Description
Dive into the puzzles and rich story of this tabletop escape game.
An authentic looking cold-case straight from a Victorian Circus.
A box is delivered to your door, filled to the brim with clues, puzzles, witness statements, love-letters and enigmatic items – all part of an 1883 crime scene. It’s up to you to find the right connections, get to know the people involved and watch the tragedy unfold that transpired on the circus grounds.
This is a storytelling escape game for enthusiasts of puzzles, escape rooms, murder cases, mystery and history.
Awards
Winner Best Illustrator – Bullseye Awards 2022
Winner Silver Player’s Choice At Home Games – Bullseye Awards 2022
Contents
– Old photographs from 1883
– A map of the Circus Grounds
– Encrypted letters
– A notebook with scribbles from one of the characters
– Mysterious objects
– More than 15 different hand-written and authentic documents
ATTENTION: Nothing in this game or the refill pack is intended for consumption in any way
For even more content check out our On Circus Grounds Deluxe edition. This includes all story and puzzle content available.
Replayability
You can play this game only once, because afterwards you’ll know the solution to the puzzles and the story. There is also a component you can use only once. Do you want to regift or sell your game after finishing it? You can order a refill pack with us.
Play this tabletop escape game at home with up to 5 players.
– 44 Beautiful components designed with an eye for detail.
– Based on historical documents and historically correct. We spent many days searching through archives to find real world documents from the right period, and often used those in our designs.
– Including handwritten letters, notes tied with ribbons, photos, objects and more.
– 2-5 Hours of investigation, depending on your experience with escape style puzzle games and murder mysteries. We encourage you to take your time.
– Easily regift it with the refill pack and included instructions after you’ve solved the case.
On Circus Grounds on Kickstarter!
On Circus Grounds is the English version of Dutch game: Meester,1883, of which over 2500 copies have sold with an average player rating of 4.8/5. Our Kickstarter campaign ended with nearly 500% funded, be sure to check it out if you’re interested to learn more about our story and the launch of On Circus Grounds.
Magnus Lundgren –
Very well constructed murder mystery. The story line is solid, the puzzles do not feel forced into the story. The design and look of everything is top notch. I rate it on the easier side, so should suite almost anyone even those that do not tackle puzzles on a daily basis. Highly recommended.
Emmett Smith –
Great mystery game! Lots of different types of puzzles to solve and the entire group can work on different puzzles simultaneously. The materials are of excellent quality. One of the best “mystery in a box” games I’ve encountered! Looking forward to more from this company.
Pierre F –
Very good mystery and good overall setup with attention to details in service of the story. The story makes complete sense, the puzzles are unambiguous (which is good), and the overall is consistent. If not on a clock, the puzzles are relatively easy. I recommend it.
Very minor con, which may be a very minor spoiler (don’t read it if you don’t want to):
At some point, the player must do a “chemical reaction” (let’s call it like that) using (as explicitly asked) clean water. As a consequence, I used distilled water (possibly where things went wrong), with the end result being the wrong color (yellow in my case). As a correct identification is crucial for the mystery (even if it can be inferred tangentially with the rest of the documents), I got the wrong conclusion… until I checked online for it.
Tom Franklin –
A very enjoyable mystery with a solid narrative. The included photos, notes, puzzles, etc., have been crafted to deliver a real sense of the time in which the story takes place. The puzzles were both clever and fit naturally with the unfolding story.
On Circus Grounds sets a very high bar for mystery games.
You can read my full review here: https://www.meeplemountain.com/reviews/on-circus-grounds/
Katie –
On Circus Grounds definitely ranks as one of the best narrative puzzle games we have played. The narrative was entertaining and believable with complex, multidimensional characters and didn’t feel silly or fall flat like so many puzzle games do. The artwork and props were beautifully designed, and we appreciated that the game came with a refill pack so we could pass it along to friends when we were done solving the puzzles. Our only complaint was that the map was not part of the refill pack, and we wrote all over it – so definitely avoid writing on the map if you plan on giving the game away for replay. There was a nice variety of puzzles to solve, combined with detective work (notes and narratives to read to piece together the story). I’d rate this at medium difficulty. The puzzles were all solvable without having to look up any hints, but the storyline was complex so the game didn’t feel too easy. Definitely one you want to set aside a few hours for. Very enjoyable. Highly recommend.
Eli S –
One of the best puzzle box games I’ve played. The components are well made, the story is intriguing and makes sense, and the puzzles are satisfying and don’t feel cheap. Can’t wait for what this studio comes up with next.
Brenden M –
An excellent game! The storyline was engaging and realistic, the characters were three dimensional, the puzzles were for the most part very natural in the story line and the materials in the game were top notch. Every component I came across felt like the real thing- documents, objects, photos, etc. Highly recommend this game!
Hans Messersmith –
We had so much fun with this. The level of detail is incredible, the components are extremely well made, and the mystery itself was engaging and interesting. A great way to spend an evening or two with your friends and/or spouse/partner.