Maze Generator
A maze is a ready-made game with almost no set-up. Print it, hand out pencils, and the room goes quiet. With a little more effort it becomes the centre of a party or an escape room. Here are formats that work, from simplest to most involved.
Race sheets
Generate one maze, print one copy per guest, and race. Because every copy shares a seed, the race is fair. A 20 by 20 backtracker takes most adults one to three minutes; use a 12 by 12 for children. Have a second, harder maze ready for a final.
Clue mazes
Turn on the solution overlay, note which dead ends sit near the correct route, and write a letter in each of them. Switch the solution off, print, and tell players the letters along the true path spell the next clue. The stats bar tells you how many dead ends there are, which sets how many red-herring letters you can hide.
Invitations
A small circular or hexagonal maze looks good on a card. Put the party details inside an inner room so guests have to solve their way to the time and place. Use the colour settings to match the theme and export the SVG so it prints sharply on card stock.
Giant floor mazes
For a hall or a garden, generate a 10 by 8 maze with thick lines, export the SVG, and use it as a plan. Mark walls on the floor with masking tape, or in the garden with rope and pegs, or with chalk on paving. One cell of about 60 centimetres makes a maze a child can walk. Print the plan with the solution on for the organisers.
Escape-room puzzles
- Coordinate maze: label rows and columns; the cells the solution passes through form a code.
- Layered maze: print the maze on paper and the solution on transparency; the transparency is the "key" found elsewhere in the room.
- Torn maze: cut a printed maze into strips that players must reassemble before solving; use a distinctive shape such as a triangle so the pieces are easier to orient.
- Timed maze: a 40 by 40 Prim maze under a five-minute limit is a serious challenge for adults.
Prizes and fairness
Keep the answer key private until the round ends. If you are running several rounds, change only the seed between them; the mazes will be different but alike in difficulty.