I find myself locked in a room. It is imperative that I escape in 60 minutes. I’m with friends. We all have the desire to escape. In all honesty, we are paying to be locked away with the hope we are challenged with riddles that will lead to clues allowing us to solve puzzles that eventually lead to our escape. It is a team effort, riddled with interpersonal complexities. Can we communicate effectively? Can we lead and be led? Do we have good listening skills. Do we have real-life experiences to lean upon. All of these will help our task.

It feels like a mission. A challenge. It is competitive. Others have been challenged and won. We paid, we need to win.

The creators of the puzzles and overall design of the room have built a room that has several characteristics.

Backstory - the scenario that you and your friends find themselves in has a background story. One with mystery and suspense like an old Alfred Hitchcock movie.The backstory sets the mood and many of the clues are tied back to the story.

Detail - the look and feel of the room supports the backstory. All of the senses are targeted. Sight, sound, smell, touch.

Challenge - puzzles require different levels of experience or attention to detail or linkages to multiple clues. One puzzle might require some basic math, while another requires a cipher, while another requires some trial and error. Each and every puzzle can be solved with an already understood knowledge base or if that knowledge base hasn’t been learned, it can be learned in the room. For example. If you don’t understand Morse code, you should be able to find a “key card” in the room that demonstrates the basic workings of Morse code.

Entertainment - the entire experience should be fun, entertaining, enjoyable. There should be “ah ha” moments, There should be moments of laughter and adrenaline.

Surprise - Each room will have one or more surprises. Something unexpected. The surprise will separate the room from other rooms.

Overseer - Each room has a game master, someone that follows along with your team. They have eyes and ears, watching from above.The game master will intervene if your group strays to far from the path.