Group Event Planning Using Self-Guided Hunts

ClueKeeper creators may offer self-guided hunts for sale that you can play any time you like. While many people find it fun to play these on their own, self-guided hunts are also well-suited as group activities in which you organize your own teams and have them compete against each other at the same time. This approach is great for corporate team-building, birthday parties, family reunions, or just about any other occasion for gathering people together to do something fun.

Check with the hunt creator about whether their self-guided hunt is appropriate for groups of teams (in some cases the creator may even be willing to host their hunt as a private group event for you for an additional fee). Below are some tips if you’d like to DIY!

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get your event off the ground!

1. 1. Choose your adventure.
   Check with your local escape rooms or team-building companies and ask if they have any self-guided hunts available. Some can be played anywhere, while others can only be played in specific locations.
2. 2. Assess your squad.
   Determine how many people will attend, split the group into teams of 2-4 players, and identify a team captain for each team. The optimal number per team may vary based on the specific hunt you choose.
3. 3. Enable the mission.
   Once you know how many teams you’ll have, you can purchase that number of team registrations from the creator. You'll get a unique hunt code for each team you register, and will need to distribute these hunt codes to the team captains at the start of the hunt. (Alternatively, you can have each team captain buy their own hunt code if you aren't footing the bill for the whole event. In that case, you’ll just need to tell them which hunt to buy.)
4. 4. Gear up!
   Prior to the event, the players on each team should install the free ClueKeeper app on their phones, and make sure that their phones are fully charged. They can get the app in advance, or right at the start of the game. If they get it ahead of time, they may also wish to play through the quick intro game, “Welcome to ClueKeeper.” People can play as a guest or create a ClueKeeper account -- we strongly recommend creating an account because then the player will have access to the full leaderboard and scores after playing (guests have limited access). Note that not every member of a team needs to have the app on their phone, but it's often more fun for people when they can see everything on their own device, so we do recommend it.
5. 5. Get together.
   Pick a spot near the hunt starting location that will be your gathering point. All the teams can meet there again after they finish. For “Anywhere” hunts that are contained entirely in the app and don’t use real world locations, pick any meeting spot where the teams can get ogether and play, like a park, restaurant, or office conference room.
6. 6. Access granted!
   When teams have gathered to start, give one hunt code to each team captain. The team captain should open the app on their own phone, tap on Enter Hunt Code and put in their unique single-use code in order to claim that team. Once one person has entered a given hunt code, no other players can use it; however, the captain can add members to the team by choosing “Add team members” from the options menu, and then adding them using their ClueKeeper username or the email address associated with their ClueKeeper account. (Guest accounts can even be added using the username shown on their screen, which looks like “Guest-123456”.)
7. 7. The name of the game.
   Before starting the hunt itself, this might be a good time for teams to choose a team name which will show up on the leaderboard. This can be done by choosing “Set team name” from the options menu.
8. 8. And they’re off!
   When you’re all in the starting location, have chosen teams, entered the hunt codes, added teammates, and set up your team names, you’re ready to begin! At this point, simply follow the hunt instructions in ClueKeeper to begin the game. You can either have all teams start at the same time, or have each team start when they feel ready. (Some hunts follow a linear order, so it might make sense in those cases to stagger your teams by a few minutes at the launch. Other hunts are set up in a scramble style, meaning that players can visit the locations in any order they like. For those hunts, a group start usually works just fine.)
9. 9. Say cheese!
   During the hunt, encourage your players to take photos and share them with the rest of the group (some hunts have photo-taking as part of the hunt itself). You may even want to come up with a photo sharing plan for your hunt, like providing a hashtag for everyone to use to tweet photos out, or a shared photo drop where people can upload their best photos during or after the hunt.
10. 10. Get your flex on!
    After the hunt, compare results on the leaderboard for that hunt, check out the photos that everyone took, and rejoice in the aftermath of the great event you’ve planned.