How do you invent a new game?
After three years designing and hosting immersive experiences online, I have sooort of a system for that. It goes like this:
Have an idea for a cool, mysterious setting/story
Get so excited about the idea that I can imagine other people getting excited about it
Invite everyone I know to get excited about the idea
Set a date and figure it out
Hit repeat. It's a little touch and go, but usually creativity and a can-do attitude will pull it together. Even so, the approach made for some harrowing opening nights back in 2020.
As the world has changed, so has my process.
Now the ideas are bigger - and in 3D - plus my appreciation for the way we all communicate and perceive meaning has expanded appropriately.
There's more than one way to solve a mystery!
So we test. We bake scones, we gather the people who love us and enjoy playing games, and we spend a Friday evening in the park - running races, playing hopscotch and finding fictional bad guys.
If you've played one of my virtual mystery games before, you will find this familiar:
There are locations to explore, clues to discover, weaponry and suspects to track down and eliminate, and there are a few theatrical surprises along the way.
Now. For Mystery in the Enchanted Forest, here are three KEY differences:
1. NO ZOOM
This is a brand new format. I'm so excited to guide your mystery adventure through an app on your phone using the sound of my voice - not a screen!
More on that soon.
(keep an eye on this "free thoughts" blog for updates)
2. TICKET SYSTEM
In the past, you would register yourself as one player and pay for your own ticket. But for this game, you pay one price for your entire team.
Playing with a buddy? One ticket.
Playing with 19 of your closest friends? One ticket.
Once you register your team, you decide where to host your game and how many people to invite (I recommend 6-12, but you are welcome to stretch the limits of your logistical capacity here).
3. HOW WE'RE HELPING
For ticket sales, I'm partnering with Humanitix instead of Eventbrite.
Humanitix is "an experiment in compassionate capitalism" - all of their profits from those annoying ticket fees are donated to education in underserved communities around the world.
As an entrepreneur who loves people and wants to help in any way I can, this is an exciting opportunity!
Creating a game is its own mystery to solve, and it's SO satisfying to see this brain-child of mine begin entertaining, perplexing, and helping people have fun!
How about you? What do YOU value in an immersive experience meets mystery game?
Your fellow mystery fan,
Auntie Boddy
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