EN
Your accountFind my city
City Conquest – Race Through Cologne
Group games: teams against each other

City Conquest

Race Through Cologne

€19.95 per team

A city game where teams play against each other: at least 2 teams of 1–4 players, each team on its own phone.

Teams against each other · from €4.99 per person · book instantly · valid 12 months · no guide needed

  • 120 min
  • 30 zones
  • 20 factions
  • 2–20 teams

Book and payRequest a quote

In City Conquest the centre of Cologne becomes a game board for your whole group: at least two teams race to conquer zones, and other teams can win them back. On the way you pass places like Alter Markt: the General's Fountain, The Town Hall Tower, and Tünnes and Schäl. When time is up, the team with the most points wins; with equal points, the team with the most ducats wins.

Book and payRequest a quote

What does it cost for your group?

Teams (up to 4 each): 3

Without a game master

€59.85

≈ €4.99 per person

Book and pay

With a game master

€199.00

≈ €16.58 per person

Book and pay

Request a quote

How to play

  1. 1

    Explore

    Walk through the real city. The map shows every zone: free, taken by a team in its colour, or locked for a few minutes. The game starts at .

  2. 2

    Conquer

    Step into a zone and open its task: a puzzle, a riddle, something to count or a code to crack on the spot, now and then a photo. Get it right and the zone takes your colour , and you earn 30 ducats .

  3. 3

    Defend and take back

    Other teams can take your zones once the lock is over, and you can take theirs. A zone stays with the team that conquers it. The first team at a bonus spot gets a power-up in its backpack .

  4. 4

    Final count

    When the time is up, the team with the most points wins; with equal points, the most ducats . Be at the meeting point in time: the herald calls everyone together.

Every zone has ten tasks about what you can really find there. Each team gets a different one, and a new one every time it comes back, so answers can't be passed on.

20 factions

Every zone has a field that fits the place: knowledge at a library, creativity at a museum, charm on a market square, speed on a bridge or quay, power at a fortress or tower. The stronger your faction is in a zone's field, the more points that zone is worth to you, so every faction has its own zones to go for.

  • Founders of the Colonia
  • The Rhine Legion
  • Cathedral Builders
  • Pilgrims of the Three Kings
  • Merchants of the Hanse
  • Crews of the Rhine Steamers
  • Councillors of the Gaffeln
  • Apothecaries of the Alter Markt
  • Scholars of the Old University
  • Perfumers of Eau de Cologne
  • Singers of the Carnival
  • Painters of the Cologne School
  • Puppeteers of the Hänneschen
  • Jan von Werth's Cavalry
  • The City Soldiers
  • The Heinzelmännchen
  • Railwaymen of the Cathedral Station
  • The Köbesse
  • Brewers of the Old Town
  • Fishwives of the Fischmarkt

Ducats, chests and drops

Chests

Every 20 minutes the herald hides chests in the streets. The first team within 30 m opens one: ducats , a potion, a defence or something to leave for others.

The merchant

You start with 50 ducats and earn more by conquering, holding zones and approved photos. Spend them at the merchant : you can buy anywhere, and at his spot you get 20% off.

Drops and fog

Leave a bomb, trap, fog, curse or sabotage on the street . Only your team sees it; the team that walks into it is hit. Fog hides their map beyond 100 m. A scout shows drops near you : walk to one to defuse it.

  • Speed potionWait times and zone locks halved for 10 minutes.
  • Wisdom potionRemoves one wrong answer from your next multiple-choice question.
  • Strength potionYour next conquest scores double.
  • ShieldBlocks the next attack on your team (20 seconds to react).
  • MirrorSends the next attack straight back to the team that left it.
  • AntidoteEnds fog, a trap or a curse at once.
  • ScoutShows other teams' drops within 100 m for 2 minutes; walk to one to defuse it.
  • BombLeave it on the street: the team that walks into it loses 25 points.
  • TrapLeave it on the street: 3 minutes no conquering and no answering.
  • FogLeave it on the street: for 4 minutes their map shows only 100 m around them.
  • CurseLeave it on the street: on their next 2 questions a wrong answer costs double.
  • SabotageLeave it on the street: steals one thing from their backpack (or 30 ducats).

30 zones

  1. Alter Markt: the General's Fountain
  2. The Town Hall Tower
  3. Tünnes and Schäl
  4. Ostermannplatz
  5. The Great Romanesque Church by the Rhine
  6. Fischmarkt and the Staple House
  7. The Rheingarten
  8. Frankenwerft and the River Gauge
  9. The Deutz Bridge
  10. The Railway Bridge of the Love Locks
  11. The Bronze Riders at the Bridge
  12. Heinrich-Böll-Platz and the Museum of Modern Art
  13. Roncalliplatz
  14. Before the Cathedral Towers: Stone Arch, Giant Finial and Iron Fountain
  15. The West Front of the Cathedral
  16. The Great Stairs to the Cathedral
  17. The Main Station
  18. The Fountain of the Little House Elves
  19. Gülichplatz: the Carnival Fountain and the House of Eau de Cologne
  20. The Gürzenich and the Ruin of St. Alban
  21. The Puppet Theatre on the Eisenmarkt
  22. Heumarkt and the Bronze King
  23. The House of the Overstolz Family
  24. The Malt Mill Brewery House
  25. The Church on the Capitol Hill
  26. Kolumba Art Museum
  27. The Church of the Great Scholar
  28. The Eau de Cologne House in the Glockengasse
  29. The Brewery House in the Bag Makers' Lane
  30. The Church on the Shopping Street

Two ways to play

Without a game master

You play on your own. The organiser opens the game master page, chooses the default language and the playing time, and starts the game. From then on everything runs by itself on every phone: the zones, the chests, the merchant and the final count.

€19.95 per team

Book and pay
Often chosen by companies

With a game master

Someone leads the game from the game master page: follows every team live with its points and zones, sends messages to all teams, adds 15 minutes or stops the game, gives a team a power-up or puts a chest right next to it, and looks at the photos. The game master never sees the answers.

€199.00 including 5 teams, €19.95 per extra team

Book and pay

The organiser sets up the game on the game master page (the default language and the playing time) and starts it for all teams.

Every player can pick and switch the language on their own phone.

What the game master sees

Live, on a laptop or tablet: where every team is, who holds which zone, and each team's points, ducats and items. From here the game master gives or takes points, sends a message to one team or to all teams, adds 15 minutes or pauses the game.

The City Conquest game master screen during a game: a live map with the teams and their zones, and one team's points, ducats and controls
Example game with made-up teams.

What happens in a round of City Conquest?

A round of City Conquest in Cologne is a contest between teams of 1 to 4 players who conquer zones on the map until time is up.

First, your team chooses a faction with its own story, strengths and characters. Then you see on your phone where the zones are. Walk there, solve the task, and the zone is yours. But another team can take it over again. That turns the game into a mix of quick decisions, good teamwork and the occasional dash across a square.

Where in Cologne do you play?

Cologne's streets and the sights on our routes form the game board. You play around the Alter Markt, Groß St. Martin and the Fischmarkt, with the Rheingarten along the river.

Museum Ludwig, the Heinzelmännchenbrunnen and St. Gereon are part of the area as well, and the Hohenzollern Bridge is never far away. With zones spread across the old town, you keep weighing up your options: grab a new zone near the Rhine, or win back the one you just lost by the Alter Markt?

How does the organiser run the group game?

For this group game in Cologne, the organiser, who is the person who books, sets everything up on the game master page and starts the game for all teams. There you choose the default language and the playing time.

No one can play until the organiser starts the game. Each player can pick a language on their own phone and switch it whenever they like. That works well for international colleagues, a group of friends or a family day out.

Which games can you play in Cologne today?

In Cologne you can book three games today and start whenever you like, every day. Secrets of Cologne runs in the browser on your own phone, no app needed, and takes you past the Obelisk Breslauer Platz, the Hohenzollern Bridge and Museum Ludwig.

Sherlock Holmes murder mystery in Cologne passes St. Gereon and the Heinzelmännchenbrunnen. The Cologne Syndicate (outdoor escape game) starts at the Alter Markt and heads past Groß St. Martin. Each game takes 1.5 to 2 hours and costs €19.95 per team: one phone, at most 4 players, or 5 for The Syndicate.

Do we need a game master?

No. Without a game master you play completely on your own: the person who booked opens the organiser page once, picks the default language and play time and starts the game for all teams; after that everything runs by itself on every phone. A game master (€199.00 incl. 5 teams) is optional, for someone who wants to follow and steer the game live.

Can teams start the game themselves?

You do not need a game master for that: the person who booked starts the game once for all teams on the organiser page, so every team plays the same time. After that everything runs by itself on every phone. A game master is optional, for someone who wants to follow and steer the game live.

Who wins City Conquest?

When time is up, the team with the most points wins; with equal points, the team with the most ducats wins.

Is City Conquest good for a team outing?

Yes. It is built for at least 2 teams of 1 to 4 players who play against each other, each on its own phone.

What is a faction?

A group with its own story, strengths and characters. Each team picks one at the start.

Can we lose a zone we conquered?

Yes. Another team can win it back by solving the task at that zone.

Who decides how long the game lasts?

The organiser sets the playing time and default language on the game master page, then starts the game for everyone.

Do I need an app for Secrets of Cologne?

No. Secrets of Cologne runs in the browser on your own phone.

City Conquest Race Through Cologne

€19.95 per team

We play in more and more cities around the world, with friends, family or your company.

Book and payRequest a quote

City games in Cologne