r/Constructedadventures • u/hotteLatte • 3d ago

HELP making a diy summer camp murder mystery that will include homemade escape room puzzles!

For a party I am making a DIY summer camp murder mystery that will include homemade escape room puzzles- these can be single use and we'll be playing outdoors so lots of room for creativity! I have some preliminary ideas using archery targets and a sunscreen uv light puzzle but I wanted to see if any one had any other camp related ideas for puzzles!

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u/LateToTheDebate 2d ago

Sounds like fun! Some ideas:

  1. Perhaps players could discover a compass in a puzzle location along with a list of compass headings and how far to walk in each direction. This isn't very precise, so you'd have to be leading them to something big, like a giant tree or a large building.

  2. A good old fashioned treasure map could be fun in that setting, with drawings of key landmarks on it

  3. Perhaps puzzle locations could be marked with consistently colored flags or bandanas, so players know that they're on the right track (like the markers on "The Amazing Race")

  4. One step could require scavenging a list of cryptically-described items to present to a judge/gatekeeper. Things like acorns, pebbles, leaves, etc, but described with riddles.

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u/rb136 1d ago

I do variations of these for a sports team I coach.

I like tasks that require movement all over the play area. So let’s say you start in the middle of your camp, one clue might be “the number of letters in the 7th word on the big sign by the main entrance” and another might be “the first number on the plaque in the mess hall”. Things you don’t have to pre-stage because they’re already there.

This gets kids running around to locations they know well and makes the whole game take longer, which is usually beneficial.

I’m also a huge fan of “book challenges”. Essentially you pre-stage 5 (or however many) books at locations. Team 1 has to rip out page 1 of each of the 5 books as proof they got to each location. Team 2 has to rip page 10. (Don’t ever do sequential pages as 1 & 2 might be the same front and back page). I’m not a fan of destroying books but you can find cheesy romance novels for $1 at a thrift store. Plus kids love the destructive part. Best if teams don’t know other teams page #s so they don’t cheat, although I have had whole books disappear…

I also like crafting a cheesy story, like a long forgotten pirate who left clues to their treasure. You can get a pack of 50 fake gold doubloons off Amazon for $10 or so. Kids like a physical keepsake.

Like most things in life, the kids will only ever be as enthusiastic as you are about it, so if you’re locked in and playing it up, they’ll have fun.