Points System
This guide explains how scoring works in the console, how clues affect points, and how to use the Clues Available widget during a game.
Written By Hudson from ERS
Last updated About 17 hours ago
1. The big picture
Your room’s score is built from two things:
Puzzle points — points teams earn by completing puzzles
Clue penalties — points deducted when you send hints
At the end of a game, the team’s score is essentially:
Points earned from completed puzzles − points lost from clues sent
The score cannot go below zero.
2. Puzzle points
Each puzzle in your room can have a point value (for example, 10 points). When you mark a puzzle as complete, those points are added to the team’s score.
Tips for setting puzzle points
Harder or more important puzzles can be worth more points
Easier or optional puzzles can be worth fewer
Point values are up to you — they’re a way to reflect how much each puzzle contributes to the overall room
General puzzles (the shared “general hints” section) do not count toward the room score. They’re for free-form hints and messages, not scored puzzles.
3. Clue penalties
Every clue on a puzzle can have a point penalty. When you send that clue to the team, those points are deducted from their total score.
When you create a new clue, the default penalty is 1 point. You can change it to 0 or any higher number depending on how helpful the clue is.
Example: A puzzle is worth 10 points. You send two clues with a 1-point penalty each. If the team completes that puzzle, they still get the full 10 points for completing it — but 2 points are deducted from their overall room score because of the clues.
Penalties apply across the whole game, not just to that one puzzle. If you send clues for multiple puzzles, all penalties add up.
4. Sending clues
You can send a clue in two ways:
From the puzzle list — click the send button on a specific clue
From chat — type or send the clue text (or use a pre-loaded clue from the puzzle panel)
When a clue is sent:
It appears in chat and on the live window for players
The clue is marked as sent (so you can see what’s already been used)
The point penalty is applied immediately
The “clues used” counter goes up by one
Regular messages (not tied to a puzzle clue) do not affect the score.
Undoing a clue
If you sent a clue by mistake, you can undo it from the puzzle panel. That will:
Remove the penalty from the score
Mark the clue as not sent again
Remove it from chat
5. Clues Available (the lock icons)
The Clues Available card is separate from puzzle points. It controls what players see on the live window — a row of clue slots (lock icons).
Important: These slots are not tied automatically to puzzle clues or point penalties. When you send a puzzle clue, the system does not flip a lock to an X for you. Many gamemasters manually toggle a slot when they give a hint, so players see how many “clues” they have left.
The info tooltip on the card shows:
Total possible room score (from all puzzle points)
How many clues have been sent this game
How many “remaining” based on your slot count vs clues sent
If more clues have been sent than you have slots configured, you’ll see a warning — but you can still send clues. Nothing is blocked.
6. How the final score is shown
During and after the game (simple score)
On Game Complete and Game Over screens, you’ll see something like:
18 / 30 Points
That means:
30 = total points possible if every scored puzzle is completed
18 = points from completed puzzles, minus all clue penalties (minimum 0)
Example
3 puzzles worth 10 points each → 30 possible
Team completes 2 puzzles → 20 earned
Team used 2 clues with 1-point penalties → −2
Final score: 18 / 30
Leaderboard (competitive ranking)
If you use the Leaderboard, teams are ranked with a richer score that also rewards:
Time left on the clock — finishing with more time helps
Fewer clues used — using no clues gives the biggest bonus; each clue used reduces the bonus
Faster completion — finishing quicker helps
Smaller teams — slightly higher multiplier for fewer players
So two teams with the same puzzle completion and clue usage can rank differently based on time and team size. The simple X / Y Points on the end-game screen is the straightforward “puzzles minus clues” number; the leaderboard uses that as a base and adds bonuses.
7. Marking puzzles complete
When a team solves a puzzle, mark it complete in the console. That adds its point value to their earned score.
You can un-complete a puzzle if you marked it by mistake — those points are removed again
Completing a puzzle does not undo or change clue penalties already applied
Each puzzle row can show:
Its point value (e.g. “10 Points”)
How many points have been lost from clues sent for that puzzle (shown as a negative number)
How many of its clues have been sent
8. Resetting a game
When you reset the game:
All puzzle completion is cleared
All clues are marked as not sent
Points lost and clues used go back to zero
Clue slots on the live window reset (typically back to 3 available locks)
Stats from the finished game can still be saved for reports and the leaderboard before the reset.
9. Quick reference for running a game
10. Example scenarios
Minimal hints, full clear
3 puzzles × 10 pts = 30 possible. Team completes all 3, uses 0 clues → 30 / 30
Heavy hint use
Same room. Team completes all 3 but uses 5 clues at 2 pts each → 30 earned − 10 penalties → 20 / 30
Partial escape
Team completes 2 of 3 puzzles (20 earned), uses 3 clues at 1 pt each → 17 / 30
Free general hints
Use the General puzzle section for clues with 0 penalty so they don’t affect the score, while keeping scored hints on individual puzzles.