Sleigh Route Command - Staff Operations Guide

How It Works (30-Second Summary)

Players read clue card and figure out which cities are on Santa's route
They place magnetic tokens on the map at those cities
When ALL correct cities have tokens (and no missing ones), the beacon lights up!
Self-guided - no staff supervision required during normal play

Reset Between Groups

Remove all tokens from the map
Return tokens to the token holder/bowl
Verify beacon is OFF (if still on, a token is stuck or hidden)
Clue cards stay at station - don't collect them

Reset takes ~15 seconds. Can be done by previous group or staff.

Common Questions

"How do we know if we're right?"
The beacon will light up when you've found the correct route!

"Can we get a hint?"
Encourage them to re-read the clue card carefully. Each clue narrows it down.

"We put tokens everywhere and it lit up!"
That means you found the answer! The extra tokens don't matter - only the correct cities need tokens.

"Nothing's happening!"
Check that tokens are placed firmly on the city dots, not between cities.

If Beacon Won't Light

Check these first:

Are tokens centered on city markers? (not between)
Are ALL correct cities covered? (check answer key)
Is power on? (check plug/switch)
Is a token missing from the set?

If still not working:

Test with answer key cities only
If that fails, note which station and report to tech
Station can still be played - just verbally confirm correct answer

Quick Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely Cause	Fix
Beacon won't light with correct answer	Token not centered on city	Adjust token position slightly
Beacon stays on all the time	Stuck switch or short circuit	Report to tech - station needs repair
Token won't stick to map	Magnet fell out of token	Replace token from spares
Players can't find a city	Looking in wrong area	Hint: "Check the [region] part of the map"

ANSWER KEY (Staff Reference Only)

Easy: Mexico City → Miami → Denver → Vancouver (4 tokens)
Medium: Tokyo → Delhi → Athens → Istanbul → Paris → Lagos (6 tokens)
Hard: Dayton → Caracas → Berlin → Nairobi → Tehran → Seoul → Bangkok → Sydney (8 tokens)

DO:

Encourage groups to work together
Let them struggle a bit (that's the fun!)
Offer to re-read clues aloud for young kids
Celebrate when beacon lights up!

DON'T:

Give away answers too quickly
Let players take tokens with them
Leave station unattended if tokens are low
Let groups monopolize station (10 min max)