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Make a Team Tip #1. Play with friends or coworkers (if possible)Especially for large-group games, teams work better when there’s a common context for communication. It’s not fun for a group of 20-somethings to play with a family bringing their kids, the play styles may clash when teamwork is required. This clash is infrequent but can happen if you’re unlucky.
This may be cost-prohibitive for public-booking rooms (but you can test your luck by booking last-minute or at unpopular time slots), but private rooms have this by the default. Tip #2. Play at fewer than maximum team sizePlaying at the maximum team size means 1) physical crowdedness 2) not enough things for everyone to work on 3) fewer “aha!” moments 4) additional overhead in getting everyone up to speed. We generally recommend approximately 50-75% of the maximum capacity although this can vary by game or group. Again, this may be cost-prohibitive for public-booking rooms (again, you can test your luck by booking last-minute or at unpopular time slots), but private rooms should allow the flexibility of choosing your ideal team size. Work Together Tip #3. Pass the batonIf you’ve been staring at a puzzle for too long and can’t figure out the solution, enlist a fellow team member to help or take over on the puzzle. This helps make sure that puzzles don’t get forgotten, and that there are enough eyes on each unsolved puzzle.
This can continue until a few people can’t figure it out – that’s usually a sign that you don’t have all of the information yet (or that you need a hint!). Listen to your teammatesEscape room teams function best when they try everything. So if your teammate has a crazy but somewhat reasonable idea, listen to them and try it with them! If you think it’s a bad idea, still encourage them to try it nevertheless. As long as the crazy idea is reversible, it might just move you closer to the final solution. At the very least, it will be fun! Yell out loudly what you findThis tends to be fairly chaotic but very effective. Escape room games are won and lost based on how quickly two team members who found related items can match them together.
This includes things like a code and a key, a key and a lock, or a pattern that appears the same way in two different places. Work on what other people aren’t working onThis helps spread apart your team and have each team member be maximally effective. There’s a tendency to dismiss or skip over some puzzles that are “too hard” to do at first glance. This leaves some puzzles forgotten and undone until someone realizes that they’re needed. Tip #7. Don’t “clump” around the same puzzleBe a contributor to a puzzle and not a spectator.
It’s too easy to be a spectator when interesting progress is being made on a puzzle, but people are more effective when they’re spread out and working on what needs to be done! If there’s only one puzzle open however, by all means let the whole team brainstorm! Manage Puzzle Items Too many keys (Photo Credit: ) Tip #8.
Keep used keys in their lockA key is almost never used more than once. Leave it in the lock for your sanity!
This will help prevent the key from being used again, prevent someone else from trying out another key on the lock, and prevent you from accidentally locking the object again. In very rare cases, a key may be used more than once, so keep that in mind too as a last resort option. Make a “discard pile”Separate objects in the game into a “used” pile and an “unused” pile. This helps prevent team members from examining the same object again and again.
This also helps you connect certain “unused” items by placing them in physical proximity! Note that in some escape rooms, objects may be “used” more than once. Organize objects neatlyThis helps keep the room tidy, so you can find what you need. This also lets you keep together related objects, so you can find all of them right when you need them. Some examples:. Stack related books together.
Spread apart an important piece of cloth. Place loose objects on the table on the room. Put all unused keys together in a central locationBe Comprehensive If you see a bunch of books on a shelf, first check to see if any of them is actually a book safe. You might get a clue later to refer to a specific book (especially if you need a book cipher or you have a dictionary).
As a low priority task, flip through some of the books (but please don’t waste too much time looking at random marks in them). Search the room thoroughlyBe extremely thorough when looking and touching everywhere, as if you were painting the room rather than as if you were just looking for where you put your phone.
Sometimes key objects can be in the most exotic (or non-exotic) of places, like:. nestled on the top of a bookshelf. hidden inside of a book. tucked in a coat pocket. behind the door of a cabinet.
in a secret compartment of the floor, wall, or shelf unit. stuck on a ceiling-supporting pillar. placed on a ledge high on the wallTip #12. Divide and conquer to searchAt the very beginning of each game, split the room into sections and assign different people to comb through each section, looking for objects of importance. This helps make sure that the room is thoroughly inspected, and helps prevent the case where certain areas are overlooked and certain other areas are repetitively combed over.
Listen to your hostListen to the intro and rules by your game master – your game master might slip some helpful hints at the beginning that will save you a lot of time. This applies to the hints that they give in-game too, especially if they are live action actors. All of the staff in-game will try to nudge you in the right direction. Ask for hintsThere’s almost always a hint system in the game.
You may have to wave into a camera, use a walkie-talkie, or pay attention to the in-game actor. Regardless of how hints are distributed, we recommend asking for hints whenever you feel overly stuck or have stopped having fun. Game masters are trained to push you in the right direction so you can start solving puzzles again. Solve Puzzles Efficiently Don’t look up here. (Photo Credit: ) Tip #15. Know what to ignoreThis is best gathered through experience, but here are some common things that new escape room players discover that are almost never important to the escape room. Random numbers written in black marker on old books or furniture – This is usually just artifacts left over from when the game master purchased the item.
Power outlets – Don’t mess around with power outlets, unless its clear that you should. This is both a safety issue and a waste of time. Drop ceiling tiles – Never try to look behind a drop ceiling tile or touch the ceiling.
It’s a waste of time and also a safety issue.Tip #16. Attempt combo solutions frequentlyUnless the lock is some sort of “lockout” safe, attempting combination solutions whenever you have a plausible correct solution gives you quick feedback on if you’re doing the right thing. If you’re lucky, your first guess might even be right! This tip is combined well with the the next tip – if you have 3 out of 4 of the numbers on a combination lock, immediately input in the 3 digits and cycle through the last one. Tip #17. Skip the last digit / letterSome examples where you can skip some minor steps include:. Figuring out the last digit in a lock – If you know the first 3 digits in a 4-digit combination lock, you can just cycle through the last options for the 4th one. Figuring out the last few letters in a wordlock – This is like solving a crossword.
If you have a 5-letter word that starts with M and ends in C, try MAGIC!Note that you should only do this if you’re ok with missing out on a puzzle. Usually you can ask a game master about the puzzle you skipped afterwards. General Tips Cabinets, drawers, and doors that are hard to open are likely supposed to stay that way. Please don’t try to force it open. (Photo Credit: ) Tip #18.
Don’t use excessive forceBreaking things is both bad for the escape games and the players – for everything including game functionality, player safety, and important game sequences. Avoid forcing open any doors or detaching anything from the walls that don’t easily come off. Avoid climbing on furniture, or touching the ceiling. The game masters will usually brief you beforehand on what things you shouldn’t do.
Tip #19. Don’t play drunkEscape rooms are a lot more fun when played sober. Come in with a sober mind ready for some puzzle-solving, quick decision-making, and effective communication! Celebrate afterwards instead of before! Look at the broader pictureDon’t get too stuck on any one individual puzzle. Have at least one member of your team keep track of the larger picture, which involves figuring out what smaller puzzles need to be done, what final objects need to be collected, or what final objective needs to be done. This sometimes allows you to just skip over the smaller steps. Apply Occam’s RazorDon’t overthink any of the puzzles.
Escape games are meant to be fun for a larger audience, which means that they generally don’t require prior knowledge, prior experience, or a complicated explanation for anything. Go for the simpler solution. Usually escape room puzzles have a clear “aha!” when you discover the right approach. Tip #22. Bring a wristwatchA wristwatch is potentially the only thing you’re allowed to bring into an escape room and use during the game. A watch will let you keep an eye out for exactly how much time is left, which is very helpful when the game does not provide a clock, or only provides a clock in one of the rooms.
A watch with a glow function can even provide a handy light to shine on a dimly-lit lock. Tip #23. Don’t be afraid to loseSome of our most satisfying escape rooms were ones where we didn’t escape. The game is a lot more fun when you solve puzzles genuinely and don’t rush chaotically to finish the game. These games can be hard, but are also simultaneously fun and immensely satisfying.
Enjoy yourselves, and embrace the game and your friends, not the outcome, and you will have lots of fun!Liked this post? Follow us on, or to get notified when we post more escape room articles! You can also subscribe to our blog in the sidebar. My family and I went to The Secret Chambers in Fort Worth, tx on February 8, 17. It was our first time and the ages ranged from 17 to 85. Why we didn’t think of leaving the keys in the locks, I don’t know.
But that IS a good idea. We thought a key might open more then just one lock though. There were 10 of us and we figured it all out with 3 minutes to spare. The manager said 40% of groups never figure it out in time. There was also a cool surprise having to do with the cannon that wowed us and gave us another key or map. I tried an escape room for the first time tonight, and it could have gone better. The idea of our room (Curse of the Evil Genie) was fun, but unfortunately the execution was shoddy, and this is more for game designers:MAKE SURE THE COMBINATION IS CORRECT ON YOUR COMBO SOLUTIONS!We tried the solution we received at least fifteen times and it just.
So unfortunately we ran out of time.Our game master, however, opened the lock just fineand the third number in the combo was NOT the third number we got in our solution.So it was either the solution was wrong, or the lock is so degraded from use that the chambers are starting to falter. REPLACE THESE LOCKS!Secondly, BAD HINTS RUIN THE FUN. Our game master kept pointing out something on the wall, and all along was using the wrong color to refer to a puzzle needed to advance to the next part of the room. We eventually figured it out, but that was 10 minutes wasted on a bad hint that the game master kept repeating to us.I really hope my next experience is better. Tip #1 and #2 and #23: Just had my first experience with 6 friends and 3 strangers. The strangers had completed 5 games that day — they were on a serious quest and excluded the rest of us. We had to be quite assertive even aggressive to get in on figuring out puzzles.
One of the players grabbed a clue out of my hand, another walked around with 2 clues until one of my friends took one from her. Sure, we all wanted to win and escape — but we also want to have fun. After 5 games they knew more than we did about finding clues and figuring it out — but they could have also been more generous and instruct us to do something – or include us in some way. They barely spoke to us. They called instructions out to each other.
Interestingly, One of them struggled with the last item/clue: putting a key together. We said give it to our friend, as he took a locksmith course. The guy continued to struggle with it until he finally gave it up to our friend, who put it together in seconds. Unfortunately – we had already gone over the hour – they gave us more time because we were so close. It took us 2mins longer to finish. Had he given up the key to our friend we would have made it within the time allowed. Don’t be so competitive with the people in the room that you end up losing because you have to be the winner of the group.
There might always be a mixed group of experience vs first time players. Make friends before you go in and make a plan on how to manage it so that everyone has a chance to play – Tip #12. I wish I had read these tips BEFORE I played the game. Laura, I have even seen parents exclude and squash their children in their single-minded rush to “win” by beating the clock. When human beings are put under a time pressure, their ability to view the larger picture, can become blocked by tunnel vision. The larger picture is: this is a chance for my family to create a wonderful memory together, a chance for me to be surprised by seeing new qualities in my family members and friends, etc. That’s why it helps to have expectations stated and gentle (or firm) reminders during the game that everyone needs to have fun, everyone needs to be included, and that the goal is not JUST to beat the clock, but to make a great memory together, affirm each other, let each other shine.
This is especially important when escape rooms are used as group-building exercises, such as in youth groups or clubs. But I think public ones can benefit as well from this kind of leadership. Yesterday I had my first experience with few friends in Escape Room game about Dracula. Frankly, it was a little too advanced escape room for us all since first 20 min we struggled really bad and wasted a lot of time.
Fortunately, I was the one who gave the necessary instructions to all the people in the escape room and we started rushing through clues, puzzles and quests:))The fun part was that we finished just 21 sec before game was overI was really excited about that and now wanna play it again ?Thank you for the tips William, the next time I’ll do things the way you suggested in this awesome article ?. Did one with 6 strangers (fraternity students) who were not happy that my friend and I were there. They made it verbally clear that they had no intention of sharing or talking to us. They refused to give us any clues they found and even physically threatened me and my friend to hand over any clues or “get stomped and never leave the room”. At one point they told us to stand in the corner and don’t move or speak or they would hurt us.
It was the worst escape room experience ever. We ended up sitting on the ground for 50+ minutes just staring at the ground. The employee finally opened the door when one of the college guys kicked my friend in the shoulder. We did end up getting a refund but will never do an escape room again. Horrible experience!! Having observed groups in twenty or so library escape rooms, I can say tips 4&5 are the most crucial, and often groups need primed to communicate that well with each other, so I mention it at the beginning. Also, as part of the introduction, I point out that there are different ages involved here, and everybody needs to have fun by getting their hands on things and solving some things themselves.
I intervene at points asking, “is your whole team getting to participate?” or nudging someone who thinks they’ve been sidelined towards a puzzle they can work on separately. The biggest problem I see is someone picking up and walking around with a clue nobody else knows they have.
Or walking around with the ultraviolet flashlight looking at irrelevant things, and nobody else really realizes they have it. Also — I strongly discourage tips 16 & 17 — it’s annoying to have someone who wants to be a “safe-cracker” because the room has been designed to have a storyline, — by skipping parts of the puzzles you miss out — and it seriously diminishes the satisfaction factor — the feeling of completeness when the story comes full circle at the end and you’ve discovered all the parts and how they fit together.