Last week, David and Peih-Gee managed to solve the mystery of the Silver Screen room on Escape This Podcast , and this week, they're recapping their adventures in the madcap chocolate factory. We recommend listening to that episode before you listen to this one. After getting stuck on donuts and pies, it was a relief to know that Dani and Bill had graciously reserved one of their harder rooms for us. We dissect some of the puzzles in the game and debate the merits of various puzzle design etique...
Sep 20, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 16
David and Peih-Gee go on a romp through a very wonky chocolate factory on Escape This Podcast , a show that's a mix between table top role-playing and escape room style puzzles. Much like Willy Wonka, Dani and Bill are madly creative geniuses, dreaming up fantastical audio escape rooms that have come very close to stumping us on more than one occasion. Going on their podcast is always a good time, and the best part is that all their audio escape rooms are available for free to play with your fri...
Sep 14, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 15
Today we're releasing a Patreon Bonus Episode from Season 3 to give you a sneak peek of our REPOD Patreon perks. Johanna's episode was extremely popular, and with good reason. She shared a wealth of knowledge about game design with us on the main episode, and yet, we still had so many questions for her. Luckily she stuck around for the Aftershow. This one in particular feels very much like an extension of the main episode. If you haven't listened to her main episode, we highly recommend you play...
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Season 3Ep. 14
The Infinite Escape Room is a puzzling podcast where a group of pals sit down, have a drink, and work together to solve an audio escape room. The creators are brilliant and hilarious, and they were kind enough to welcome us on a recent episode. We had a blast puzzling our way through this Stranger Things-inspired episode, despite David constantly trying to off Peih-Gee in some nefarious way, and Peih-Gee trying to figure out what is "bed cheese." This is something a little different from our usu...
Aug 09, 2022•46 min•Season 3Ep. 13
In season 3, episode 12, we chat with Lee-Fay Low and Theresa Wagner about the upcoming RECON, the Reality Escape Convention, taking place in person, in Boston, August 21-22, 2022. RECON is a new type of convention mixing talks from leaders in the immersive gaming industry as well as games ranging from an ARG, a large-format ballroom game, an included escape room, and visits to Level99 and Boda Borg. Lee-Fay is the Programming Coordinator. She talks to us about the different talks you can expect...
May 03, 2022•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 12
In season 3, episode 11, we chat with New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically, A.J. Jacobs, about his newest book The Puzzler . A.J. is a self-described “human guinea-pig,” immersing himself deeply, even masochistically, into a given topic and chronicling his experiments, whether it’s living by the Bible literally for a year, or thanking everyone involved in the creation of his morning cup of coffee. An avid crossword solver, A.J. dives down the rabbit hole of puzzles ...
Apr 26, 2022•54 min•Season 3Ep. 11
In season 3, episode 10, we chat with Jeff Leinenveber and Jarrett Lantz, creators of The Nest, an intimate, memorable immersive experience that was a masterclass in environmental storytelling. The Nest unfolded through a series of audio cassette tapes that guests discovered while wandering through a labyrinth of memorabilia and memories. As former Disney Imagineers, Jarrett and Jeff really showcased their talent in scenic design, crafting a rich narrative through an incredible set that took gue...
Apr 19, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 10
In Season 3, episode 9 of REPOD, David and Peih-Gee are joined by David’s wife and REPOD producer Lisa Spira, along with Steve Ewing, the REPOD editor. We take questions and comments from listeners who have called in with voicemails or sent us emails. We had some really thought provoking questions, some lovely compliments about listeners’ favorite episodes, and of course, some hilarious prank calls. We also got to play some hilarious games designed by Steve and Peih-Gee, themed on our past guest...
Apr 12, 2022•1 hr 35 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In Season 3, Episode 8, we chat with Chris Waters, The Architect of Constructed Adventures. Chris creates extraordinary, customized treasure hunt adventures for special occasions. His experiences are primarily for private clients and have included everything from being picked up in helicopters to getting mysterious envelopes delivered by otters. Chris is the Willy Wonka of treasure hunts, doling out mysteries and golden prizes. However, instead of secrecy, he is incredibly transparent about what...
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In season 3, episode 7, we chat with Tommy Honton, creator of the award-winning escape room Stash House . He is a master craftsman of experience design with his bottomless bag of tools, combining storytelling and game design to create memorable, playable experiences. It’s no coincidence that Tommy’s been mentioned by so many guests on this podcast. It’s clear his huge network exists because he genuinely cares about elevating the escape room community and helping like-minded creators succeed. It ...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 7
In Season 3, episode 6 of REPOD, we chat with Hillary Manning, the puzzle design expert on Create The Escape. Create the Escape is a fun kids show where in each episode, kids design an escape room for their parents to play and hopefully escape. Hillary has previously worked at escape rooms like Beat the Bomb and Escape The Room as a puzzle designer and gamemaster. Hillary walks us through the challenges of designing escape rooms for a television audience, and creating puzzles that are both fun t...
Mar 22, 2022•44 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In Season 3, Episode 5 of REPOD, we sat down with Matt Leacock, best known for creating the Pandemic series of cooperative board games. There are several expansions for Pandemic as well as the Pandemic Legacy games, which are stand alone versions of the game with an interwoven narrative that affects the rules and mechanics of the game as you play. The Pandemic and Pandemic Legacy games share many commonalities with escape rooms, including cooperative gameplay, cinematic narrative structure, and ...
Mar 15, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 5
In Season 3, Episode 4 of REPOD, we were joined by Gabby Pascuzzi, a Survivor contestant who competed on season 37, Survivor David vs. Goliath. Gabby is half of one of Survivor’s most iconic Nerd Alliance, alongside Christian Hubiki, a robotics professor. Gabby has a lifelong passion for puzzles and games, and she joined us to help explain why Survivor is so beloved by many game and puzzle enthusiasts. We break down some interesting game mechanics introduced on Survivor’s more recent seasons and...
Mar 08, 2022•57 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In Season 3, episode 3, we chat with Kathryn Yu, Executive Editor of No Proscenium and a co-founder of the Immersive Experience Institute, a non-profit that aims to create a sustainable future for immersive and experiential arts and artists worldwide. Kathryn joins us to chat about game design in branching narrative games, including her brilliant creation Metaverse Noir, told through the medium of Twitter threads. Through her work with No Proscenium, she has her finger on the pulse of immersive ...
Mar 01, 2022•50 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In Season 3, episode 2, we chat with Johanna Koljonen, the co-founder of Participation Design Agency. She is an experience designer specializing in Nordic larp and an expert in designing for safe and enthusiastic participation. Johanna has helped create some incredibly compelling and intense Nordic larps, including Vampire the Masquerade, Inside Hamlet, and House of Craving. Johanna puts careful thought into every aspect of her experiences, encapsulated in her concept that “everything is a desig...
Feb 22, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Season 3Ep. 2
To kick off Season 3, we chat with Maxime and Roxane Filion of Immersia Escape Games. Their escape games truly impressed us on our recent trip to Montreal. In this episode they talk about their immersive approach to game design, their diverse gaming influences, and how they measure success. Maxime and Roxane are also passionate about their creations and about this industry. Moreover, they have a shared vision of what escape games can be, and they are striving to build that future. Show Notes Epi...
Feb 15, 2022•52 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Bonus Content? After each episode, hosts Peih-Gee and David record another show, just for Patreon backers ($5/ month and up). Sometimes the guests stick around for the aftershow. Where the main episode is a heavily edited and produced experience, the bonus content is a freeform conversation. Guests This sneak peek is the REPOD S1E4 Patreon Bonus Content, recorded with Anne and Chris Lukeman from CU Adventures in Time & Space. You can find REPOD S1E4 with guests Anne and Chris here . Patreon ...
Oct 06, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 9
In season 2, episode 8, we chat with Jon Braver, creator of Delusion . Delusion is an interactive horror theatre experience where monsters might crawl on the ceiling, creatures could be flying through the air, and at any moment you could be pulled aside for your own personal storyline. Jon describes Delusion as a cinematic moving play with a rich, linear storyline where the audience gets to be the main character in a horror movie. Jon started creating immersive horror experiences as a teen in hi...
Sep 27, 2021•54 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In Season 2, episode 7, we chat with Rita Orlov, the designer of industry-favorite, indie narrative puzzle games. Rita made a huge splash in the puzzle community with the launch of The Tale of Ord — an epic tabletop escape game with narrative depth and puzzle density. She followed that with The Emerald Flame and The Light in the Mist, a tarot card puzzletale. Rita not only designs her games, she also self-produces, funding all of them via Kickstarter. She talks to us about some of the difficulti...
Sep 21, 2021•55 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In Season 2, episode 6, we got to chat with Brian Corbitt, the creative mind behind the raunchy and hilarious Miss Jezebel —an actor-driven experience that’s a mix between immersive theatre and an escape room. Two of Brian’s games have won Golden Lock Awards from Room Escape Artist, and it was also voted in the top three best online escape rooms in the 2020 TERPECAs – the Top Escape Rooms Project Enthusiasts’ Choice Awards. Brian’s games all have a quirky signature style to them, including the u...
Sep 14, 2021•56 min•Season 2Ep. 6
In season 2, episode 5, we take a deep dive into the inner workings of RECON , our escape room convention. In 2020, Room Escape Artist was poised to launch their first escape room convention. They quickly pivoted to a virtual convention when it became apparent that they wouldn't be able to host an in-person event due to quarantine. Within three months, they put together an unforgettable experience for the escape room community. They had even bigger aspirations for this year's RECON, with new inf...
Aug 17, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In season 2, episode 4, we discuss possible futures for competitive escape room playing with the King of Smash, Ken Hoang. Ken was the world champion of Super Smash Bros. Melee for five years and helped create much of the high level competitive gameplay. Ken was also an extremely strategic player on Survivor: Gabon. Smash Melee was originally designed as a party game, not for competitive play. However, by exploiting glitches and mechanics that were built into the system, whether intentional or n...
Jul 06, 2021•48 min•Season 2Ep. 4
In season 2, episode 3, we chat with Sarah Zhang from Omescape Escape Rooms in the California Bay Area. Sarah is one of the creators of the award-winning, online escape room game, Pursuit of the Assassin Artist , which was voted the #1 online escape room in the 2020 TERPECAs – the Top Escape Rooms Project Enthusiasts’ Choice Awards . It was also a winner at our own 2020 Golden Lock Awards . 2020 was a difficult year for most escape room companies. Many operators adapted their games for virtual p...
Jun 29, 2021•46 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In season 2, episode 2, we have a lovely chat with Nick Moran, who was creative director for Time Run , one of the most influential escape room companies. He has created ambitious games with innovative formats, and he’s now focused his creative genius on designing Spectre and Vox , a gorgeously crafted tabletop gaming experience with interactive storytelling. Nick’s background as a narrative-focused writer becomes apparent when he starts talking about the structure of a game. It was fascinating ...
Jun 22, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In episode 1 of season 2, we talk to acclaimed actor, producer, writer, and tabletop immersive experience designer Neil Patrick Harris. He's a performer known for his iconic roles on stage and screen, but our community knows him as a champion of escape rooms and immersive gaming, as well as the creator of the brilliant tabletop puzzle experience Box One. Neil walks us through the path that led him to his love of escape rooms and other immersive games (including Survivor), explaining that it all ...
Jun 15, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In episode 8, we chat with Lisa Spira, co-creator of Room Escape Artist, one of the producers of this podcast, and the main puppetmaster holding the strings of two very happy podcasters. David and Lisa have been married for five years. He calls himself the Penn to Lisa’s Teller and explains that in their partnership, while he’s the loud carnival barker grabbing the attention, Lisa is the shorter, quiet one who is actually pulling all the strings (and we couldn’t be more thrilled that she’s helpe...
Apr 27, 2021•57 min•Season 1Ep. 9
In episode 7, we talk to Chris Lattner, CEO and creative director of The Room in Berlin, one of the top-ranked escape room companies in the world, according to TERPECA—the Top Escape Rooms Project Enthusiasts’ Choice Awards. The Room’s immersive adventures have continued to win awards and accolades throughout the years, including our own Room Escape Artist’s Golden Lock Awards. Chris’ background was as a professional DJ in the techno scene for many years, performing at clubs and festivals around...
Apr 13, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In episode 6, we sit down with Anthony Robinson, an enthusiastic larper, former castaway on the reality show Survivor Fiji, and long-time contributor to the immersive theatre website No Proscenium . Anthony introduced David and Peih-Gee, who met (and found their mutual love of escape rooms) as guests on an episode of the No Proscenium podcast . It only seemed fitting to bring Anthony onto our show to chat about immersive gaming and Survivor. Anthony is an old school larper (Live Action Role Play...
Apr 06, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In episode 5, we had a lovely chat with Barry Meade, founding member of Fireproof Studios and one of the co-creators of The Room, an incredibly vivid mobile game first released in 2012. The Room had a tactile, immersive quality to it, from its haunting soundtrack, to the weight of physical objects, and how the environment handled the lighting design. These design elements, combined with a series of intricate puzzles, have delighted and inspired countless escape room enthusiasts and designers. It...
Mar 30, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this episode, David and Peih-Gee chat with Chris and Anne Lukeman, owners of the escape room company CU Adventures and the escape room shirt company Solve Our Shirts . We talk about how a trip to Wisconsin and to two attractions in particular "opened their eyes to a level of weird that became a commercial business." Those attractions were Wizard Quest, a fantasy-themed scavenger hunt and House on the Rock, which Anne describes as a "skyscraper hobbit-hole of kitsch." We learn about their back...
Mar 23, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 5
