Roadblock
A physical, facilitator-supervised checkpoint. Teams can't self-submit — staff mark them complete, optionally with a points override and notes.
Roadblock is the type for real-world checkpoints a phone can't judge: a relay race, a tasting, a handshake with an actor. Teams cannot submit anything — the challenge is answerless, and a facilitator marks the team complete once they've done the thing.
What players experience
Instead of an answer form, the challenge screen shows the facilitator prompt: "Find the facilitator", your Facilitator Instructions text, and a status pill reading "Waiting for facilitator confirmation". There is no submit button and no way to self-complete.
Roadblocks are often paired with an Access Code — the team first sees the "Access Code Required" gate and enters (or QR-scans) the code posted at the checkpoint, which reveals the facilitator instructions. When staff mark the team complete, the completion is pushed to the team's devices in real time and the challenge flips to completed with its point award.
Scoring & answers
- Answerless: the Answer Type field is hidden for roadblocks; there is nothing to compare and no retry loop.
- Completion is a facilitator action. Staff call the facilitator-complete endpoint for a specific team and challenge, with two optional inputs:
- points — override the award (partial credit, performance-based scoring); omitted, the team gets the challenge's full Points.
- notes — free text recorded with the completion.
- The completion is recorded as a correct submission attributed to the team (its leader or earliest member), the activity feed logs it as facilitator-marked, and the leaderboard updates immediately.
- Idempotent and guarded: marking an already-completed team returns a conflict (409) — no double awards — and the endpoint refuses (400) on challenges that aren't facilitator-supervised, so it can't be used to backdoor points onto normal challenges.
- Today any authenticated organization user can act as facilitator; a scoped facilitator role is planned. Staff-flagged mobile teams (
isStaff) are the on-the-ground facilitator identity — they're excluded from the leaderboard and completion counts.
Force activate ≠ complete
The admin Force activate button (on a team's Challenges tab) bypasses activation gates — a dead beacon, a lost QR — it does not complete the challenge. Completion is always the facilitator-complete action.
Configuring in the admin
| Section | Field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Challenge Details | Name, Type (Roadblock), Difficulty, Points | Points default 100; Answer Type is hidden |
| Content | Clue, Hint, Hint Cost | The clue tells teams where the checkpoint is; there's no answer editor |
| Gameplay (event only) | Requires Facilitator | Always on and disabled for roadblocks — "When on, mobile hides the submission form and shows the instructions below" |
| Gameplay | Facilitator Instructions | Textarea shown on the player's screen and to facilitators — write what the team must do and what staff should verify |
| Access Code | Code (with Generate), Prompt message, Access Code QR | The classic pairing: post the printed QR at the checkpoint so only teams physically there see the instructions |
| Location | Zone, Latitude / Longitude | Pin the checkpoint so it shows on the map |
| Gameplay | Activation, Max Completing Teams, Speed Bonus | Activation gates work as usual (Activation & Beacons); speed bonuses apply to facilitator completions in finish order |
Staff the checkpoint
A roadblock with no facilitator on site is a dead end — teams see "Waiting for facilitator confirmation" forever. Schedule staff for the checkpoint's full window, and put a staff-flagged team on mobile so someone on the ground owns it. See Running an Event.
Tips
- Write Facilitator Instructions for both audiences: the player half ("Find the game master in the red vest by the carousel") and the verification half ("Staff: all members must finish the relay before marking complete") — the same text appears on mobile and to facilitators.
- Use the points override for judged performances — a talent-show roadblock can award 50–150 points on quality instead of a flat score, with the reasoning captured in notes.
- Pair with an Access Code QR at the station so teams that haven't physically arrived can't even read the instructions — and the facilitator knows everyone in line actually found the spot.