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Team Building Escape Room Game: Five Ways to Run One
Choosing a team building escape room game comes down to your head count, your budget and the room you have.
The Hundred-Year Capsule
Four teams, four trunks, one time capsule. Nobody opens it alone.
An escape room for large groups of 8 to 24 players
This escape room for large groups starts a hundred years ago, when four founders buried a time capsule and split the way to it into four locked trunks. Each team opens one trunk, and then the whole room opens the capsule together.
- Ages~10 to adult
- Players8–24 players
- Play45–60 minutes
- Print23 player pages
$12.99
Instant download. After payment you land on our thank-you page, and the files come to you by email.
Also in all 7 games for $49.99, about $7.14 a game.
Chapter IThe story
Four trunks, one time capsule
A hundred years ago the four founders of Larkspur Hollow, a baker, a mapmaker, a clockmaker and a bandleader, buried a time capsule on the town green. They split the way to it into four parts and locked each part in a trunk, so that nobody could open it alone.
Each team opens one trunk and recovers one piece of the founders' walk. In the finale the whole room puts the four pieces together on one map, walks the green stone by stone, finds the founders' words, and opens the sealed capsule as one room.
Cover and one inside page, shown whole
Chapter IIWho it’s for
At a glance
- Ages
- Mixed groups from about 10 to adult; younger children join a team with an adult.
- Players
- 8–24 players in 2–4 teams of 3–6, plus one adult host.
- Play
- Designed for 45–60 minutes.
- Prep
- Designed for under 25 minutes for four teams, reading the host guide included.
- Hints
- Three graded hints for every puzzle and for the finale, plus the answer key.
- The finish
- The whole room opens the capsule together.
How do escape room kits for large groups give everyone a job?
The Hundred-Year Capsule gives everyone a job by splitting the room into 2–4 teams of 3–6. Every trunk has three puzzles that run side by side, so nobody sits waiting. The finale needs every team's piece, and the whole group finishes at the same moment. A timer and a race for the first stamped seal card are optional.
A do-it-yourself escape room kit with nothing to cut in advance
Prep is designed for under 25 minutes for four teams, reading the host guide once included. Nothing is cut before the game: the teams cut their own pieces during play, all with straight cuts. You sort the printout into four trunk piles, tape the capsule wrapper shut and set out a table per team.
Chapter IIIWhat you print
The printable escape room PDF set
Print each trunk once, whatever the group size: 23 player pages plus the 12-page host guide. US Letter.
The low-ink edition has no illustrations and no colour fills, with the same sizes and puzzles.
- PDFHost guideHow it works, print list, prep checklist, team splits by group size, run sheet with timings, read-aloud opening, finale script, hints, answer key.12 pages
- PDFPlayer pages, colourFour trunks of five pages, the town green map, the capsule wrapper and the founders' letter.23 pages
- PDFPlayer pages, low-inkThe same 23 pages without illustrations or colour fills.23 pages
- PDFParty extrasWelcome sign, four trunk table cards, Honorary Founder certificates.4 pages
- TXTStart hereWhich file to open and what to print.1 screen
Chapter IVHow the night runs
How the hour runs with a big group
About 5 minutes of welcome, 30 to 40 in the trunks and 10 for the finale: designed for 45–60 minutes in total.
Split the room
You read the opening and hand out the trunks. With 2 teams each takes two trunks; with 3, the largest team takes two; with 4, one each.
Work the trunk
Three puzzle pages per trunk can be solved at the same time by different players, so nobody sits waiting. The fifth page needs all three answers.
Stamp the seal card
You check each team's seal card against the answer key and stamp it. Three graded hints per puzzle are in the host guide.
The whole room at one map
Each team plays its part on the town green map: the starting landmark, the directions, the paces and the letters. Twelve letters give the founders' words.
Open the capsule
One player from each team breaks a seal at the same moment, and you read the founders' letter aloud. Each player can add a line to the room's own capsule message.
Chapter VHints, prep and answers
Supplies to have ready
Per team
Scissors and two pencils.
For the room
One coin, a roll of clear tape and a pen for stamping seal cards. A ruler helps but is optional.
For Trunk B
A mirror, a phone camera or a bright window.
8–24 players
In 2–4 teams of 3–6, with one adult host who does not play.
Designed for 45–60 minutes
A design target; no group has timed it yet.
Print once
23 player pages for any group size. Optionally print a second copy of a trunk's first page for a big team.
A team building escape room printable for clubs, youth groups and reunions
It is written for birthday parties, family reunions, youth groups and scouts, library and church events, and team and community events: mixed groups from about 10 to adult. Younger children can join a team with an adult.
Escape room signs (PDF): a welcome sign and four trunk table cards
The party extras file has a welcome sign, a table card for each of the four trunks so teams know where to sit, and Honorary Founder certificates, two to a page.
The Hundred-Year Capsule is one of seven
Get this game and the next six parties
The Hundred-Year Capsule is one of seven printable escape rooms. The collection adds two birthday games, Halloween, a family Christmas, a classroom and a teen detective night, for $49.99 in total.
Is 8 people too many for an escape room?
Eight people is not too many for The Hundred-Year Capsule: eight is the smallest group it is built for. Eight players split into two teams, each taking two trunks, so everyone has a puzzle in hand.
Can 13 people do an escape room?
Yes, 13 people can play The Hundred-Year Capsule together. Thirteen players fit in three teams of four or five (the largest takes two trunks) or four teams of three or four. The host guide has team splits by group size.
How much does an escape room cost for 10 people?
The Hundred-Year Capsule costs $12.99 for the whole group, not per person. You print it once for any group size from 8 to 24, and you may print it again for your own family, party or class.
What are some good escape room games for a large group?
A good escape room game for a large group splits the room into teams and brings them back together at the end. The Hundred-Year Capsule does that with four trunks and a shared finale. For a whole class of grades 3–5, see The Time Capsule Case.
How many people can be in a group for an escape room?
The Hundred-Year Capsule takes 8 to 24 players, split into 2 to 4 teams of 3 to 6. One adult hosts and does not play.
Is 7 people too many for an escape room?
Seven people is a good size for The Snowglobe Clock or The Halcyon Blackout, which both take up to 8 players. The Hundred-Year Capsule starts at 8 players, so seven is one short of its smallest group.
Can you do an escape room with 9 people?
Yes, nine people can play The Hundred-Year Capsule in two or three teams. With two teams each team takes two trunks; with three, the largest team takes two.
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Pairs well with
You might also need
The Complete Escape Room Collection
The Hundred-Year Capsule and the six other games, ages 6 to adult.
The Time Capsule Case
Twenty-five years ago a class buried a capsule. Yours has one period to find it.
- AgesGrades 3–5
- Playersup to 8 teams of 3–5 (about 40 students)
- Play40–50 minutes
$12.99
The Snowglobe Clock
The clock in the snow globe stopped on Christmas Eve. Everyone gets it ticking again.
- Ages6+ (core 8+)
- Players2–8 players in one team
- Play45–60 minutes
$12.99
The Hundred-Year CapsuleEscape Room for Large Groups, 8–24 Players