Article: Take a good look around the room to see the layout and different objects. Begin walking around and looking at signs, decorations on the walls, and take note of where furniture is placed. Take a mental note of or jot down anything that strikes you as unusual, such as a letter missing from a word or a decoration that seems out of place. Look underneath vases, tablecloths, tables, and chairs. Look inside of drawers and cabinets. If you find something that’s locked, there’s probably a key somewhere that will unlock it and most likely it is part of the puzzle series. You won’t have to climb anything or remove things from walls; your guide will tell you this, but it’s good to keep in mind so you don’t waste time trying those things. Resist the urge to watch and “help” someone else as they work on a puzzle, unless they ask specifically for your help. You’ll make better use of your time by going to a different puzzle or clue and focusing on solving that. Spreading out is especially helpful in the beginning of the game. Later, if there’s only one puzzle left open, then of course your group can gather around it and try to solve it together. Don’t spend more than 5 minutes alone on one particular puzzle. If you can’t think of any more ideas for solving it, ask for help or for a teammate to take it over entirely. If a few different people can’t figure it out, that may be a sign that you need more information to solve it, or a hint from your guide. Passing around items you can’t solve ensures that puzzles don’t get forgotten about; forgetting about a puzzle until the last minute can make your team think they are farther ahead than they really are. While it’s important to remember the original location of an object, it can also be helpful to put related things together. For instance, books or pictures that seem related, keys, or other similar loose objects should be placed together in a central location of the room. It is helpful to keep a running list of objects and where they were originally located. Choose a person on your team who enjoys making lists to keep track of where each object was when you found and moved it. Creating a pile of things you’ve already used and pile of things you haven’t used yet helps people to not look at an object over and over again. Keep in mind that in some rooms, objects can be used more than once, but organizing objects in this way will still help you to stay focused on what still needs to be done. Some objects may be “red herrings,” or objects particularly designed to make you think they are a clue, when they actually are not. Don’t spend a lot of time obsessing over 1 particular object if you can’t find a useful purpose for it. Once you’ve found a key that unlocks a certain lock, you most likely will not need it again. Leave it in the lock and try other keys for new locks first. If you end up short on keys, at least you will know where all of your used keys are and it will be easier to go get them if you need them.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Observe everything in the room when you get there. Leave nothing untouched. Spread out to different clues and puzzles. Pass clues that you can’t solve onto someone else. Organize all clues and information. Create “used” and “unused” piles of objects. Leave used keys in their locks.