Building an In-Home Treasure Hunt: Compass Edition
Just because you’re stuck inside doesn’t mean you can’t create adventure.
Consider this the first in a long list of gambits you can use to build a fun little indoor treasure hunt to keep your loved ones busy and keep you from losing your mind.
BUILDING A TREASURE HUNT USING A COMPASS AND STEPS:
Building an in-home treasure hunt using a compass is fun and easy. There are also little tricks you can employ to make it quick to set up, but take a while to complete! This is useful for parents who have kids at home but still need to work.
Follow these steps and build a fun little distraction for those close to you!
How to Start: Pick a point in the house and stand in the direction you want your player to walk. Open up the Compass app on your phone. (Every phone comes with a compass app. If you deleted yours, you can easily re-download it.) Take a screenshot of the direction then walk the desired number of steps, then write those steps on the screenshot. Your phone should look like the images in the slideshow to the right:
Once you reach your desired location, take a picture of your view. This process should help keep you organized and stop you from mixing up directions. Now that you’re in your new spot, pull up the Compass app again, turn in the direction you want your player to travel, take another screenshot, and walk the steps again!
Rinse and repeat as many times as you’d like! Once you’re happy with the path, write all the instructions on a sheet of paper and give them to your subject. Don’t forget to make sure there’s a prize at the end of this hunt!
Tip 1: If you want to make this much more challenging, don’t give your player the starting location. Make them figure it out by trial and error. To find a happy medium, give them a cryptic hint.
Remember, you want to make this fun and challenging, not frustrating and tedious! I recommend having your player start with the longest possible walk in your house. In my house, it’s 20 steps from my office straight through to the living room. It’s the longest straight path in my home. It took my roommate a minute to figure it out and it was very rewarding when he got it! Give your player the opportunity to deduce where the first stop could be.
Tip 2: if you give them a real compass, make sure you test it out! sometimes real compasses track differently than compasses on phones!
One final tip: People’s step sizes are different depending on height. If you make one for your kids, make sure you factor that in! They’ll take more steps than you!
Final word: If you want to see this in video format, follow me on instagram! I make videos every few days with different tips and gambits and then make my poor unsuspecting roommate complete them! You can find this video in my highlights!
Happy Adventuring!