Questions and answers

Start with a small game for your own family or friends: a few stations at home, simple tasks and a shared finale. A trial run like this quickly shows how long the tasks take and where hints are needed, and planning the next game will be easier.

Go by the youngest players: the main task should be within their reach. Little kids enjoy finding objects, picture puzzles and riddles read aloud by an adult; older kids enjoy ciphers, logic chains and questions that take some thought. Keep bonus tasks in reserve for fast teams.

It depends on the size of the game. You can plan a quest at home in an evening, while a game at a large venue takes longer, especially to check the route. Either way, leave enough time to walk the whole route yourself before the guests arrive.

No. Envelopes, paper, pencils, a box standing in for a treasure chest and things you already have at home work just as well as store-bought kits. The atmosphere comes from the story and the host's voice, not from decorations.

Offer a hint before their interest fades, and move from a leading question toward more direct help. If a task turns out to be too hard for everyone, feel free to make it easier on the spot.

Pause the game briefly and remind everyone of the rules announced before the start. The lead host makes the call on disputed answers, and that decision isn't up for debate during the game. To keep arguments to a minimum, write down the correct answers in advance.

Give them a role: map keeper, task reader or the one who fills in the route sheet. Sometimes boredom means the tasks are at the wrong level, so it's worth offering a harder or easier version.

Agree on this in advance. A handy rule: adults can cheer the kids on and read tasks aloud to the younger ones, but they don't give away answers. That way the kids solve things themselves, and the adults still feel part of the game.

That's up to the adults responsible for the kids and the venue. Younger kids need a chaperone the whole way. Older kids can go as a team without an adult if the route covers familiar, safe ground and everyone knows the meeting point.

Design every station so it can be completed in different ways: an answer can be said, drawn or shown, and a task can be read alone or listened to. Avoid tasks where everything comes down to running speed or a loud voice.

Mix ages within teams and give everyone their own part of the job: a younger kid searches while an older one reads and writes things down. Explain to the older kids that their job is to help, not to solve everything on their own.

A reward is nice, but it's best if it's shared or the same for every team. Point out what made each team memorable: the best teamwork, the boldest guess, the neatest route sheet.