Holiday Hijinks #6: The Groundhog Gambit 2022

The invitation left you almost breathless with anticipation. The eccentric inventor, Professor Archibald Timely, has opened his stately manor to the public for the first time in years. What brilliant new breakthrough was to be unveiled? As you walk through the front door, you notice an eerie silence with only the sound of your echoing footsteps filling the cavernous halls. With so much to explore in the sprawling old mansion, you wander to the furthest recesses and back again, and again, and again... Hold on; you’re having the strangest case of déjà vu. Can you escape before it’s too late?

The Groundhog Gambit, title #6 in the Holiday Hijinks line, is an escape room-style game in just 18 cards! As a group, you will solve a series of puzzles to unravel a mystery.

Puzzles may test your perception, wordplay, and lateral thinking. English language fluency is required.

This game is app-assisted. When you have solved a puzzle on the cards, you will enter the answer into the companion website (compatible with all smartphones and computers) and it will check whether you are correct. If you are, the website will tell you which card or cards to take next. The website also contains a graduated hint system, so if you get stuck you can get just a small hint about the current puzzle to get moving again without giving too much away.

The website also allows you to interact with objects on cards, in the vein of a classic point-and-click adventure. This will help you gain more clues and solve puzzles.

This system is non-destructible: some groups may choose to write on cards, but this is not required. A group cannot re-play the game but can pass it on to another group for their use.

This entry in the series takes about two hours to solve and is rated 3 out of 3 in difficulty.