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What an incredible collaboration! The TRYBZ community absolutely threw themselves into the challenge — every player got stuck in, racing through Battersea Park with full focus and big smiles. It was the perfect day for movement and adventure, as teams navigated their way through checkpoints, cracked puzzles, and climbed level by level to escape the tower, earning gold as they went. The energy was electric from start to finish, with everyone giving their best and cheering each other on. We wrapped up with matchas, coffees, and aperols at The Pear Tree Café — the ideal way to celebrate a fab afternoon of teamwork, laughter, and pure TRYBZ spirit. 

Get set.. SPELL!

Our much loved Scrabble game WOKE (24pts) from a slumber in Primrose Hill this week, the Princess of Wales aka POW (8pts) BOOKED (51 pts) us a great briefing area and with a new letter set, a new map and new puzzles, old strategies were given a SHAKE (19pts) down.

The game clock was set to 80 minutes, and before players FROZE (58 pts) in the surprisingly cool evening I instructed them, "thou SHALT (15 pts) not LAZE (36pts), tie up your SHOELACE (57pts), TAKE (11 pts) this map and get your SKATE (34 pts) on",   and they BLAZED (66pts) away from the start line.

Checkpoints were distributed across Primrose Hill and into Regents Park, multiple people expected the "Play Word" to be at the CREST (21 pts) of the hill, but instead it was the puzzles that required players to SWEAT (23 pts) to reach. THESE (15 pts) checkpoints gave players the opportunity to multiply their scores, although only one bonus could be used per word.

London ZOO (32 pts) seemed to provide plenty of inspiration with a SHOAL (15 pts) of animals played, there was a KOALA (34 pts) a COW (8 pts), a GUPPY (20 pts) and Spike even managed to find some (wood?)PECKERS (48pts), WOOF! (17pts). We had a pair of POKERS (24 pts) as Eleanor and Jonny both POKED (19/24 pts) their noses in front at various times, while Martin was content to STALK (16 pts) the pack looking to find the WEAK (14 pts) link.

After 80 minutes everyone returned to the pub and as the HAZE (51 pts) of the game lifted, strategies were discussed over some CHOW (15 pts), and KOHL (36 pts) reapplied.

It was great to see so many first timers, and despite there being plenty of SCOPE (22pts) for looking like a BOZO (28 pts) everyone emerged far from HAZED (29 pts), instead they found it a WALTZ (58 pts) in the park, although looking at the distances covered some people might be looking for a BUGGY (31 pts) to get them back to the tube stop.

ZAP (32pts)! Looking forward two weeks, now is the time to STAKE (16 pts) your spot at the series finale, there may even be CAKES (29 pts).

Thank you as always to everyone who came down, our regular crowd and our future regular crowd (aka first timers), please do continue to help us spread the word, bring friends, family, colleagues... every recommendation and review is a COG (6 pts) in the MindGames machine!

The Tale of the Snake

Wednesday saw the return of Snakes & Ladders, first played in the dark around Pimlico, this time from The Bear in Paddington. The real allure was Hyde Park just south of the pub, and no one was surprised to find that’s where all the snakes had escaped to. It was the first time that headtorches weren’t required, and the first time using the open ground of a park; both seemed to be well received. 

With this being a returning game, many teams opted to rely on their memories and the stage notes, skipping the briefing and heading out straight away, leaving more time at the end for a drink and a debrief. A classic risk/reward decision! 

 Before reaching the park, there were a few apples to collect. Most teams headed to Apple 2 first, which involved moving blocks between posts in a 'Towers of Hanoi'-style game. Unlike a fortnight ago at Tower Escape, where teams were asked to move the blocks between rooms, this time teams only had to work out the minimum number of moves, which seemed to present no problems for most, with Dan, Wintermute and Spike all claiming it within the first 4 minutes—and within 18 seconds of each other.

Apple 8 was the logical next step, which all teams glided through, spotting that the distances related to the number of letters in the name. Only Snakey McLadderface required a second attempt, and even then the delay was minimal.

 Once inside the park, the dice points were laid out with further apples surrounding them, offering teams the opportunity to grab apples while moving around the board. But snake value was decreasing, so there was a rush to grab them as quickly as possible, or to head to the top of the board and get the multiplier bonus.

Most teams headed for the snakes on 13 and 17, but Wintermute and Bobs headed up the ladder on square 12 to grab the snake on 36 first. Dan was the only one to capture a snake within the first 10 minutes and therefore score the maximum 60 points, doing so with just 27 seconds left in the level. Wintermute was unfortunate to miss out by just 12 seconds on the same achievement.

 Snakes continued to be collected at a good rate across all teams, with a grand total of fifty snakes collected from the park, and everyone managing to avoid falling into The Serpentine! NorwegianJesus had some excellent late-game play, bagging two snakes in the final 15 minutes, although it was Gammy who cut it finest, grabbing their final snake with just 3m49s left on the clock, leaving a challenging sprint for the finish line.

 The game was as much about brains as brawn. The apples were of varying degrees of difficulty, with all claimed at one point or another. For the avoidance of doubt, London hosted the Olympics in 2012, so the answer required londonlondonlondon... twelve times—an exercise in precision as well as puzzling. The mixed-up fruit was a 'granny smith', and Homer was not a character in Friends, so 'ehmor' was the odd one out.

 The scoring was incredibly close. As revealed on the night, Dan squeezed a victory by just 2.5 points, but there were many more close battles. To take a full look, head over to the game data and review The Tale of the Snake.

 Lastly, a few thank yous: firstly to our newcomers, John and Martin—there’s a lot to take in the first time, but it is impressive how quickly you picked it up, catching snakes, solving puzzles and moving up the board like pros.

And secondly, although he couldn’t take part, a big thanks to Tim, who kindly did a recce of the course earlier in the week, giving me another week for my ankle to recover.

*A Tale of Wit, Blocks, Sausages, and One Very Hungry Dog*  

The Gates Open:

At the stroke of the 90-minute bell, nine teams stormed the castle gates and found themselves in the **Lobby** — the first of four ground-floor rooms concealing the clues they'd need to unpick the tower's first lock. From the Lobby to the **Lounge**, the **Office**, and finally the **Kitchen**, each team scurried through the lower chambers gathering fragments of the riddle.

**Bobs** and **The Grape Escape** snapped up the very first clues before the dust had even settled, with most of the field close behind. The notable exception was **Getfrank**, whose Matt Lacey didn't clear the Kitchen until the 77-minute mark — and when he finally tried the padlock... it didn't budge. Twice. A bold strategy. It did not pay off immediately.

The first teams to crack the padlock and ascend were **Bobs** and **R&E**, both springing free at the 84-minute mark, earning 100 gold apiece. **The Grape Escape** followed swiftly, and the race upwards was on.

The Word Chain Wars:

Level 2 revealed the tower's word-chain puzzle, requiring players to chain together a sequence of passcodes — *note → notebook → laptop → turntable*. Elegant in design. Humbling in execution.

R&E's Eleanor confidently submitted *"lapturn"* — not a word, not a passcode, not found in any dictionary in the kingdom. Ryan of the same team countered with *"turntop"* and then *"topturn"*, as though the puzzle might eventually capitulate through sheer stubbornness. Roderick of PrisonerX also tried *"topturn"*, apparently reading from the same dubious playbook. 

Despite the linguistic adventures, Bobs blazed through fastest, completing the full chain and unlocking the staircase at the 78-minute mark — a full level ahead of most rivals.

The Block Puzzle (or: How to Build a Ladder Badly) :

Level 4 presented the castle's block-stacking challenge: collect blocks from Room 4.1, stage them correctly through Room 4.2, and stack them in the right order at the Up checkpoint to magically fuse them into a ladder. Simple in theory. An extended comedy of errors in practice.

Bobby set the tone — picking up blocks, placing them wrong, being told he couldn't stack a larger block on a smaller one (three times), putting blocks down, picking them back up again. The ladder finally *"magically fused"* at the 65-minute mark. A triumph of persistence over elegance.

Getfrank's Matt Lacey elevated block-stacking to something approaching performance art. His logs around the 31-minute mark show him picking up and placing the same block *eight times in a row* — a hypnotic loop that the castle observed with quiet bewilderment. He completed it with just 18 minutes remaining.

The Grape Escape, R&E, and Wintermute all completed their ladders with considerably more composure. Pairs teams had a natural advantage here, with one player able to manage Room 4.1 while the other handled Room 4.2 — and R&E made light work of it as a result. Special mention however goes to Roderick (PrisonerX), Edmund, and John Pickup (Wintermute), all of whom executed a mathematically perfect solution — the classic Towers of Hanoi puzzle has a minimum of 7 moves for 3 blocks, and all three made exactly 7 pickups and 7 placements without a single error. While others were wrestling with the laws of physics, these three were working from first principles. Flawless performances all round.

Level 5: The Castle's Residents:

With the ladder built, teams emerged onto Level 5 — the castle's social floor, home to six residents each offering gold in exchange for completing their challenges. With 460 gold on offer across all six, and only about an hour left on the clock, teams had to choose wisely.

The Chef  offered 50 gold in exchange for sausages — but the sausages weren't for eating. Sharp-eyed teams will have noticed the hungry dog lurking on Level 3 on their way up, with no obvious explanation and no way past. The Chef's sausages were the missing piece — hurled at the hound to clear the path and claim the reward. For those who'd already met the dog, it was a satisfying moment of joined-up thinking. For those who hadn't, it was a trip back downstairs.

The King  issued a rather less polite request: "Go catch some rats." Worth up to 120 gold for a full extermination, this was the richest physical challenge in the castle. Bobby led all solo hunters with a remarkable 9 rats, closely chased by Wintermute and The Grape Escape on 8 each. As a team however, R&E were the true exterminators — Eleanor and Ryan combined for all 12 rats, a complete royal extermination and the full 120 gold. Not a single rat remained. The King was most pleased.

The Princess  requested the return of her missing cat, Mittens, who had wandered back to the Lounge. Ryan reunited them first at the 17-minute mark, with Gammy's Sam Smith following shortly after — both earning the full 80-gold quest reward. Spike accepted the quest but Mittens, apparently, wanted nothing to do with him. The Princess remained inconsolable.

The Dragon's hoard rewarded the mentally sharp with 60 gold — claimed by Bobby, Ryan, Spike and Gina. The Jester  also offered 60 gold, collected by Spike and Ryan.

The Queen's puzzle was the most demanding of all — a three-layer mental challenge paying out 10, 30, and 50 gold for each layer solved, with a punishing 30-second lockout for wrong answers. Eleanor of R&E was the standout performer, weathering three lockouts without flinching and solving all three layers for the full 90 gold. Edmund and Spike both solved the first two layers. Several teams found the Queen a cruel mistress in the closing minutes, with Bobby and John Pickup taking lockouts late on.

The Final Climb & The Gold Count:

With time running out, teams made their final dash to the Finish checkpoint at the top of the tower, each collecting a **50-gold completion bonus** on the way out. Eight of the nine teams made it —congratulations to all teams for a game well played!

The maximum possible gold is **855 for a pair** and **805 for a solo player** — and the performances are all the more impressive measured against that benchmark 

Game report - Series 2 Round 1 - 🐻‍❄️🎣Deep Blue - 25th March - Surrey Quays

Deep Blue Returns to Surrey Quays ❄️

Wednesday saw us return to Surrey Quays — and back to the Arctic, complete with near zero-degree temperatures. Given that the last time we ran Deep Blue we had frozen ponds in St Katharine’s Dock, it might be time to swap the Arctic for the jungle next time…

For those new to the format, Deep Blue challenges teams to dive beneath the ice, managing a strict 10-minute timer between air holes. Along the way, teams can recruit SEAL units to hunt on their behalf, or upgrade their capabilities with a visit to the Wise Walrus — perched (as ever) on top of a local hill.

Fast Starts and Early Strategy

The SEALs were in high demand from the outset. Seal 2 offered little resistance, recruited four times within the opening two minutes by Wintermute, Bobs, Campbell and SoloSam. Cool Runnings, Last and Furious, and No Pace, All Vibes quickly followed.

Seal 3 became the next key target, with Campbell, R&E and Cool Runnings all securing a second SEAL within the first seven minutes — setting each one up to collect over 35kg of fish.

Seal 1 proved more challenging, with only four teams managing to crack it. The double puzzle required teams to identify anagrams of David, George and Andrew, determine the missing fourth — Patrick — and then rearrange all names back into alphabetical order. SoloSam were first to solve it, closely followed by All Pace, No Vibes.

Big Plays Under Pressure

Beneath the surface, conditions were favourable. An additional air hole meant there was no excuse for running out of air, and despite a demanding loop at the southern end of the map, no fish were lost underwater.

As the clock ticked down, confidence was high and teams began banking significant hauls. Cool Runnings secured 131.5kg with 10 minutes remaining, Last and Furious followed with 165kg with four minutes to go, and Campbell delivered the largest single deposit of the game — 171.5kg — with just three minutes left.

Wintermute left it even later, banking with only two minutes remaining before a final sprint to the finish.

The Walrus Dilemma

The Wise Walrus once again introduced a key strategic decision: invest in further upgrades, or maximise returns at your current level?

Last and Furious and Bobs opted to take the risk, committing to a second lesson with 32 and 26 minutes remaining respectively. Campbell, however, chose to remain at Level 2 — a decision that ultimately proved decisive.

As for the optimal strategy? Still up for debate. One thing is certain: falling down the steps by Seal 3 (as discovered during recce) is not recommended.

Final Results 🏆

A huge congratulations to everyone who took part — and to those who stayed on to celebrate afterwards.

• 1st: Campbell

• 2nd: Cool Runnings (Spike)

• 3rd: Last and Furious (Tom)

In the pairs competition, Ryan & Eleanor continued their winning streak, while No Pace, All Vibes impressed with a second-place finish on debut.

The game opened cautiously, with most teams spending the first stretch gathering letters and scoping the map. Euro Bitches were among the first out of the blocks, snapping up a word bonus early and setting an aggressive tone — though their first attempt (LSH) suggested the letters weren't always cooperating.

The clueless of SW were also moving quickly, banking their first word, LOST, at the 22-minute mark — which, in hindsight, was either a statement of intent or a moment of self-awareness. They went on to play five words in total, keeping busy all game, though their choices (LOST, SEAL, SOUR, PIN...) suggested they may have been prioritising quantity over, shall we say, flamboyance.

Baby on board had a rocky middle stretch — SLTE and a couple of other mystery submissions disappeared into the void — but they rallied spectacularly, finishing with HORSEY, CURL, and the crowd-pleasing QUIP, capped off with a 3x word bonus on a well-timed QUIP. Not bad for a team reportedly travelling with extra cargo.

THEFASTCATS lived up to their name in the final quarter, producing the rousing SAILOR (30 pts) and THREES (25 pts) in quick succession near the end of the game — clearly they'd been saving their best letters for a dramatic finish. Whether that was strategy or just how the checkpoints fell, it worked.

Negronis — ah, the Negronis. Only two words submitted, but what words. LOSERS is either a confident piece of trash talk or a Freudian slip, and STOIC is frankly the most on-brand response to a difficult afternoon that we've ever seen. Respect.

And then there were Brains of Battersea. Methodical, patient, and absolutely ruthless when it counted. STORY and SHEET were solid early earners. SCOUR showed range. PEN was a moment of pragmatism. But QUAIL — played with a 3x word bonus in the dying minutes for 41 points — was the move of the day. The Brains, it turns out, were brainy.

 HIGHLIGHTS

• Word of the day: QUAIL — 41 pts, Brains of Battersea. Majestic.

• Most industrious: The clueless of SW and Brains of Battersea — 5 words each

• Best average per word: Brains of Battersea — 20.7 pts per word

• Longest words: LOSERS, SAILOR, THREES — a three-way tie at 6 letters

• Bravest attempt: HEALT (Negronis) — not a word, but we admire the conviction

• Most poetic sequence: The clueless of SW playing LOST, then THEY, then SOUR — a haiku of mild misfortune

Huge congratulations to Brains of Battersea — thoroughly deserved! And thanks to everyone for a brilliant game. Hope to see you again soon! 💜