Clue trails playbook
Location-locked QR codes for clue trails
Turn arrival into part of the puzzle. Each placed carrier can hold a short next clue or an explicit link to the next part of the experience.
Good starting precisionNeighborhood to Tight / P6–P8
Design for the physical context.
The player has interpreted the previous clue, reached the intended landmark, and needs a clear confirmation plus the next direction.
The place should clarify why this content opens now. That creates a stronger interaction than treating location as decoration or an invisible gate.
Build the reveal around one clear action.
Keep the visitor’s instruction short: scan, allow precise location, scan once more.
- 01
Map difficulty separately from GPS
Let the riddle create challenge. Choose a cell that reliably rewards arrival instead of turning GPS noise into an accidental puzzle.
- 02
Walk every transition
Test each stop in sequence on a real phone, including the approach path and any boundary between neighboring cells.
- 03
Write a useful locked-state hint
Point players toward the intended landmark without giving away the clue or implying that their phone is broken.
Reported fix · 18 m accuracyInside exact cell
Across the streetOutside · stays locked
- Cell
- P7 · Venue
- Dimensions here
- ≈114 × 153 m
- Sample latitude
- 41.8819° N
Location confirmedThe signal found you.
Start broad enough to reward arrival reliably.
Use P6 for forgiving city-scale stops, P7 for a venue or landmark area, and P8 only after outdoor testing confirms the tight cell is realistic.
The map shows the real geohash rectangle and latitude-adjusted dimensions. Phone accuracy is a separate uncertainty radius, and indoor conditions can change it.
Keep the content focused and mobile-ready.
Wormhole currently creates readable Text or explicit HTTPS Link reveals.
A link to an audio message
A confirmation phrase for a host
A final arrival message
Example wrong-location hint
“The next clue is close, but this is not its cell. Look for the stone arch beside the garden.”
Before opening
Test the place, not just the PNG.
- 01Avoid Tight/P8 indoors or before genuine outdoor testing.
- 02Keep clue text within the Classic carrier’s 140-byte limit.
- 03Do not promise identity, attendance, or anti-cheat guarantees.
- 04Plan a human fallback for accessibility and GPS edge cases.
Try the pattern
Make the first reveal for where you are now.
Other playbooks
