Secrets of · Scavenger hunt
Secrets of Essen Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt & Walking Tour
1.5–2 hours · 1–4 players per team · no appfrom €4.99 per person1 player €8.95 · 4 players €19.95
Group games: teams against each otherCity Conquest
Race Through Essen
€19.95 per team
Testers wanted
Play for free as testers
·
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
- 34 zones
- 20 factions
- 2–20 teams
In City Conquest the centre of Essen 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 Kreuzeskirche, Forum Kunst & Architektur, and Varieté Georgspalast (GOP). When time is up, the team with the most points wins; with equal points, the team with the most ducats wins.
What does it cost for your group?
Teams (up to 4 each): 3
How to play
1Explore
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 
.
2Conquer
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 
.
3Defend 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 
.
4Final 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.
- Bell Ringers of Kreuzeskirche
- Councillors of Rathaus Essen
- Choir of Marktkirche
- Organists of Friedenskirche
- Players of Colosseum Theater
- Builders of Baedeker-Haus
- Merchants of Lichtburggebäude
- Gardeners of Waldthausenpark
- Scholars of Optrain - Bildungszentrum
- Sculptors of Sonnenseite
- Keepers of Gedenktafel
- Artists of Kohle und Stahl
- Wardens of Das Kleine Theater Essen
- Heralds of Stratmanns Theater
- Company of Grillo-Theater
- Guild of Deutschlandhaus
- Friends of Cinemaxx
- Runners of CampusKapelle
- Riddlers of Forum Kunst & Architektur
- Lantern Bearers of Atelier & Galerie 52
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).
34 zones
- Kreuzeskirche
- Forum Kunst & Architektur
- Varieté Georgspalast (GOP)
- Kohle und Stahl
- Atelier & Galerie 52
- Fortbildungsakademie der Wirtschaft (FAW) gGmbH
- Das Kleine Theater Essen
- Marktkirche
- Gedenktafel
- two lines up
- Universitätsviertel
- Zwei Kompositstrecken berühren die Tangente an einen bodenbündigen Eisenkreis
- Rabbit Hole Theater
- Rathaus Essen
- Stratmanns Theater
- Optrain - Bildungszentrum
- Sonnenseite
- Domkirche Ss. Cosmas und Damian
- Bahai-Zentrum Essen
- Baedeker-Haus
- S-M
- Universitäts-Fachbibliothek Mathematik, Naturmissenschaft, Technik
- Freie evangelische Gemeinde Essen-Mitte
- Grillo-Theater
- Lichtburggebäude
- Friedenskirche
- Cinemaxx
- Waldthausenpark
- CampusKapelle
- Universitätsbibliothek
- Theaterpassage
- Colosseum Theater
- Deutschlandhaus
- Galerie Frank Schlag & Cie.
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 payOften chosen by companiesWith 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 payThe 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.
How does City Conquest work?
You play with at least 2 teams, each with 1 to 4 players and its own phone. Before you start, every team chooses a faction. Each faction has its own story, strengths and characters, so every team plays a little differently.
After that, it is all about zones. You walk to a zone, solve the task there and it counts for your team. Another team can take it from you again, so the score keeps shifting. When time is up, the team with the most points wins.
Which parts of Essen become the game board?
You play on the streets of Essen and around the sights on our routes. That means you move near places such as the Burgplatz, the Essener Dom, the Marktkirche and the Kennedyplatz.
Your team decides which zone to go for next. Do you head for a free zone nearby, or win back the one another team just took? Weighing up those choices is what makes this group game in Essen fun for colleagues, groups of friends and families who like a challenge and a bit of rivalry.
How do you start the game for all teams?
The organiser is the person who books. On the game master page they choose the default language and the playing time, then start the game for all teams.
Even so, everyone can play in their own language. On your own phone you pick the language and you can switch it along the way. That works well for an international team or a company outing with guests from abroad.
What can you already play in Essen?
If you would rather not wait, Essen has three city games you can book today. Secrets of Essen takes you past the Kreuzeskirche, the Jahrhundertbrunnen and the Alte Synagoge. Sherlock Holmes murder mystery in Essen leads you past the Marktkirche, the Lichtburg and the Weberplatz. In The Essen Syndicate (outdoor escape game) you track Magnus from the Burgplatz past the Essener Dom to the Kettwiger Straße.
Each game takes 1.5 to 2 hours and costs €19.95 per team, on one phone with at most 4 players (at most 5 for the Syndicate game). You start whenever you like.
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.
How many people can play City Conquest?
At least 2 teams play, each with 1 to 4 players. Every team uses its own phone.
Can another team take over my zone?
Yes. Another team can win back a conquered zone by solving the task there.
Does everyone have to play in the same language?
No. Each player chooses the language on their own phone and can switch it during the game.
City Conquest Race Through Essen
€19.95 per team
We play in more and more cities around the world, with friends, family or your company.
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