GCSE History Reimagined: The Gunpowder Plot Escape Room Game

The Scenario

You are in the year 1605, right after Guy Fawkes and other conspirators tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and assassinate King James I. You and your team have 45 minutes to figure out who is to blame for the plot — or you’ll be accused yourselves!

To achieve this, you need to complete ten GCSE History missions and then a final ultimate mission.

Game Components

Feel free to find below the different game components.

• Mission Slips: These are GCSE History questions related to the Gunpowder Plot.

GCSE History Game Mission Slips.pdf

Download PDF • 41KB

• Sources: Various historical documents and information are provided to help you answer the mission slips. These are to be placed around the room.

GCSE History Game Sources to put around the room.pdf

Download PDF • 3.05MB

• Mexican Code Wheel: This is a tool for decoding a clue for the final mission.

GCSE History Game Mexican_Code_Wheel.pdf

Download PDF • 198KB

• GCSE History Timeline: As you complete missions, timeline events will be revealed. You need to record these events.

GCSE History Game Gunpowder Plot Escape Room.pdf

Download PDF • 184KB

• GCSE History Worksheet: A "Gunpowder Plot Student Worksheet" is provided to record mission answers and timeline events.

GCSE History Game Gunpowder Plot Student Worksheet.pdf

Download PDF • 37KB

The Mission Structure

You must:

1. Find 10 hidden mission slips around the room (they have questions relating to GCSE History).

2. Use the historical sources posted around the room (like confessions, letters, and acts) to answer them.

3. Shout "Mission Complete" when you think you’ve solved one.

4. Tell the teacher your answer — if correct, the GCSE History teacher:

   • Shares an event for the timeline (important for the final task).

   • Pauses the clock and lets you record the info.

5. Write everything down — answers and timeline events.

The Timeline

Each completed mission reveals a piece of the Gunpowder Plot timeline. You’ll need all the events in order for the final puzzle to escape.

The Final Mission – “Unlock the Box”

Once all 10 missions are complete, you’ll:

• Use the Mexican Code Wheel (from the provided handout) to decode a numeric puzzle.

• There are two encrypted locks (long strings of numbers) that must be cracked using the code wheel to find the final 4-digit code.

• Once decoded, this code helps you "escape" the room.

Reflection (Purple Zone)

At the end, you're asked to:

• Reflect on who was to blame for the plot.

• OR answer questions like:

  • What did you learn?

  • What was the hardest part?

  • How did your group work together?

We hope you have lots of fun in this reimagined way of studying GCSE History!

Good luck — and remember: the clock is ticking!