Transporting San Diego Comic-Con attendees into the heart of ancient Rome is no easy feat, particularly with an outdoor space, that’s setup next to a bustling restaurant on the busiest corner of the convention. But Peacock’s Those About to Die offers a fun, impressive offsite that is worth attendee’s time.

For those lucky enough to have scored tickets (or who waited in the standby line), Those About to Die takes you inside the Circus Maximus, where ancient Romans are on hand to welcome you to the world of chariot racing, and have you be part of the action.

The experience starts off with your host and commentator, who explains the setup of the experience to you and then introduces the team leaders. You are divided into five different groups by color, and told that you will be competing with your team in a chariot race. Each of the performances were strong — a bad performer in something like this can easily make or break an experience and the level of immersion, but all were up to the task, particularly the host and commentator.

Then you’re, quite literally, off to the races. You’re led inside the arena, which is secluded from the rest of the Gaslamp, so that you really feel like you’ve stepped outside of the Gaslamp and into a different time. Each team has their own chariot and a set of reins that correspond to your team’s horses on the track below, which move around based on your movements. There are five races per experience — so that each attendee gets a chance at the reigns to claim victory for their team.

It’s simultaneously more complicated and simpler than it sounds. Our suggestion is to watch what winning teams are doing, and to keep a steady, but slowed-down pace. It isn’t necessarily about who can whip the reins the fastest (and nor is it necessarily about “whipping” the reins at all).

Overall, it’s an incredibly thought-out experience. Because each attendee gets a chance at the reins, everyone gets a chance to participate equally, so no one feels left out. The host runs live commentary on each race, which adds some humor and liveliness to the whole thing. The whole experience is around 15 minutes altogether, which feels like just enough time to offer a fun, immersive experience without eating up your whole day.

At the end, you also receive a pin for your efforts, and the knowledge that you’re now an expert chariot racer (or at least you tried).