Escape from the Grand Hotel: The Escape Room Game
Escape from the Grand Hotel: The Escape Room Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Was ist ein Escape-Room-Spiel? (What is an Escape Room Game?)
- Was ist „Das geheimnisvolle Grand Hotel"? (What is "The Mysterious Grand Hotel"?)
- Inhalt (Contents)
- Ganz wichtig (Very important)
- Ganz wichtig: Ihr dürft die Umschläge noch nicht öffnen! (Very important: you may not open the envelopes yet!)
- Hintergrund (Background)
- Ziel des Spiels (Object of the Game)
- Wie geht's jetzt weiter? (How do we proceed now?)
Was ist ein Escape-Room-Spiel? (What is an Escape Room Game?)
The concept dates back to the 1980s, when "adventure games" on the computer became increasingly popular. Since then, not only have various video games been developed from it, but from the early 2000s onward more and more analogue versions have appeared all over the world. In these real (live) escape rooms, a group of players is locked in a room and must free themselves. To do so, they must use elements in this room to collect clues and master a series of challenges, puzzles and games in order to finally escape. Escape-room games such as The Secret Grand Hotel allow players to experience the same tension within their own four walls, without actually being locked in a room.
Was ist „Das geheimnisvolle Grand Hotel"? (What is "The Mysterious Grand Hotel"?)
"Das geheimnisvolle Grand Hotel" is an escape-room game for a group of 4 to 8 players. In this team game, the players slip into the roles of honoured guests at the great re-opening of the Grand Hotel. The goal of the game is to solve the puzzles together and uncover the secrets of the mysterious hotel.
Inhalt (Contents)
- Rulebook (Anleitungsheft).
- 9 puzzling envelopes (rätselhafte Umschläge). Each envelope represents a room or a chamber of the Grand Hotel and bears a name and a number.
- 8 invitations (Einladungen).
Spielerzahl (Number of players): 3–8
Note: The page lists 3–8 players, while the introduction text in the same section says 4 to 8 players. Both are reproduced as printed.
Dauer (Duration): approx. 90 minutes
Spielziel (Object of the game): Uncover the hidden secret of the Grand Hotel and escape together!
Ganz wichtig (Very important)
Open the envelopes NOT before the game! Read this rulebook carefully first.
Ganz wichtig: Ihr dürft die Umschläge noch nicht öffnen! (Very important: you may not open the envelopes yet!)
Das braucht ihr zum Spielen! (What you need to play)
- A table, because you need space for the puzzles and the parts you need to solve the game. All players should be able to see the contents of the envelopes from their seat. Comfortable seating for all players.
- Pencils and some paper, which are helpful for solving some of the puzzles and tasks.
- A clock or stopwatch.
Sonst noch was? (Anything else?)
To get into the right mood right away, you should play some music, and the guests could dress for the occasion: elegant evening wear and, of course, "dress to impress"!
Take the envelopes out of the packaging and spread them out on the table. The envelopes may not yet be opened!
Hintergrund (Background)
(To be read aloud by the owner of the game.)
Only five years ago there was probably no more popular meeting place for polite society than the magnificent rooms of the Grand Hotel. Whether nobility, supermodels or film stars: everyone was obsessed with the wish to sleep once in the silk sheets of its luxurious rooms or to be allowed to enjoy one of the masterpieces from the hotel kitchen. The rooms were always booked up for months, and only those who truly had rank and name could even hope for a reservation. Behind the scenes of the Grand Hotel worked its owners, the highly discreet Blossom family. For generations they had run the hotel from their private penthouse. For the last forty years the Grand Hotel had been the centre of life for Amanda and Christopher Blossom. But now, on the eve of their son Kurt's twenty-first birthday, they announced that it was time to place the fate of the house in his hands, so that he might preserve the splendour and magic of the hotel for many years to come. But when the moment finally came, Kurt suddenly vanished without a trace. Rumours about his disappearance immediately made the rounds, and in every corner of the hotel one could hear the worried whispers of the guests. People said that Kurt had turned down his family's inheritance and wanted to go his own way without his family's fortune. With their son's disappearance, the already somewhat elderly Blossoms were no longer equal to the task of running the famous and busy Grand Hotel. However hard the loyal staff tried, the high standards simply could not be maintained. Soon the rooms were no longer fully booked, tables in the restaurant stood empty, and dust settled over the ballroom where guests once danced the most beautiful waltzes. For a few years the hotel was just barely able to stay afloat, but now it looked as though its doors would close for good. But now, quite suddenly, Kurt has returned! And he is not alone! At his side stands his new wife, the stunningly beautiful Lauren Blossom. The sudden appearance of the young couple seems mysterious and enigmatic to many, but one thing is clear: they are determined to take the reins and restore the Grand Hotel to its former glory. What happened to Kurt during his absence? Who is the mysterious woman at his side? And will you succeed in saving the hotel? Step inside and find out which secrets this famous house holds for you.
Ziel des Spiels (Object of the Game)
You must work together as a team to uncover the secret of the Grand Hotel. To do so, you must solve puzzles and at the end uncover what has happened here. Each envelope contains a part of the story, which is read aloud by the game master, and a puzzle which the group must solve together. Once you have solved the puzzle, you receive a number, a name or a colour. This leads you to the next envelope, which may now be opened.
If your solution does not match any of the envelopes, then your solution is wrong! Take another careful look at the puzzle. If you really get stuck and time runs short, you will find in each envelope a secret compartment with a hint that will help you further. These hints are really only meant as a last resort! Sometimes parts are located in an envelope that you need to solve a puzzle. You may only need these parts later in the game, so keep them safe!
Wie geht's jetzt weiter? (How do we proceed now?)
Decide on one game master (Spielleiter). He hands out the invitations to all players and then reads aloud the story card "Die Ankunft" ("The Arrival"), which is in the pocket. The game master then sets a timer for 90 minutes, and the game begins with room No. 1. Once the game master has completed these tasks, he takes part in the game together with the other players.
Good luck!
The final page of the German rulebook is a decorative "HIER STARTEN" ("Start here") marker with no further text.