ParaPoly is an exciting, interactive puzzle tour in which you become a real-life character on a board game, and the city is the game board. If you have always been interested in what a board game looks like from the perspective of a character, then ParaPoly is exactly your game. It combines elements of a classic scavenger hunt, modern Escape Rooms, and a traditional sightseeing tour. You can experience the adventures from your point of view, solve the puzzles and tasks during a relaxed stroll through the city, and discover your city in a completely new way.
There is basically no age limit, but for children it is a question of personal maturity. As part of a family program, we recommend participation from the age of twelve. Children under 12 (approx.) can play along, but need explanations for most of the puzzles. Most children from 14 years of age can play alone (please note that we do not supervise the participants in this game).
In addition to the ticket, all you need to play is a smartphone with a charged battery and approx. 100 MB of mobile internet, a pen, and the game document that we provide.
ParaPoly tickets are available on our website. You can pay by PayPal or credit card. If you do not want to start immediately, payment by bank transfer is also possible.
You largely determine the duration yourself. Finish the game without interruption in two to three hours or use it as a companion for your stay in the city and stretch it out, e.g. through a coffee break, lunch, sightseeing, a shopping tour, and even a visit to a museum, up to 48 hours.
We recommend a number of two to six people per game. If you are more people, the puzzle fun for each person may be a little short, but you can try it out with more people. However, we would recommend that you buy more tickets from more people and play in parallel. In this way you can also have a little competition with the other team or teams.
In theory, yes. However, experience shows that many tasks can only be solved in a team, e.g. one player expresses an initial idea, which the next player then thinks to the end.
Basically, you can play ParaPoly at any time. However, please note that ParaPoly is an outdoor game, so it's best to check the weather forecast before activating it. Also, some stations may be a bit more difficult to find or solve due to darkness.
Since the game takes place in the city centre, it can get crowded and noisy on some days, such as weekends and during events, but the game is still playable with a little stress resistance. Alternatively, you can play a little earlier or later in the day on weekends and holidays. Only on very few days, such as when the Carnival takes place, would we advise against starting the game.
If you get stuck, you can continue playing the next day, you have a total of 48 hours to finish the game.
We have made every effort to ensure that the tasks clear. All stations went through a long test period. Based on previous experience, everyone can solve the tasks sooner or later. If you should still not be able to solve the secret, you have the option to have the solution sent to you through the web application. A contact person or game manager like e.g. in an Escape Room does not exist.
You should find the most important information about the game on the website or after the ticket purchase in the emails. The purchase and activation process and the game itself are designed in a way that you can start and play with your smartphone at any time without our help. For less urgent inquiries or feedback about the game, we are happy to receive your emails.
The game "The Initiation" takes place in the old town between Schillerplatz and the Rhine river. The start is at the Schillerplatz.
In theory, the game can also be played at night. However, since the game is also about finding things like symbols, inscriptions, etc., a higher degree of difficulty must be expected in the dark. However, if you can see normally well in the dark, everything can be found and solved.
