A mystery game with friends far away: how to play together from different cities
· 5 min read
Your friends have moved to other cities, sometimes other countries. Calls turn into “so, how are you?” and end after twenty minutes. Playing a game together at a distance gives those calls what they lack: something shared to argue about.
What you need to play at a distance
Very little: everyone needs a browser on a laptop or phone, plus any app for a video call. Nothing to download.
At Red Threads one person opens the case and sends the others a link. Up to six detectives join the team through it. Progress is shared: when someone finds a piece of evidence, it appears in everyone's file at once.
Each player picks their own language: the case opens in English or Russian, and everyone chooses for themselves. Handy when your group doesn't share one language.
Why a detective case beats a classic escape game
In a puzzle-based escape game at a distance it's easy to drift: one person solves, the rest wait. In a detective case there's work for everyone. While one questions a witness, another studies the receipts, a third checks the times in the messages. Then you all come back together and argue about who's lying.
There's another difference: a detective case has no single “right” path. The team decides where to go and whom to question, and every group's investigation turns out its own way.
How to set up the evening
Agree on a time in advance and set aside two hours — that's how long a full case takes. If it isn't enough, your progress is saved and you can finish another day.
Before you start, split the work: someone runs the map and decides where to go, someone takes the messages and documents, someone the interviews. Swap after half an hour.
Keep shared notes: who was where on the night of the crime, who called whom, who has no alibi. In a detective case the winner isn't the fastest, it's the most attentive.
If you're a bigger group
One purchase covers the whole team of up to six, so it works out cheap per person. If there are more of you, split into two teams and play the same case side by side — then compare who scored more in the rating.
Where to start
The trial case, Room 412, is free, takes about 40 minutes and is made for a team of up to six. Send your friends the link, and a minute later you're all in Paris on the same case, though you're sitting in different countries.