Reference: a glossary for hosts of educational games

Reference

This glossary collects the words that come up again and again when you're preparing quests and quizzes. The definitions are short and written in plain language: they're easy to skim before the game so that all the station helpers are on the same page.

When all the hosts share the same idea of what a hint is and how an answer is counted, there are fewer arguments along the route and more actual playing.

— Editor's view

Game

Station: A spot on the route where a team receives and solves a task. A station can have its own helper and its own chapter of the overall story.
Route sheet: A sheet or card that shows a team the order of the stations. It's also a handy place to check off completed tasks and collected pieces of the final answer.
Host: An adult or older participant who explains the rules, keeps track of time and helps the teams. The lead host makes the call when there's a dispute.
Hint: Help for a team that can't manage a task. Good hints come in steps: from a leading question to part of the answer.
Final task: The closing puzzle, solved using everything collected at the stations. It works best when all the teams tackle it together.

Tasks

Cipher: A message written according to a special rule: letters are replaced with symbols, shifted or rearranged. The key is usually hidden at the same station or given out as a hint.
Rebus: A word or phrase represented by pictures, letters and symbols. Rebuses are a great fit for players who love to draw and study pictures.
Anagram: A word whose letters have to be rearranged to make another word. A handy way to hide an answer in plain sight.
Attention puzzle: A task where you need to notice a detail: a difference, a missing item or something that doesn't belong. Suitable for players of any age.
Logic chain: A sequence of statements or pictures from which the answer has to be worked out. It builds reasoning skills and is great to solve as a group.

Running the game

Briefing: A short explanation before the start: the goal of the game, the fair-play rules, how to ask for a hint and where the meeting point is. The clearer it is, the sooner the game gets going.
Timing: A rough schedule for the stations and the walks between them. There's no need to stick to it strictly: what matters more is that nobody feels rushed or bored.
Meeting point: A place announced in advance where all players return at the end of the game or if something goes wrong. Everyone should know where it is.
Prize-giving: The close of the game, when every team's contribution is recognized. It works best when the reward is shared or the same for all, so nobody walks away a loser.

Where these words come up

Guides
How to design an educational quest with stations: preparation, steps with sample ideas, mistakes and a checklist. The article catalog is here too.
Questions
Short answers about preparing a quest, what to do during the game, and kids, age and safety.
Sections
A map of the guide: story and route, tasks, hosts and rules, safety and inclusion.
Journey game (in Russian)
An archived address from the former site: how to design your own journey game with knowledge stations.

Questions
Short answers about preparing a quest, what to do during the game, and kids, age and safety.
Guides
How to design an educational quest with stations: preparation, steps with sample ideas, mistakes and a checklist. The article catalog is here too.
Sections
A map of the guide: story and route, tasks, hosts and rules, safety and inclusion.
Collections
Reading paths: a rainy-day quest at home, an outdoor journey game, a quiz for a big family.

Sources

General experience of people who host family and children's games

The advice in this guide draws on the shared experience of people who host family and children's games and is written in general terms. If your venue, camp or club has its own safety rules, they take priority over our suggestions: whenever the two differ, follow those rules and the decisions of the adults responsible for the players.