The manual

How Landmark Legends works

Two ways in: explore and play for free, or build and run experiences as a creator. Prefer learning by doing? Every key page has an interactive tour — the ? button, bottom right.

▶ Tour the homepage ▶ Tour the map
Free

For explorers

  1. Browse the living atlas

    The homepage is a public gallery of real check-ins. The map shows every landmark — search by name, filter by category, or just wander.

  2. Check in where you are

    On any landmark page, leave a note and a photo. Your check-ins build your explorer profile — and enough visits make you the Legend of that landmark.

  3. Pin what's missing

    Found a place the atlas doesn't know? Tap Pin a landmark on the map, click the spot, add a photo. It joins the public gallery instantly.

  4. Join an experience

    Got a join code, or found something on the experiences page? Joining is free and starts your personal run.

  5. Pass the gates

    Each waypoint dot asks something of you: be there (GPS check-in), answer a question from a sign or plaque, or take a photo at the spot. Completing a dot can reveal hidden story pages.

  6. Play together

    Join a team with its code and share progress — and use the field log to drop geo-tagged photo notes anywhere, not just at waypoints.

Creator account

For creators

  1. Register and top up

    Creating experiences needs a registered account. Drafting is free; publishing costs a one-time fee from your credit balance.

  2. Open the Studio

    Hit Studio → New experience. Pick a kind — adventure, tour, hunt, lesson, route — it shapes nothing technically, but tells players what to expect.

  3. Click the map, drop waypoints

    Every click is a dot. Set each dot's gate (check-in / question / photo / none), its geofence radius, and an optional hint. Drag pins to fine-tune.

  4. Stage the release with tranches

    Group dots into chapters. Immediate shows from the start; previous-complete unlocks when the prior chapter is done; code needs a secret word; manual waits for you to release it per player.

  5. Write the narrative

    Intro pages greet players on arrival. Waypoint pages — text, images, video — stay hidden until that dot is completed. That reveal is the heart of a mystery trail.

  6. Publish and share

    Set visibility (public gallery / unlisted link / private code-only) and flip to published — the one-time fee is charged here. Share the join code or link anywhere.

  7. Track every run

    The Explorers panel shows each player and team's progress live. Need to intervene? Release a manual tranche, or check a stuck player's last completion.

  8. Save it as a file

    Export the whole experience as JSON and import it elsewhere — share templates with other creators, like loading a game.

The building blocks

Every experience — game, trail, tour, lesson, or round — is made of the same five pieces.

Waypoints

Dots on the map with a title, a hint, and a geofence radius.

Gates

What completes a dot: GPS check-in, a question answered, a photo taken — or nothing.

Tranches

Chapters of dots released by progress, secret code, or the creator's hand.

Narratives

Multi-page stories with images and video, revealed when dots are completed.

Teams

Shared progress, shared field logs — visible to teammates, everyone, or no one.

What does it cost?

Playing, checking in, and drafting are free. Publishing an experience is a one-time credit fee — see credit packs.

Are answers ever exposed?

No. Gate answers, unlock codes, and the coordinates of locked chapters never leave the server — players only receive what they've earned.

Do players need an app?

No install needed — everything runs in the browser on any phone. Native iPhone and Android apps are on the way.
See what people build →