TeamRelay / The Lantern Exchange

Facilitator guide

An original indoor team challenge · Content beta

A complete, original rainy-day reserve activity for adult team-event operators. This is a runnable content beta, not a record of a successful event.

Host copy: contains every answer. Keep this guide and the full archive with the facilitator. Give participants only their crew cards and the shared player display.
Open local activityVerify the solution chain

What you need

Before participants arrive

  1. Unzip the whole kit. Open index.html locally. Test start, one wrong answer, a hint, a correct answer, pause and reset. Use Guided or the one-stage taster for this preflight, then reset.
  2. Choose the mode and complete-theme scope before starting. Do not compare scores from different modes.
  3. Give Signal, Stores and Floor crews only their matching packet. Printout pages can be handed out one stage at a time; if distributed together, ask players not to read ahead.
  4. Keep the host guide private. The plain-text theme and client code contain answers; this kit provides no anti-cheating security.
  5. Check everyone can read the material. Offer large print, shared reading, written exchange and extra processing time. Colour never carries a unique clue.
  6. Have the host answer table ready as a browser-independent fallback. There is no need to meet a measured fifteen-minute setup target; preparation time remains untested.

Opening script

The outdoor Lantern Exchange has moved inside because of rain. At Harbour House, a fictional community arts venue, a welcome message is waiting in a locked display programme. Three crews hold different parts of the backup plan. Find the right room, trace the collection route, schedule the equipment crates, balance the display tokens, restore the message and assemble the activation code. Everything happens on paper or a screen; the rooms, equipment and journey exist only in this story.

Welcome to Harbour House. The rain has changed our plan, not our invitation. Signal Crew has the messages, Stores Crew has the inventory, and Floor Crew has the maps and procedures. No crew has the whole plan. Share what you know, say how you know it, and keep a record of each confirmed result. You are one combined team: there is no race between crews.

Make three crews work as one team

For each crew, nominate a reader, recorder, checker and reporter; people may combine roles in small groups. Rotate the reporter after every stage. In crews larger than four, make pairs to independently check the current clue, then compare their reasoning. Give quieter players a written route to contribute. These arrangements are an untested inclusion plan, not a claim that every person will be continuously occupied.

Ask each crew to report one fact before the shared coordinator proposes an answer. A proposed result should include its method. One host enters the combined result. There is a single shared score, not three competing scores. Stage cards are information boundaries by agreement, not secure accounts.

Difficulty and hints

Guided: Full step scaffold and first hint visible. The host may display all three cards together. Suitable for learning the format; uncalibrated. Additional hint cost: 0 points per hint.

Standard: Normal goal, separately held crew cards, hints on request. Rotate the person who reports the result. Additional hint cost: 10 points per hint.

Challenge: Short goal with full evidence still present. Crew cards stay with their holders during the first discussion; exchange information in your own words, then freely compare. Accessibility needs override that presentation rule. Additional hint cost: 15 points per hint.

Each stage begins worth 100 points. Wrong attempts are counted without a points penalty. Standard and Challenge subtract their hint cost for each opened hint; Guided starts with hint 1 visible and charges zero. The third hint contains the answer. If the facilitator reveals and advances a stage, that stage earns zero. There are six stages for a maximum of 600 points; the one-stage taster has a maximum of 100. Scores describe this exercise only; they are not an assessment of employee ability.

If a crew is stuck for around three minutes, offer the next hint; this is a suggestion, not an automatic timer rule. Read hints in order. If explanation is more useful than more guessing, use the host reveal, read the solution, record that it was revealed, and continue. Do not silently award an unearned solve.

Suggested running order

Elapsed minutesActivity
0–4Briefing; split three crews and assign rotating readers, recorders and reporters.
4–9P1: room selection.
9–14P2: route.
14–19P3: crate order.
19–24P4: token pair.
24–30P5: message.
30–35P6: final code.
35–42Ending and debrief; use remaining time for explanation or a break.

A 30–45 minute facilitator plan, not measured session duration. Shorten with guided hints or allow longer. There is no automatic failure when the timer reaches 45 minutes.

Operating the local activity

  1. Start: choose mode and full activity or taster, then Start. The first stage appears immediately; each successful answer unlocks the next.
  2. Display: project the shared goal, not the host solutions. The separate player-display.html is spoiler-free and advances manually. Crew files contain their evidence for all six stages.
  3. Submit: enter the answer in the documented form. Room and word answers ignore case, spaces and hyphens. Four- and five-digit codes allow separators but keep digit order. Module letters accept either order.
  4. Hints: open one at a time. The score records the number opened. Revealing in the host panel advances with zero points.
  5. Pause: active time stops during the pause. This is an advisory timer; no automatic failure, lockout or running-over fee exists.
  6. Save: download a paused copy of the current local session. This does not pause the screen currently running. Restore the saved JSON into the same theme version and press Resume. Files contain crew progress, not participant names.
  7. Reset: confirm reset to remove current progress. Download a record first if needed. Reloading without an exported record loses the in-memory session.

If something fails

Pause before troubleshooting. If the activity page fails, use the printed/shared player material and the answer table below. Record attempts and hints by hand. Award the same points formula and read the ending manually. Do not ask participants to inspect source code. If the rules seem inconsistent, record the exact disputed wording and the proposed alternative; use a reveal to keep the group moving, then record it as a content defect for review.

There is no promise of a live external host or instant remote support. The event operator retains responsibility for their venue and facilitation. Do not run a public paid event relying solely on the fact that the technical checks passed; independent host and participant testing are still outstanding.

Shared record and answer key

StageConfirmed resultFeeds into
P1GALLERYP2, P6
P2TIDEP3, P6
P33142P4, P5, P6
P4AEP5, P6
P5LANTERNP6
P664796
Host answer / P1

Find the dry room

Choose the only room that seats at least 30 people, has at least two working display sockets, and is reached by a dry indoor route. All three conditions must hold. Enter its room name.

Crew evidence

Signal Crew

Display socket check

  • The display needs at least TWO working sockets.
  • ATRIUM: 3 sockets. GALLERY: 2. LIBRARY: 1. STUDIO: 2.
  • A high score in one column cannot make up for failure in another.

Stores Crew

Seating inventory

  • The indoor group needs at least THIRTY seats.
  • ATRIUM: 24 seats. GALLERY: 36. LIBRARY: 40. STUDIO: 32.
  • Count the listed seats only; do not invent extra chairs.

Floor Crew

Dry access report

  • The whole route to the room must be marked DRY.
  • ATRIUM: dry. GALLERY: dry. LIBRARY: dry. STUDIO: exposed to rain.
  • Only the four named rooms are candidates.

Guided scaffold

Make one row per room. Add seats, sockets and dry-route information from the three crews. Cross out any room that fails even one condition. The selected name is used in the next stage.

Hints in order

  1. Check the same room against all three lists. You are not choosing the largest room.
  2. ATRIUM fails the seat requirement. STUDIO fails the dry-route requirement.
  3. Compare GALLERY and LIBRARY with the socket requirement. Only GALLERY has two.

Worked solution: GALLERY

  1. ATRIUM has 24 seats, below 30.
  2. LIBRARY has one socket, below two.
  3. STUDIO is not on a dry route.
  4. GALLERY has 36 seats, two sockets and a dry route. It is the unique qualifying room.
Host answer / P2

Trace the collection route

Use the route labelled with the room from stage 1. Start at B4 on the map. Carry out its four movement symbols in order. After EACH complete symbol, record the letter at the cell where you finish. Do not record the starting cell or cells passed through. Enter four letters.

Crew evidence

Signal Crew

Room-labelled route slip

  • ATRIUM: LEAF, BELL, WAVE, KITE.
  • GALLERY: KITE, WAVE, BELL, LEAF.
  • LIBRARY: BELL, LEAF, KITE, WAVE.
  • STUDIO: WAVE, KITE, LEAF, BELL.
  • Use only the slip named by the confirmed room.

Stores Crew

Movement key

  • KITE = move NORTH two cells. WAVE = move EAST two cells.
  • BELL = move SOUTH one cell. LEAF = move WEST one cell.
  • Finish the full move, record ONE endpoint letter, then continue from there. Do not wrap around the map.

Floor Crew

Collection grid

  • Columns run A to E from left to right. Rows run 1 to 5 from top to bottom. NORTH reduces the row number. Start at B4.
  • Row 1: A1=R, B1=M, C1=O, D1=U, E1=S.
  • Row 2: A2=A, B2=T, C2=V, D2=I, E2=K.
  • Row 3: A3=P, B3=H, C3=E, D3=D, E3=C.
  • Row 4: A4=F, B4=X, C4=B, D4=J, E4=W.
  • Row 5: A5=G, B5=L, C5=Q, D5=N, E5=Y.
ABCDE
1RMOUS
2ATVIK
3PHEDC
4FXBJW
5GLQNY

Guided scaffold

Use GALLERY only if that was your confirmed room. A movement such as north two means two cells toward row 1. For the first GALLERY symbol, B4 goes to B2; record T. Continue from B2, not from the starting cell.

Hints in order

  1. Use the GALLERY route and the same starting cell B4. Record four endpoints, not every visited cell.
  2. KITE takes B4 to B2. WAVE then takes B2 to D2. Those letters are T and I.
  3. BELL reaches D3, then LEAF reaches C3. Their letters are D and E: the route token is TIDE.

Worked solution: TIDE

  1. P1 selects GALLERY: KITE, WAVE, BELL, LEAF.
  2. B4 north 2 = B2 = T. B2 east 2 = D2 = I.
  3. D2 south 1 = D3 = D. D3 west 1 = C3 = E.
  4. The four letters, in travel order, spell TIDE.
Host answer / P3

Schedule the four crates

Arrange crates 1, 2, 3 and 4 into four dispatch slots from first to last. Each crate appears once. Use the route-token note selected by stage 2, plus both other crews’ constraints. Enter four digits in dispatch order.

Crew evidence

Signal Crew

Projection dependency

  • Crate 3 must be dispatched BEFORE crate 1.
  • “Before” does not by itself mean immediately before.
  • Crate labels: 1=Lenses, 2=Cables, 3=Screens, 4=Stands.

Stores Crew

Route-token dispatch note

  • Choose exactly one note using the four-letter route token from stage 2.
  • TIDE: crate 2 is LAST.
  • DAWN: crate 4 is LAST.
  • MIST: crate 1 is LAST.
  • These are alternative notes, not simultaneous constraints.

Floor Crew

Loading lane rule

  • Crate 4 must be dispatched IMMEDIATELY AFTER crate 1.
  • There are exactly four slots, numbered first through fourth. Use each crate once.
  • A dispatch order such as 1234 means crate 1 first, crate 4 last.

Guided scaffold

Draw four slots. TIDE puts crate 2 in the last slot. Keep crates 1 and 4 as an adjacent block in that order. Find where crate 3 must fit.

Hints in order

  1. Stage 2 gives TIDE, so use only “crate 2 is last”.
  2. The adjacent pair must be 1,4. Crate 3 must come before that pair.
  3. Crate 3, then 1, then 4, then 2 satisfies every condition: 3142.

Worked solution: 3142

  1. TIDE fixes crate 2 in slot 4.
  2. The consecutive block 1,4 must fit before slot 4.
  3. Crate 3 must precede crate 1, so the block cannot start in slot 1.
  4. The only order is 3,1,4,2. Exhaustive enumeration of all 24 permutations finds one solution.
Host answer / P4

Balance the display tokens

Add the capacity values of the crates in the FIRST and THIRD dispatch slots from stage 3. This is the target. Choose exactly TWO modules whose values add to that target: one ROUND connector and one SQUARE connector. Enter the two module letters. This is a paper token puzzle, not an instruction for electrical equipment.

Crew evidence

Signal Crew

Target calculation

  • Capacity values: crate 1=8; crate 2=5; crate 3=12; crate 4=7.
  • The target is the SUM of the crates occupying dispatch positions FIRST and THIRD.
  • Positions refer to the order from stage 3, not the numbers printed on crates.

Stores Crew

Module inventory

  • Module A=4. Module B=6. Module C=9. Module D=10. Module E=15.
  • Choose exactly two different modules. Each module is available once.
  • Meet the target exactly; spare or excess capacity is not allowed.

Floor Crew

Connector compatibility

  • ROUND connectors: A and B. SQUARE connectors: C, D and E.
  • A valid pair contains exactly one ROUND and exactly one SQUARE.
  • Module order does not matter. You may enter AE or EA; the record will show alphabetical order.

Guided scaffold

The dispatch order is 3142. Positions one and three are crates 3 and 4, not crates 1 and 3. Their values are 12 and 7. Find a round/square pair totalling 19.

Hints in order

  1. Crates 3 and 4 set the target: 12 + 7 = 19. Look for exactly two modules.
  2. Two numerical pairs total 19: A+E and C+D. Apply the connector condition too.
  3. C and D are both square. A is round and E is square, so the unique valid pair is AE.

Worked solution: AE

  1. P3 order 3142 selects crates 3 and 4 from positions 1 and 3.
  2. Their target value is 12+7=19.
  3. A+E=4+15=19 and C+D=9+10=19 are the only numerical pairs.
  4. C+D has two square connectors. A+E has one of each, so AE is uniquely valid.
Host answer / P5

Restore the message label

Select the message envelope using the module letters from stage 4 in alphabetical order. Split its eight letters into four two-letter blocks. The blocks were transmitted in the dispatch order from stage 3. Put each block into that numbered column, top letter then bottom letter. Read the completed grid left to right across the top row, then the bottom row. Remove its final padding X. Enter the seven-letter label.

Crew evidence

Signal Crew

Received envelopes

  • The module letters select ONE envelope. Sort the two letters alphabetically first.
  • AE: NNLETXAR.
  • CD: TXXALNER.
  • Only one envelope matches the confirmed module pair. Preserve letter order within the chosen envelope.

Stores Crew

Transmission protocol

  • The message grid has four numbered columns. Each column contains two letters.
  • The transmitter sends whole columns in the crate dispatch order from stage 3.
  • Split the eight-letter transmission into four successive pairs; the first letter of a pair goes at the TOP of its assigned column, the second at the BOTTOM.

Floor Crew

Display reading frame

  • Column labels, left to right: 1, 2, 3, 4. Two rows: top and bottom.
  • Once the four columns are restored, read the top row LEFT TO RIGHT, then the bottom row LEFT TO RIGHT.
  • The result has exactly one padding X at the very end. Remove that final X only. The remaining seven letters label the final envelope.

Guided scaffold

AE selects NNLETXAR. Split it as NN / LE / TX / AR. The first block belongs in column 3, because the dispatch order starts with 3. Use the next dispatch digit for each following block.

Hints in order

  1. Use envelope AE and split NNLETXAR into NN, LE, TX, AR.
  2. The dispatch order is 3,1,4,2. Put NN in column 3; LE in column 1; TX in column 4; AR in column 2.
  3. Top row is L A N T. Bottom row is E R N X. Read LANTERNX and remove the final X: LANTERN.

Worked solution: LANTERN

  1. AE selects NNLETXAR, split into NN / LE / TX / AR.
  2. Order 3142 assigns these pairs to columns 3 / 1 / 4 / 2.
  3. Columns 1 through 4 are LE / AR / NN / TX.
  4. Top row LANT plus bottom row ERNX gives LANTERNX. Remove exactly the last X to obtain LANTERN.
Host answer / P6

Activate the welcome display

Open the procedure labelled with stage 5’s result. Assemble four digits in this order: room stamp, route stamp, dispatch check, module check. Append a fifth digit equal to the ONES digit of their sum. Enter all five digits. Keep a leading zero if one occurs.

Crew evidence

Signal Crew

Room and route stamps

  • Room stamps: ATRIUM=2, GALLERY=6, LIBRARY=3, STUDIO=8.
  • Route stamps: TIDE=4, DAWN=1, MIST=5.
  • Use only your confirmed room and route. These are the first two activation digits.

Stores Crew

Checks from the shared record

  • Dispatch check: multiply each crate number by its dispatch position (1,2,3,4), then add. Add the decimal digits of that total ONCE to obtain the check digit.
  • Module check: add the two selected modules’ inventory values; keep only the ONES digit.
  • Use the stage 3 dispatch order and the stage 4 modules. If either check is not a single digit, ask the host to review prior records rather than invent another rule.

Floor Crew

Final envelope procedures

  • Choose the procedure named by the restored seven-letter label.
  • LANTERN: place room stamp, route stamp, dispatch check, module check in that order. Append the ONES digit of their SUM.
  • BEACONS: place those same four digits in that order. Append the ONES digit of their PRODUCT.
  • Example of the LANTERN procedure only: 1,2,3,4 has sum 10, so the five-digit result would be 12340. The example is not your answer.

Guided scaffold

LANTERN selects the SUM procedure. GALLERY supplies 6 and TIDE supplies 4. The dispatch check uses a weighted sum of the four dispatch digits; the module check uses the values of your selected modules. The last digit checks the first four.

Hints in order

  1. Use LANTERN, not BEACONS. Your first two digits are 6 and 4.
  2. Dispatch 3142 gives 1×3 + 2×1 + 3×4 + 4×2 = 25; 2+5=7. Modules A+E total 19, whose ones digit is 9.
  3. The first four digits are 6479. Their sum is 26, whose ones digit is 6. Enter 64796.

Worked solution: 64796

  1. P5 selects the LANTERN sum procedure. P1 GALLERY gives 6; P2 TIDE gives 4.
  2. P3 dispatch check: 3+2+12+8=25, then 2+5=7.
  3. P4 AE module values total 19, giving ones digit 9.
  4. The four digits are 6,4,7,9. Their sum 26 gives final check digit 6. Activation code: 64796.

Ending and debrief

The welcome display is ready. Its message reads: “Bring your small light through the rain. Set it beside another. No single window lights the whole harbour. Together, we make a place to begin.” The display lights are fictional; the useful thing you have built is a shared account of how you reached the answer.

Record what actually happened

Use human-test-form.html. Distinguish a guessed answer from a explained solution, technical success from host independence, and participant enjoyment from an operator’s willingness to buy. No human session has yet been recorded for this release.