1. This experience is most likely different from anything you have ever done before
An escape room is a challenging experience. Your wits and your communication skills will be tested. The first time through an escape room is a rollercoaster ride. It will take you some time to get your bearings and learn the rules of this new type of experience you're being introduced into. Most people come out of the games with a huge smile upon their face. Even if they did not make it out in time!
2. Communication is key
Throughout the game, group members may experience different parts of the room at the same time. Some may be searching for clues or deciphering a cryptic note on the wall while others are working to piece together a broken statue puzzle in the corner of the room. Most likely, that note holds clues to a faster solution to the statue puzzle, or the puzzle lends a hint to the message on the wall. Many things in our rooms relate to each other in some way. It helps to call out everything that you see and share any clues or objects you find as they may be just what your teammates are looking for. We design our rooms to test a group's communication and group problem solving skills. The teams that communicate well almost always do well.
3. When the timer starts, get moving!
This may seem like common knowledge but this is a timed experience. You have a set time to find all the clues, complete all the objectives, and escape the room! The best teams, start off right as the clock starts counting down. They all search the room and call out everything they see that may be remotely helpful in the game. The game is carefully designed to be challenging and engaging for an entire team for the duration. If you are not actively participating in a search, mini game, puzzle, or clue then you are costing your team valuable time. The best tactic is to split the labor. Work together to find what needs to be done and split off into smaller groups to maximize your time.
4. The clues and objects in the game will be obvious. How they will be used will not always be obvious
We design our puzzles and games into the environment and decoration of the room. We build the puzzles to be somewhat discernable from the background. We will never require a player to take apart, or damage a prop or part of the room to complete a task. There are hundreds of hours spent by craftspeople and game designers to bring you this experience. Please use common sense in the room. You will never have to rip up the carpet or kick through a wall to find a clue or solve a puzzle. And picking up a teammate and using her as a human battering ram to bust down the door is not an acceptable escape strategy.
5. Do not break your brain
We design our puzzles to be fun and challenging for everyone. Some people get their brain around them quickly and some people take a little time. We never intentionally make our puzzles impossible to solve. We design them to be have a logical solution. Sometimes you may be missing a small clue that is most likely hidden in plain view in the room before you. Just relax and the work together to find the answer. We will never require you to be versed in advanced calculus or remember the airspeed velocity on an unladen weight of a swallow in flight (Yes, an African swallow).
