The Affair of the Poisons
Murder and sorcery at the Sun King's court
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
Between 1677 and 1682, a scandal shook the court of Louis XIV. Dozens of nobles were accused of poisoning and sorcery. The king's favorite, Madame de Montespan, was herself suspected of participating in black masses to retain the sovereign's love. 36 people were executed. The king ordered the evidence burned.
At Versailles, poison was the weapon of the ambitious and sorcery, their religion
The Affair of the Poisons is the greatest criminal scandal of Louis XIV's reign. What began as an investigation into the poisoning of a duke revealed a sprawling network of witches, poisoners, and alchemists supplying the nobility with poisons, love potions, and inheritance powders. At the heart of the affair: La Voisin, a fortune-teller who organized black masses with child sacrifices, and Madame de Montespan, a royal favorite willing to do anything to keep her place.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
« "There is no crime of which one may not become capable once one has begun with poisoning." »— — Gabriel Nicolas de La Reynie, Lieutenant General of Police, 1679
The Affair of the Poisons — the scandal that shook Versailles
In 1676, the Marquise de Brinvilliers was executed for poisoning her father and two brothers to inherit their fortune. Her trial revealed a thriving poison trade in Paris. Police Lieutenant La Reynie opened an investigation that would last six years and implicate 442 suspects — including the highest names at the French court.
At the center of the network was Catherine Monvoisin, known as "La Voisin," a fortune-teller and abortionist based in Paris. She supplied poisons, love potions, and "inheritance powders" to an aristocratic clientele. But the worst was yet to come: under torture, her accomplices revealed she organized black masses in a clandestine chapel, with sacrifices of newborn children. Among her most devoted clients: Madame de Montespan, Louis XIV's favorite.
The king, horrified to see his name associated with the scandal, created the Chambre Ardente — a special tribunal — but limited its powers when the investigation got too close to Montespan. La Voisin was burned alive in 1680. In all, 36 people were executed and 218 imprisoned or exiled. Louis XIV ordered the most compromising evidence sealed — it would not be found until 1709, after his death.
The Route
5 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Royal intrigue
Plunge into the greatest criminal scandal of Louis XIV's reign — poisonings, sorcery, and betrayals.
Complete Versailles
Explore the palace, the Orangerie, the Grand Trianon, and the gardens in an epic investigation.
Alchemy and poisons
Discover 17th-century poisoning techniques — belladonna, arsenic, inheritance powders.
Criminal investigation
Reconstruct La Reynie's investigation by deciphering the coded archives of the Chambre Ardente.
Historic gardens
Explore Le Nôtre's gardens — 800 hectares of perfect geometry hiding centuries-old secrets.
At Versailles, every mirror reflects a lie.
Unmask the poisoners of the Sun King's court.
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
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Your turn to play
From the Hall of Mirrors to Le Nôtre's gardens, from the royal apartments to the Orangerie — investigate the greatest criminal scandal of Versailles in an escape game where poison lurks behind every gilded surface.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+15 TripCoins granted with your booking
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