Each route should be tied to a specific topic: historical material, literary material, a route through little-known sights of the city, etc.

Consider the qualifications of future players. For beginners, the routes should be shorter and the tasks not too difficult. When creating a scenario for experienced players, you will have to rack your brains over tricky tasks and exotic routes. Just be sure to first walk along the route you have laid out in order to have a real idea of ​​all its features and possible obstacles.

By the way, all places indicated on the route must be publicly accessible. If a pass is required to get to any of the route checkpoints, you need to change the script.

To conduct quests, you only need to register as an individual. No other papers or licenses are required.

It is very convenient to recruit players for games that can be played even every weekend through social networks and blogs (VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Facebook, twitter, LiveJournal, etc.). Create a group, event or community, publish an announcement about upcoming games and their themes. The announcement must indicate the number of players, the time required to complete the route, the cost of participation and the meeting place.

Try to create several scenarios in advance so that potential participants have the opportunity to choose the route and topic that interests them most.

It is convenient to coordinate all the details and answer emerging questions through feedback and comments. Do not forget to constantly review these pages and answer all questions in detail.

Keep in mind that the quest season lasts throughout the warm season: from May to November. The most applicants are in June and September. July and August are vacation time. But you can use the “lull” to develop exciting scenarios.

Now for the working moments.

Financial investments in organizing a quest are small.

• You will need assistants - agents who will stand at control points. Their task is to hand over the next task to the teams. But he may have to intervene if an unforeseen situation arises. Depending on the complexity of the task, the agent receives payment in the range of $10-20. Very often, friends and acquaintances of the game organizer are invited to play these roles.
• Prize fund. It is necessary to prepare identical prizes for each member of the winning team. It would be nice if they were somehow related to the theme of the game. For example, if your script is based on M. Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita”, part of the route runs along the Patriarch’s Ponds, then the prize could be copies of this novel, or a disc with its film adaptation.
• Costs for completing assignments. Each task must be printed and placed in an envelope. Buy a ballpoint pen for each participant in the game. By the way, assignments can be given not on paper, but, for example, on a floppy disk or tape cassette. Such an “antique” medium will also become part of the task - players will have to find a place in the city where they can read information from it. Assignments must be done with reserve - in case the number of participants exceeds the number of applications received.

The cost of participation in the game is calculated based on the number of players and budget. Accordingly, the more players there are, the lower the price of the “entrance ticket”. Since the walking quest does not involve extreme sports, theatrical performances, or other costly elements, the cost of participation in it should not exceed $10-15. In this case, potential participants can choose from equally priced entertainment: go to the cinema, sit in a cafe, ride an amusement park or play an exciting quest game. Participants pay the fee immediately before the start, receiving the task.

For safety reasons, before starting the game, discuss all the rules and regulations of the quest.

• communicate with drunk citizens;
• disrupt public order;
• violate traffic rules;
• penetrate protected objects.

Each player signs before the start of the game, thereby confirming that he is familiar with the regulations and during the game he is responsible for himself, his health and well-being.

But in any case, the organizers of the game need to be on alert in order to intervene in time. Keep in constant contact with team captains mobile phone, check where the players are.

We offer examples of quests that were carried out in Kyiv.

Starting task: The game coordinator gives the team captains photographs of the agent and boxes with the inscription “Contact with Leshy.” Inside the boxes is a selection of cereals. Starting from 11.45, the agent will constantly travel in the third metro car from the head of the train, on a line that is served by the Darnitsa electric depot. The agent must be identified from a photograph.

Task number 1: an agent who rides on the red line of the metro gives players a GoogleMap printout and a message: “Following this map, you must find 5 guardian idols in the forest: Brick, Scythe, Chemist, Cosmos and Welder. Find out their real names and get in touch with Leshy.”

Answer: on the GoogleMap printout there is a map of the KPI park (forest). On the territory of the campus adjacent to the park, there are monuments to academician Stepan Timoshenko ("Scythe"), scientist Dmitry Mendeleev ("Chemist") and Viktor Kirpichev, the first rector of the KPI ("Kirpich"). As well as memorial plaques to academician Boris Paton (“Welder”) and aircraft designer Sergei Korolev (“Cosmos”). After the players have learned the real names of the “guardian idols”, they need to contact the agent - Leshi. The agent’s phone number is encrypted: it’s a set of cereals in a box with a note attached: “Rice, buckwheat, peas, pasta, barley, pearl barley, millet.” After players count the number of grains and arrange them in the right order, they will receive a CDMA phone number through which they can contact the agent - 449 76 89.

Task number 2: agent Leshy gives the players a CD-R with the inscription in marker “Utsrfretvtskthlfzh grtrevfrer ochistkkh pv tsrpzh yafkch shchvurd.” The disc contains 4 songs: “Olga”, “Goodbye, my affectionate bear”, “Golden Domes” and “The clock is striking on the old tower”.

Answer: the inscription on the disk is decrypted using a simple key called the “Caesar cipher”: each letter of the sentence is rearranged in the alphabet two characters forward. The task goes like this: “Take a photo of a bearded man in front of this clock.” The key to the location of the next checkpoint of the game is encrypted in the songs recorded on the disk: this refers to the monument to Princess Olga on Mikhailovskaya Square. Obviously, the agent will be waiting under the monument, behind him is the turret of St. Michael's Cathedral with a clock.

Task number 3: After players have photographed all the bearded men in the square and found an agent among them, they receive a key with a tag on which the PO Box number and a photo of post office 01025 are indicated.

Answer: obviously the next job is waiting in the PO Box. All that remains is to find out the address of the post office. (For example, call the information desk.) The 25th department is located literally around the corner, at the address: st. Vladimirskaya, 8. The problem is that you need to get there before the lunch break, which ends at 14.00, otherwise the team loses an hour.

Task number 4: In the mailbox there is a photocopy of 200 hryvnia and a photograph of Petrik Pyatochkin from the cartoon “How Petrik Pyatochkin counted elephants.” The task reads: “Help him count the same animals that he counted before going to bed. They hid in front of the 200 hryvnia gymnasium.”

Answer: The banknote depicts a portrait of Lesya Ukrainka. Gymnasium named after Lesi Ukrainki is located at: st. Lutheranskaya, 10. Across the road from the gymnasium building (opposite) there is a semi-basement store, the entrance to which is decorated with 7 elephants.

Task number 5: After the players have counted the elephants, they make a follow-up call to the coordinator and receive the following task: “The snail moves at a speed of X cm/min, the path to its native pond is Y meters. How long will it take for the snail to crawl home if X is the number of animals near the gymnasium, and Y is the number of floors in the building with a clock, which is located at the address, which can be found out by dividing 200 hryvnia into fifty kopecks.”

Answer: on the fifty-kopeck piece - 50 hryvnia - there is a portrait of Mikhail Grushevsky, if you divide 200 by 50, you get 4. Thus, the address of the next control point is st. Grushevsky, 4. The number of floors in this building is 7. Thus, we have all the data to solve the equation. The snail's speed is 7 cm/min, the path to the pond is 700 cm, the answer is 100 minutes. If the number received is correct, the coordinator gives the finishing task over the phone.

Creation of quest games, quest events

INTRODUCTION:

Due to new educational standards, implementation of Federal State Educational Standards in the educational sphere modern society The children's attitude towards the holidays is also changing. Currently, the use of ICT technologies is of great importance for both children and teachers. Modern child, this is a person who understands most of the latest “gadgets”, but at the same time, they are often used for other purposes. The teacher's task is to engage. Involve everywhere and everywhere in educational and creative activities.

Modern kids don’t have enough games based on stations; they are more interested in whole game scenarios to achieve various goals. Recently, the children's movement of our school has been holding regular quests - games, quests - holidays. Over the course of several years, this type of work has acquired special significance for both educational and creative activities. Let's look at the definition: quest (borrowing English Quest - “search, subject of search, search for adventure, fulfillment of a knightly vow”). In mythology and literature English language the concept of “quest” originally denoted one of the ways of constructing a plot - the journey of characters to a specific goal through overcoming difficulties (for example, the myth ofPerseus or even 12 laborsHercules ). Typically, during this journey, the heroes have to overcome numerous difficulties and meet many characters who help or hinder them. Heroes may undertake a quest for personal gain or other reasons. Completing some quests is associated with solving moral and ethical problems. Similar plots gained great popularity in knightly novels, in particular, one of the most famous quests of knightsRound Table - searches Holy Grail . The frame type of quest in the novel seems to coincide with some kind of deep narrative structure. This technique is used especially actively in the genrefantasy . Since this genre is closely related torole-playing games , then the term migrated to games, slightly changing its meaning.

So, a quest is an adventure game that takes you from point A to point B by solving assigned problems.

The design of a real quest can be large and massive, it all depends on the number of participating teams and stages. The quest is really similar to the station game, but has a significant difference: in the first case, the guys are openly told where to go (or given a map), in the second, the guys are given a task, after completing which they must understand where to go.

Quest games have a classification that I found on the forum :

Plot – quests aimed at consistent development gaming events;

Not plot – quests aimed at legalizing the development of gaming events.

Kinds:

Disposable - quests completed once per game.
- Reusable - quests, regular completion (daily, weekly, periodically - once every few days).
Type of quests:
- Singles - passage alone.
- Group - passage with 2, 3, 4 players, as part of a clan, for example, at least 10 players, alliance, for example, at least 15 players.
Quest type
- Survival (defense) - actions of a player alone or (as well as) as part of a group, aimed at holding territory in various terrain (optionally, for a certain time, until the main forces arrive).
- Liquidation (attack) - actions of a player alone or (as well as) as part of a group, aimed at destroying/suppressing enemy forces(various numbers) on different terrain. (possibly for a while)
- Espionage/sabotage- actions of the player alone or (as well as) as part of a group, aimed at capturing important documentation, taking the “language” and other people, with their subsequent delivery accordingly. organs. Destruction of buildings, structures, structures, as well as Vehicle by mining. (possibly for a while)
- Search\trading operations- actions of the player alone or (as well as) as part of a group, aimed at detecting, delivering and, possibly, in the process of combat clashes with the enemy, various cargoes and objects. (possibly for a while)
- Peaceful - actions of the player alone or (as well as) as part of a group, aimed at delivering various items to the NPC (possibly for a while).
The principle of peaceful quests
- find ---> get a reward,
- find---> bring---> get a reward,
- find ---> report ---> get a reward,
- bring/carry ---> receive a reward,

Of course for modern system Not all types of quests are suitable for education, but only peaceful and search ones.

There is a certain structure of game quests:

1. The presence of interesting characters (human actors, with the attributes of the heroes they portray)
2. Availability of rewards for completed tasks (for example, tokens, or receiving part of the answer to main question games, at the end of the game certificates for places, cups, etc.)
3. The presence of a team leader (not a prompter, but an assistant)

How to create a quest game with students? You can use the spinner technology

Stages of creating a quest game with students:

1. Topic selection:

Every teacher should realize that it is necessary not only to tell the children what they should do, but to try to create an atmosphere of desire. You can tell the kids about what a quest is, and whether they think that they themselves can become the creators of the game here and now. Offer them topics (several options), and choose one of them by voting. Or offer to create a game for some school event or upcoming holiday.

1. Determining the target category (number of teams, their age) and determining the scale of the quest (office, school, district, city...):

Determine who the game will be aimed at, for whom the initiative group could hold such an event, with whom the group would be comfortable working (the complexity of the tasks and the heroes that the teams will meet depend on the age of the participants)

1. Determining the number of stages:

Divide the guys into several groups (this can be done after determining the stages of the game), for example, 5 groups of 4 people.

1. Guys work in teams

The work of children in teams can be carried out in several ways:

Using a sheet of Whatman paper in each group

Using a pre-prepared questionnaire

Using a computer class (using ICT)

Need answers to questions:

1. Come up with a hero's name
2. Name 3 character traits of the hero
3. What does the hero look like?
4. How does the hero talk (slow, fast...)
5. Where the hero is located (depending on the choice of location for the quest)
6. Riddle about the hero
7. Hero's task (team action on the spot)

Each team must either answer all questions in full, or answer them using the “spinner” method (1, 2,3,4,.... For a certain amount of time)

1. Introducing fictional characters

Oral defense of invented characters (with possible reincarnation)

1. Determining the order of presentation and search for heroes (when there is one team, this is easy, when there are several of them, you should follow the rule: number of teams = number of heroes)
2. Determination of the results of the game, possible determination of nominations and awards.

It should be recalled that at each stage there must be encouragement (tokens, part of the final task, etc.)

1. Distribution of quest game roles between participants, creation of a schedule of individual rehearsals, selection of costumes (determination of the roles of presenters and persons accompanying the teams).
2. Conducting a survey on whether the children liked taking part in the creation of the game.

What difficulties did they encounter?

This is how our team creates scenarios for quest games and quest fairy tales dedicated to various festive events; it’s especially nice when the elders create wonderful holidays for the younger ones. The quest can last 1-3 hours. Most often, it is not only entertaining, but also educational and educational in nature, so you should not think that the lessons can be wasted, especially if the tasks are selected to motivate the desire to study the subjects. And now I would like to introduce you to two scenarios of the quests. The first is dedicated to a wonderful holiday - “ New Year", where DiMOO "ONICS" held New Year's tale with obstacles for the pupils of the beading circle, the second instructive game - a story about the life and work of the great scientist Lomonosov, which was conducted by DiMOO for several parallel classes.

Http://forum.lsonline.ru/index.php?/topic/659-%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0% B5-%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%BD%D1%8B%D1%85-%D0%BA%D0%B2%D0% B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B2/

In the last few years, quests have become one of the most favorite and most visited entertainment for many people.

The first stage is searching for premises

The quest room has some special features.

No matter where

Since people purposefully go to a quest from an advertisement or from a website by appointment, it does not matter for the quest where exactly the entrance is located (like, say, to a store). If the entrance to it is from the yard or somewhere on the edge of the house (for example, in the basement / ground floor) - this is even good, as it allows you to choose the most profitable room for rent.

For two quests you will need about 100 sq. meters. For four 180–200 sq. meters, depending on the layout. There is no point in taking a small room for one quest, since you will spend a lot of money, since in any case you need to make a waiting room and a leader’s room, which can be used for several quests at once.

It is much more effective to immediately invest in a room for several quests, even if you do one first, thereby you will have:

1. Firstly, savings in rental rates (a square meter will be cheaper), square meters (the total areas will “work” for several quests at once).
2. Secondly, savings on personnel (fewer employees will be required than if the quests are in different places), savings on repairs (you won’t have to build the same thing twice).

Basement/basement spaces with a minimum rental rate are very suitable. But keep in mind that a destroyed basement will require either large investments or a specific theme (horror films). And children's / family quests (and, in general, all quests) require a clean / good room - it will be more pleasant for the players to come to you.

Be more serious with rent

Rent is the only significant fixed expense, so it's important to control it. Since opening a quest takes time, you can (and should) ask for a vacation for construction. Also transfer part of the costs to the landlord (related to pipes, toilets, ventilation, heating - those that improve the premises and will remain with the landlord forever)

It is more profitable to place several quests in one location, this way you save on:

• Rental rate per square meter;
• Arrangement of the area (repair);
• Square meters (one entrance group, toilet, leader’s room - all this for several quests);
• Salary: one person can simultaneously conduct several quests. During the day, one person is enough for several quests, the staff helps each other, while one collects, others meet clients and tell the legend.
• Other expenses: internet, receptionist, cleaning - divided among all quests.

Payback

At the moment, even if the area is large (3-5 quests), one unpromoted quest with average profitability, with fierce competition, can cover the current rental costs, so the second quest will cover salaries, advertising and operating expenses, and subsequent will bring net profit. This is at the start of a business.

The area per quest is usually about 30–40 square meters. meters, maybe larger 60–70 sq. meters. Minimum quest - 25 sq. meters. If there is a scary but large room, you can implement a performance (quest with an actor from 150 sq. meters), which can be opened quickly enough with small investments, but this is a horror film and with an actor, due to this a wow effect is achieved.

A good option is a quest for two, it can be implemented on 10 square meters. meters - this is a prison cell or an elevator, or “buried alive”, or a laboratory (in breaking bad style).

Among the new formats, it is now profitable to open “Hide and Seek in the Dark”. A minimum of cash investment is required, and construction can be completed in three to four weeks. The format is ideal for family visits, children's birthdays, team building events, and large groups. Unlike a quest, it can be completed many times. Over the past few months, we have opened 9 hide and seek and 9 more are being built across Russia.

Some other features to look out for when searching for premises:

1. Room layout. It is necessary to make the most efficient use of space. If the toilet is located at the other end of the room, then keep in mind that there must be free access to it, which can “eat” squares that could go on quests.
2. Ceiling height. Low ceilings will put pressure and do not allow the installation of additional engineering. High ceilings (3–4 square meters) require significant effort and resources to use.
3. Humidity, traces of flooding, accidents (especially in the basement). Sewage is very common problem, there must be a check valve to prevent “breakthroughs” of the toilet. If it is not there, you need to supply it at the landlord's expense.
4. Ability to work evenings, nights and weekends. If you have a base, it is better to have them above you non-residential premises, otherwise gaming in the evening hours may be limited. With neighbors “above”, games must end before 10–12 pm.

Stage two - choosing a scenario

Your city affects the strategy for opening quests.

Main factors:

1. Population
2. Competitors

Depending on the population, we distinguish two types: million-plus cities and small cities. A separate conversation - the capitals (Moscow and St. Petersburg).

We classify all cities with a population of less than 500 thousand as small towns and recommend starting with opening quests based on adapted scenarios. These scenarios are optimized for opening without experience in quests or even entrepreneurship; they open in as soon as possible and involve a minimum number of specialists (engineers / prop makers), the cost of their implementation ranges from 350 thousand rubles. But in case of strong competition, you can immediately start with environmental and engineering quests.

The quest industry is already three years old and the level of competition at the moment leaves virtually no opportunity to open a quality quest on your own. Previously, it was possible to make simple repairs, hide notes, keys and lock people up. Now everything has changed.

Creating a script and adapting it to reality requires time and significant investment. The value of the scenario tends to zero, since the main importance is set of items, engineering, and the implementation of riddles. It is on this component of the quest that most of the time and money is spent. This is where the maximum value from the franchise is found during the quest discovery phase. It will protect you from mistakes and help you save time and money at every stage from selecting a room to opening the quest.

The third stage - advertising and attracting customers

For many, at this stage, franchise assistance ends with the provision of a reservation system on the website. We went further by creating a marketing agency for quests: our staff includes specialists in Yandex.Direct, Google Adwords, VKontakte targeting, a copywriter, an email specialist, and content specialists.

We understand that traffic is one of the most important stages, so a designer and a programmer work on website conversions, we have written our own analytics system.

Since most clients call rather than sign up on the website (up to 90% in the regions), we are the only ones who have introduced a single call center for all our partners, which provides daily online service from morning to night, without holidays and weekends.

To improve the quality of processing applications, we were forced to write a separate one for processing applications with elements of tips, since it is very difficult to remember 150 quests in 40 cities, but with such a system, information on each reservation, for each client, for each quest is presented conveniently to increase the number of entries .

The introduction of a call center shows an increase in bookings by 30% due to the quality of application processing, scripts and the application processing system.

Types of advertising

We divide advertising into two categories: online advertising and offline advertising in the city. We provide detailed information about offline advertising in the training. But we take care of setting up and maintaining online advertising. This is contextual advertising in search engines: Yandex and Google. Social media: VKontakte (targeting), Instagram (again, we won’t list the rest, but there are significantly more sources of Internet traffic than just search networks).

Found a typo? Select the text and press Ctrl + Enter

My memories from childhood + imagination were enough for exactly one quest: a dozen tasks that are not duplicated.
But the children liked the fun, they asked for more quests and had to go online.
This article will not describe the script, legends, or design. But there will be 13 ciphers to encode the tasks for the quest.

Code number 1. Picture

A drawing or photo that directly indicates the place where the next clue is hidden, or a hint at it: broom + socket = vacuum cleaner
Complication: make a puzzle by cutting the photo into several parts.

Code 2. Leapfrog.

Swap the letters in the word: SOFA = NIDAV

Cipher 3. Greek alphabet.

Encode the message using the letters of the Greek alphabet, and give the children the key:

Code 4. Vice versa.

Write the assignment backwards:

• every word:
  Etishchi dalk extra Jonsos
• or an entire sentence, or even a paragraph:
  Etsem morkom momas v - akzaksdop yaaschuudelS. itup monrev an yv

Code 5. Mirror.

(when I did the quest for my children, at the very beginning I gave them a “magic bag”: there was a key to the “Greek alphabet”, a mirror, “windows”, pens and sheets of paper, and all sorts of unnecessary things for confusion. Finding the next riddle , they had to figure out for themselves what from the bag would help them find the answer)

Code 6. Rebus.

The word is encoded in pictures:

Code 7. Next letter.

We write a word, replacing all the letters in it with the following ones in alphabetical order (then I is replaced by A, in a circle). Or the previous ones, or the next ones after 5 letters :).

CABINET = SHLBH

Code 8. Classics to the rescue.

I took a poem (and told the children which one) and a code of 2 numbers: line number number of letters in the line.

Example:

Pushkin "Winter Evening"

The storm covers the sky with darkness,
Whirling snow whirlwinds;
Then, like a beast, she will howl,
Then he will cry like a child,
Then on the dilapidated roof
Suddenly the straw will rustle,
The way a belated traveler
There will be a knock on our window.

21 44 36 32 82 82 44 33 12 23 82 28

Did you read it, where is the hint? :)

Code 9. Dungeon.

Write the letters in a 3x3 grid:

Then the word WINDOW is encrypted like this:

Code 10. Labyrinth.

My children liked this code; it is unlike the others, because it is not so much for the brain as for attention.

So:

On a long thread/rope you attach the letters in order, as they appear in the word. Then you stretch the rope, twist it and entangle it in every possible way between the supports (trees, legs, etc.). Having walked along the thread, as if through a maze, from the first letter to the last, the children will recognize the clue word.

Imagine if you wrap one of the adult guests in this way!
Children read - The next clue is on Uncle Vasya.
And they run to feel Uncle Vasya. Eh, if he is also afraid of tickles, then everyone will have fun!

Code 11. Invisible ink.

Use a wax candle to write the word. If you paint over the sheet with watercolors, you can read it.
(there are other invisible inks... milk, lemon, something else... But I only had a candle in my house :))

Code 12. Rubbish.

The vowels remain unchanged, but the consonants change according to the key.
For example:
SHEEPS SCHOMOSKO
reads as - VERY COLD, if you know the key:
D L X N H
Z M SCH K V

Code 13. Windows.

The kids loved it incredibly! They then used these windows to encrypt messages to each other all day long.
So: on one sheet of paper we cut out windows, as many as there are letters in the word. This is a stencil, we apply it to a blank sheet of paper and write a clue word in the windows. Then we remove the stencil and write many different unnecessary letters on the remaining blank space of the sheet. You can read the code if you attach a stencil with windows.
The children were at first stupefied when they found a sheet covered with letters. Then they twisted the stencil back and forth, but you still need to put it on the right side!

Code 14. Map, Billy!

Draw a map and mark (X) the location with the treasure.
When I did the quest for mine for the first time, I decided that the map was very simple for them, so I needed to make it more mysterious (then it turned out that just a map would be enough for the children to get confused and run in the opposite direction)...

This is the map of our street. Hints here are house numbers (to understand that this is actually our street) and huskies. This dog lives with a neighbor across the street.
The children did not immediately recognize the area and asked me leading questions..
Then 14 children took part in the quest, so I united them into 3 teams. They had 3 versions of this map and each one had its own place marked. As a result, each team found one word:
"SHOW" "FAIRY TALE" "TURNIP"
This was the next task :). He left behind some hilarious photos!
For my son’s 9th birthday, I didn’t have time to invent a quest, so I bought it on the MasterFuns website.. At my own peril and risk, because the description there is not very good.
But my children and I liked it because:

1. inexpensive (similar to about 4 dollars per set)
2. quickly (paid - downloaded, printed - everything took 15-20 minutes)
3. There are a lot of tasks, with plenty to spare. And although I didn’t like all the riddles, there was plenty to choose from, and you could enter your own task
4. everything is decorated in the same monster style and this gives the holiday effect. In addition to the quest tasks themselves, the kit includes: a postcard, flags, table decorations, and invitations to guests. And it's all about monsters! :)
5. In addition to the 9-year-old birthday boy and his friends, I also have a 5-year-old daughter. The tasks were beyond her, but she and her friend also found entertainment - 2 games with monsters, which were also in the set. Phew, in the end - everyone is happy!

Today we’ll talk about quests, or adventures.
Brief background: I am now in an organization that really loves its employees. Periodically supports the participation of employees in marathons around the city, boat races, etc. Having extensive experience in conducting various events at my previous job, I decided to offer to conduct a quest around the city. The idea was suddenly supported by natural consequence: finally we have found someone who organizes all this. Well, to make it easier for you, I’ll tell you what and how to organize so that everything comes out in a bundle!

So:
1. Mechanics
2. Route
3. Tasks
4. Prizes
5. Informing participants

1. Mechanics:

So, you need to start with the mechanics:
1.1. define goals
1.2. determine the number and expected composition of teams
1.3. think about how the game process works and what leads to victory.

And before we look at it in more detail, I’ll tell you what NOT to do. We held a corporate event. I talked to the event agency and told them what we would like. I ordered something like “The Da Vinci Code” - a quest with intellectual and entertaining tasks. The idea was good, but the implementation was a mess. It was quite boring: some tasks were too simple, some were too complicated and difficult to play. The mechanics did not think through the goals and composition of the teams. The process was well thought out.

1.1. Goals:
For our current quest I have defined the following goals:

Unite the team (Teambuilding),
- show the sights of the city (Heilbronn),
- advertise sponsors (usually sponsors support the conduct of various events. Participants “run” to the sponsor, get acquainted, for example, with a restaurant. The sponsor either treats or can sponsor prizes for the team at the end of the quest),
- entertain people
- create a spirit of competition (not competition and not hatred, don’t get it mixed up. Otherwise, people quickly begin to divide teams into “friends” and “enemies” and hate the latter).

1.2. Number and composition of teams
The quantity is important because... You will have to send commands in different routes. Teams must go through the same points. Having three teams and three points, you risk creating a moment when two teams stand on the same point: one has not finished yet, and the second has not yet started. I proceeded from the consideration of 3 teams of 5-10 people, 5 points. More than 10 people – it becomes difficult for teams to move. This is already a crowd. Less than 5 – difficult to solve tasks. But this is for my case. If you are organizing a game for the whole city, then the teams may be larger, and you will need cars to move around.

1.3. Game process:
There are many options: for time, for points, for passing (who will reach the finish line). Choose what you like. I chose "for points".

Teams are given 2.5 hours of time. Three teams start from the office building. Each person receives the first riddle and this riddle indicates the path to the first “point”.

There is a leader at each point. You can get by with just riddles hidden in a designated place. But the presenter will help manage the game process and will be able to make sure that the participants understand the task correctly and solve it not too quickly and not too slowly. He oversees the entertainment of the people, creates an atmosphere and distributes glasses.

The presenter can be chosen from the internal reserve, or a professional actor can be hired. It all depends on how much money you have and how many talents you have in your team. Hint: usually there are talents, hidden, but always ready to participate!
We have five points, the roles for the presenters are selected in such a way that they “complement the attraction.” This is in my case. If you are not going to show people the sights, then any role will do.

In our case:

Monk at the Kilianskirche,
- Knight at the monument to Kätchen (the heroine of the knightly work, according to history, comes from Heilbron),
- Sherlock Holmes at the Gjotzenturm Tower. Sherlock Holmes was not chosen by chance; anyone who watched the second Sherlock Holmes film with Downey Jr. will remember that part of the plot takes place in Heilbron.
- Fortune teller at the town hall building. And just like that, it is well associated with the astronomical clock at the town hall.
- Mad scientist at the Experiments building. This is a local scientific and entertainment center where children and adults can get acquainted with natural sciences in the form of games.

You can use the roles of homeless people in the park, spies near a factory, a tank driver near a tank, which we have in every city for Victory Day! Your imagination and nothing more!

2. Route
To plot the route, I simply took a map of the city with landmarks marked. I also went to the Wikipedia page and looked at what they wrote there. There are also photographs there, and Googlemaps will help you calculate the distance between points. Our longest distance was about 800 meters, the shortest was about 100. Naturally, the route can be laid out so that the distance is always large, choosing the most distant point next. On the contrary, you can lay out not a confusing route, but the shortest one. I assumed about 20 minutes from point to point and about 20 minutes to solve the problem.

Plan your route depending on your goal. If you are conducting a quest for the young and lean, for whom “showing yourself” and flexing their muscles is a matter of principle, then choose remote points and give them very little time. If you are holding a game with the participation of older people or want to show the sights, then running around will tire people and not give them time to look at the beauty of the city. Start from your goals.

3. Tasks
Tasks should be varied and interesting. Don't do the same type of tasks. “Try not to go overboard” with complexity and not to overdo it with simplicity. Practice on other people. We have at least 5 presenters (internal reserve) for training. See how long it takes the presenters to solve the task. Determine the cost of the task, for example, 20 points. After 10 minutes of “undecided” - a hint. Hint "-5" points. The second is another “-5” points.

Prepare backup tasks. There are different things. Here are examples of unforeseen cases:
- someone knows this problem and will solve it in 1 minute,
- the presenter accidentally let it slip,
- it turns out that the task can be interpreted in two ways and it is possible different variants correct answers,
- the task is too difficult and cannot be solved even after the 3rd hint,
- something of necessary materials(container, for example) breaks or breaks,
- etc.

If you have a backup task, the losing team can be given a chance to earn extra points. Those who cope too quickly can be asked to stay and “gain” points. The inventory is broken - nothing, there is a spare task. In short, stock up on interesting tasks, test them, train the presenters and you will be happy!

Example of a bad task:
The task itself is nothing, but many people know it. I knew and decided in 1 minute. If you remember, in the movie “Die Hard 3” you had to fill a canister with 5 liters of water, having only 3 and 7 liter canisters. It's not difficult to solve. If the task is new, then you need to think about it. But if you solved it once, then solve it a second time. Even if the conditions change a little and you need to put 8 liters into an 11 liter canister, having only 11, 3 and 4 liter canisters.

3. Tasks

Examples of tasks that I have planned:
- detective game
- brain teaser
- historical
- mathematical
- artistic
- charades/puzzles
- tasting game

Detective game:
I took the idea and remade it a little into a detective story. For example, Sherlock Holmes says:

“It was a difficult case. The dead man was found in the park. It was clear that he had just visited a hairdresser, and a good one at that: an excellent haircut and smooth shaven spoke for themselves. Based on the wound, I determined that the murder weapon was a straight razor. Suspicion immediately fell on the hairdresser.

There were only two hairdressers in the city. I went to see both of them. The first one met me in a clean salon, the mirrors shone, scissors and razors were neatly laid out on the table, and the master himself was clean-shaven, well-cut, smiling and looking neat. The second hairdressing salon unpleasantly surprised me: it was quite dirty and untidy, the tools were put away in unlocked drawers. The master himself is friendly, although unkempt and poorly cut. The impression he made in communication was generally positive.

I went outside. I call such cases “one-pipe cases.” By the time I finished smoking my pipe, the case had already been solved. You figured out who the killer was, or?”

The story is simple, but for some reason many people get stuck. I think they are greatly distracted by descriptive moments, while the solution is hidden in one phrase.

For fun, you can “put” the presenter’s assistant in the form of a corpse, dress it as the time dictates “the end of the 19th century,” and make a false “cut” on the neck. It's a small thing, but people will definitely be intrigued. The mood is guaranteed, even if the “corpse” laughs or gives a hint.

Brain teaser:
"Dancing Men" Distribute a picture with classified text. Say the message is the title next goal and how to get to it. As a hint, say that, for example, each little person with a flag means the end or the beginning of a word. The task is not very difficult, but not easy either. It is better to give a hint that will contain a couple of letters. For example, say that there is exactly the word “river” or “bridge” or whatever you want. It is important that people have the first letters and, thus, the key to the solution. If you remember Holmes and The Mysterious Inscription, then the number of vowels was the original one. There are not many of them in the alphabet and they are usually found in every word. Since not everyone knows how often vowels and consonants are used in the language, it is worth giving a more reliable hint.

Historical:
A quiz with questions dedicated to a given landmark, or city, or character. My friends gave it to me interesting questions according to the Kilianskirche church, such as: how many bells are on it, what is the height of the main tower, who is depicted at the top, what is he armed with, etc.

Please note two things:

Don't mix up the order of the questions. Above you saw that I first ask who is pictured at the top (the answer is, for example, a knight). AND next question what he is armed with. Seeing the second question, the answer to the first is clear. Therefore, it is better not to write down questions, but to listen from the presenter’s lips, deliberate for a minute and give an answer.

If the question is a guessing question, for example, the height of the tower, then the presenter should suggest that “I can give 10 points for the correct answer to this question. An error per meter will deduct 1 point.” The height of the tower is 62 meters. If the team answers “70”, it receives 2 points. For easier questions, give fewer points, for more difficult ones, more. Avoid pure guessing: a couple of questions will get people excited, but guessing alone will kill people's desire to think.

At one event, I was asked how many kWh of energy is needed to heat our building. Several teams competed. Literally the day before, I chose the tariff for paying for utilities and knew that a family of 3 people for an apartment of 90 sq. m. consumes an average of 13,000 kWh of energy. I figured out in my mind how many “apartments” would fit on one floor of the building. Multiplied by the number of floors. Added an amendment to the fact that the hall will require more energy, because... large area, frequently opened door. Plus high ceilings. Those. added another 20%, i.e. at 1 1/5. It turned out to be something like 500,000. The correct answer was 600,000. Such tasks are used at McKinsey when applying for jobs (if anyone is interested, I have a separate one on this topic). They're not entirely guessing games. You can guess everything very closely. The goal is also to test the logic of thinking. Go for it!

Mathematical:
Sudoku. There is Sudoku different levels difficulties. Hand out several sheets of paper so that all team members can solve the puzzle at once. Mark some empty cells with circles. The numbers from these cells can form the coordinates of the next target. You can simply list 5 possible goals below. You can guess the correct one by entering the number in the field with a circle. Interesting, although not very interactive. But who hasn’t figured out the trick yet: collectively solving such a problem is quick, but individually it takes a long time. Game for "team spirit". I wonder if the competitors will understand that they should not compete, but cooperate, writing down the guessed numbers on a common sheet. Coordination will play a big role. This is for those who think of it.

If people are bored, the presenter should entertain, joke, and offer tips and alternative tasks. Math problems more boring and interesting at the same time. It all depends on the people and mood. Create the mood!

Artistic:
The game of Crocodile is known to everyone. You can also take Alias, the American version of this game, as an idea. The goal is simple: without saying a word, you need to show the word with gestures. You cannot draw letters using gestures.

Two ideas:

Write a list of words with a price list of points. First select one person from the team, and eventually change it to another so that several people try their hand. Give him the price list and let him show it. For more simple words give 1 point, for difficult ones - at your discretion. The easiest ones are concrete nouns, more abstract ones or several words. Simple - “tram”, medium - “creativity”, complex - “multifactor analysis” or “podzolic soils of Siberia”.

You can connect several commands. One person shows the words, the rest guess. Point goes that one the team that guessed right. Of course, people from different teams should show words alternately. This version of the game is called "piracy". It’s great to put it at the end of the quest, when people have already become acquainted. The funny thing here is that you don’t just need to show the word, but show it in such a way that your own people understand, but others don’t. When people have already communicated and “played,” they develop their own “memories,” interests, and language. You can try the regular version first, and then the “piracy” version to equalize the teams in points. The principle of the game changes and the team that was better can suddenly become worse. Well, or how lucky.

Charades/puzzles:
I won't give an example. Just remember your youth and look at ready-made options on the Internet. Otherwise, you will need the ability to write poetry (for charades) and the ability to draw (for puzzles).

Tasting game:
My invention. Just like life. The local region is famous for its wines, which, by the way, I can’t stand - they’re not my taste at all. So, there is a presenter dressed as a knight. In front of him is a table, glasses and three bottles of wine. Story:

“The poor knight did not know how to find his beloved. He saw her only once and immediately fell in love with her. All he knew was that she came from a family of winemakers. Their wines made from Lemberger grapes were famous throughout the world. There were two more families in the city. One made wines from Zamtrot grapes, the other was famous for wines from Trollinger. And now he had three bottles of selected wine from each of these families. The creators of the first bottle live..., the second..., the third.... Where should he look for his beloved?

The task is not as difficult as it seems. These wines taste very different. Especially “Zamtrot”. You will probably have to concentrate on other wines. I recommend dry wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and, for example, Carmenere grape varieties. Take Chilean or Argentine ones - they are relatively inexpensive and the cabernet will taste like cabernet, and not like “what has grown.” Many (especially here) boast that they are well versed in wines. Here's your chance to try it.

For tips: Describe the tastes of the wines in the tasters' terms. And tell me how to taste wines correctly. Conventionally: the tip of the tongue is responsible for sweetness, the right and left edges are for acidity, the far part is for astringency. This is enough to quickly understand what the wine tastes like. In addition, Cabernet has a sharper taste with notes of black comrade. Merlot is softer. Read about Carmenere for yourself. But choose something that is difficult to confuse, such as cabernet. It’s a pleasure to “sip a little,” and to grow in one’s own eyes, “to learn to try and understand,” and simply to be varied. Nobody expects this.

4. Prizes
Prizes must be team awards. And each team should get something. You only have three. It's not that much. You can also make a “cup” and put the names of the winners on it. And put the cup in a prominent place. IN next year– another cup, or change of nameplate. It will be interesting and fun! A long-standing tradition.

5. Preparation of participants
Make a list of what participants need to bring with them. Your hints will already create the mood. “Compass and Map” will make you remember how to use them; the “car” will make it clear that you will need to drive a lot; "pen and notepad" will hint at logic problems. I would prepare such little things myself, so that people wouldn’t guess too much and wouldn’t be scared. Let there be a surprise, but!: BE SURE to warn about comfortable shoes, that after the game a buffet is planned (so that those who are driving do not take a car or expect to pay for parking), that the event will take 2-2.5 hours and there will be associated with long distances. Imagine how the game will go if the ladies come in stiletto heels. Such a trifle will kill the mood of any team. Yes, hand out first aid kits to the presenters: Band-Aid, aspirin, loperamide. And then you know...

Instead of an afterword
I took part in one such event. There was a system of fines - some were sent to the “penalty island”. If there was a violation. Or you could trade a clue for a “team member.” So, it was sad and lonely on the island. I was sent there for something at the end of the game. There was a clearing laid out there: vodka, caviar, salmon, cognac, lemons, etc.. But it was sad there, the people felt like “losers”, and they didn’t want to drink. It’s better to come up with separate tasks for the “exiled”. Like sudoku, puzzles, and other things to free yourself and catch up with your own.

And most importantly, this must be memorized as a mantra and not warned anyone in advance. Attention, serious face, everything is at a low start and you say:

“Attention, here is your team’s basket. Please put away all your watches, wallets and mobile phones!”

The game without the Internet from a smartphone, without a watch or money for a taxi immediately becomes an immersion in a different reality: only a map, only a compass, only a task, for which you will have enough of your mind, your talents and your friends!