The Mad Baron of Bonaguil
An impregnable fortress that nobody ever attacked
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
Bérenger de Roquefeuil spent 40 years building France's last medieval fortress. Thirteen towers, six-meter-thick walls, underground galleries. Nobody ever attacked it. What was he really protecting?
Forty years of construction. Zero sieges. The baron was hiding something else.
Bonaguil Castle is an architectural anomaly. Built between 1445 and 1520, it combines the latest medieval fortification techniques with the earliest artillery adaptations — but at a time when castles were already obsolete. Bérenger de Roquefeuil, whom his neighbors nicknamed "the mad baron," poured his entire fortune into it. Legend says he wasn't protecting territory, but a secret.
« "I shall build a castle that neither my villainous subjects, nor the English, nor even the mightiest soldiers of the King of France shall ever take!" »— — Bérenger de Roquefeuil, Baron of Bonaguil, c. 1480
Bonaguil — one man's folly turned masterpiece
Bérenger de Roquefeuil inherits Bonaguil Castle in 1445. He is a violent, quarrelsome, and megalomaniacal lord. He falls out with his vassals, his neighbors, and even the king. His answer: transform a modest 13th-century castrum into the most advanced fortress of his time.
Over forty years, he erects thirteen towers, six-meter-thick walls, a barbican, a 35-meter keep, underground galleries carved into the rock, and a defense-in-depth system capable of withstanding artillery. The castle is a military engineering masterpiece — the last of its kind in France.
But nobody attacks. Bérenger dies in 1530, alone in his impregnable fortress. The castle survives the centuries without ever being besieged. During the Revolution, it is sold for 100 francs and villagers begin dismantling it for its stones. Listed as a Historic Monument in 1862, it is today one of the best-preserved castles in France.
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.
The game downloads to your phone on start. Once the "✓ Downloaded" indicator appears, everything works without data — narration, AR, GPS and puzzles. Perfect abroad without a data plan.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
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?
Ultimate fortress
Explore France's last medieval fortress — a military engineering masterpiece never put to the test.
Military architecture
Barbican, prow-shaped keep, gunports, underground galleries — 40 years of paranoid construction.
Medieval mystery
Why did a baron pour his fortune into a fortress nobody attacked? Find the answer.
Spectacular setting
The castle overlooks the Lémance valley in a preserved green setting.
40 years of construction. Zero sieges. The secret is in the walls.
Explore the mad baron's fortress and find what he was truly protecting.
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, 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
Q01Is The Mad Baron of Bonaguil similar to a treasure hunt?
Same spirit: search, deduce, find. But here the "treasure" is a full story to piece together in eight stops. Each stop gives you a fragment of the final code. Eight fragments later, you've cracked it.
Q02How far do you walk in Saint-Front-sur-Lémance · Bonaguil Castle?
Usually 2 to 4 km of total walking, within 1.5 km as the crow flies from the start point. The route is designed to be walkable at a relaxed pace, no public transport needed.
Q03Is The Mad Baron of Bonaguil suitable for a challenge-seeking teen?
Absolutely. The puzzles aren't obvious — a curious teen will sweat just enough to be proud of cracking them. Progressive hints prevent frustration: if stuck, unlock hint level 1, then 2, then 3.
Q04What's the best time to start?
Morning between 10 and 11, or early afternoon around 2 PM, is ideal. You still have daylight ahead, Saint-Front-sur-Lémance · Bonaguil Castle is less crowded, and the light is better for camera clues.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
From the barbican to the underground galleries, from the keep to the rampart walk — unravel the mystery of the baron who built an impregnable fortress to protect a secret no one ever found.
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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