Participating in an escape room is a unique experience, which allows friends and family to have fun and work together to solve puzzles. There are endless possibilities to set up a room for this purpose and decorate it in the best possible way to make the game exciting, making sure that every player can enjoy the experience.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Creating an Environment
Step 1. Choose the room in your house where the game will take place
Choose a room that is large enough for players to move around easily as they search for clues and collaborate. Also make sure that clues and props are suitable for the location.
To make the game longer and more difficult, use two or more adjacent rooms and make sure that during the game the players have to "unlock" the doors that separate them
Step 2. Choose an interesting setting for the room that matches the story
Choosing an interesting setting will help you create themed challenges. It will also make sure that the escape room is experienced as a complete experience.
- You could, for example, set the room in Renaissance Italy or in the New York of the Roaring Twenties.
- If you wish to have even more control over the setting, choose a future time when the possibilities are limitless!
Step 3. Choose a theme that fits the setting
Try to think of a theme that might interest and intrigue players. You could, for example, choose a theme that is inspired by a book or film that the group is already interested in. Make sure you are able to purchase and source decorations and props that fit your chosen theme.
- For example, if the game is set in late 19th century England, you can use the "Sherkock Holmes" theme.
- If your players like horror movies and Halloween, you can use a zombie or haunted house theme!
- You may even decide to stage a prison escape in any historical period!
Step 4. Set a 30 minute game limit if this is your first escape room
Setting a 30-minute limit will prevent you from getting overwhelmed with preparations or having to invent too many challenges. This way you can focus on creating high-quality puzzles that players can enjoy.
If you've already set up several escape rooms and your players are veterans, you might want to stretch the game a bit to create a challenge for players to keep their interest alive
Part 2 of 4: Inventing a Plot
Step 1. Come up with a storyline that matches the setting and theme
Having a storyline will make sense of the whole escape room. Players may have to leave the room to deliver top-secret information, or enter a room to defuse a bomb. Whatever storyline you have in mind, make it easy for players to understand.
Step 2. Divide the plot into accessible parts
Whether your storyline is simple or complex, make sure every part of it is playable by the players. Try to summarize each part of the plot in one sentence to make sure it's not too complicated.
For example, for the beginning of the story you could write: "The players wake up in a room. They see a large poster in front of them, full of letters and numbers. They solve the puzzle and discover that they are in the year 3015"
Step 3. Create a concept map of the texture
Help yourself with post-its and a poster or a powerpoint presentation to outline what the players will have to do at each stage of the story. Write each of your short descriptive sentences on a different post-it note and organize them in prominence.
- For example, if players have to open a door to escape from a room, you decide how many clues they will find, how many puzzles they will have to solve along the way, and how long it will take.
- If you anticipated that players need to find a key, they may need to collect clues across the room to figure out where it is hidden.
- If you are preparing a very large escape room or if there are many people participating in the game, you could create a concept map that at some point splits into several parts: the important thing is that, in the end, everything comes together in the right way..
Step 4. Check several times that each part of the story slides smoothly into the next
After the players solve each puzzle, make sure they have the instructions or other clues to lead them to the next stage.
- If the players manage to open a box, prepare clues and information within it to lead them to the next puzzle.
- Always keep the plot of the story in mind, making sure that the beginning, the middle, the climax and the conclusion are perfectly intertwined.
Part 3 of 4: Creating the Challenges
Step 1. Think about the challenges players will encounter throughout the story
Challenges are parts of the story that participants will have to face throughout the game. If they are novice players, just create three or four. If you think they would prefer a more complicated escape room, think about five or more challenges.
- Challenge ideas for a zombie-themed escape room could be: understanding who was the first person to be infected, what treatment can cure them and where this cure is located.
- For a futuristic theme, players may instead need to figure out what year they are in, how they got there, and how to get back to their present.
Step 2. Prepare multiple challenges or simultaneous challenges for large groups
If you are creating an escape room for more than 6 people, consider dividing them into two teams or preparing challenges that need to be solved at the same time. In this way each participant will be involved.
Step 3. Create a puzzle for each challenge
Make sure that the time you give players is enough to face each challenge. Once the riddle has been solved or the test passed, they should either get an answer or unlock some other clue.
- For example, if their goal is to open a door, they may have to decrypt messages, find a lock combination, or search for objects in strange places in order to find the key.
- If players are to decipher a villain's message, they may need to find hidden clues in books, newspapers, and photographs.
Step 4. Use the locks to secure the information
Buy combination locks, bicycle locks, or small safes. Create a puzzle whose answer is the combination to open the lock. Once opened, have the players find the next clue.
- For example, you could hide the lock combination under a book.
- For a more engaging challenge, hide the lock key in a separate box that players will first need to be able to open.
Step 5. Display items that hide information
Write a code on the bottom of any object in the room that opens a lock or gives new information to the players.
- You could place several dice with missing numbers around the room. The players will then have to try to put together the missing numbers to get the code that opens a lock.
- Open a newspaper and underline certain words to create a sentence for the players to compose.
Step 6. Create an encrypted message giving players something to decrypt
Give the players a list of words or a phrase that they will have to match to a pattern.
- You could create an acrostic, where the first letter of each word forms a sentence or name.
- Color the words and match the colors to another scheme located in a different spot in the room.
- Show players a sentence in which the number of letters in each word matches one of the numbers to open a lock or safe.
Part 4 of 4: Play
Step 1. Choose props that make the escape room more authentic (optional)
Visit a craft store or flea market to find decorations that match your chosen theme.
- Use candles to create historic or eerie settings. To take less risk, you could use electric or battery-operated candles instead of real ones.
- Place glow sticks in clear containers and place them around the room to create a futuristic atmosphere.
- Branches, stones and earth can give the feeling of being in a forest or cave.
Step 2. Create the right mood with the music
Search the internet for playlists suitable for the setting. Connect speakers to your cell phone to allow players to hear the music. Keep the volume so that the music is audible, but soft enough for players to talk to each other.
Step 3. Get costumes to help players feel part of the story (optional)
Help your players immerse themselves in the story by providing them with themed costumes. Keep in mind that just one or two pieces of a costume are enough!
To save money, get costumes at a flea market or borrow clothes from friends
Step 4. Prepare the room with props and decorations
Make sure the clues are in the right place, ready to be found by the players. Check several times that the locks are closed and the keys hidden.
If you are using candles, make sure they are out of range and are not likely to fall as players look around
Step 5. Test the game to make sure it works
Prepare the room for how players will see it and try out all the challenges and puzzles. Check that all clues and evidence make sense and guide players through the story.
You could also ask someone to try the game to figure out how long it will take. After all, you already know the answers to all the puzzles
Step 6. Explain the rules to the players
Give a short introductory talk to explain the story and what is allowed and not allowed. You could also print the rules on a piece of paper, so that they always have them available during the game.
- For example, you could explain to players that they cannot use their mobile for help. You can't force them not to use cell phones, but you can create a rule that using them to solve a puzzle is cheating.
- Show players which furniture and other items shouldn't be lifted or moved.
Step 7. Choose how much aid will be granted to the players
Sometimes groups get stuck in a challenge or puzzle. Allow them to get 3 or more clues during the game. Be ready to help them at any point in the game and tell the players before they start how many they will have available. Make sure that they can help them, but that they are not too decisive.
If some or all of the players are children, give them more than 3 hints or give them an unlimited number, so as not to discourage them
Step 8. Choose a reward to give to the players if they manage to complete the escape room
Choose a reward that motivates them to complete the game and let them know what they will receive before they even start playing!
- To save money, you could simply take a picture of them with costumes and props and then digitally send it or have it printed.
- If the players are adults, you might expect a cash prize or gift card.
Advice
- Print the rules and instructions for players to refer to during the game. After verbally explaining the rules, give each player a copy of them so as not to forget them while they play.
- Prepare food and drinks suitable for the setting in the room, so players can nibble on something while solving the puzzles.
- Make sure the room is bright enough for players to easily read instructions and clues.
