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PROJECT RECIPE / No. 02

Mystery game at a roadside station

Turn the brief stop at a roadside station or tourist spot into a multi-hour visit through a mystery game. Combine paper flyers with smartphones to drive visits to shops and restaurants — set up in as little as 60 minutes.

TIME
~60 min
Excludes puzzle creation
LEVEL
★★★
Some prep required
PLAN
Free+
Free to try
SCALE
Any size
Any scale
#mystery-game #dwell-time #roadside-station #tourism #regional
01 — For Whom

Who this is for

01
Want to draw visitors with a mystery game
People will travel from far away if there's a mystery game to play. Great for new visitors at roadside stations, shopping streets, or theme parks.
02
Want to turn dwell time into sales
Longer stays naturally increase visits to fresh-produce stands, gift shops, soft-serve counters, and restaurants.
03
Want to extend dwell time
Mystery game participants stay for several hours — exploring the shopping floors and using restaurants during breaks.
02 — Materials

Materials

2 ITEMS / ALL OPTIONAL
A PDF / Text

A set of puzzles (questions, hints, and answers)

Multiple-choice with three options, one of which is correct. Around 10 puzzles is a good starting point.

B PNG / JPG

Digital-item images for correct answers

Prepare images such as stamps or coins to track the number of correct answers.

Recommended: 340 × 340 px or larger
03 — Steps

How to build

5 STEPS / ~53 min

Log in to T&T, complete basic setup, then click 'New' under the 'Items' menu to begin.

01

Register the reward item

From Admin → Items → New, register the item that correct solvers will receive. Choose 'Credit' as the type, upload the image from material B, and save.

1 min Admin Material B
02

Register the answer choices

From Admin → Events → New, register each answer option. Name events like 'Question 1, Choice A'.

1 min Admin Material A
03

Set answer limits and rewards

In the event settings, find 'Check-in limit' and set the per-user maximum to 1. Then under 'Reward item', select the item (Credit) created in Step 1 and enter how many points to award per correct answer. Incorrect choices need no reward setting. Click 'Save changes'.

1 min
04

Repeat for each question and choice

Repeat Steps 2–3 for every question and choice. With ten three-choice questions, you'll create thirty events in total.

30 min
05

Build a webpage that lists the answer URLs

Each event generates an answer URL. List all thirty URLs on a website (or a single web page) so participants can submit their answers.

20 min
READY?

Launch in 30 minutes
with T&T.

Sign up with just your Google or Apple account. Create and publish projects entirely for free.

04 — FAQ

FAQ

6 ITEMS
Q.01 Do participants need to install an app?
No. Answers can be submitted from a smartphone browser. Just scan a QR code on a flyer or follow a URL provided by the organizer.
Q.02 How should we design on-site hints?
+
Use real-world scenery or objects as clues, or post printed hints around the location. Avoid giving the answer directly — provide 'a clue to solve the puzzle' instead.
Q.03 Can rewards be tiered by the number of correct answers?
+
Yes. Users can check the items they've earned from T&T's 'Bag' screen. Using the reward item, you can set thresholds (e.g. X points or more, Y items or more) to grade rewards after the mystery game ends.
Q.04 Can people who can't visit in person also participate online?
+
Yes. If you place all hints online, the entire event can run remotely. T&T itself works fully online.
Q.05 Can cheating (e.g. asking friends for answers) be prevented?
+
Online controls can limit answer count and timing, but offline collusion can't be prevented entirely. Ask participants to play in good faith as part of the event etiquette.
Q.06 How many participants can it support?
+
There are no fixed caps on items or events. For simple mystery games, the free Basic plan is enough. If you also distribute and operate NFTs, the first 30 are free; 31 or more require a paid plan.
05 — Case Study

Tono Folktales × Mystery — Ikai Hunter Exam

A full-scale mystery event hosted at the "Kaze no Oka" roadside station in Tono, Iwate, that keeps participants engaged for 4–5 hours across 9 locations citywide. Operated with paper kits and T&T's answer system, running year-round.

Tono Folktales × Mystery — Ikai Hunter Exam

Match wits with otherworlders
using insight and your own two feet.

A year-long mystery game set in the world of Tono Monogatari, based at the "Kaze no Oka" and "Denshoen" facilities, with hints placed at 9 locations throughout the city. Participants buy a 1,500-yen mystery kit and submit multiple-choice answers from their smartphone. Based on the number of correct answers, they earn an "Ikai Hunter License" at three tiers — Junior, Senior, or Special. All participants receive a pin badge, and correct solvers receive an NFT of the spirit beast Izuna.

Organizer
Ikai Hunter Association (Tono Furusato Shosha × Tales & Tokens)
Industry
Tourism / Regional revitalization
Scale
Year-round / 9 locations citywide
Modules
Multiple-choice quiz, tiered rewards, pin-badge exchange, NFT distribution
9 quizzes
Beginner & intermediate
4–5 h
Estimated playthrough
3 tiers
License grades
06 — Voices

User voices

"

「Mystery-lovers from all across Japan have been flocking to Kaze no Oka in Tono to play the "Ikai Hunter Exam." We can feel a new wind blowing through.」

Naoji Kihara
Executive Officer, Tono Furusato Shosha
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