Frequently Asked Questions
Hi! My name is CharLee. I’m one of the owners of The Eureka Room and Cryptid Escapes in Bellingham, WA. The other owners and I get asked many questions about our rooms and the escape room industry, in general. Among those questions are a few recurring ones, so here’s an article to help answer them! If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out! We can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook as The Eureka Room and Cryptid Escapes.
1. What is an escape room?
It’s different for every room, but the core concept is that you and a group of friends or family solve a series of puzzles/riddles/tasks in order to finish your goal. The typical goal of an escape room is to escape the room! However, a lot more escape rooms have a more abstract goal like “find out the murderer” or “land your spaceship” that your team works toward. Kind of like playing a video game but in real life!
2. How do you make an escape room?
The process shifts and changes for each company. This is a quick run-down for us:
For an experience from scratch, our game designers usually start with a concept or theme. Something that really motivates us! Then we start thinking of location, and then objects IN that location. Then objects that might not otherwise be in that space but serve the theme. After a while, we think of how the different objects and parts of the scenery can work together in exciting ways. This is usually when a storyline forms. A few of our games are not from scratch but rather from props we have/buy. Like: "We have this really cool shield, what can we do with it?" (If you have any more questions on this process, we have game designers that are more than happy to share!) If it play-tests well as a verbal game, we start building! Curating and making props, coding and wiring, constructing and painting walls. It all takes time and dedication from our team and contractors. Physical play-test starts when construction is finished and after a few tweaks, we're ready to open!
3. Is it scary?
While we haven’t made a horror experience yet, many other escape room companies have spooky games that add a bit more pressure to the situation. Though our adventures aren’t intended to scare you, the ultimate goal is for your team to be immersed in a new world. Sometimes, that can make the games thrilling in a way that feels like horror. So, in short: not scary but it will get your heart racing!
4. Is it hard?
A common misconception is that you have to be really smart to be good at escape rooms. This is untrue! Being “good at escape rooms” doesn’t even really exist. Each is unique and caters to various types of thinking. We like to build our rooms where all you need to succeed is a bit of curiosity, a can-do mindset, and a bit of common sense. While our mission is to make it winnable, the point is to be challenged as well. Otherwise, where’s the fun?
5. How many people can play?
Though we are a bit far off from the hundreds of player escape games in other countries, our largest can hold up to 9 people. All can be played with just 2, though. A rule of thumb, for the optimal group size, take maximum capacity and minus 2-3. Max is 5? Best group is 3. Max is 7? Best group is 4. Though, each team is different! You know best what your friends and family are capable of and we've got games for many levels! Sounds like a match, to me.
6. Is it expensive?
Our team is dedicated to spreading the thrill of escape rooms and we try our best to make the price affordable. However, we’re going to let you in on a little secret: building and running these games is not cheap! To create a lasting, memorable experience, some time and money has to go into it. Though the price per person is below that of the ones you’d find in larger cities, it may not be accessible to all. Thankfully, we have many chances for sales and promotions. (If that’s more your style, stay updated on our socials to get the news of any discounted ticket opportunities.)
7. What happens if we can't figure it out?
Though the game is meant to be challenging, you're not entirely going it alone. Throughout your whole adventure, an all-knowing beacon of hope is watching over you in the form of one of our talented game masters (GMs). With them, you can ask for help and they'll assist you or try nudging you in the right direction if you get off track. The goal is that you finish the experience so our GM's try to get you there. In the event you don't find all the solutions before time runs out, those same knights in shining armor are there to show you the rest and kindly allow your exit. Not solving everything usually doesn't mean that you didn't have a good time, it just means you needed more than the time allotted to experience it all!
8. Can you play in the same escape room again?
The simple answer is: probably not. As the nature of the fun you experience is based on your team not knowing things, remembering solutions is likely to spoil the fun. Knowing that, we try to come up with new ones that loyal players can solve. That being said, there are exceptions to this. Personally, our team has a couple escape experiences they'd play again because they didn't get to see everything the first time. Also, we've updated and changed our rooms as our business, tastes, and our player base grew. So, a room you played a year or so ago might be different and therefore, replayable! Escape room owners almost always know if it's a good idea to replay a room based on iterations of it. It never hurts to ask about a specific game!
9. Are we really trapped in there?
Nope! If, for any reason, you need to leave during your experience, there's always an unlocked door to exit. While you're not TECHNICALLY locked in, leaving the game breaks the immersive feel and it's not as fun. But, if you have to, no one will stop you from stepping out.
10. Do we have to play with strangers?
We take what the escape room-ers call "private" bookings. This means that, no matter how many players, it'll just be you. We won't add anyone to your team that you didn't invite along. This also means that we have a booking minimum to make sure we can pay our staff to run smaller games. Most websites will tell you if they have a booking minimum and what that means for each company. Many other escape room companies will take "public" bookings and will fill player slots instead. This means that if you have a smaller team, your game might be filled with more players that you don't know yet. A company might do this so they don't have to turn away small groups or if there's an actual physical need for more players.
11. Do the game masters just sit and laugh at the dumb things people do?
I won't speak for everyone, but I liken the experience to coaching a sports game. I know how you're supposed to do things and will nudge you to do those, but dumb or not, we're all on the same team. If players get really close to the end zone, I'm cheering you on; "They're so close, just a little bit more!" Don't get me wrong, players can do some… interesting things and I will laugh but only if you're laughing, too.
12. What is the craziest thing you've seen people do?
Each GM has their own stories if they've been doing it long enough. My most memorable group was years ago and consisted of 9 twelve year-olds and they were having the time of their lives. Just joking around, wearing our costume props, singing to their hearts' content. Doing anything BUT solving any puzzles. Which was alright until I tried giving them a hint. To which they responded by realizing I could hear and see them and climbing on top of each other's shoulders to cover up our surveillance camera. Afterwards, while resetting, I found out they hid every prop they had in various locations around the room. Since then, we recommend an adult present. Kids will be kids! (We have plenty more stories including ones involving kegs and many with dogs. Keep an eye out for some on our socials!)
**This blog was written by someone paid by The Eureka Room and Cryptid Escapes. While intended to be informational, it also acts as promotional material. Thank you for reading and staying media literate. :)
