FAQ
Questions about the course of the game, booking and planning the crime trail:
If you want to take part, select the Crime-Trail of the desired destination and buy the required number of game accesses (minimum 5). Before you add the number of game accesses to the shopping basket, enter the desired name for your group. Only people with game access will have access to the digital crime file and will all be able to convict the perpetrator at the end.
The person ordering the game will receive access to the crime file as a pdf file for download (including the solutions). This crime file is automatically sent to the person who placed the order by e-mail. The person placing the order will also find the file after logging in to their account under ‘Downloads’.
To get started with the game – which you can do at any time without prior notification – either print out the crime file or log in to your customer account. Go to the menu item ‘My account’, where you select the relevant game under ‘Games’. If you are logged in, you can invite other people to the game under the menu item ‘Game access’ (according to the number of people for whom you have purchased the crime trail), who will then also have access to the digital file and can convict the perpetrator(s).
Visit the locations shown on the map. At each of these locations, you will solve a puzzle and then receive further clues (via SMS or online chat) that will allow you to rule out suspects or track down the perpetrator(s). As soon as you have found the perpetrator, you can convict him or her in your game under the menu item ‘Games’ (button ‘Convict perpetrator’).
No, after you have visited the crime scene, you can visit the possible perpetrators’ places of residence, work and leisure in an order of your choice. However, we strongly recommend that you visit all locations, as there are sometimes unexpected twists and turns.
Participation in an original Crime Trail costs CHF 7 per person, with a minimum base price of CHF 35 (this allows 1-5 people to play the Crime-Trail). For 6 or more people, each additional person costs CHF 7.
Short Crime-Trails or Crime-Trails light cost less (prices according to the price list in the shop).
Each person for whom the trail is purchased receives a game access, which is distributed by the person who placed the order. All persons with a game access receive access to the digital crime file and can convict the perpetrator(s).
- A mobile phone with an internet connection. You will also need to send text messages along the way to receive further clues (exception: Crime-Trail Home for adults: here you need a computer).
- The crime file for the corresponding trail. You will receive access to the crime file, which is available either as a pdf or digitally (link to a website), after ordering.
- Access to the game. As the purchaser of the trail, you will automatically receive access to the game. However, you can distribute additional game accesses depending on how many game accesses you have purchased.
- For the Crime-Trail light: Crime Trail Toolbox app (Android or iOS)
The crime trails do not require advance booking. Simply buy a crime thriller file, travel to the relevant city and off you go.
The crime trails are designed for people aged 12-14 and over (adult support may be required, especially for map reading). The crime trails are ideal as a group experience or team event or team outing with friends, acquaintances and/or work colleagues. We have designed the Crime Trails Kids for children aged 7 and 9. If the age recommendation is 9+, there is a corresponding note in the product description. However, adults are required to read the cards and, if necessary, to read out the questions. The criminal cases are less complex and never involve murder or kidnapping, but rather sabotage, theft, etc. They are suitable for families, school classes and youth groups with young children.
Some experience in riddles is also helpful. We recommend maximum group sizes of 5 people. If there are more participants, we recommend solving several mystery files, in which case the mystery trails can also be completed as a competition against each other.
The trails are designed for people aged 12 and over and are just as suitable for adults as they are for teenagers. We have designed the Crime Trails Kids for children aged 7 and over. The criminal cases are less complex – and never involve murder or kidnapping, but sabotage, theft, etc. They are suitable for families, school classes and youth groups with small children.
For families with younger children, we also recommend the offer from our partner www.detektiv-trails.ch.
After solving the case, log in to your customer account. Use the e-mail address you used to place your order. Then select your trail under ‘Games’. You can convict the perpetrator using the ‘Convict perpetrator’ button.
If the crime trail is completed as a competition against each other, one person takes on the role of game leader. The competing groups (max. 5 people per group) all meet at the crime scene at an agreed time. Only there do the groups receive the crime case file for the corresponding criminal case from the game master (everyone receives the same case). The game leader must purchase a crime file for each group in advance so that each group has its own arrest warrant code. The groups then read up on the case independently and begin to solve the criminal case. The groups can determine the order in which they visit the possible perpetrators’ places of residence, work and leisure; this means that the groups will be relatively spread out. The groups are only asked to return to the game leader at the crime scene after solving the case. Only there will the alleged perpetrator be convicted with the arrest warrant code. If the solution is correct, the time for the group is stopped. If the solution is wrong, the group is automatically in last place. The group that finds the correct culprit in the shortest time wins. An important rule at the end: Participants must not run!
For each crime trail, you need to send around 12 – 16 text messages with code words to obtain further clues about the perpetrator. The costs for the SMS with the code words that you send to us correspond to the costs of your provider for a normal SMS. With monthly subscriptions, these text messages are usually free of charge, with prepaid subscriptions they cost around CHF 0.15 per text message.
The reply SMS with the additional information that you receive from us is free of charge for you.
In this case, please check your spam folder. It sometimes happens that the order confirmation with the file and the game access end up in the spam folder of your e-mail account.
If the order confirmation cannot be found there either, it could be that you made a typing error when entering the e-mail address. In this case, please contact us by phone or email (info@krimi-trails.ch).
Questions that may arise during the game:
On the first page of your mystery file (red page) you will find the solutions to the individual riddles. Please note that the solution page is basically intended for the game master who may have removed the page. If this is the case, please ask the game master who bought the trail directly.
If you think that a riddle cannot be solved for whatever reason, please let us know by sending an e-mail to hc.sliart-imirk@ofni. As a thank you, the person who reports the problem will receive a mystery voucher for the next free mystery trail adventure.
You will look in vain for a crime trail sign at the crime scene or at the various riddle locations. There are no crime trail signs. The riddles can and must all be solved using the existing local infrastructure (e.g. existing information boards, hiking trails, house signs, etc.). It is part of our sustainable game concept that we do not add anything extra.
After writing the SMS, you only ever receive the response “Try again”
The good news first: the SMS function works. If you receive this SMS, you have sent an incorrect password (solution). Please note that the SMS must always be sent in the form Destination solution and must not contain any typing errors. If in doubt, check the solutions on the cover page of the Crime Trail or the game master.
You will not receive any feedback after writing the SMS
If the network is under heavy load, it can sometimes take 1-2 minutes for the reply SMS to arrive. If you still have not received a text message, please check whether you have entered the correct number (+41 76 333 20 60). If the number is correct and you have a non-Swiss telecom provider, it is possible that the SMS function does not work with your provider because your subscription does not allow it. In this case, try using a cell phone from another person in your group. In extremely rare cases, a technical glitch is also possible. If none of the above has worked, please contact us directly.
I am receiving duplicate clues even though I have entered different solutions
Check the first page of the crime file (red page) to make sure you have entered the correct solution. It can happen that clues are sent twice if the solution is not quite correct and is similar to another solution.
Do not open the link to your game in your provider’s e-mail browser window, but in an external browser window.
