Unmasking the Saboteur: A Weekend of Deception in Dinant
When you gather eleven data consultants, pull them away from their desks to pack them off to Dinant, and toss in a deceptive game of “Saboteur,” you know it's going to be an interesting weekend. Our mission? Accumulate as much cash as possible in the collective jackpot while simultaneously trying to unmask the Saboteur among us. I would like to say that our data engineers can crunch more than just numbers, but as it turns out, most of them are not very adept when it comes to finding the odd one out among their fellow colleagues... Let’s unpack our teambuilding weekend!
Day 1: Cracking Codes and Chasing Saxophones
We kicked off our adventure with a delicious lunch in the picturesque town of Dinant. The first speculations began to circulate, despite no one knowing for sure if the Saboteur had already been chosen (except for one person, of course). After lunch, we split into three teams, each armed with a set of coordinates, leading us to three different locations, where a mysterious backpack was waiting for us. The goal of the first game: unlock the different parts of the backpack using a series of puzzles, and arrive at the final destination in time.
Saxophone Selfies
For my group, the first task was a saxophone scavenger hunt. Dinant, famed for its giant saxophones each representing a different country, became our playground. We deciphered several clues that pointed to specific countries, for which we had to find the corresponding saxophones and snap selfies with them. While everyone was rushing from one saxophone to another, asking locals were they could find the next, one of us was more keen on enjoying the views and taking group pictures for tourists...
Musical Puzzles and Numerical Riddles
Next, our path led us to a musical puzzle. A little music box played French translations of Dutch and English song lyrics, which we then had to match to an array of song titles. Easy enough, a correct match resulted in the code for the next lock on the backpack.
The next challenge: another music box, paired with a mathematical equation of album covers instead of numbers. A crucial element: the order of the songs played on the box determined their number in the equation, with the result being the code for opening the final lock. However, in one team (my team), only the mathematical equation was found, with the box staying nice & dry in the backpack, until it was too late to go through all 25 songs anymore...
The Saboteur Strikes
After unlocking all parts of the backpack, the final destination was revealed. Two teams arrived on time, but one lagged behind, arriving mere minutes after the deadline... With personal notebooks in hand, we began writing down our suspicions. The saboteur's subtle sabotage had begun, and the air was already thick with speculations on his or her identity.
Ticking Time Bomb
Evening brought a new challenge: the “ticking time bomb”. Paired up and locked together in different corners of the ruins of Crèvecoeur, all teams relied on an "emergency center" to relay clues and help us solve puzzles involving Braille, cryptic texts, and hidden messages on whiteboards. The answer to these clues provided the teams with codes & keys to unlock themselves, with each unlocked team bringing in a sum of money.
Day 2: Musical Mysteries and Disguised Deceptions
Breakfast and Tunes
After breakfast, we were all guided into a room filled with music. Prior to the weekend, each of us had submitted our top three favorite songs. This resulted in a playlist with a twist—some favorite songs were missing, while others didn't belong. Our task was to identify the outliers and the omissions. Interestingly, some of us had a very hard time remembering their all-time favorites, while others admitted to having let their 8-year-old daughters choose their songs, resulting in quite a confusing mix of songs for a team of data consultants.
Domino Disasters
Simultaneously, we tackled a domino construction challenge. Our task was to build four different domino setups of varying difficulty. The more complex the setup, the more money we could earn. Spoiler alert: Our domino skills were... not that great. Who knew data architects weren't the best at constructing domino masterpieces? Our saboteur shined here, taking their time to build a – quite impressive – domino structure, only to then give it the gentlest of pushes, ensuring the blocks wouldn't fall at all.
Disguises and Deceptions
Amidst this chaos, we were called individually into another room, one after the other. Provided with silly costumes—from frog masks to Nemo onesies—we played mini-games, each lasting one minute. Success brought money, failure did not. After the game, we received a card labeled 'truth' or 'lie,' setting the stage for a devious deception game later.
Post-domino disaster, we gathered to share our mini-game experiences. The 'truth' card bearers had to tell the truth convincingly, while the 'lie' card holders had to fabricate their tales. The stakes were high, with points awarded for both spotting lies and successfully deceiving others. As it turned out, not only the Saboteur was a master of deception, as we had some very convincing bluffers in our midst.
Artistic Endeavors
After lunch, we split into two groups: 8 "artists" and 3 "good taste" judges. While six of the artists received a canvas and paint by the riverside, the other two went across the river, provided with walkie-talkies and pictures. These pictures were then described to the six painters, which had to recreate them as well as they could. Here, the saboteur – describing the pictures - struck again, drowning us in unnecessary details and leaving us more confused than ever about what to paint.
Meanwhile, the judges visited the Leffe museum, after which they each received a beer to taste & describe in an audio file. Later, the blindfolded artists attempted to match beers to descriptions. Simultaneously, the artists' painted masterpieces were judged against original photos by the tasters, blending art with analytical skills in a way only a team of data professionals could appreciate.
Last Day: The Big Reveal
Mini-Game Marathon
Our final day started with four mini-games: Mölkky, a game of frisbee, an estafette-memory game cross-over, and a thinking puzzle. Every team placed bets on which team they believed would win each of the mini-games. Only the correctly placed bets brought money into the jackpot. The competition was fierce, as money wasn't the only prize—winning also came with hints about the saboteur's identity. As the finish line approached, the focus shifted away from the money, which was detrimental to the team work. The team winning most challenges was rewarded with three names that certainly were not the Saboteur. To the losing team, however, an extra disadvantage was given, as one of their correct answers on the final questionnaire would be marked as incorrect.
The Grand Finale
For the grand finale, we completed a questionnaire about the Saboteur, with the ultimate question being their identity. Afterwards, we gathered, each standing next to a lamp. One by one, they lit up red, indicating a loss. The final lamps would then lit up green to indicate the winner, and white for the Saboteur.
As we came towards the end, three lamps remained unlit: Sander’s, Neil’s and my own. As it turns out, most people had me as their final suspect, therefore anticipating my lamp would turn white. However, the Saboteur was such a master of deception, that they had fooled everyone – but me. So my lamp turned green, and the person who was in my team for nearly every single game, turned out to be the Saboteur. Finally, to everyone’s surprise, Neil’s lamp lit up bright white...
Wrap up
Our weekend in Dinant was a series of puzzles, challenges, and deceptive games, all set against the beautiful backdrop of this charming town. The Saboteur game brought out the best—and the sneakiest—in all of us. It was a true test of our problem-solving skills, teamwork, and ability to spot deception (for which most of us could benefit from some extra training). Each challenge pushed us to think outside the box and strengthened our bonds as a team. Thank you Plainsight and colleagues for this amazing weekend!
Sophia Valadou
Hi there! I graduated in September 2023 and started at Plainsight in February 2024. Plainsight’s focus on knowledge sharing and open company culture really appealed to me. The support from my colleagues helps me learn new things every day, making my transition from student to professional smooth, enriching, and fun. I'm excited to continue growing as an Analytics Consultant!
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