JetLag Snake: Berlin
A real-life snake game across Berlin's U-Bahn & S-Bahn network
BERLIN SNAKE
A Jet Lag the Game–inspired real-life chase game played across Berlin’s U-Bahn and S-Bahn network
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- The Pitch
- What You Need
- Setup
- Core Loop (How a Turn Works)
- The Snake Rule (The Twist)
- Roles & Actions in Detail
- Cards: Challenges, Curses, Powers
- Winning & Losing
- Time Limits & Pacing
- Safety & Etiquette
- Variants & Difficulty Knobs
- Quick-Reference Card
1. THE PITCH
One Runner is the head of a Snake slithering across Berlin. Every U-Bahn or S-Bahn station they claim becomes part of their tail — and once a station is in their tail, they can never set foot in it again. Meanwhile, a team of Hunters is physically pursuing them through the city, getting location pings every 30 minutes.
The longer the Runner’s snake, the higher their score — but also the more of the map is off-limits to them. They must spiral outward, weave through the city’s gaps, and decide when to risk shedding their tail to break free of a corner. The Hunters’ job is simple: catch them, force them into a self-collision, or run out their clock.
Game length: 4–6 hours. Players: 3–6.
2. WHAT YOU NEED
Per player:
- Smartphone with mobile data
- Berlin transit ticket (AB zone minimum; ABC if using outer stations)
- Comfortable shoes, water bottle, snacks
- The Berlin Snake web app open in their browser
- The BVG / Jelbi / Google Maps app for routing
Shared / printable:
- Printed deck of Challenge Cards (or use the app’s digital deck)
- Printed deck of Curse Cards
- Printed deck of Power Cards
- The Quick-Reference card on the back page
Optional but recommended:
- A power bank
- A timer or watch with audible alarms
- A group chat (Signal/WhatsApp) for the Hunter team to coordinate
3. SETUP
Pick roles. One player is the Runner (the Snake’s head). Everyone else is a Hunter. With 4+ Hunters, split them into two teams that share intel but search different quadrants.
Pick the playfield. The default is the S-Bahn Ringbahn zone plus everything inside it — roughly 80–100 stations. For longer games, expand to all of zone AB. For shorter games (2–3 hours), restrict to inside the Ring only.
Pick a Starting Station. The Runner chooses any station inside the playfield. They begin there.
Set the Game Timer. Default 4 hours. Hunters do not begin pursuit until the Runner has had a 30-minute head start — during this time, the Runner claims their first 2–3 stations.
Open the app. One device per role tracks state. The Runner marks claimed stations; Hunters log curses thrown and time of last sighting.
4. CORE LOOP (HOW A TURN WORKS)
The game does not have strict turns — it runs in real time. But every station-claim follows the same loop:
1. Travel. Move from your current head station to an adjacent station. Two stations are adjacent if a single U-Bahn or S-Bahn line connects them with no stops in between. Walking, tram, or bus rides count as travel but you must arrive at a station. Adjacency is defined by the rail network only.
2. Draw a Challenge. When you tap into the new station, open the app and Draw Challenge. The card tells you what to do at this station to claim it. Difficulty (and point value) is rolled randomly: Easy 1pt, Medium 2pt, Hard 3pt.
3. Complete the Challenge. Do the task. Take the required photo or video proof.
4. Claim the Station. Tap “Claim” in the app, attach the proof. The station turns green, joins your tail, and becomes your new head.
5. Repeat. Choose your next adjacent station. The longer you wait between claims, the more time the Hunters have to close in.
You may not skip the challenge. If you walk through a station without completing a challenge, it does not enter your tail — but the No-Doubling-Through rule applies: you cannot pass through the same station twice in 60 minutes without claiming it on one of those visits.
5. THE SNAKE RULE (THE TWIST)
This is what makes Berlin Snake different from any other Jet Lag–style game.
The Runner may never enter a station that is already in their tail.
This means:
- If your tail includes Alexanderplatz, you cannot board, exit, or transfer at Alexanderplatz for the rest of the game.
- If your fastest route between two stations would pass through a tail station on a train, you must alight one stop before and walk, or take a different line that avoids the tail.
- “Entering” means getting off the train at that station’s platform. Trains passing through without stopping do not count.
Forced collision = instant loss. If a service disruption, evacuation, or operator decision drops you at a tail station, the game ends and the Hunters win. (See the “Shed” power below for the only escape hatch.)
Why this matters strategically. Your first 5 stations are cheap — you have the whole city. By station 15, you may have boxed yourself into a corridor. By station 25, getting from your head to a fresh adjacent station may require a 20-minute detour. The Snake’s body strangles itself.
6. ROLES & ACTIONS IN DETAIL
The Runner
Goal: Survive the timer with a snake of at least 15 stations, OR achieve an Ouroboros (loop back to start).
Information they have: Full map state, their own location, the time and content of every curse thrown at them, time of last ping they sent.
Information they reveal: Their current head station is broadcast to Hunters every 30 minutes (the “Skin Shed” ping). They may also be visually spotted in person.
Actions:
- Travel & Claim (the core loop above)
- Use a Power Card (one of three, each once per game — see §7)
- Take a Breather — once per hour, spend 10 minutes at a café/bench not in their tail without it counting as time pressure. The 30-min ping still fires.
The Hunters
Goal: Tag the Runner OR force a self-collision OR run out the clock before the Runner reaches 15 stations.
Information they have: A ping with the Runner’s current head station every 30 minutes (delivered via the app). The full map of claimed stations is NOT revealed until the end of the game — Hunters must deduce the Runner’s tail from sightings, ping history, and curse responses.
Actions:
- Move freely — Hunters can be anywhere, including stations in the Runner’s tail. No territorial constraint.
- Throw a Curse — every 45 minutes, the Hunters may collectively draw one Curse Card and impose it on the Runner. (See §7.)
- Tag — physically touch the Runner. Game over, Hunters win.
- Reveal Tail — once per game, the Hunters may force the Runner to reveal their entire current tail. Use it to plan a chokepoint.
7. CARDS: CHALLENGES, CURSES, POWERS
CHALLENGE CARDS (the Runner draws on every claim)
Three tiers. The app rolls a 1d6 to determine difficulty: 1–3 = Easy, 4–5 = Medium, 6 = Hard.
Easy (1 pt) — micro-tasks doable in 1–2 minutes. Examples: Photo with the station sign in frame. / Find a U-Bahn map and photograph it. / Buy a small snack from the nearest Späti.
Medium (2 pt) — short side-quests, 3–7 minutes. Examples: Find a bench within 200m, sit on it for one full minute, and post a photo of your view. / Locate a public artwork or mural and photograph it. / Ask a passerby for a restaurant recommendation in the neighborhood, photograph the place’s exterior.
Hard (3 pt) — mini-quests, 8–15 minutes. Examples: Walk to the nearest park entrance and complete a 5-minute loop. / Find a building with a Stolperstein (brass cobblestone memorial) and photograph it. / Order a coffee in German and photograph the receipt.
A full printable deck of 48 challenges lives in CHALLENGES.md.
CURSE CARDS (Hunters throw every 45 minutes)
Curses constrain the Runner’s next moves. Examples:
Curse of the Bear — The Runner’s next 3 claims must each be on a different U-Bahn line. Curse of the Currywurst — The Runner must eat a snack at their next station before claiming it (add 15 minutes). Curse of the Tourist — The Runner must take a selfie with a stranger at each of the next 2 stations. Curse of the Slowpoke — The Runner may not board an S-Bahn for 30 minutes. Curse of the Wall — The Runner’s next claim must be a station on the East side of the former Berlin Wall (or West, Hunter’s choice). Curse of the Loop — The Runner’s next claim must be on the Ringbahn (S41/S42). Curse of the Echo — For the next 60 minutes, every Skin-Shed ping fires every 20 minutes instead of 30.
A full printable deck of 20 curses lives in CHALLENGES.md.
POWER CARDS (the Runner has 3, each usable once)
LEAP — The Runner may skip one station and claim a station two stops away in a single move. The skipped station is not added to their tail. They must still complete a challenge at the destination.
VEIL — For the next 60 minutes, no Skin-Shed pings are sent to Hunters. The Runner moves invisibly.
SHED — The Runner forfeits the last 3 stations of their tail (losing the points). Those stations re-open and may be re-entered. Use this to escape a dead end. Cannot be used inside the first 30 minutes.
8. WINNING & LOSING
The Runner wins if at the moment the timer expires:
- Their snake is at least 15 stations long, AND
- They have not been tagged, AND
- They have not entered a tail station.
Bonus victory: Ouroboros. If at any point the Runner travels from their current head to an adjacent station that is their starting station, and that adjacency is the only remaining legal move, they have looped the snake — instant victory regardless of length.
The Hunters win if any of these happen:
- A Hunter physically tags the Runner.
- The Runner enters a station in their tail (self-collision).
- The Runner is at a station with no legal adjacent stations (all adjacent stations are in their tail) and cannot use Shed — they are boxed in.
- The timer expires and the Runner’s snake is shorter than 15 stations.
Scoring (for tie-breakers or multi-game series)
The Runner’s final score = (stations claimed × 1) + (sum of Challenge Card point values) + (Ouroboros bonus 10). Hunters’ score = (stations the Runner did NOT claim that were inside the playfield × 0.5) + (1 point per curse landed) + (10 if they tagged).
9. TIME LIMITS & PACING
A healthy game looks like this:
| Time elapsed | Expected snake length | Hunter posture |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:30 | 0 → 3 (Runner head start, no Hunters yet) | Hunters at staging point |
| 0:30–1:00 | 3 → 6 | Hunters start moving, react to first ping |
| 1:00–2:00 | 6 → 11 | First curses fly; Hunters triangulate |
| 2:00–3:00 | 11 → 16 | Mid-game crunch; tail starts to constrain |
| 3:00–4:00 | 16 → 22 | Endgame; chokepoints, last powers, tagged or survived |
If the Runner is below 5 stations by 1:00, they are losing badly. If above 8, they are running hot.
Pace targets: ~12 minutes per claim including travel and challenge. Runners who go faster sacrifice planning; Runners who go slower sacrifice length.
10. SAFETY & ETIQUETTE
- No running on platforms or in stations. It’s not allowed by BVG and you’ll get yelled at.
- Tag = a hand on the shoulder. Not a grab, not a tackle.
- Respect transit staff and other passengers. Don’t film strangers without consent; don’t block exits.
- Bathroom break = pause the game. Both teams stop their clocks.
- If anyone is hurt, lost, or having a bad time, pause and check in. This is supposed to be fun.
- Stop by 22:00 / 10pm unless you’ve agreed otherwise. Late-night transit is sparser and the city changes character.
- Photo proof is for verification, not posting. Don’t dox anyone in your shots.
11. VARIANTS & DIFFICULTY KNOBS
Easy mode (3 hours, beginners). Restrict playfield to inside the Ring. Runner needs only 10 stations to win. Pings every 45 min instead of 30.
Hard mode (6 hours, veterans). Expand to all of zone AB. Runner needs 25 stations. No Power Cards. Pings every 20 min.
Tag-team mode. Two Runners (forming a “two-headed snake”) share one tail. They must move together within 3 stations of each other. Doubles the snake’s claiming speed but also its blast radius for self-collision.
Pure transit mode. No walking between non-adjacent stations. The graph is the only legal movement.
Themed deck mode. Replace the Challenge deck with themed ones: “Eat your way through Berlin,” “Public art tour,” “Cold War sites.”
Asymmetric Hunter count. Solo Hunter (mostly intel-driven, no chance of physical tag at scale) vs 4 Hunters (true manhunt). Calibrate Runner win threshold accordingly.
12. QUICK-REFERENCE CARD
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ BERLIN SNAKE — QUICK REFERENCE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ TURN: Travel adjacent → Draw Challenge → Do it → │
│ Claim station → New head. │
│ │
│ SNAKE RULE: Tail stations are dead to the Runner. │
│ Entering one = instant loss. │
│ │
│ HUNTERS: Ping every 30 min. Curse every 45 min. │
│ Tag = win. May Reveal Tail once. │
│ │
│ POWERS (Runner, once each): │
│ LEAP — skip a station │
│ VEIL — no pings for 60 min │
│ SHED — drop last 3 tail stations │
│ │
│ RUNNER WINS at timer if snake ≥ 15 stations. │
│ HUNTERS WIN on tag / self-collision / box-in / timeout. │
│ OUROBOROS: loop back to start = instant win. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Designed for Berlin. Adaptable to any city with a connected rail network. May the longest snake win.