What is DASH?
DASH (Different Area, Same Hunt) is a puzzle hunt event which takes place on the same day in multiple cities around the world. Teams of 3 to 5 players solve puzzles in a friendly competition. As each puzzle is solved, more of the hunt's ongoing story is revealed, and teams receive directions to walk to another nearby location for the next puzzle.
When is the next DASH event?
We don't have a date for DASH 12, yet. Please check back later. In the mean time, you can download, print, and play puzzles from past DASH events.
How can I find out about upcoming events?
Join the DASH mailing list
or follow @playdash on Twitter or like DASH on Facebook.
How long does it take to play DASH?
Plan on it being a day-long event. Most teams spend 6 to 8 hours playing the hunt.
How far will I have to walk?
Expect to walk a total of between 2 and 4 miles.
What happens if it rains?
The event will still happen! Please bring umbrellas and other appropriate gear.
How many people should be on my team?
Teams can have 3, 4, or 5 players. If you have 6 or more, you should split into two teams so everyone gets more puzzle time. If it's just you, or just you and a buddy, you should convince someone else to join.
I'm new to puzzling. Will DASH be too hard for me?
We hope not! The Standard level puzzles are designed to strike a good balance between challenging and fun.
What if I get stuck or can't solve a puzzle?
One thing that is often helpful is rereading the text at the
beginning of the puzzle to see what hints it provides. During a live DASH event, teams will use
ClueKeeper, which will provide hints as well as verifying answers
and providing directions to the next puzzle.
What is the difference between Standard and Expert levels?
The Standard level is a good choice for most teams. Anyone is welcome to compete in this category, even if you have played DASH before.
The Expert level increases the difficulty level by requiring solvers to figure out what they need to do with fewer explicit instructions. Expert-level solvers will need to infer the rules by examining the puzzle or detecting clues within each puzzle's text. In addition, some of the puzzles will be harder in this version.
As a rule of thumb, sign up for Standard unless you have played before and found the puzzles too easy.
How do Standard and Expert levels compare to the difficulty of Puzzled Pint?
We intend Standard level puzzles to offer a challenge similar to Puzzled Pint. Expert level will be more difficult.
How many puzzles are in a DASH hunt?
There are typically between 8 and 12 puzzles, including a meta puzzle.
What is a "meta" puzzle?
A meta puzzle is a puzzle that uses information from previous puzzles as part of the data used in the solution. That information is often the puzzle answer, but may include other aspects of those puzzles as well. It is common for DASH to conclude with a meta puzzle.
What kind of puzzles can we expect to see?
Puzzles include code-breaking, word, number, logic, visual, and everything in between. You can download the puzzles from previous DASH games if you want to see some examples.
Note: We are updating the DASH site. Links to puzzles from older DASH events will return when that is complete.
How can I learn to solve cryptic clues?
We have a cryptic clue reference that explains the types of wordplay you're likely to see in DASH puzzles.
You can practice with this simple cryptic crossword.
The solution explains the wordplay for each clue.
What things are useful when playing DASH?
General puzzling supplies:
Additional items useful on event day:
What other materials are required?
You will need a smartphone or other device capable of running
ClueKeeper. You can play a free tutorial in ClueKeeper to learn how the app
works. From ClueKeeper's main screen, tap the My Hunts button and look for the "Welcome to ClueKeeper" hunt.