The Mystery League

The Mystery League crafts immersive puzzle experiences that transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary adventures. We create, through storytelling and design, unforgettable experiences for teams, events, and private celebrations.

We Bring the Adventure to You

We bring the thrill of an escape room directly to you. Our tabletop games turn offices, restaurants, and conference rooms into settings for immersive puzzle adventures.

  • Games run ~2 hours
  • Teams play simultaneously, competing and solving in parallel
  • Perfect for groups of any size — we handle all the details

Our collection of games:

  • Search for a Superhero

    As Earth's premier talent scouts for superheroes, your team faces a challenge: evaluating extraordinary candidates to find our planet's next great defender. Through original artwork and clever puzzles, you'll uncover the true powers and potential of each hero-in-waiting. Stageable anywhere • 10 - 500 people • More about this game →

  • Mystery in the Galleries

    What starts as a simple task of organizing your mysterious art collection quickly spirals into something far more intriguing. As you match cryptic artwork titles and arrange the galleries, an unexpected discovery changes everything. Now your team must uncover hidden messages, decode artifacts, and solve the mysteries lurking within your peculiar collection. Stageable anywhere • 10 - 500 people • More about this game →

  • The Unknown Islands

    Navigate a mysterious archipelago of 60+ islands in this adventure. Your mission begins with a locked backpack containing vital equipment. Inside, you'll discover an intriguing collection of items — ancient coins, cryptic postcards, a peculiar starfish computer, and more — each holding clues to guide you back to your rendezvous point. Stageable anywhere • 10 - 500 people

  • Creatures on the Loose

    Ten terrible creatures, each from an alternate dimension, have been let loose to wreak havoc on our town. The only clues you have are locked inside a mysterious briefcase. Break into the briefcases, locate the creatures, and figure out who is causing all this mayhem. Stageable anywhere • 5 - 70 people • More about this game →

"I seriously think it's the most fun activity l've ever done. I've done a few escape rooms before, but this was by far the most fun team-building activity I've ever experienced. 15/10" — Dan
You Need A Budget
More testimonials →

Custom adventures

We transform special occasions into unforgettable adventures. Whether you're planning a wedding, birthday, bar mitzvah, or surprise proposal, we'll create a personalized puzzle experience that reflects your story and delights your guests.

Your custom game can unfold:

  • At your home or a venue
  • Throughout a neighborhood
  • Across an entire city

Every game is crafted to match:

  • Your event's theme
  • Your guests' puzzle-solving experience
  • Your values

Recent custom adventures

  • Elaine's Birthday Adventure

    The Mystery League built a game for Elaine's 40th birthday that took her, her husband, and 4 friends on a tour of their favorite Chicago spots. The game was centered around a special notebook that was delivered by a magician, and which held the clues to all the puzzles they'd encounter that day. 6 people • February, 2024 • Read the full story →

  • Susanne & Evan's wedding

    For Susanne & Evan's small wedding, we built an escape room-type game for each table. The story centered on the exploits of their beloved dog Georgia, who was reported upset to be missing the festivities. Georgia got her revenge by hiding the party favors in locked boxes, and left clues (in doggy bags, naturally) for how to unlock them. 40 people • May, 2023 • Read the full story →

  • Birthday on a private jet

    Alex hired us to build a game for a 6-person private jet ride from Chicago to New York, on the occasion of his friend Eric's birthday. So we packed a suitcase full of conventional travel items — t-shirts, travel planners, books, snacks, toiletry kit — and layered those with puzzles. The game kept the crowd busy until they landed in New York, where we capped the event at a private room at the restaurant Per Se. 6 people • June, 2021 • Story starts at 12:55 here →

"Sandy designed an absolutely unforgettable experience for us that worked within the overall plans for the day, while providing us with hours of entertainment and an absolutely amazing gift reveal for the birthday boy. He went above and beyond with crafting the presentation of the puzzle. All in all an amazing experience that I hope to be lucky enough to repeat again some day." — Alex Malinovich
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Remote team-building

Where Trivia Meets Mystery

Our live trivia & puzzle games fix what's broken about completely remote events.

  • Trivia Night

    The Mystery League presents a team game that melds trivia, deduction, and a little friendly competition. 1 - 3 hours • 15 - 500 people • Read more →

Asynchronous hunts

For groups who want a long-term game, we can build a private ARG (alternate reality game). We build you and your group a dedicated website where teams log in to see the puzzles, which appear every few days. Teams of employees join forces and work together to solve them. The site shows a leaderboard and lets teams request hints when they get stuck. These games are entirely customizable in theme and difficulty, and they can easily scale up in duration and player size.

  • Hunt for the Yeti

    In our latest game, a mysterious Yeti has left clues for you made out of the packaging for beloved snack products. 25 - 500 people • 3 - 12 puzzles • Any duration • Inquire for details ↓

Thank you Mystery League for helping us put on a fantastic virtual event! This wasn't "just another trivia event". The puzzles were innovative, and the gamified virtual space added a really fun interactive and social element that our team really enjoyed. Sandy was a great host and organiser, helping us to set up a formal presentation in the virtual space before segueing into the game. We also really appreciated how he adapted the puzzles for our three different timezone sessions, making sure the humour and trivia was inclusive for each region. We had a blast! — Maeve Lander
Automattic
More testimonials →

Destination games

These site-specific games take 3+ hours for teams of 3-5 people. We can stage any of these for you, or we can design something entirely new.

  • Art Institute of Chicago

    Seurat has hung on the walls of the Art Institute for years. Ditto Matisse, Monet, Picasso. Thousands of visitors pass by them daily, without noticing the codes embedded within. What do they say? What prize does it all lead to? Up to 60 people • Inquire for details ↓

  • Lincoln Park Zoo

    Legend tells us that the Lincoln Park Zoo was once a place of magical wonder, where visitors could see animals now spoken of only in myth. Recently unearthed documents indicate that the magical zoo still exists, in a parallel dimension, if you can only find the gateway. Up to 60 people • Inquire for details ↓

And more...

For teams looking to explore a new place, we can build games in your neighborhood, wherever you live. Get in touch to discuss.
"We hired The Mystery League to create a puzzle for our 130 person global team in Chicago. Blending a must-see historic landmark with a uniquely compelling team building experience, our team was fully engaged all afternoon. It takes a lot to impress a global innovation team, and The Mystery League delivered." — Clay Stelzer
Salesforce
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Projects of Note

Visit the Projects page for more details →

Raddle

  • We run Raddle, a daily word puzzle that's a twist on the conventional word ladder. In each step, you transfer one word into another by using one of the given clues. But the clues are in an order you have to determine. It's a great addition to your daily puzzle regimen. Play Raddle →

Signals newsletter

  • We publish a free monthly newsletter called Signals with original puzzles and stories about the world of puzzles. Members get a weekly Dispatch and access to puzzle hints and solutions. Read & subscribe →

Upcoming events

  • Mystery Trivia Night #1

    After years of running trivia games for private clients, I'm delighted to begin offering Mystery Trivia directly to you. Over two hours, you'll play six rounds of trivia — each a satisfying blend of trivia and puzzles.

    Tuesday, March 3
    Western Bar & Kitchen
    Chicago, IL
    7:00 - 9:30 PM
    $62 for a team of four

    More info & tickets →

"Sandy is a puzzle genius and fountain of creativity, as well as a technical wizard. He worked closely with our marketing team to understand our company brand and understand our goals of the virtual puzzle event. He created a custom 5-part puzzle game that was just hard enough (but not too hard) to evoke the spirit of problem solving and competition. As a result, the event was a huge success – bringing together employees and clients from all across the US. As months go by, it's an event people still talk about fondly." — Jamie Jansen
Director of Marketing, Ryan Companies
More testimonials →

Why hire us

Our games are crafted adventures

Each game unfolds into a carefully designed mystery where teams work together, discovering clues hidden within artwork, stories, and artifacts. Using deductive reasoning and creative thinking, players piece together solutions that advance the story.

Think of that electric moment when you finally crack a challenging problem. Now imagine experiencing that thrill again and again over two hours of play. Our games blend the satisfaction of breaking codes, the intrigue of a mystery novel, and the pure energy of childhood games into something entirely unique.

Every puzzle is thoughtfully designed to welcome both experienced and casual players. Teams might find themselves:

  • Decoding hidden messages
  • Building with LEGOs
  • Solving wordplay riddles
  • Identifying pop songs
  • And much, much more

But what sets our games apart is the storytelling. Whether you're tracking down a criminal, hunting for treasure, or selecting Earth's next superhero, every puzzle advances a narrative that keeps teams fully immersed in their mission.

Press

Block Club Chicago • August 25, 2025

Is Raddle The Next Wordle? Chicago Puzzle Maker's Word Ladder Game Could Be Your Next Addiction by Leen Yassine Created by Edgewater resident Sandy Weisz, Raddle is a "word transformation ladder game" where users must change words using cryptic clues.

Reality Escape Pod • Dec 3, 2024

Elegance in Puzzles hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Sandy Weisz joins us on the podcast to talk about designing for elegance. As he explains, elegance in puzzles is when the puzzle "scaffolding" is woven into everything, from the theme, to the puzzle mechanic, to the illustrations, to the flavor text. He also tells us about some of the crazy puzzles he's designed.

Block Club Chicago • Oct 4, 2024

The Mystery League Attempts To Stump Chicago With Puzzle Events by Web Behrens Edgewater resident Sandy Weisz's company crafts inventive games and puzzles for social outings and team-building events.

GAMES Magazine • May, 2022

The Mystery League by Jonathan Schmalzbach

Crain's Chicago Business • Aug 18, 2016

Forget Pokemon Go: This puzzle master has a challenge for you Alina Dizik When Sandor Weisz walks on city streets, passing road signs and billboards, his mind is rapidly taking them all in, trying to determine how they could be part of a puzzle hunt.

Who's hired us

We've built games and run events for dozens of companies and organizations, including:

Accenture Ad Hoc Airbnb Amazon Basecamp BCG BMS CPL Citadel DBH Discord DRW Field Museum FRWD GE Glowforge Google IDEO IMC Leo Burnett LinkedIn Meta MIT McDonald's McKinsey MSI Salesforce Table XI Tempus Uber University of Chicago
"The Mystery League took our annual Scavenger Hunt to the next level. Our mission is to help people discover why design matters, the Scavenger Hunt is an introduction to architectural literacy. Together we tricked people into believing they were just having fun, but they were actually learning." — Lyla Catellier
Chicago Architecture Foundation
More testimonials →

FAQ

Who are these games for?

  • Corporate teams seeking an innovative approach to team-building and creative problem-solving
  • Brands looking to create memorable experiences for their community
  • Private celebrations like birthdays, where friends want something more thrilling than a typical party
  • Adventure seekers who want to experience their city in an entirely new way, whether as a small group or large gathering

What will I experience?

Teams discover new ways of thinking and collaborating as they tackle each challenge. Beyond just having a fantastic time, players consistently tell us they:

  • Feel energized by using different parts of their brain than they normally do at work
  • Build stronger connections with teammates through shared victories
  • Discover hidden talents and creative approaches to problem-solving
  • Leave with a genuine sense of accomplishment and renewed creative energy

How many people need to play?

Our games adapt to your needs, accommodating anywhere from 10 to several thousand players. Larger groups will benefit from lower per-person pricing.

How long does an event last?

  • Tabletop puzzle adventures: 2 hours
  • Trivia games (remote): 60-90 minutes
  • Trivia games (in-person): 1.5-3 hours
  • Custom: any length

Where does it happen?

Transform any space into an adventure — we bring the game to you. Popular venues include:

  • Corporate offices
  • Conference centers
  • Schools
  • Neighborhoods & public spaces
  • Museums
  • Parks & outdoor areas

While we're based in Chicago, we regularly travel to create experiences anywhere in the country. Have a specific venue in mind? Let us know when you reach out — we love adapting our games to unique spaces.

How much does it cost?

Prices can vary depending on the complexity of the setting, length of event, number of players, how much tweaking we need to do, etc. Get in touch to discuss prices for your group.

For remote trivia event pricing, please visit this page.

How far in advance should I book?

At least two weeks is ideal.

What other puzzle stuff do you do?

We also create:

  • Puzzle-based marketing campaigns
  • Permanent puzzle installations
  • Single-puzzle challenges
  • Replayable puzzle hunts

Have an idea in mind? Let's talk about bringing it to life.

This sounds fun, but I'm just one person looking for more puzzles.

We also publish puzzles in these places:

We regularly host ticketed events open to the public. Signals subscribers will be the first to hear about upcoming games.

The Mystery League helped us put on a great event. Each puzzle was so inventive, making great use of site-specific details, and the overall event held together brilliantly. All of the custom materials produced for the puzzle were beautiful and polished." — Joe Germuska
Northwestern University Knight Lab
More testimonials →

The Commissioner

Sandy Weisz runs and designs all the puzzles at The Mystery League. He has been making puzzles and games since he was a teenager. He's a member of the National Puzzlers' League. He writes puzzles any chance he can get, which can be found in the Signals newsletter, on Instagram, on Bluesky, or occasionally on the NPR Sunday puzzle. He lives in Chicago with his wife, two kids, and dog.

© 2025 The Mystery League
Signals newsletter • Instagram • Threads • Bluesky • LinkedIn
Logo by Vichcraft • Sasquatch via Gratisography
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Let's talk

Email hello@mysteryleague.com with any useful info about your event — or use this form — and we'll get back to you within a couple of days.

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