I think this is great.

It seems to me that one of the most important factors of the gameplay for this activity will be how the object, and more importantly the ropes, interacts with the tentacles. My worry is that the ropes will become more the obstacle than the bowl you are trying to raise.

The best way to figure this out is to set it up I think, and start playing around with ropes and adjusting things until it plays right.

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I really have no comments on how you've put the rope test together - I think you addressed all the concerns and you came up with the right observations.

I think 5 is also the right number of strings, to keep it more interesting and more flexible.

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The concept of the makeshift cauldron was well done. Although it requires several users to execute the raising of the object, they must communicate to do it properly. One issue is what prevents just one person from controlling two ropes and pulling it up by themselves? I assume the team building aspect of the game will help people work together for that.

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This is a fun concept because it removes the sense of sight, but it could become boring after several times playing the room. If a player who has already beaten the game returns with a new group of friends, it may not be so engaging for them. Would it be possible to move the tentacles around to change the difficulty of the task? This might make the game more engaging.

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I think your sketch model did well to figure out the rope/navigation system! There are other aspects to continue exploring, but for now this was a good start!

-How can you make the failure mode more apparent?

-How do you properly motivate the gameplay?

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This is a really good solution and I like the simplicity. My biggest question is: does a rope touching the tentacles trigger a loss or just the object? I feel like it would be really hard to keep the ropes off the tentacles as you navigate between 3 or 4 of them.

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Nice rig. Seems like the mechanics of this are fairly simple (which is good!)

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Simple and great proof of concept! This is one of those games you're never quite sure exactly how it'll work until you try it out. Well done.

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The sketch model, a works-like model, was well done in that it clearly demonstrated the mechanic of raising the object with ropes through a full sized scale model of the cauldron diameter. It would have been interesting also to see more of how the tentacles interacted with the goal of raising the object in this works-like model to give an idea of how challenging the task is to accomplish.

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The sketch model shows how the ropes would allow the players to control the position of the object, but the model allows users to see the object. I wonder what the user experience would be like if the view was obscured and there were obstructions in the path of the strings. It would have been helpful to see this additional challenge incorporated into the sketch model to get a sense of the difficulty of the task.

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-The simulated cauldron in your model is much taller than in your storyboard. I think you should keep it shorter, so players can see the obstacles and the item they are trying to lift. Otherwise, there is no motivation to pull the ropes.

-Is there a way to make it easier if fewer than 5 players want to play? I am concerned it'll be too difficult for 2 or 3 players when they have to handle more than one rope at a time.

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It proves the viability of the concept and shows the functionality in a very clear manner. Really good works-like.

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