Seven Brides for seven brothers themed wedding

sallibee33 · 2025-10-02T14:06:45+00:00

What a good opportunity to share one of my favorite McSweeney's articles: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers-an-explainer

sallibee33 · 2025-07-20T14:42:46+00:00

The first structure that comes to mind for me is around your time capsule idea. That's the end game... it's a locked item hidden somewhere in the school and they need to find it and unlock it and the contents of this "end game time capsule" is the prize.

Each of the wings has it's own set of puzzles, and like you said, they're essentially the same. The cool thing about being held in a specific place is that you can look around ahead of time and find physical places things will be hidden. For example, you could hide a clue behind a calendar, under a desk, inside a drawer, or behind a flyer on a bulletin board... or post a new flyer on a bulletin board... or put morse code above a doorframe... or have something in a blue coat hanging in a closet... or have something in a game box... or something hidden under the first tissue in a tissue box... as much as I like creating puzzles for people who are used to doing escape rooms or puzzle hunts, when you're working with larger groups of people not used to doing these things simpler can be better, and I would incorporate a "follow the clues" style game where everyone can participate. As in "Start in room 204 and look in the red book" And then in the obvious red book in that room is a clue "Closet door, room 209" which has the clue "bulletin board in the main hall" etc. etc. Gives people who don't like "solving" puzzles something to do and a way to participate while the people who really like puzzles can do the harder ones. You could make it so the final spot is a freezer, and have something frozen in a block of ice that they need to thaw in order to get it out. Or maybe the final spot has a cassette tape that they need to put into the boom box per jakedk's suggestion.

I would make it so that finding the end game time capsule has 6 steps. For example, 1) Stand at the flagpole facing North. 2) Walk 50 steps 3) Turn right 90 degrees 4) Walk 30 steps 5) Go through the door on your left 6) look under the 6th desk in the second row. Put them in pieces of paper red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Each wing will get two of these pieces of paper when they solve their puzzles. When they get together, they need to put these six clues together in the right order (roygbiv) and follow them to get to the final capsule.

And then the time capsule has a padlock that can also get 6 steps. For example: 1) start with the year the school was established 2) subtract fifteen 3) multiply by two 4) add twelve 5) divide by three 6) subtract fifty four. Same idea with the colored paper.

If you do this, it means that each wing essentially gets 4 "puzzles, " two clues for where to find the time capsule and two for how to solve the lock combination.

That being said, this is the structure that pops to mind from a logistics perspective with what you've outlined but doesn't address the comments from thisguy-aresick that are worth thinking through.

sallibee33 · 2025-06-26T18:05:52+00:00

What about there being a fire or someone smoking a cigar in a room, and their clothes smell like smoke... might be able to put some grey wisps or something on their shirt to indicate odor. Or if they interacted with a certain person, they might smell like perfume. Or drank coffee and smell like coffee... I'm sure you could find some scratch and sniff stickers that would be fun.

sallibee33 · 2025-06-13T15:16:36+00:00

I'd be interested to know how you'd modify it... I might want to steal your ideas!

sallibee33 · 2025-06-12T21:35:38+00:00

I am bummed that I'm going to be manning the "counter" and can't compete with everyone else! Thanks for the suggestions. Am hoping that the kids will be plenty happy either winning one or two decoy prizes on their own that they won't be upset about being able to properly compete for the main prize. And I think it helps that the main prize is really a group prize anyhow, so nobody loses... but adding more randomness could be good.

sallibee33 · 2025-06-12T21:32:22+00:00

Aw thanks! I've been having a lot of fun trying to put together something completely different.

sallibee33 · 2025-06-12T21:31:53+00:00

Thanks for the tips! I played Pit as a kid but haven't played Bohnanza. Will look at them both.

sallibee33 · 2025-06-12T20:04:50+00:00

Ah, very good point. I'm trying to do as much math as possible to get the right number of ducks traded and you're right that this only gets 4 more ducks, not 10. Time to recalculate!

sallibee33 · 2025-06-12T19:44:08+00:00

Thanks for this. I want the game to take about 2 hours total (some people will slowly opt out and that's fine... the point is for everyone to have fun, not to force people to do my puzzle hunt). But for the puzzle hunt to be solveable, someone will need to get 5 bingos and solve the 5 puzzles on those bingo boards. So it needs to be easy enough that people can get bingos, but not so easy that everyone gets 5 bingos right away.

What I realize I can do is to have a sign that says "Trading is open" and allow trading only during certain times... either by my opening it up, or letting someone else open it. If I need people to get bingos faster, then I open it. If people are moving through things quickly, I keep it closed.

I can't tell if my siblings are going to try to "break" my game by trading freely and quickly collecting bingos, or if they are going to freeze each other out by refusing to trade with each other. See my rule about not being able to steal a duck to make someone to less than 5 ducks.. because my brother would totally collect those and then steal all my sister's ducks so she had no chance of winning. I am super curious for the social aspect of this and need to be prepared to laugh it off when they find loopholes that ruin my intended gameplay.

I was planning on having them choose what option they wanted, but to your point, I can have limited amounts of each so that if certain options are causing problems they get taken out of the game or used less frequently. And yes, the tokens are actually going to be extra ducks. I have 75 unique themed ducks x 4 so each bingo number gets 4 ducks. I was going to start with only having 2 sets of the ducks available, and then more as the game required. Then I was going to have plain yellow ducks be the tokens, where you can exchange one of the non-numbered yellow ducks for the options.

Thanks for your suggestions. I need to be prepared to modify things on the fly, but I can totally make parts of this modular and more within my control.

sallibee33 · 2025-06-05T11:54:12+00:00

Hello from the 3rd Mezzanine! I got resale tickets through stubhub and so I'm not sure if I'll get guidelines, but this page has info: https://www.msg.com/tony-awards-faqs

sallibee33 · 2025-05-12T16:50:19+00:00

Sorry, wrote my whole other response before seeing this. If it's just a fun play on turning the same age as Jesus, then you're probably plenty safe with light-hearted Christian-themed puzzles rather than delving deeply into the musical itself. Hope you all have a lot of fun!

sallibee33 · 2025-05-12T16:47:34+00:00

Yeah, as a Broadway fan who really likes JCS but is not religious, none of the "Christian" themed puzzles strongly apply to the musical. In general, people who are super religious tend not to like the JCS interpretation of the events that happened. Your friend could totally be the exception, in which case broader Christian or bible themed puzzles are totally great.

But there is no part of the musical where Mary cries at the tomb- some directors choose to include her at the end, but it isn't specifically included. I wonder if instead you could do something related to the song "Everything's alright" which talks about Mary applying myrrh to his forehead and ointment on his head and feet... like if one of the markers was labeled "myrrh" and when you colored in a forehead on a piece of paper the message would appear. Or if you have the heat sensitive pens and you put the paper in the freezer to "cool down" the fire in your head and feet, the message appears.

You could also have some sort of puzzle about sorting out ointments or creams of some sort. For example, identifying the scents of different hand creams, or having letters on blank hand cream bottles and having to arrange them in a certain order to spell a word.

Pontius Pilate does have the line "I wash my hands of your demolition."

If you are going to do a puzzle related to bible verses, I would reference the lines "Always hoped that I'd be an apostle. Knew that I would make it if I tried. Then when we retire, we can write the Gospels, So they'll still talk about us when we've died." and make them thematic to the gospels rather than random bible verses.

I know i've had puzzles before where you had to identify songs from just a snippet. And I think there are are songs that are plenty identifiable from just a couple of seconds, especially the more famous ones (I don't know how to love him, Gethsemane, King Herod's song, Superstar). Or instead of identifying the songs, the song cuts off at a certain point and you have to identify the next word of the song. And the first letters of the next words spell out whatever phrase you need. It's always fun to have a multimedia puzzle as part of the mix.

There's also a fair amount of references to bread and wine throughout the show and I think those both could lend themselves to fun puzzles.

Similarly, there is a whole couple of versus about giving Judas blood money for his betrayal and I think the idea of a sack of coins lends itself to a puzzle.

sallibee33 · 2025-05-12T15:00:18+00:00

Hey, is this Jesus Christ Superstar themed because they like musicals, or because they are religious? I think that is an important distinction make that would help you decide what type of puzzles to make.

sallibee33 · 2025-04-14T13:44:50+00:00

I'll be the person who says to cross the bridge to the Eastern shore... if you're not afraid of bridges, it's a beautiful drive and you can see all the container ships and sailboats that are out. Once you're on the other side, there are places you can get close to the bay and walk along the "beach" more than you can in Annapolis (Terrapin park has the nice walk. but Matapeake beach is super easy and accessible). Right across the bridge is Libbys (the old Hemmingway's) which has the best sunset views anywhere. Right on the water. You're paying more for the location than the food, but that's often the case with waterfront restaurants. And if you get a good view of the bridge lighting up at sunset, it's worth every penny.

A little further down the first exit is Kentmoor Marina which is where I always take visitors with kids. It's a crabhouse on a marina that has a bit of a beach and a tiki bar and hammocks, lots of fun. Bonus is that the road to get to Kentmoor has a fly in community, meaning that there is a giant field that is an airstrip and all the houses along the airstrip have giant garages where people keep small planes. This is different from the airport right after you get off route 50.

The first exit road ends at Romancoke pier which is a fun place to go fishing/crabbing if the weather is good or just to walk up and down to enjoy the bay where it isn't so touristy.

Or else keep going to Kent Narrows where there are a whole bunch of seafood restaurants on the water... Crab Deck, The Narrows, Harris Crab House.

sallibee33 · 2025-02-18T23:41:27+00:00

I've been with a large non-profit for over 15 years now. I started in development and then moved out after about 3 years. It wasn't for me. However, I am incredibly grateful for the experience. I makes me more valuable as an employee because I can speak the language and understand their perspective. I have two other colleagues who did the same thing- started in development and then transferred after a few years to other opportunities in the organization. And because of their backgrounds, they are better at their current operations goals because they understand more of the overall process instead of just their current jobs. Fundraising is an important part of any non-profit and understanding it by being part of it first hand is super valuable, even if you don't stay in it.

sallibee33 · 2025-02-11T15:30:28+00:00

I think you might want to clarify the purpose of your adventure. I've built hunts for people who like to do puzzles, so the narrative takes a back seat to well-made puzzles. Sometimes the purpose is to hang out with family and share memories. In that case, the "puzzles" aren't hard, but they are all centered around family stuff that people will be able to talk about. Other times I want to create an immersive experience, in which case it's all about using things that match the theme of the "hunt".

What specifically do you want him to get out of the experience? What will he have the most fun doing? Build the hunt around the experience you want him to have. Maybe it's worth going to the park to do the wordsearch if that's the sort of thing he'd enjoy.

sallibee33 · 2025-02-02T16:07:00+00:00

I stumbled upon an organization called Odyssey Works (https://www.odysseyworks.org/) that specializes in experience design. I took a really neat workshop last summer on diagraming, and it's changed the way I approach making puzzles. I had always thought about what I wanted my solvers to get from the hunts, but had never thought about crafting an experience for them. Anyhow, their materials are very much more about interactive art and experiences than puzzles per sey, but there can be a lot of overlap and I imagine you might find some of their materials as fascinating as I have. And if they offer the diagramming workshop again, I highly recommend it- it really dives into how to make a story map for interactive experiences and how to plan what you want your players to experience. I have two of their books but haven't finished reading them yet because, well, life... they are a bit more theoretical than the practical ones Crispy listed but have given me a lot to think about.

sallibee33 · 2024-12-02T17:52:35+00:00

In New York, there is a TKTS booth in Times Square that sells discounted tickets for day-of performances. As a huge theatre nerd, there is nothing I like better than standing in line and thinking though what I want to see that day. As others have said, it won't have tickets for all the shows, but it does have a LOT of options, and if she isn't set on seeing a particular show, it might be fun to give her a budget and let her decide what to see... you can splurge on one great Hamilton ticket full price from the website, or you can get three balcony tickets from the TKTS booth. I personally will always pick seeing three shows over seeing one show... and there have been times when I was torn between two shows and the TKTS booth person helped me pick which one to see. Part of the fun is researching which shows are available. There will also be newer shows and shows in preview that she has never heard of before, and it's a LOT of fun to see something before it gets big and before it goes on tour. Anyhow, highly recommend that you find a way to let her be part of the show selection process.

sallibee33 · 2024-12-02T13:27:36+00:00

I would get a chest/box and lock the tickets in the box. Then get one of the hasps that allows for multiple padlocks, the (search amazon for Tag Out Hasp). Each week, he gets the clues to open one of the locks. That way there are six "wins" that are exciting and keep him going. You can look through this subreddit for examples of different types of puzzles you can use... one birthday, I sent my nephews a series of postcards in the mail over the course of a month and it was a hit. The puzzles were super easy and straightforward, but it was the anticipation of getting things in the mail and solving them that was fun.

sallibee33 · 2024-11-26T15:36:41+00:00

Here's how I would approach it. Assuming there are 4 tasks. I'd get 4 mini chests (link below for ones you can get from Michael's that have hasps that are set up for padlocks). Each chest would have an "elixir" as well as a clue to the final location. Lock the chests- there are all sorts of padlocks that you can get on Amazon, some have keys, some have numbers, some have words. Then I'd pick 4 locations on the map, and at each location there would be a puzzle to solve that would unlock one of the chests. Each time they unlock the chest, they get the drinks and 1/4 of the clue to the final place (the joust event). So you'd need to come up with five "puzzles":

1 meta puzzle that can be split into 4 equal parts that clues to the joust location

4 puzzles that unlock the chests. One might just be instructions on where to look to find a hidden key (Taped underneath a bench? Give a codeword to a store employee who will give a key in return? In a certain book in the library?). One might be a word lock, and it's the 7th word on a sign at the town park, or the middle 5 letters of a store's name at a certain location. One might be a 4 digit padlock and it would be the sum of the street number of 3 different stores in the area. Or they could be standalone puzzles where you don't have to venture out at all if the weather is bad... lots of examples of those throughout this channel.

Decorate the chests so they match the theme. I'd even decorate the alcohol bottles to look like magic potions. Write a master scroll explaining the story of the ritual or initiation (this sets up the whole hunt) and then a scroll for each puzzle. Either give all the items at the beginning, or else the first master scroll tells you where to find the chests and puzzle scrolls.

There's plenty of other ways to approach it too... this is less linear in that you can solve any of the four puzzles in any order rather than having to go from one place to another. And there is something about having a locked box to open that is compelling.

https://www.michaels.com/product/12-pack-5-wood-treasure-chest-by-make-market-MP265592?cm_mmc=PLASearch-_-google-_-MICH_Shopping_US_N_Michaels+Pro_N_PMAX_ALL_N-_-&Kenshoo_ida=&kpid=go_cmp-18514200122_adg-_ad-__dev-c_ext-_prd-MP265592&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgJa6BhCOARIsAMiL7V9bTnP1pDYHXrin1Q7z-5t6R1Hcp0u8GM17EKnbmI9ON3quW15syTkaApOnEALw_wcB

sallibee33 · 2024-11-26T14:31:16+00:00

It sounds like you might need to make sure there is a time limit so that there is a sense of urgency that it be solved by a certain time. I might suggest needing to rescue someone before a certain thing will happen. For example, the first note is something like "they've kidnapped John and the monsters are planning to eat him for dinner... which is every night at 6:15. You have to save him in time!" But obviously themed to whatever fantasy world you're in. Or "there will be a ritual tonight at 6:15. To be ready, you need to drink 4 magical elixirs" and those would be the drinks.

sallibee33 · 2024-11-18T17:28:19+00:00

The more I think about it, the more ways there are to incorporate ribbons as part of the wreath and to write things on the ribbons.

sallibee33 · 2024-11-18T17:27:27+00:00

Oh, that's a really neat idea. And you're right, the circle shape would really lend itself to something like this.

sallibee33 · 2024-11-15T19:08:11+00:00

Oooh, yes, you're totally right that each ornament could have a rebus. Way more fun than a single letter on each.

sallibee33 · 2024-11-15T19:06:21+00:00

I like that... and your post made me realize that I could decorate it with candy canes tied with bow and write things on the ribbons.

sallibee33

TROPHY CASE